Bound, Chalen D. [notion reading list txt] 📗

~BOUND~

Morgan McPhee was on her morning jog when she saw a white milk crate turned upside down at the curb. Most people in this area had a habit of tossing out things and leaving them on the curb. Morgan had a bad habit of snooping through the piles trying to find things of use. She used to do it a lot with her Mom and her two younger sisters when She lived at home. Her Mom was a bad hoarder and had passed it onto Morgan and Her youngest sister Olivia. Millie, her middle sister would just tag along for the ride. Morgan was thinking she could use the crate for a book rack, when it moved!

Morgan slowed her jog, then started to a walk and then stopped completely, and pulled out her ear buds. And that’s when she heard it. A little yelp and a whine.  Another thing Morgan was a sucker was for animals in distress. She ran to the crate and fell to her knees scraping them on the semi-Dead grass.  She lifted up the crate and A little blue and White puppy shook and then wagged its tail wildly. Morgan blinked at the dog, as it climbed onto her lap.

She set the crate aside, and stood with the little puppy. She jumped a bit when the Cayenne Porsche turbo that had just pulled up to the curb honked. The door had been pushed open hard and the most beautiful man she had ever seen jumped out of the car. His brown hair was windblown to perfection. He was wearing a dark suit with a white shirt underneath, and his tie was flapping in the wind. He didn’t even care to shut his door before running over to Morgan.

“That’s my dog.” He pointed at the puppy, who was excited to see him.

The puppy tried to wiggle out of Morgan’s arms but she held it protectively to her chest and glared at the man. Hot or not, he left a little puppy to defend for herself.

“Why was she under the milk crate?” She shot off. “Alone, scared, cold, maybe hungry.”

Carson Maxwell had a sudden urge of respect for this Woman. Her Brown eyes sparkled with emption and a few brown curls had escaped from her  Pony tail.

“It was my Ex- fiancée.” Carson said, as Morgan pulled the puppy closer to her chest. “She told me to come get the dog, and she was leaving. No explanation. This is Just like Caroline to leave the dog outside. I bought the dog for her you know.”

“I don’t know.” Morgan narrowed her eyes even more if that was possible. “If the puppy was left outside she should be with someone who will love her. Apparently this dumb Caroline girl doesn’t love her.”

Carson gave her the once over. She had medium sized boobs, and tons  of curves. Carson liked Girls with blonde hair and blue eyes, but that’s what had gotten him into trouble in the first place. But he couldn’t help thinking that she was pretty. Beautiful even. She was not his type of course.

“That’s why I’m here to get the dog.” Carson reached for the puppy, and the Woman took a step back.

“I don’t trust you.”

“Most people do.”

“I’m not most people.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

She glared at him.

“You keep glaring like that and you won’t be Beautiful for long. Can I at least strap this into place?”

Damn, Morgan thought as the Man held out a Collar. She let him snap the collar into place, the puppy licking his hand quickly.

“I’m Carson Maxwell.”

She knew that name of course she did. Maxwell.

“Morgan McPhee.”

Carson grinned at her, and she sighed.

“Here.” She handed over the puppy, which wasn’t sad to see her go.

“Take care of her.”

Before Cason could say anything else Morgan stuck in her ear buds and jogged away. She clomped up the stairs of the house where she grew up. The front door was unlocked as normal, and she locked it once inside.

“Finally!” Millie said when she spotted her big sister. “Someone who knows how to do a decent bump.”

Morgan stuck the bobby pins Millie handed to her into her mouth as Millie turned her back to her. She grabbed a small pony tail twisted it expertly pushed it up into a bump and Pinned it in place.

“You going somewhere?”

“I have a date.” She jogged up the stairs.

“Is he a hunk?” Morgan called after her.

“So Hunky!” Millie swooned.

Liv was laying on the couch watching T.v, with a big bucket of cheese balls at her side.

“Hey Liv.”

“Hi.” Liv dropped some balls into her mouth and turned up the volume.

“Where’s Mom?”

“I Dun know.” She dropped in more balls.

Morgan had helped raise both of the girls, although they all had different personalities. The girls had only one thing in common, which was their anger. Their protectiveness came in a close second. They also shared that with their brother Mason which Morgan also helped raise. Their Dad had Died when she was eleven and her Mom had gone into a deep depression.

“Hey mom.” Morgan kissed her cheek.

“You missed dinner.”

“No one eats dinner at Five anymore. Are my clothes finished?”

“Yeah, they’re all folded, there on the table. Why do you insist on living on your own? It’s bad enough Mason took off.”

“Mason’s eighteen.” She grabbed my basket of clothes. “I’ll come over for dinner tomorrow.”

“Love you.”

“I love you too Mom.” Morgan opened the door.

“Bye liv.”

“Bye Mor.”

Morgan shut the door with her foot and went to her beat up car which she had parked in the drive way. Don’t get her wrong, She loved her family, but dinner was a bit much, so she took off for her jog. Which Reminded her of Carson Maxwell. She stuck her basket of clothes into the backseat as a sports car rolled up and Millie ran out of the front door. There was a laundry station in the apartment where Morgan lived but she thought it was a bit shady. Plus she couldn’t beat the smell of her clothes when her Mom did them. It smelled like home.

“Millie, Come here.” She called, shutting her back door.

Millie hurried over, “Yeah?”

Morgan pressed a foil package into her Seventeen year old sisters hand.

“Let’s not do the whole Twenty one thing okay? Your smarter than that.”

“I love you.” She smiled, Hugging her big sister.

“I love you to.” Morgan grabbed a gunk of mascara from Millie’s eye. “Have fun.”

“I will.” Millie giggled, hugged her sister one more time and hurried to the car.

The Boy waved to Morgan, who made an I’m-watching-you, eye to eye motion with her hand, making the boy look down quickly. Yeah fucker, Morgan thought pulling open the driver’s door. Morgan was a little half way to her apartment when her stomach growled. She pulled into a fast food joint, and pulled through the drive though. Millie and Liv were both Vegetarians, and Morgan had tried honestly, but as soon as she moved out she needed meat sometimes. Morgan wasn’t a very picky eater like Millie was, but she didn’t eat everything like Liv did. She drove home and poked her head into the building.

The night watchman was a big Perv and Morgan tried to sneak past him whenever she could. His name was Norman, if you would believe and right now Norman was asleep with head phones on. A small t.v sat on in front of him. Some watch man he was. Morgan quickly got into the elevator and pushed the number two button. She took a sip of her soda, as the elevator went up. Soon the elevator jerked, paused and then opened she hurried down the hall and reached into her pocket for her keys, and that’s when she remembered her clothes.

They would have to wait until tomorrow. She was sure she had a pair of undies in the back of her drawer for too nights shower. Morgan lived in-between a very ghetto family and an old man who got his paper and mail in the morning naked. At least she was used to the Ghetto family.  She was raised that way. Her Mom had moved out of the big city to avoid raising Morgan in the Ghetto, but it ended up following them.

“Hey Boo, What you up to?”

“Nothing much.” Morgan sighed, and looked over at Marcy, a twenty one year old married to a twenty-five year old, as she raised four small kids. “What about you?”

“Waiting for Darren to get his broke down ass home. Like usual.” She smacked her lips. “Anyways I’m sure There’s a diaper that needs to be changed.”

“Bye, Girl.” Morgan laughed.

“See you boo.” Marcy went back into her apartment, and Morgan headed into hers.

Morgan locked all three locks and dropped her keys on the small round table, that yes she had found on the side of the road. She set her bag and drink on the table and yanked off her shoes. When she got paid she definitely had to get a better pair. She grabbed her food and plopped on the couch, turning on the old crappy T.v. Most everything in Morgan’s house was crappy. Her bed even had springs poking out, but she didn’t have the money to buy a new one. Morgan’s fridge was usually empty thanks to her job. She had a job at the local newspaper in the advice column, which didn’t pay much.

But it payed enough to scrape by which didn’t bother Morgan because she was used to scraping by. She’s done it all her life. She was used to starving at the end of the month, used to looking under the couch with Mason for change to get 99 Cent burgers for their sisters, back when they had eaten meat.  But no matter what they always had a roof over their heads. Her Mom made sure of it. Sure there was months were they were threatened to get kicked out and the water and electricity went out but Morgan’s Mother always found a way to get things running again for her kids. Morgan ate her diner in front of a fuzzy TV.

 She popped her pill and downed it with a gulp of soda. Morgan’s upbringing wasn’t the best, and Her Daddy wasn’t that nice of a man, so it took its toll on Morgan. Morgan had grown up to feel scared and alone and ended up Self-harming herself with rusty blades. For a bit she began to drink just like her Dad, but then she got on her pills, and she seemed to be fine. After eating she took a shower and set her alarm clock radio on low. She hated being alone. She didn’t like the quiet. She fell asleep with a spring poking her left butt cheek.

 

The next morning her office door was knocked on and then the door opened.

Martie stuck his head inside and grinned at her, “There’s a murdered man’s funeral today. I’m heading over now. Want to come?”

Martin Vanderwal was an only child and his parents were both dead. Martie lived and breathed death. He wrote about funerals of the murdered. Believe it or not people ate that shit up. Even though Martie was a tad bit morbid Morgan admired him.

“Sure.” She pushed save on her computer, grabbed her bag and followed Martie out of her office.

Morgan had known Martie for about Two and a half years. He was the one who had helped her land her job. When Morgan moved in she made it a point in her column that she helped every problem. The funeral was packed like every time someone was killed. Martie grabbed her hand and they made their way through the crowd. He pulled her into a side room where they held the coffin.

“You think He’s really in there?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m going to look.”

Her head snapped up to him, “You open that coffin and I’ll never talk to