“Fuck,” he whispered. He pulled out his phone and shot a text to Morgan.

Where are you?

The buzzing sound drew his attention toward the purse that was tossed on the floor.

Soft whimpers could be heard through the bathroom door and he rushed to open it.

“Morgan, open the door, it’s Messiah,” he said. Authority and worry laced his tone. It took him a second to register that she couldn’t hear him. He stepped back, in frustration, and lifted a wheat-colored Timberland boot as he kicked the door, springing it open. The look of terror on her tear-stained face, as she looked up at him, tore through him. When she realized who he was, she rushed into his arms, crying hysterically. Messiah bit into the side of his jaw as his teeth clenched and he held onto her tightly. Every tear she shed was like tiny rocks dinging his chest, trying to break through the wall, trying to expose how much he cared. He held her, firmly, as he let his body sink to the dirty floor. The murderous thoughts that ran through his mind caused his chest to heave up and down, as he rocked her back and forth.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he whispered. “I got you.”

He told himself that he was there because Morgan was like a sister, like family, but what he was feeling was more than that. It was territorial, as if Lucas should have known better than to lay hands on someone he coveted so dearly.

They sat there like that for over an hour, until she had cried it all out. She stood to her feet, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. He stood as well. He stared at her, his concern apparent.

“Let me take you home,” he said.

“I can’t go home,” she signed.

He got the gist of it. Her disheveled appearance. Her puffy eyes. It would be a dead giveaway that something had gone horribly wrong.

“I’ll take you somewhere,” he said. She nodded and gathered her purse, before he grabbed her hand and led her outside.

Morgan rested her face on his back, as she climbed on the back of his bike. He could still feel her shaking, as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

He shook his head, as he kicked off the stand and revved the engine before taking off into the night.