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The two men clashed, grappling with each other as they struggled dangerously close to the edge of the balcony. Morgan's heart pounded in her ears as she watched Derik, his face pale and glistening with sweat, lose his grip on Calvin's arm.
"Derik!" she cried out, her voice strained with fear. She knew she had to do something, but what? Her thoughts raced, searching for any way to turn the tide in their favor.
As the struggle continued, Morgan felt the weight of the responsibility bearing down on her. She'd been given a second chance at life, and now it was up to her to make sure that Derik got the same opportunity. But how could she intervene without putting Sarah in danger?
"Calvin, please!" she pleaded, trying once more to reach the man behind the monster. "It's not too late! We can help you!"
"Help me?" he snarled, his eyes wild and unfocused. "No one can help me! I'm beyond saving!"
His words sent a shudder through Morgan, but she couldn't afford to dwell on the implications. All that mattered right now was keeping Derik alive – and stopping Calvin before he claimed another victim.
Seeing Derik struggle against Calvin, Morgan knew she had to act quickly. Clutching Sarah tightly, she guided the elderly woman behind a nearby pillar for safety.
"Stay here," she whispered urgently, before turning back to help Derik.
Morgan sprinted across the gallery, her heart pounding in her chest as she closed in on the two men. Calvin's strength seemed to be growing, fueled by his desperation and madness. Derik's face was contorted with pain and fear as he struggled to hold onto the railing.
"Let him go, Calvin!" Morgan shouted, lunging at the man who was threatening everything she held dear. Her hands grasped at Calvin's arm, trying to pry it away from Derik's throat. "This ends now!"
"Get off me!" Calvin snarled, but his grip faltered ever so slightly under the force of her attack. Derik gasped for breath, seizing the opportunity to pull himself free.
Together, Morgan and Derik shoved Calvin back with all their might. The madman's eyes widened in shock as he teetered precariously on the edge of the balcony for a moment before gravity took hold, sending him plummeting down to the pews below with a sickening crunch.
Morgan's legs threatened to give out beneath her as she stared down at the lifeless body of Calvin Morse, unable to tear her gaze away from the grisly scene. She barely registered Derik's hand on her shoulder, steadying her in the aftermath of their harrowing ordeal.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice shaky but determined. "We did it, Morgan."
Morgan nodded, finally tearing her eyes from Calvin's broken form. "Yeah... we did." She swallowed hard, trying to push down the nausea that threatened to consume her. They had done what needed to be done, but that didn't make it any easier to stomach.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Later, as the abandoned church was swarmed with police officers, FBI agents, and paramedics, Morgan stood beside Derik, watching numbly as Calvin's body was zipped into a bag and hoisted into the back of an ambulance. The entire scene felt surreal, like something out of one of her worst nightmares.
"Hard to believe it's over," Derik murmured, his gaze following the ambulance as it pulled away from the scene. "I'm just glad Sarah's okay."
"Me too," Morgan agreed, feeling a flicker of relief amid the chaos. At least they had saved one life tonight.
As the adrenaline slowly drained from her system, exhaustion began to set in. The weight of the night's events pressed heavily on her shoulders, threatening to consume her. But for now, there was solace in knowing that they had stopped a monster, and perhaps found a way to rebuild the trust that had once defined their partnership.
The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the lingering traces of fear. Morgan glanced over at Sarah, the elderly woman wrapped in a blanket as she spoke to a uniformed officer. Her voice shook as she recounted her ordeal, but she remained unharmed—an outcome that brought relief to Morgan's weary heart.
"Hey," Derik said quietly, breaking the silence that had settled between them. Morgan turned to look at him, his features softened by the pale glow of the emergency lights. "I just wanted to say... thank you."
"For what?" Morgan asked, feigning confusion even though she knew exactly what he meant.
Derik sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "For stepping in with Calvin. If it wasn't for you, I might be the one lying dead on that church floor instead."
Morgan's eyes flickered towards the now-empty space where Calvin's body had been, then back to Derik. She felt the familiar tightening in her chest—the unrelenting grip of emotions she struggled to keep at bay. "You don't have to thank me," she said finally, her voice low and steady. "We're partners, aren't we? That's what we do."
"Partners," Derik repeated, a sad smile ghosting his lips. "Yeah, I guess so." He hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words. "But you know, it's more than that. I—"
"Derik," Morgan cut him off, not wanting to hear whatever confession he was about to make. The pain of his betrayal still festered beneath the surface, an open wound no amount of time could heal. "It's been a long night.”
He seemed to understand, nodding silently as they both turned their attention back to the flurry of activity around them. Morgan knew that despite everything they had been through, some part of her still cared for Derik—perhaps even loved him. But tonight was not the night to confront those feelings.
For now, all she could do was stand beside him as they waited for their next moves, the weight of secrets and unspoken truths pressing down on them like a heavy shroud. And in the darkness of the night, beneath the watchful gaze of a shattered stained glass window, Morgan Cross found herself wondering if the ghosts of the past would ever truly be laid to rest.
The distant wail of a siren pierced the quiet night, jarring Morgan back to reality. She glanced over at Derik standing silently beside her, his face a mixture of relief and exhaustion. She felt an unexpected surge of gratitude for his presence tonight, despite the lingering sting of his betrayal.
