Page 93 of The Last Morgan

He caught the roll easily, smirking like the cocky bastard he was.

By the time Byron finished his own shower, Lucy had wiped every plate clean.

They headed downstairs together, arms brushing as they walked. There was a lightness to Lucy now, a rightness she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Barnaby was back at the kitchen table, laptop opened in front of him.

He wiggled his fingers at them but didn’t say anything, too absorbed in whatever he was working on.

And there — standing by the entryway, was Corey.

Lucy’s heart leapt.

"You're back!" she cried.

Corey grunted. "Miss me?"

Lucy smirked. "Not even a little."

But her grin faltered slightly when she saw the tension in his shoulders.

Byron moved instinctively closer to her.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, all humor draining from her voice.

Corey’s eyes flicked to Byron, then back to Lucy.

"Let’s round everyone up," he said grimly. "I’ve got a lot to fill you in on."

Lucy exchanged a look with Byron, who immediately nodded.

Whatever was coming, it wasn’t good.

The house buzzed with quiet tension as Corey finally walked back in, brushing dust off his jacket.

Lucy, Byron, Barnaby, and Damien were all waiting for him, seated around the large oak breakfast table. Corey dropped a thick folder onto the table with a heavy thud.

Lucy leaned forward. " What did you find?"

Corey sighed and pulled out a chair, flopping into it.

"Alright," he began . "Let me walk you through it."

He explained how he and Damien had left to follow the leads Max had given them, most of which were crap. "No sign of Jimmy at all." He said as he stroked his hand through his hair.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"But then... we hit the third location."

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. "And?" She say’s.

Corey pulled out a stack of photos from the folder.

"These."

Lucy picked them up with trembling fingers.

They were photos of her.