Page 5 of For Mercy

Her father's gaze flickered to her hand, noting the gesture.He sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging."It's complicated, Morgan.There are things you don't know, dangers I've been trying to protect you from."

Morgan barked out a harsh laugh."I know more now, Dad.I know about Cordell.I know about Thomas Grady.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with years of unspoken pain and resentment.Morgan tried to reconcile the man before her with the father she thought she'd lost.She wanted answers, needed them desperately, but a part of her was terrified of what those answers might reveal.

John's eyes darted around the clearing, his posture tense."We can't talk here," he said, his voice low and urgent."Come back to my cabin.I'll explain everything once we're safe."

Morgan's jaw clenched, frustration bubbling up inside her.She'd waited too long for answers, and now he wanted her to wait even longer.Her gaze swept over him, taking in the weathered lines of his face, the haunted look in his eyes.This man was both familiar and a stranger.

"Safe from what?"she pressed.

John shook his head, glancing over his shoulder."Please, Morgan.I promise I'll tell you everything, but not here."

She hesitated, searching his face for any hint of deception.The tightness around his eyes, the slight tremor in his hands – these were signs of genuine fear, not the tells of a liar.Still, after everything she'd been through, trust didn't come easily.

"How do I know this isn't some elaborate trap?"she asked, her voice barely above a whisper."How do I know you're really...you?"

A sad smile flickered across John's face."You were wearing your lucky Rangers cap the day you broke your ankle.You insisted I carry you all the way back to the truck, even though I offered to go get help.You said, 'Cross women don't need to be rescued.'"

The memory hit Morgan like a physical blow.She could almost feel the weight of that cap on her head, smell the crisp autumn air.It was a detail so specific, so personal, that it couldn't have been faked.

She swallowed hard, her resolve wavering.Every instinct honed by years in the Bureau screamed at her to be cautious, to demand more information before agreeing to anything.But the part of her that was still that stubborn little girl in the woods, the part that had never stopped missing her father, made the decision for her.

"Okay," Morgan said finally, giving a small nod."Lead the way."

As they started moving through the darkened forest, Morgan's mind raced.What had her father gotten himself into?How did it connect to her own framing and imprisonment?And most importantly, could she trust the man walking beside her, or was she walking into yet another betrayal?

CHAPTER TWO

The dense canopy of oak and pine cast long shadows across the forest floor, their branches intertwining overhead like gnarled fingers.Morgan's heart hammered against her ribcage as she followed the ghostly figure of her father through the night-shrouded woods.Every snap of a twig beneath her boots sent a jolt of adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Skunk padded silently beside her, his muscular body taut with tension.The pit bull's ears were pricked forward, alert to every rustle in the underbrush.Morgan glanced down at her faithful companion, noting the way his nose twitched rapidly, sampling the air.She'd never seen him this on edge before, not even during their most dangerous cases with the Bureau.

"What is it, boy?"she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper."What's got you so worked up?"

Skunk's only response was a low whine, his dark eyes fixed on the path ahead.Morgan's unease deepened, settling like a cold stone in the pit of her stomach.She'd learned to trust Skunk's instincts over the years, both before her imprisonment and after.If something had the dog this unsettled, it couldn't be good.

Her father's silhouette moved steadily ahead, weaving between the trees with the ease of long familiarity.Morgan studied his gait, the set of his shoulders.It was him, she was certain of it now.The shock of seeing him alive, after all this time of believing him dead, still hadn't fully sunk in.

"How much further?"she called out, her voice tight with a mixture of anticipation and dread.

Her father half-turned, his features still obscured by shadow."Not far now," he replied, his gruff tone carrying hints of the man she remembered from childhood."Just over this next rise."

As they crested the small hill, Morgan caught her first glimpse of the cabin.Nestled in a small clearing, it was barely more than a shack—a dilapidated structure that seemed to sag beneath the weight of time and neglect.Its weathered boards were gray with age, the small windows clouded and lifeless.

"This is where you've been living?"Morgan asked, unable to keep the disbelief from her voice.

Her father grunted in affirmation as he approached the cabin's warped door."It's not much," he admitted, "but it's kept me hidden.And that's what matters."

As they drew closer, the smell hit her—a potent mixture of woodsmoke, damp earth, and something deeper, mustier.The scent of a life lived in isolation, cut off from the world.Morgan's throat tightened as she took in the stark reality of her father's existence.

The interior of the cabin was no less austere.A single bed occupied one corner, its thin mattress showing the imprint of a solitary sleeper.A rickety table stood nearby, its surface scarred and stained.Against the far wall, a rusting stove hunkered like a forgotten sentinel.

But it was the bookshelf that caught Morgan's eye.Leaning precariously against the wall, its shelves bowed under the weight of their sparse contents.A handful of dog-eared novels, their spines cracked and faded.An old radio, its dial frozen in place.And stacks upon stacks of newspaper clippings, their edges yellowed with age.

This was more than just a hideout.This was a command center of sorts, a place where her father had been...what?Monitoring the outside world?Tracking something?Or someone?

"I know you have questions," her father said, breaking the tense silence."God knows I owe you answers."

---