Page 56 of Creed

Pain explodes over my eye and my cheek, my vision blackening for a few seconds, and I struggle to focus. There’s no reasoning with him, and even as my face throbs, there’s only one thing I can think.

I tuck my chin, curling over my knees with my arms to my side. I have to protect my baby, our baby. A sob bubbles out of my throat, and I tense for another hit, but it never comes. Instead, his panting breaths echo over me, his presence still loud and intimidating. He takes a long shuddering breath.

“Don’t bother coming back to the…” He trails off, shuffling some of the glass away from me with his boot. “You’re done. I’ll have Warner collect your badge and gun.” My father pauses as if he wants to say more, but doesn’t.

My chin quivers and tears spill down my cheeks, but I don’t answer. There’s no point. He’s made up his mind, and if I’mhonest with myself, I don’t care. He can fire me, I just need him to get away. I’ve never feared for my life as much as I do right now, and it’s not even for myself.

I flinch again when the door slams, and I don’t unfurl myself for a few more minutes. Eventually, I slide onto my ass, wincing at the glass that tries to go through my jeans. My eye is already swelling, and I can’t stop shaking as I sit there, trying to grasp what happened.

I’m no stranger to his anger. It’s just been years, years since I moved out, and I’ve had time to forget how much it hurts. He’s never hit me like that, sometimes a shove to get out of his way after screaming at me, but now the physical pain is blooming over my skin, and a small part of me dies. The part that still hopes and yearns for the love of a parent and is being reminded that it will never come. That ache is the worst of it all.

With a shaky hand, I pull out my phone and text Creed that I’m not feeling well and I want to be alone tonight. He can’t see me like this; he would be furious and not think straight. The phone drops out of my hand and I lean against the wall, rubbing my belly. We’re safe.

For now.

But I’ll have to figure out a plan of what to do. I don’t see my father leaving us alone. He’ll want revenge on me and Creed for embarrassing him this way.

23

CREED

I frown at my phone,something tingling in the back of my head. We went through weeks of her morning sickness and she never shied away from me taking care of her.

I stand from the table, not caring who I’m interrupting and say, “I gotta go.”

Gage blinks. “Church just started, and you’ve missed too many over the past few months.”

“I don’t fucking care,” I snap out. “Something is wrong with Morgan. I can’t explain it, but I have to go.”

My president’s jaw is tight before he nods at Viper. “Follow him just in case.”

We’re out the door in the next second, our bikes revving hard as I shoot over to her place. I lead Viper to the spot where I usually park, and then we jog over to her apartment. A part of me wanted to park right in her apartment complex but I decided against it just in case.

My stomach drops when I see her door cracked open, throat tightening when I fear the worst. I push it open and almost storm through when my attention catches on her curled form.

She’s hunched over, her face wild with fear as she looks over at me before slumping against the wall in relief. She tries to cover her face just as quickly, but I see it. The puffy red of an eye about to swell shut from being hit.

It takes everything in me to control my own fury. “Morgan?” I say carefully, stepping into her apartment.

She shakes her head, holding out a hand. “Stop, just…go, Creed. I’m—it’s…” Her words are swallowed up in a sob.

Viper is at my back, letting out a small curse. “She might still be in shock. You might make it worse if you approach her.”

As much as I hate it, I call Autumn for help. They don’t know each other well, but there’s a gentleness to her I know will help Morgan more than I can.

When she and Dodge step into the apartment, his jaw sets hard and Autumn swallows roughly, looking over the glass and blood on the floor and the woman who refuses to get up. Autumn walks over, squatting in front of Morgan.

“Morgan, can I help you get cleaned up? We don’t want you to get an infection from the cuts, do we?”

My woman looks up, her hair falling away from her face. I let out a hiss, my fists curling at my sides. Dodge’s hand grabs my shoulder, a steady reminder not to react. Her eye is swollen shut, red, and already bruising purple.

Autumn gasps. “Are you—anywhere else?” Her voice is soft, a current of worry under it, and now fear spikes my heartrate.How badly has my woman been beat? I’ll find the fucker and skin him alive. Hang him with his fucking intestines.

Morgan shakes her head and turns to look at me. Her chin wobbles while her hand slides to her stomach, and I know what she’s saying, silently communicating that she protected our baby. I have to blink away the tears that gather, swallow the emotion clawing in my throat.

“Let Autumn clean you up. Please, baby.” I’m not ashamed of the crack in my voice, the plea. If anyone understands how I’m feeling at this moment, it would be Dodge. She nods softly, holding on to Autumn’s hands to stand, and they walk back to her bathroom.

My fists are curled as I watch them, and I turn to Dodge and Viper. “I’m going to kill him.”