Page 2 of For Wrath

She caught aglimpse of her reflection in the mirror, and what she saw made her blood runlike ice.

Her face wasdestroyed. Cut. Pulled back. Hideous. She couldn't even process it.

"Oh god,what have you done?" Sheryl screamed, clamping her eyes shut. "Whathave you done to me!?"

The man loweredthe mirror, his eyebrows tugging together in a tight scowl. "You don'tappreciate my work?"

Sheryl shook herhead frantically, tears streaming down her face. The man chuckled darkly,placing the mirror on the tray next to her.

"Don'tworry, my dear," he said, taking a step back. "If you're unhappy withit, I can always try some more treatments."

"No!"Sheryl exclaimed. "Please, don't touch me!"

But the manwouldn't stop. Sheryl watched in horror as he returned with a syringe, holdingit up to her.

"Calm down,dear," he said, "this will only hurt a little..."

CHAPTERONE

The rhythmicbeeping of the heart monitor filled the sterile hospital room as Morgan sat inthe uncomfortable plastic chair, her eyes fixed on Derik's sleeping form on thebed. His chest rose and fell slowly, a peaceful expression gracing his face,despite the IV line snaking down from his arm to deliver vital fluids. Shecouldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for harboring suspicions about him whenhe was so vulnerable.

As much as shewanted to trust him, the evidence she had found in his house gnawed at herconscience. The file containing information on Darren La Roux--the ex-con whohad tried to kill her only days before--was hidden in Derik's study. Herfingers unconsciously traced the bruise that still marred her skin from theirencounter, reminding her of the fear she'd felt when she'd accidentally killedhim in self-defense. That secret weighed heavily upon her, but it was one shehad no choice but to keep to herself for now.

She didn't knowwho to trust. Certainly not Derik.

"Derik,"she whispered under her breath, debating whether or not to wake him. We needto talk. But the words caught in her throat, unable to take flight. Howcould she confront him about this without giving herself away? They had juststarted to mend their relationship, and now this new revelation threatened tounravel everything they had worked towards.

Morgan closed hereyes for a moment, trying to quell the turmoil raging inside her. Why wouldDerik have information on Darren? Did he know that the ex-con was going to comeafter her once he got out of prison? It didn't make sense; surely Derik wouldhave warned her if he knew she was in danger. Unless the Derik she had always knownwasn't who she thought he was.

Unless Darren hadcome to Morgan’s house that night on Derik’s orders.

She had been gonefor a long time. After all, she had been framed for murder ten years ago, andwhile she had paid her dues with hard prison time, the experience had left herhardened and fiercely independent. She never wanted to open up again, to relyon anyone, and she'd let Derik back in.

She'd grown tocare about him again.

Part of her wasfurious. Most of her is paranoid. But a part of her still cared about him tooand wanted an explanation that didn't end in him betraying her. The thought ofDerik sending Darren to her house was insane. There had to be anotherexplanation. Maybe he did know more than he had been letting on, but thatdidn’t mean he would go that far… right?

"Derik,"she tried again, louder this time. She needed answers, and as much as it painedher to disturb his rest, she couldn't let this fester any longer. But as herfingers reached out to nudge his shoulder gently, the words died on her lipsonce more.

Is this whatour relationship has come to? she thought bitterly.A never-ending cycle of suspicion and doubt? It wasn't fair to either ofthem, but how could she move forward without knowing the truth? The room seemedto grow colder as the weight of her decision settled upon her.

The shrill ringof a phone pierced the heavy atmosphere in the room, jolting Derik awake.Groggy and disoriented, he fumbled for the device on the table beside hishospital bed. Morgan's heart pounded as she watched him answer the call, herquestions still burning in her throat.

"Mueller,"Derik acknowledged, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "No, she's herewith me."

Morgan's earsperked up at the mention of her name, but she remained silent, trying to piecetogether the conversation from Derik's responses. She studied his facecarefully, looking for any sign of deceit or ulterior motives. His browfurrowed as he listened intently, and when he spoke again, there was a note ofurgency in his voice.

"Understood.I'll talk to her." With that, he ended the call and set the phone backdown.

"Mueller hasa case he wants you on," Derik said, turning to face Morgan. She could seethe worry etched in the lines around his eyes, but her own emotions were tootangled to offer him any reassurance. "I'm obviously incapacitated, andwe're low on personnel--he needs you on this one."

"Derik, Ican't go back to the FBI after my suspension," she replied, her voicetight with frustration. "I just can't."

It didn't makeany sense to her. The last time she'd talked to Mueller, it hadn't exactly gonewell. She'd been suspended before and then kept working the case anyway,ultimately catching the killer and saving Derik's life. When she'd talked toMueller after, it had been tense. She'd told him to leave her alone. He'd toldher to stay out of trouble. Not shutting her out completely, but Morgan hadn'tintended on going back so soon. She’d been suspended for being spotted talkingto a criminal, conducting an investigation of the books into the framing of herown imprisonment, and as far as Morgan was concerned, she’d been well withinher rights. But the FBI didn’t like it.

"Listen,Morgan," Derik said, "this is something only you can help with. We’reshort on staff, I’m trapped in here, and apparently it's one of the mostdisturbing cases they've seen in a while, according to Mueller. A woman hasbeen found all... mutilated... like a bad facelift, he made it sound."

Morgan shudderedinvoluntarily, the image of the victim creeping into her mind like a poisonousvine. She hated to admit it, but it intrigued her.

---