Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (46 page)

“
I
can't... I...,”

“
Love.”
Finlay put his hand on her shoulder and she looked up, pleading with
him to talk some sense into Mustafa. “Let's wait outside, aye?”
She started to shake her head in refusal, but the nurse poked her
head into the door and told them they had only three more minutes
with the prisoner. Morgan looked back to Mustafa and then to John.
She could continue to argue, try to understand what was going on, or
she could leave the man to discuss his case with the only person that
could help him. John nodded briefly, seeing the debate unfold in
Morgan's expression. “I saw a wee coffee shop across the
street. Let's get ye one of those muffins ye like.” Finlay
helped Morgan to the door and stopped when she did. Morgan turned to
look at Mustafa one last time before leaving.

“
I
understand. But know that I'll still do all I can for you.”
Mustafa fought the single tear that won the battle to flow down his
cheek. She was turning to follow Finlay, but faced Mustafa one last
time. “When you're free, what will you do?” Mustafa
didn't hesitate in his answer. It caught him off guard, but he'd
always known his dreams. Dreams that would never have been
entertained because he gladly ran the business with his parents. The
business, as it were, that no longer existed for his family.

“
I
would open a dance studio.” He smiled and thought of the years
of dance lessons that he'd taken, and how much he'd always loved it.
It was his dream, since childhood, to teach others the art of dance.
He looked back to Morgan, and spoke softly. “Thank you, Morgan.
For everything. Now go with the oversized Scot and have some fun.”
Finlay smiled and put his hand on Morgan's lower back. His love for
Morgan was clear, even to a man that was convicted of killing his
parents and set to spend the rest of his life in prison.

John
pulled a chair close to Mustafa's bed and started questioning him as
Morgan and Finlay left the room. He didn't have any time to waste,
and he wanted any and all information about the new owners of the
resort.

“
I
can't stand this, Fin.” Morgan sat down on the bench seat and
scooted over for Finlay to join her. The coffee shop was nearly empty
as they had missed the afternoon rush, and they had drinks in hand
within moments of entering. The muffin, however, wasn't an option as
they had sold out of the treats hours prior.

“
It's
been hours since we've eaten. Let's go te our room and order dinner.”
Finlay took a sip as he waited for Morgan's response. When it came,
it was nothing close to what he'd expected.

“
No.”
She turned to look at him, realization of the entire situation washed
over her. “I want to make arrangements for our flight to
Scotland. There's nothing I can do here, Mustafa is right.” It
wasn't just about the man being right, it was more about following
through with his wishes. He truly had nothing else to offer Morgan,
except his good wishes for a happy life. “If he ends up going
to prison, I want him to know that I cared enough to do what he
asked. Even if it means leaving him.” She spoke the bittersweet
words as Finlay wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He understood as
well, and he would get them to Scotland as quickly as possible.

Chapter
Five

Morgan
rubbed her back as they stood outside of the airport in Edinburgh.
The flight was just a little over four hours, which wasn't long for
Morgan, but she'd fallen asleep in an awkward position and was
already paying the price. “I think I need a hot bath.”
Finlay rubbed her back slightly and chuckled as she moaned in
pleasure. He'd have Burke prepare a bath for her the moment they
arrived at his house. “After I eat, that is.” Morgan
giggled slightly and it was the first time since the day before that
he'd heard the sound that he loved so much. It had been nearly a full
day since they'd seen Mustafa, and it had been a whirlwind of motion
since the coffee shop.

They
had gone back to the hotel and changed their plans for only one
night, and Finlay arranged for their morning flight out of Madrid.
Neither of them slept much, nor spoke of Mustafa, and late that
morning they boarded their flight for Scotland. Finlay stepped
forward to look out at the cars along the curb, still searching for
Burke who was supposed to pick them up.

“
I
need te make a call, Love.” She knew that Finlay was about to
call the old man, and smiled at his impatience. Just as he pulled his
phone from his pocket, a car pulled up right in front of them. Finlay
leaned forward and looked inside, then stood upright as he looked to
Morgan. She too leaned forward, and sheer happiness took over as she
saw the familiar face inside.

“
Sean.”

“
Sean?”
Finlay repeated, as they walked toward the vehicle. It was indeed his
best friend, and between happiness and confusion, neither Morgan nor
Finlay knew what to say as Sean stepped out of the running car.

“
Well,
how about a proper greeting?” Sean wrapped his arms around
Finlay first and pulled the Scot in for a good ol' fashioned hug.
“It's been a minute, aye?” Sean finished the hug with a
firm slap to Finlay's shoulder, and the two nodded in agreement. It
had indeed been quite a while. He turned toward Morgan, and the smile
she loved so much filled his eyes. “Holland.”

“
My
turn!” Morgan let go of the handle on her luggage and tightly
wrapped her arms around Sean's neck. He was warm, familiar....he felt
like family. Morgan melted against his chest and squeezed him
tighter. “I missed you.” She felt his lips on the top of
her head with several quick kisses as he pulled her closer against
him.

“
I
missed you too.”

“
A'wright,
ye two.” Finlay laughed as he broke up the love fest, but there
was a part of him that was happy to do so.

“
Why
are you here?” Morgan broke from the embrace with a giggle.
Just the sight of Sean brought her mood up, and smiling became a bit
easier. “Okay, that sounded rude,” she laughed again. “I
mean...you're
here
, in Scotland!”

“
Am
I in Scotland? I thought...” Sean took a step back and
scratched his head, pretending to be deep in thought. “I must
have taken a wrong turn.”

“
Smart
ass.” The three of them laughed, and Sean told Morgan and
Finlay to climb in the car and he would explain everything. He helped
Morgan pack her things into the trunk, and allowed Finlay to store
his own things in the way the picky man wanted them to be stored.

“
So
you know, I am here for business.” Sean looked to Morgan, who
had taken shotgun in the passenger seat, then in the rear view mirror
to Finlay, who was in a near fetal position behind her. His legs were
tucked up uncomfortably near his chest, and his arms rested on what
was left of his lap. There were no true complaints though, Morgan
deserved to be in the front, and he'd allow her that tiny bit of
happiness. “I rang your house,” Sean spoke, still
watching Finlay in his mirror, “and Burke told me he was
heading out to pick ye wee love birds up at the airport. I said I'd
do it.”

“
Well,
I'm glad it was you instead of the grumpy old man.” Morgan
turned around and gave Finlay a wink. She liked the old butler and
they both knew it. Her stomach growled loudly, and she turned in her
seat to face Sean again. “Do you think we could...”

“
Yeah,
I'll stop for food.”

*****

John
paced along the same worn path in his hotel room, not entirely sure
of his next move. He had random facts, but they were scattered like
puzzle pieces and he needed to put it together...quickly.

“
You
stole the money, and now you're using euros here, attempting to hide
it. Where did you put it all?” John stopped at his desk and
scrawled a quick note on a piece of paper. “The bellhop with
the tattoo did it, we know that.” He wrote another note. That
piece of information had sent Mustafa into a whirlwind of tears, and
John swallowed hard at the memory. For Mustafa to know that the very
person who murdered his parents was at his hotel, working there every
day, ripped his heart into a million pieces. “We have to prove
it.” That was the part everyone was stuck on. There was one
hope, John knew for sure would work, but making it happen was the
tricky part. He sat down and ran a hand through his hair. “I
have to find a way.”

*****

“
Are
ye sure, mate?” Sean pulled into a parking spot in front of a
small restaurant, and looked in the mirror once again for Finlay's
approval and he nodded. “There isn't a burger in this place,
nor pizza.” Morgan pushed his shoulder, and Sean fell against
the side of the door theatrically.

“
The
wee lass has been trying new foods, I figure she can try some of the
Scottish cuisine now.” He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and
was the first out of the car, free of the crammed backseat.

“
I've
tried haggis.” Morgan stepped out of the car too, and crossed
her arms in front of her to prove her point.

“
Ye
don't have to eat haggis.” Finlay took Morgan's hand in his
before Sean could make it around the car to their side. He noticed,
but didn't say a word. Finlay was clearly
marking his territory
and Sean knew he couldn't cross that line.

“
Oh!
Wow!” Morgan let go of Finlay's hand as soon as they entered
the front doors and pulled her camera out of her purse. Greeting them
as they walked inside, was the largest boar Morgan had ever seen. Its
tusks were bigger than her own head, as demonstrated by a picture she
took of herself next to it. “That's so cool!”

“
Morgan...”
Sean cleared his throat and nodded toward his left, where a moose
several feet taller than Finlay overlooked the entire floor.

“
Wow.”
Morgan whispered as she approached the taxidermy animal. She stroked
its fur, and took several more pictures. “This is the closest
I'll ever get to this.” As they were being sat, Finlay
explained to Morgan that he knew the owner, which made the place even
more interesting to her.

When
a young waitress approached the table, Finlay placed his hand over
Morgans, “ye ordered for us in Morocco, allow me te order now.”
Morgan began to protest, as her eyes scanned the menu for anything
familiar, but she gave in.

“
Okay,
I'll trust you.”

Finlay
began his order for the two of them, naming things Morgan had never
heard of. He did order one familiar thing, and that was a round of
beer for Morgan and Sean, and a glass of scotch on ice for himself.
The beer in Morocco hadn't been too bad for his taste, but he had
been craving something with a little more punch.

Their
drinks arrived just a few moments later, as were three large bowls of
soup, placed directly in front of each of them. In the middle was a
basket full of bread for the trio to share. “Well, it smells
amazing. What's in...”

“
It's
called cullen skink.”

“
Not
fair, I told you what was in your soup!” She took her spoon and
poked around the bowl, trying to determine the ingredients. “Potato.”
Finlay nodded. “Onion.” He nodded again. Finally, she
found a piece of what she thought was meat, and looked to Finlay for
an answer as she held her spoon up.

“
Haddock.”
Sean brought his own spoon to his lips in a large bite and closed his
eyes slowly as he enjoyed it.

“
You
ordered me fish soup?” Morgan's first bite was cautious, but
every bite after that was enjoyed immensely. “It's wonderful!”
She wasn't always crazy about seafood, unless it had a shell, so it
was better to know that her tastes were changing even more.

“
I'm
glad ye like it, Love. The main course is smoked salmon... you'll
like that also.” That was something she'd never ordered, and
she smiled to herself for trying exotic food before a basic meal of
salmon. But it didn't matter, because she was finally willing to try
just about anything when it came to food.

“
I'm
looking forward to it.” She meant the words, and felt wonderful
that the Morgan who would run from change was turning into a woman
who was learning to embrace it. “What's that?” She
pointed to the side dish on their plates that had just been set
before them. It was a fluffy off white substance, and it was nearly
covering every square inch of available real estate around the
salmon.