The Right One - Felice Stevens Page 0,85

him. That will bother Jeffrey more than anything, you’ll see.”

He took Leo’s hand, and when he turned around, Jeffrey’s gaze was pinned to their entwined fingers. Chin up, Morgan walked past Jeffrey, who dogged their steps down the street and around the corner to the front of the building, yelling after them.

“Morgan. Talk to me. You’re the one who ran out and left me. Come home now, where you belong. I’ll even forgive you for your affair with this…this person. I didn’t know you liked the type, but now that I do…remember when you used to let me tie you up? You said you hated it, but I knew you were lying. You like it rough.”

Morgan stumbled, humiliation searing through him at Leo having heard his deepest, most painful secret. Leo’s breathing grew harsher, and Morgan squeezed his hand.

“Please. You promised.”

“I promise not to hit him. That’s all. And I don’t want him coming inside the building, so it’s going to have to stop here.” They halted on the sidewalk path leading up to the building.

“Morgan, stop walking away and talk to me.” Jeffrey remained several paces away. “I have my car. Let’s go.”

“He’s not going anywhere with you, so forget that,” Leo ground out. “Say what you want, then leave.”

Leo’s words drew nothing but a sneering response from Jeffrey. “You have no right to tell me to leave. This is City property. I’ll stand here as long as I like.”

“You can rot as far as I’m concerned, then.” Leo tugged at his hand. “Let’s go.”

“You’re coming with me. Let him go.” Jeffrey reached for Morgan, and Leo took a step forward.

It all happened so fast, Morgan couldn’t tell what came first, but as Jeffrey lunged toward him, Morgan saw nothing except the man who’d hurt him entering his physical space.

“Get away from me.” He swung his fist, connecting with Jeffrey’s jaw, and as Leo had taught him, kept his other hand up to protect his face.

Caught unawares, Jeffrey rocked on his heels and stumbled backward. His eyes bugged out wide, spitting fire. “You hit me? You miserable piece of shit.” Head down, he came at Morgan, who stepped aside and stuck out his foot. Jeffrey tripped and fell face forward on the cement. He landed on his hands and knees with a loud cry.

“You fucking prick.” Jeffrey crouched as if to stand. The knees of his suit pants were ripped, and the palms of his hands scraped and reddened. “Look what you did. You’re going to regret this, I swear.”

Leo nudged him with his foot, pushing him on his ass. “Stay there and don’t move.” He pulled out his phone, but Morgan didn’t pay attention.

The aftereffects of what he’d done settled in, and he began to shake. He’d hit someone. Oh God, he’d hit someone with his fist. Spots whirled before his eyes, and he gasped and started sinking to his knees…until a strong arm grabbed him and held him close. He closed his eyes, breathing in Leo’s scent. The shaking stopped, but he clung to Leo.

“I can’t believe I hit another person. I’m no better than him.” His hand throbbed. “I hit him.”

Leo pocketed his phone and took him by the shoulders, capturing his gaze. “That’s bullshit. You were defending yourself. He was coming at you, and you had no choice. I called Georgie’s friend, Ronnie. He’s a cop, and he’s going to come over and write up a report.”

“Am I going to get arrested?” Alarm flared in his chest. “I can lose my job. Jesus. What did I do?”

“Morgan, get a hold of yourself. I understand you’re upset, but you have every right to protect yourself when you’re being attacked.”

A siren wailed, and Morgan watched the flashing light of the police car draw near. The car pulled up, and two officers got out. Morgan recognized the male officer as Ronnie McGuire, one of Peter’s friends from the Labor Day weekend barbecue at Peter and Marla’s.

“What happened here?” Ronnie’s sharp-eyed gaze shifted from Morgan to Jeffrey, who still sat on the ground.

“Officer, arrest him.” Glowering, Jeffrey got to his feet, moving stiffly and pointing to Leo. “This…this animal was driving his motorcycle recklessly and almost caused numerous accidents. He punched me. Then, when I was helpless on the ground, he kicked me. Look at my suit. This is handmade and cost over three thousand dollars. He’s a brute and belongs in jail. All I wanted to do was talk to my husband and see if we could try