Page 111 of Breaking Free

Detective Lloyd gave her the address.

“That’s right behind us,” Tristan stated, still fuming. “That sick fuck has been watching her all along.” He only confirmed what they had all suspected, but the unsettling discovery that Morgan had been lurking so close to their back door made the twisted situation even more disturbing and obscene.

“Most likely. We’ll see what we find. We’ll also question friends and family if there are any. Hopefully, we’ll have the full story soon.” His hand curled around Piper’s shoulder. “The good thing is you’re safe and unharmed, and he will be in lockup, either in a psych ward or at County, for a while.” He looked at Tristan. “Can I speak with you for a minute?”

He nodded, but when he tried lifting her from his lap, the death grip on his T-shirt returned.

“I’ll be right over there,” he reassured her as he pried her fingers away. “Not out of sight for a second.”

She knew she was acting clingy, but felt it was deserved after what she’d just been through.

Tristan followed the detective away a few paces, just out of earshot. She couldn’t hear what Lloyd said, but from his body language, the news wasn’t to his liking.

She was nervously pacing when the detective left a few minutes later, and he came back to her. “You’re free to go home, but they’ll need a formal statement.”

“What couldn’t he tell me?”

He hesitated for a moment, clearly weighing how much to say.

She gripped his T-shirt again, her nails digging in. At this rate, she’d have to buy him a new one. “Please, Tristan. My life has been out of control for the past few weeks. I need to know.”

He slid his hand under her hair and curled his fingers around her nape, and she braced for something really bad when his thumb lightly stroked the side of her neck. “He was an amateur photographer with long-range zoom lenses on several cameras and a darkroom where he developed his photos.”

“Of me,” she acknowledged. “That’s creepy, but it doesn’t require a word alone with you. There’s more.”

“Piper—”

She tugged on his shirt, desperate to know all of it. “What else did he tell you?”

“There were hundreds of photos. Enough, according to Lloyd, to wallpaper his room. Some were from inside your bedroom.”

It sounded like something out of a horror movie, a genre she’d never cared for. Now, it had become her life.

“I think I’m going to be sick.”

His arms wrapped her up tight. “Breathe, Piper. He’s in custody. It’s going to be all right.”

She tried drawing in deep breaths and blowing them out slowly. It stopped her from hyperventilating but did nothing for the waves of nausea, knowing Morgan, the sicko, had been where she slept.

“They’re sending a team to your place to search for a camera. It’s now a crime scene. You can’t go back there tonight.”

“I don’t want to!” A violent shudder passed through her. “I feel dirty. I need a long, hot, extra-soapy shower.”

He slid an arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the elevator. “Let’s get you home, so you can do that.”

“But... You just said it’s a crime scene.”

“To my place. You and Jaxx are with me again tonight.”

She slid her arms around his waist, hugging him from the side as they walked. Not clinging as tightly but not ready to lethim go anytime soon. The few minutes he’d been out of reach with the detective were way too long as it was.

He let one of the Rossi men drive his SUV back to the office and took her home in her car. Riding in the passenger seat was strange, but she was grateful for his presence. She was still shaken up, her hands trembling, and she wouldn’t have been safe. Tristan didn’t seem like the type of guy to ride shotgun anyway.

On top of a long, stressful day, the intense drama left Piper wiped out. She sat staring out the window, watching the blur of lights pass by while cradling her injured wrist, which was throbbing now. She needed ibuprofen and more ice. Despite her exhaustion, she shifted positions every few seconds, unable to sit still.

“You’re restless.”

His observation suddenly filling the silence jarred her frazzled nerves, and she jumped.

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