All is Lost (All Series, Book 2) (32 page)

“
Why did you tell him I was
abducted then bring him here Sam?” I beg, pulling out of her
embrace. Smirking only moments before, her face drops at my
question and she takes the seat next to me.

“
Well, the truth is I was stuck
between a rock and a hard place. The rock ordered me to keep him in
the dark until we get the other girls back, but the hard place is
spoiled and always gets his way, which is why he's upstairs now.
Honestly, I wasn't sure if you would be awake yet, and I hoped to
prepare you and Marcus first. I sure as hell was not expecting
domestic bliss in the kitchen when I walked in.” She explains
softly. Remorseful for my shitty disposition, she diligently wrings
her hands before I see tears begin pooling in her slate colored
eyes, triggering an ache in my soul.

“
Sorry. I've never been able to
tell him no and stick to my guns,” she whispers remorsefully, “and
this time someone could get hurt from me giving into
him.”

Maybe she didn't mean for him to find out so
harshly, but it's too late now. The damage is done. All I can do is
pray that no one else gets hurt or taken from me because of her
decision. I refuse to focus on what
could
happen because the
present offers me enough bullshit to deal with. Upstairs Morgan is
pissed at me, or Marcus, or both of us because of our new
relationship; and only because of me, Marcus is up there taking the
brunt of his anger and hopefully quelling his fury. At least I hope
he is because I'm foreign to resolving issues like this.

Never having a meaningful relationship, let
alone several like now, I honestly don't know what I'll do if
Morgan doesn't find a way to forgive me. Refusing to stay mad at
Sam for something she clearly feels guilty over, I pull her hand
into mine squeezing delicately hoping that it expresses my
understanding. Whether he can get over it or not doesn't matter.
Getting Anna and Waverly back safe is my only focus, but I don't
want her feeling guilty either. Seeing this simple gesture brighten
her face instantaneously, my uneasiness noticeably
subdues.

“
Don't feel bad,” I say. “He is a
real dumb ass sometimes. Hopefully Marcus will talk some sense into
him for both of us.”

“
Oh Breesan,” Sam shakes her head
while lightly chuckling and squeezing my hand softly. “You have so
much to learn about those boys.”

***

Morgan

Slamming the door to the bedroom Sam escorted
me to, after storming away from Breesan, I cross the room feeling
the agitation course through my body. Obviously, she has chosen
Marcus over me.

“
Obviously!” I shout to the empty
room, continuing to pace, like a caged animal.

Why did I insist on coming back here with Sam?
I knew Marcus would be here and part of me wanted to see if he was
affected as much as I am by the disappearance of Breesan. However,
another part, a very small part, hidden very far away for a long
time, wants to be with my brother and sister after what happened to
Tristan. Now that I'm here and he's won her I'm not so sure this
was a good idea.

Sam tried talking me out of coming here on the
drive from the airfield, but I refused to give in. I set my mind on
being with them throughout this ordeal and I wasn't about to let
anything Sam said change my mind. If she would have just mentioned
this shit I would have gone straight to Granddad's.

Or would I?

“
For fuck sake, I'm more confused
than I've ever been.” Am I upset because of our ongoing rivalry?
Waverly owns my heart. So why am I acting like a fucking
douche?

A demanding pounding on the door alerts me
that Marcus is on the other side, and I can only imagine what the
fuck he wants to say about the way I left his…his what? What is
Breesan to him? I haven't been gone that long, but clearly with his
protective arm wrapped around her and kissing her in front of me,
he was definitely letting me know she is off limits. I got his
message loud. Another loud banging on the door, and I cross the
room in several quick steps, jerk open the door, and find Marcus
glaring at me with bitter hatred.

“
I'm going to talk and you're going
to listen,” he says taking several determined steps into my room
while I take a few steps backward.

“
What the hell could you possibly
have to say to me now?” I snap, completely enraged by the
commanding tone he took with me. “I tried speaking with
you
when Elise showed up at Granddad's, but you wouldn't even give me
one minute of your time. Now all of a sudden I'm supposed to just
let you talk to me. Yeah, that sounds about how this shit always
goes.”

“
I didn't come up here to make this
about you and me Morgan. There are a helluva lot more important
things besides some stupid sibling rivalry happening. Since you
manipulated Sam's feelings for you, and forced her into agreeing to
let you stay here, we'll need to get some shit
straight.”

I flinch at his callous tone and at the way he
says I used my sister. Marcus shuts the door and takes a seat on
the small bench at the foot of the bed. Standing several feet away
from him, I turn my back and walk toward the large picture window
overlooking the military looking backyard, complete with an
obstacle course and a small shooting range. Now my curiosity gets
the better of me.

“
What in the hell has been going on
around here since I left?” I ask exasperatedly, turning my head and
looking over one shoulder. I stare momentarily, really looking at
my identical twin brother, looking like he has aged several years
in just the short amount of time that I have been gone. Marcus lets
out a heavy breath while scrubbing a hand over his face then
pierces me with a harsh glare.

“
Dammit Marcus, if you're not going
to tell me anything then just get the fuck out of my
room.”

“
Morgan, what I'm about to tell you
will put your life in danger. This is not a joke and once you know
there is no unknowing this shit!” He growls glaring at me with
unbridled determination, but there is something more in his eyes.
An emotion I have never seen before flickers there, but he looks
away too quickly for me to study it. “So forgive me for filtering
this cluster fuck of the past two weeks for you. I am trying to
make this easy to understand.” Nodding my head, I silently accept
whatever he has to say and decide that this deserves my full
attention. I turn away from the window and lean my ass against the
seal.

***

Breesan

A soft throat clearing at the doorway draws
mine and Sam's attention. Standing with a polite smile and drawn
brows, Marcus glances between us then steps into the room.
Following behind him, Morgan's stiff body language clearly alerts
me that he is moping. The clenching sensation returns to my
chest.

He walks over to the window leaving his back
to us, staring outside for what feels like forever to me, but is
really no more than a minute. Obviously unwilling to relent, his
arms are folded snuggly across his chest and his jaw is set.
Glancing back at Marcus he shrugs his shoulders while rolling his
eyes dramatically.
Oh mygod why didn't I see how spoiled he is
before?

“
Who was the genius that came up
with the damn plan that ultimately puts her back in harm’s way?”
Morgan snaps. Impatient when no one responds immediately, he spins
around stabbing Marcus with a look that could kill. Dropping his
hands on the island counter top and leaning slightly forward, he
growls, “Well?”

“
Seriously Morgan cut the dramatic
bullshit,” Sam interjects, “I'm sorry I couldn't explain everything
to you in the car. But if you would just do as you’re told for once
you would be back at Gran's living in your world completely unaware
of the ugliness that Marcus and I know too well. I’m glad you know
the truth about our jobs now because I hate lying to you. We are
risking a lot trusting you with this information and if you care
about Breesan and the other girls as much as you claim, then you
need to trust us too.”

Flinching at her insult, Morgan replaces his
brooding stance with one of defeat. Slightly turning Sam's way, he
gives a curt nod while his eyes remain downcast. A pang of guilt
for being the catalyst in their disagreement jostles butterflies
into flight in my belly and I automatically blanket my arms around
it. Pivoting his head around, he slowly lifts his eyes to finally
look at me.

“
Hey,” he offers apologetically,
his cheeks flaming red and his tight formed mouth slowly eases into
a remorseful smile.

Startled by his sudden kinder voice, tears
quickly burn again. Refusing to let him see how unsettled I am I
avert my eyes to the floor giving it my sole attention as I
respond, “hey.”

Hastily twisting around prepared for his
confrontation, I struggle hard to swallow down the apprehension
that suddenly chokes me. Glancing back at him, I see raw emotions
lying in his dark green eyes.

“
Forgive me, please,” he begs,
gradually moving closer to me, but as if he's suddenly too scared
to be so forward he stops several feet away.

“
Morgan, there's nothing to
forgive,” I assure smiling sweetly. “None of this is your
fault.”

Shaking his head he stares deeply into my eyes
before moving in and drawing me against his hard chest.

“
I've missed you.” His voice is
shaky. Breathing in deeply an overpowering mixture of sandalwood
and citrus consumes me and a nostalgic feeling abates my stress. A
hard throat clearing signals Marcus' disapproval of our closeness.
Morgan is the first to take a step back, but keeps his eyes focused
on me.

“
You have no idea how good it is to
hear you say that because I've missed you too,” I reply. Seeing his
face light with a beautiful smile I add, “I need you Morgan. Don't
leave like that again.”

“
We have a lot to talk about Ms.
Maxwell,” he chuckles glancing over at Marcus who is leaning
rigidly against the door frame. Dropping his arms that were moments
ago tightly folded across his chest, Marcus crosses the room with
his dark emerald eyes zeroed in on me. Pulling me tightly to him,
his hand rests against my back as he kisses the top of my
head.

Knowing that there is a history, albeit a very
short history between us I know for a fact that what happens from
this moment forward will be profound. Morgan owns a piece of my
heart too.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

Morgan

Well, isn't this just the best damn situation
to be in? What I feel seeing Breesan alive after Sam lying to me
about her abduction is minuscule compared to the magnitude it just
multiplied when she bravely confessed to needing me. Never in my
entire existence have I ever wanted a woman needing me, but what we
share is so much more than a frivolous relationship.
I truly
care for her.

Caring for her and being brought in as her
ally during this fucked up situation is precarious. Nonetheless, I
eagerly anticipate our relationship flourishing from this point
forward; but first I must understand how evolved her relationship
is with my brother. Watching his dominance leap to the forefront
after holding Breesan in my arms, I am kind of pleased knowing that
I’m making Marcus edgy.
Ah hell, who am I kidding? It pleases
the living hell out of me!

After hearing what my gut tells me is a
partial truth from the three of them, I notice Breesan is visibly
shaken and antsy upon the mention of Tristan's shooting. She has
asked twice nicely, but is now practically demanding that Sam,
Marcus and I check in with the family. Suggesting that spending
some time with him should take precedence over her needing
babysitters, she literally pushed us out of the house.

Knowing Kole and Rhys are target practicing
with their rifles on the range located at the back of the compound,
Marcus finally relents instructing her not to leave. His feelings
for her are blatantly obvious and he doesn't care that I know,
which is highly unusual for him. Hiding Elise from me was of the
utmost importance for him, and as disturbing as it sounds that made
her even more intriguing.

“
How much does the family know
about what's really going on?” I ask Sam, leaning forward against
the front seat of Marcus' Jeep. I don't really want to engage him
in casual conversation just yet.

“
They know nothing and we're
keeping it that way,” Sam says. “We have security at the hospital
and a few of Kole's buddies are staking out Gran's, watching for
anything suspicious.”

“
Well, that's good.” The heaviness
of this situation weighs like dead weight in my stomach, but I must
ask more questions, “And ... how serious is Tristan's
condition?”

Letting out a heavy sigh Marcus answers, “He's
been in a coma for over a week. They say if he doesn't wake up soon
he may not ever come back to us. They also warn that when he does
wake up he may not be the same as before.”

My anxiety builds rapidly. I swallow that shit
down hard and keep my mouth shut for the rest of the drive to the
hospital. We enter the trauma floor and are immediately met with a
range of facial expressions and comments, from happy to concern.
Granddad bear hugs me while Gran furiously wipes a handkerchief at
the onslaught of tears rushing down her rosy cheeks. I scan the
room for any sign of my parents, spotting my mother glaring at me
from across the large open area.