Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (39 page)

She
stood slowly and stretched before walking to the adjoining door. To
Finlay's surprise, she opened it and he nearly fell through the
doorway and into her room. “Really?” Even though she was
mad at him, she couldn't help but giggle. “I'll find my own
food, thanks.” She waited for Finlay to stand back on his side,
then reached down and grabbed one of her bags, pulled it into her
room and closed the door again. The smile remained on her face as she
made her way back into the bathroom with her bag. She loved Finlay,
but at that moment, she didn't like him and she didn't have to. She
was going to go find dinner, and she was going to go back to Mustafa.
What Finlay decided to do with his evening was his business and she
didn't care to find out.

In
under half an hour, Morgan had found a cute outfit to change into,
put on makeup, and took more than a minute on her hair. She knew that
it sounded a bit vain to take all the time to make herself
presentable for a man who was facing life in prison, but she still
wanted to look decent when he woke up and saw her.

“
I'll
be back later.” Morgan walked right into Finlay's side of the
room, grabbed her purse and left the room without any further
explanation. He could find his own dinner, and entertain himself.
Afterall, it's not like she had invited him there.

“
Morgan!”
He tried to stop her, just to talk to her, but she shut the door
behind her and left him alone. “Fook it. I'll wait.” He
knew she would be going back to the hospital, and he had already done
his fair share of damage for the day, so he knew it was best to stay
there and just wait it out. “Ye'll be back, Love.” At
least he hoped.

Morgan
headed downstairs, out the hotel, and into the first restaurant she
saw. “Oh, it smells delicious in here.” She took in the
aroma of fresh bread and spices and her stomach growled loudly in
response. It was a seat yourself establishment and Morgan made her
way to the back corner and sat down slowly. Her body was sore from
all the camel riding, walking, hiking, climbing and sitting in the
all terrain vehicle over sand dunes, but she would do the day all
over again if it meant spending more time with Mustafa.

When
an employee approached the table, it was clear her english wasn't
very good, and Morgan simply pointed at a picture of soup on the
menu, then pointed at a man with a beer a few tables away and
motioned as if she were drinking an invisible beer. The tiny woman
nodded to confirm she understood. Morgan pointed at another picture,
and the woman nodded once more and left the table. The second picture
was something Morgan couldn't pronounce, but so far, everything in
Morocco had been delicious and she would trust that it would be as
well.

Finlay
poured himself a cup of coffee and walked back to the couch and sat
down in a very ungraceful manner. He was just taking his first sip
and enjoying the comfort of sitting down when his phone began ringing
on the other side of the room. “Bloody hell.” He thought
about letting it go to voice mail, but the thought of Morgan or John
calling him convinced him to get up and check it out. “The wee
aussie again.” He set his phone down and let it ring three
times before quickly picking it up and answering. “Mate, I
don't know what you have going on, but I want no part of it.”
Finlay was already preparing to hang up on Tanner when three little
words changed everything.

“
I
killed him.”

*****

Morgan
enjoyed her meal to the fullest extent, slowly and savoring each and
every bite. It was an amazing meal, and eating it alone was actually
calming to her nerves that were on the fritz. Before she left the
restaurant, she ordered the same exact meal to-go, minus the beer,
for Mustafa. She knew she couldn't do much for him, but at the very
least, she would be sure he had a good meal, and he would know he
wasn't alone.

The
walk to the hospital passed by quickly, and the food was still hot
when she arrived. It wasn't until she made it down the hall and to
his room that she was told she still wasn't welcome in the room.

“
You're
kidding me? I just want to...”

“
No,
no guests until tomorrow morning. He needs his rest.” The nurse
was nicer than before, and reached out for the bag of food, and
Morgan looked down at her outstretched hand.

“
Will
you make sure he gets it? Please?” Morgan handed her the small
containers and the nurse nodded.

“
I'll
be sure.” Their final exchange of words left Morgan alone in
the hallway, and overwhelmed with sadness. All she wanted to do was
be there for the man, and she was being denied that small act. More
importantly, she was afraid the following morning would be too late,
since she had no idea when he would be sent back to Spain.

She
watched the nurse through the small window into Mustafa's room, and
saw her set the bag down next to his bed. He was still asleep, but at
least she knew he would have a meal when he awoke. “I'll be
back for you, Mustafa.” She left the hospital with that
promise, and headed back to the hotel.

“
Bloody
hell.” Finlay sat on the edge of the bed and processed
everything that Tanner had told him. He never would have imagined
that things happened the way that they did. He thought of Anthony,
and how the man almost lost his life. He was filled with guilt for
the pain that the men went through, but was thankful that Morgan made
it through the whole ordeal. “How can I ever thank him?”
Finlay spoke the words to his empty room, and he wasn't sure which
man he wanted to thank more...
Tanner,
or Anthony. It was in those moments that he also realized just how
much had been kept from Morgan, and her anger at all of them made
perfect sense.
“
I
can't blame ye, love. I'd want the truth too.” He stood and
stretched his arms over his head, trying to work the stiffness from
his body as he walked to his suitcase. Yes, he thought, it was time
that Morgan knew the truth so that her healing would be complete. “I
just hope ye can handle it, Morgan.” His biggest fear was the
guilt that she would feel in knowing that people got hurt, and almost
killed, for her. Her only fragile characteristic was about to get a
beating, and he knew it. “What is that fookin' wine she likes?”
He sat in the chair as he pulled his socks on, and racked his brain
for the name. He'd bought it for her by the bottle, ordered it by the
glass, and had watched her drink it more times than he could count,
yet at that moment, he couldn't think of the name. “Damn.”
There was one person that he knew would have the answer, and he
reluctantly grabbed his phone.
“
I
knew you wanted to butter my biscuits!”
“
Angel,
I doona want yer biscuits. What's the wine that Morgan drinks?”
He put his feet into his shoes and finally stood, ready to find
Morgan and make things right. Angel, on the other hand, had a few
moments to kill.
“
Admit
it, Brave Fart... you want some of this forest fever.” Angel
kissed PoPo and rubbed his head with one finger, which nearly dropped
the bird on his side in sheer pleasure.
“
Jungle
fev... never mind. What's the name of the wine?” Finlay grabbed
his wallet and room key, and left. “Angel!
The
wine!” He didn't care that he was shouting through the hall,
there was only so much of Angel that he could take.
“
How's
my Stick?”
“
I
swear to fook... if ye don' tell me the name of the...,”
“
Fine,
I was just asking. No need to go all pastel and shit!”
“
Postal,
Angel. The wine.” He had lowered his voice in the elevator, and
was just about to give up when the doors opened and he saw Morgan
walking through the lobby.
“
Mothafuckin'
Moscato. Damn.. tell a bitch to call a bitch. And you... stop being a
bitch. Bye Finny Dip!” Finlay thought he heard a kiss being
blown into the phone before the call ended, but he shook it off and
headed straight to the bar.

Chapter
Twelve

Morgan
saw Finlay walk to the bar, and her first impulse was to keep walking
to her room. But seeing him hold up a bottle of Moscato in one hand,
and two glasses in the other, her legs carried her straight into the
bar.
“
Okay,
I give. We can be friends again.” Morgan smiled weakly, still
not completely ready to forgive him for keeping secrets, but she knew
she couldn't stay angry forever. Not to mention, she was happy that
he remembered what her favorite wine was.
“
Thank
you, love.” Finlay guided them to a small table in the bar,
then filled both of their glasses. “We 'ave te talk.”
Morgan smiled, loving his thick accent that was always stronger when
he was stressed, angry, or drunk. She knew he wasn't drunk, and he
didn't appear to be angry. She nodded, hoping that both of them could
relieve their stress over a drink or two.
“
You're
welcome, but I'm mostly here for the wine.” Morgan smiled, a
truly genuine smile that melted his heart. Her day had been an
emotional roller coaster, and she finally found it within her to
relax and enjoy his company. Suddenly, he wasn't sure that right then
was the best time to ruin her night.
“
How's
the lad holding up?” Finlay held up his glass for a silent
toast to Mustafa. Morgan met his toast, and they shared a sip of the
sweet cold wine.
“
He
was sleeping, and I wasn't allowed to see him. I hope they let me in
tomorrow.” Finlay knew instantly that he would get Morgan into
the hospital, if even for a few moments, the following morning. He
hated that money could change all the rules that everyone else had to
follow, but was grateful for what he could do for those he cared
about. “I need to do something. But I don't know how to help
him.” Finlay instantly realized that he'd kept another thing
from Morgan, and he knew that he had to unburden his heart that
night. Come what may.
“
We're
going to need a few more bottles, love.”
*****
John
landed in Madrid and went straight to the resort that was no longer
owned by Mustafa, nor his parents. It was breathtaking, and appeared
to be up and running as if there hadn't been a double murder a few
weeks prior.
“
I'll
need a room for a few days.” The older woman behind the counter
quickly got him a room. He paid for three days, and hoped that it
wouldn't take much longer than that to figure out the identity of the
true killer.
“
No,
no American money. We're under new management, euros only.”
John handed over his credit card, and paid for his room.
“
Gotta
love modern technology.” The woman didn't understand him
completely, but the room was paid for and he was officially on the
job. “Can you send up a steak and big salad?” The woman
scoffed and told him to go to the restaurant, or call from his room.
John didn't like paying over three hundred dollars a night, after the
conversion, just to be spoken to as if he were an inconvenience. “No,
I'm telling you. Now you tell the restaurant, the chef, housekeeping,
or anyone else you need to tell, but I'll expect my dinner delivered
as soon as possible.” John typically wasn't rude, but
considering how exhausted he was, he had no patience for being
mistreated.
Fifteen
minutes later, John's dinner was placed right in front of him, with
extra rolls and a complimentary bottle of wine. “Strange... I'm
nice and I'm treated like shit. I'm a dick and I get free wine.”
The girl that brought the meal didn't understand a word he said, but
she understood what it meant when he reached into his pocket for her
tip. “Shit, sorry. No euros.” He offered a five dollar
bill, not knowing if she would take it, and she smiled in thanks as
she eagerly accepted the money. “So I guess my money is good
enough for some people around here.” He smiled and thanked her,
then closed the door and sat down for a much deserved
dinner.
*****
“
Sean?”
Morgan was shocked at hearing that her favorite Irishman was behind
John's stalking. Thankfully, she was on her third glass of wine and
wasn't as angry as she normally would have been for his deception.
“See! That's what I'm talking about! Why can't everyone just
tell me what's going on? I would never..ever...ever keep things from
people I care about.” That was a lie, and they both knew it.
There was plenty that Morgan kept to herself, but she still felt that
it was different.

“He
had good intentions.” Finlay poured himself another glass of
wine as he tried to defend his best friend. At first, he'd been livid
with Sean too, but Sean had done more than Finlay had to be sure
Morgan stayed safe, and Sean had been the last to know about Morgan's
close encounter with death. “I'm sorry I told him, I should
have let you tell him yourself.”