“I waited in a parking garage across from your pottery place for you to arrive and stayed until you left for home.”
She squinted at him. “I don’t know if I believe you. How do I know you’re telling the truth.”
He looked up for a moment before focusing back on her. “There’s a parking receipt that’s time-stamped for the parking garage across the street from the studio in my car outside. I also watched you smile at your phone as you were sitting, waiting for the bus, before you took the bus to get home. And we’ll have a conversation later about why the bus is not an option for you to travel anymore.”
She gawked at him, eyebrows nearly to her forehead.
The tops of his ears got impossibly redder as he kept his face turned away to avoid her drilling gaze as he realized how that last part sounded.
The chuckle made it out before she could stop it with how ridiculous this whole situation was.
“Why were you following me?” She asked with more humor than outrage.
“I just wanted to make sure you were safe.” He turned to her, arms outstretched in a pleading gesture. “But the bus is definitely not safe, and I don’t want you using it, if you need a ride, you call me.”
She lifted one eyebrow impossibly higher to signal her incredulity.
“Please.” He quickly added. “Please don’t take the bus, and let me help keep you safe.”
That was better, but she was still a little annoyed that he’d been watching her without her knowledge.
“Alright, let’s put a pin in this for now, you weren’t the one breaking in.”
“I swear I wasn’t.”
“Alright, but someone dressed like you definitely came in looking for something.”
“Similar gear, yes. But not me, Morgan.” Archer’s voice was firm.
“I know that now,” she assured him quickly. “I just meant—who would dress that way to break in? It’s so... specific.”
“Someone who knew about your connection to me, perhaps,” Archer suggested, his tone darkening. “Or someone trying to implicate me.”
The implication sent a chill down Morgan’s spine. “Jason? Or Richard?”
“Or someone else entirely,” Archer added. “Did you tell anyone about us? About me?”
“Just Tessa,” Morgan replied, thinking back. “And she would never do anything like this.”
Archer was quiet for a moment, still studying the footage on her phone. “Let me make some calls,” he decided. “This is too calculated to ignore.”
As Archer put his phone to his ear, she packed a bag since her room was untouched, though Archer instructed her to not touch anything in the living room that was disturbed to see if they could pull any prints.
The control in his voice eased some of Morgan’s anxiety. Whatever was happening, whoever had violated her space, Archer was here, solid and protective beside her.
As they waited for one of Archer’s contacts to show up, a troubling thought occurred to her. What if this break-in was related to the Vertex situation? What if Richard was searching for something to use against her, to bolster his false accusations?
Or what if it was something else entirely—something connected to Archer’s mysterious past, his careful anonymity, his obvious wealth and influence?
Morgan pushed the unsettling questions aside. Whatever was happening, she would face it with the same determination she’d brought to every challenge in her life. And this time, unlike after her parents’ deaths or Jason’s betrayal, she wouldn’t be facing it alone.
Archer was beside her, his presence a steadying force in the chaos. The mystery, the unanswered questions—all of it faded in importance compared to the certainty she felt in his commitment to her safety and wellbeing.
19
Archer
It turned out that Kane and one of his associates, Briggs, were just around the corner and would be there shortly. He brought them up to speed on what had transpired so he and Morgan could leave once she was finished packing.
