“The way he withholds his identity is unusual. Either he’s purposely hiding it from you or he thinks it’s so obvious that you must know who you ‘belong to.’ Judging from the bit of evidence we have, I think it’s the latter. I don’t think this person is into subterfuge for the sake of hiding. So that makes him delusional, too.”
Morgan sighed, her stomach tightening with fear at Deke’s every word. “Was there any question of that?”
“No, but the fact that he followed you to Houston when you went to stay with your fiancé tells us he’s serious,” Jack added.
Deke glanced back at her, surprise reflected in the raised arches of his brows.
Fiancé? Morgan searched her memory. Jack’s tense jaw and black glower suddenly reminded her that she’d told him that she was engaged to Brandon. The lie hadn’t kept him from moving in too close. But correcting Jack now would only give him a greener light than he already thought he had to pursue whatever sexual arrangement he might want from her. Nope. She was hanging onto to her subterfuge and pleading extreme guilt in case he came sniffing around again. Next time, she’d have to remember she was supposedly an engaged woman.
“L.A. to Houston is a long way for a prank,” she agreed.
“Exactly,” Deke cut in. “But the way this character took shots at you suggests there’s vengeance on his mind.”
“He thinks you’re his,” said Jack. “But when he saw you having coffee with me, that’s the first time he tried to shoot you…like he wanted to punish you and keep anyone from having you if he couldn’t.”
“That’s twisted.” Morgan grimaced.
“Stalkers aren’t nice, normal guys.” Deke shrugged.
She sighed. “I still have no idea who this is.”
“I’m sure you know him, Morgan. This is someone you’ve been close with on some level, somewhere between
conversationally and sexually. But in your interaction, he believed that you connected, that you were meant for him, which gives him the right to punish you for any ‘bad’ behavior you exhibit, like seeing another man. You’ve figured out that he’s tenacious.”
“Yeah, I know he’s not going to call it a day anytime soon.” The knot of apprehension in her belly tightened.
“Good,” Deke praised. “You and Jack are doing everything you can. Stay here for now. At this point, don’t try to be Miss Independent.”
Getting away from Jack would be great for her selfrespect—but terrible for her safety. Morgan sighed. “It chafes me to need a babysitter, but until I know who and what I’m dealing with, I feel better with backup.”
“Good. Does he ever call your cell phone?” Deke questioned.
“No. About six months ago, I got a new number. Only three people have the number: My mother, Brandon, and my agent.”
“Brandon?”
“Her fiancé.”
Jack’s rancor as he answered his business partner stunned her. He sounded very unhappy about the “fact” she had a soon-tobe husband. Morgan frowned. He’d gotten what he wanted, right? He couldn’t possibly be jealous.
“Oh, and my production assistant, Reggie, has the number.”
Jack and Deke shot each other an oblique look.
“How much do you know about Reggie?”
They suspected Reggie, clearly. Morgan started to tell them they were being absurd. Reggie was a cross between a giant teddy bear and a father figure. But then she realized that anyone could be a suspect. Anyone at all, no matter how absurd it sounded.
“Reggie has been with me since the show started. He’s somewhere around forty. Divorced. He doesn’t seem like the type…but I guess no one gets ‘stalker’ tattooed across their forehead to make identification easy.”
“Exactly. Do you talk with him about personal things?”
She shrugged. “Some, I guess. He let me cry on his shoulder a time or two after my big break-up with Andrew. After Turn Me On was renewed, most of the cast went out together to this trendy L.A. bar and put down a few too many. Reggie ended up telling me about his divorce and how his ex cheated on him before he ordered a pot of coffee and insisted on taking me home since I couldn’t possibly drive.”
“Did you have sex with him?” Jack prodded.
Morgan’s jaw dropped. “No! I told you every bit of my personal past, which I’m sure you shared with Deke.”