“Am I safe, Jude?” I asked. “Are any of us safe?”
“I will always keep you safe, Morgan.”
“Even if it means leaving me again?” I asked, not wanting the answer. Jude ran his hand over his face.
“Tell me about it?”
“About what?”
“The day King told you.”
Did I want to relive that memory? Could I go through it again, even in words, without losing it the way I did that day? I took a deep breath and began...
Seven years ago...
It was an ordinary day. I was making dinner, knowing Jude would be home today. He’d been gone for three days on a run with King. I should tell him who King was. Tell him that my father was Braesal O’Malley and that King was my uncle. The only thing holding me back was that I didn’t think King knew he was related to the Irish Mob boss.
I closed the oven after checking on the lasagna and startled at the knock on the door of our small apartment. After wiping my hands on a towel, I walked slowly toward the door.
Something settled in my chest. An omen maybe. A warning telling me not to open the door. Only a few of the Silver Shadows knew we lived here, but none of them would come over with Jude being gone.
I placed one hand on the doorknob, the other on the door.
“Morgan?”
I whipped the door open and stared at King. His eyes were swollen and red. His shoulders were slumped, and his hands were tucked in his pockets. His eyes were on the ground beneath us.
King always smiled at me. He wasn’t shy; he was confident and sometimes arrogant. Just like my father. But this wasn’t the King I knew. This King was someone I didn’t want to know.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No.”
“Morgan, can I come in?”
“NO!” I shouted.
My hands covered my mouth, and tears fell without permission. I didn’t need to hear the words. I didn’t want to hear the words.
“No.” I shook my head and backed away from the door. “Please don’t say it. Please, King.”
I knew what they did was dangerous. Knew there was a possibility this day would come, but it was supposed to be yearslater. Not today. Not when we’d only been together for six months, only been married for less than two.
Not when we had a child on the way.
My knees gave out and King rushed to catch me before I fell to the floor. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap and held me. His strong arms wrapped around me, trying to stop the shaking and the trembling as my body was wracked with sobs.
“I’m so sorry, Morgan. I’m so sorry.”
I looked up at Jude; tears streamed down his cheeks, matching my own. My hand reached out and wiped them away, and he grabbed it, bringing my palm to his lips.
“I lost the baby less than a week later.”
“Baby, I wish I could promise you’ll never go through that again, but I can’t. Even if I wasn’t in the MC, anything could happen. No one knows when our ticket will get punched.”
“I know, but the life you live.” I took a deep breath. “The life you live is dangerous.”
“It is. So is your brother’s, and your father’s.”
I sat up and swung my legs over the bed. “It’s not the same, Jude.”
