Page 109 of Breaking Free

The sense of danger grew with each step he took toward her. Slowly, she backed away, wondering if she could reach the rear stairwell ahead of him. It was worth chancing it because instinct told her to get out of there.

“Don’t be stupid. You’ll never make it,” he spat then raised his arm to wipe his mouth with his sleeve. That’s when Piper saw the knife in his hand and the bright-red bloodstains spattering his shirt.

“Axyl,” she whispered. Then, more loudly, “What have you done to him?”

“I carved on your pretty-boy bodyguard a bit. It’s what he deserved, getting involved with a skank like you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would you hurt Axyl? He was just doing his job by protecting me.”

“Not very well, obviously.” He smirked.

“Tell me where he is,” Piper demanded frantically. “I need to get him some help before it’s too late. You wouldn’t want his murder on your hands, surely.”

Her heart raced as she watched his face darken with anger. “You act so innocent,” he hissed, his tone cold and accusatory. “But I know the truth about you. I also know all about you and Hunter and what you did to get your role.” Piper couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “That didn’t happen. You’ve got it all wrong.”

“I don’t think so. You see, I’ve been watching you for weeks.” Morgan’s lips curled into a sinister sneer as he moved closer. “I gave you the benefit of the doubt at first, thinking a small-town girl might not know how things are. Dressing like a whore, attracting negative attention.”

“You wrote those notes, didn’t you?”

“I did, but you didn’t take my warnings seriously. You think you can use your body to get ahead in this world without consequences, but not anymore.”

She stepped back, both hands raised in a gesture of surrender. “This is insane. You need help. Please, put down the knife.”

His eyes blazed with rage. “No! You don’t get to play the victim here. You came to town flaunting your tits and ass in front of Hunter and spreading your legs to get that role. It isn’t fair. I’ve put in the work for three years, kissing Hunter’s ass, fetching his coffee, and doing whatever scut work he can’t get anyone else to do. And you waltz in, fresh off the turnip truck from bum-fucked Iowa and get a lead role without breaking a sweat.”

“It isn’t true. I was here for months and rejected more times than I can count. And I never slept with anyone to get anything.”

“Right,” he drawled with a curled upper lip. “I suppose all the times I saw you slink out of Hunter’s condo you weren’t leaving his bed.”

“I was having coffee with his niece. We’re friends.”

“I’ve got you on tape making out with one of your bodyguards on your front porch. How convenient the agency sends boy toys right to your door.”

“That was Tristan, my...uh, boyfriend.”

“I know all about Tristan Rogers. That SOB is a loner, and no way is he anyone’s boyfriend, which makes you a liar and a slut.” He sneered with the last word, spit flying again with his contempt. Piper flinched to avoid the spray, but he went on, not caring. “Does Hunter know you’re carrying on with a revolving door of men behind his back? How many are you doing it with? Or are gangbangs your thing? Is that how you like it at your kink club?”

“You’re wrong. None of what you think is true!” But she might as well have saved her breath. Morgan’s expression remained cold and unforgiving. Nothing was getting through to him.

“I’m going to do you a favor. No one in Hollywood will hire you once I slice up that pretty face. Maybe I’ll carve a big A on your forehead. Then when you go home and sit in the first pew of your daddy’s church on Sundays, the congregation will know to pray for your whore’s soul.” Suddenly, he smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead. “Oh, wait. I forgot. You won’t be going home to repent because you’ll be dead.”

The amount of detail he knew about her was horrifying. Surely, Hunter wouldn’t have disclosed so much. But those were questions for another time—if she had another time.

“You’ve got me all wrong,” Piper said as she backed away, her mind racing for a way to escape since no one seemed to be coming to save her.

“Do you think I’m fucking stupid? I watched you roll around in the sheets naked with Dirk for hours today. I guess he makes the fourth man you’re juggling. Doesn’t he, Jezebel?”

“I was playing a part today. You know that. Please, you’re obviously a spiritual man. Put down the knife, and we’ll go someplace and talk. Maybe to church.”

His footsteps echoed ominously as he advanced, the knife glinting in the dim light. “It’s too late for that. You’ve crossed a line, and now you have to face the consequences. Say your prayers, if you remember how because your time is up.”

Piper’s heart pounded in her chest as Morgan raised the knife, a look of pure hatred in his eyes. As he lunged toward her, she whirled and ran for her life.

“Good. Make it more fun for me,” he said as he gave chase.

A loud bang from behind her had her screaming. Did the psycho also have a gun?

Another bang ahead of her stopped her short. But it wasn’t gunshots. It was the door at the end of the hall being kicked in. Tristan and two other men from Rossi stormed into the hall.

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