I’m not going to ruin my reputation again.”
“I need to tell you something.” Percy couldn’t stand still as he wrung his hands against his middle. “I hope I don’t ruin anything, but they did not say anything about me doing this.”
“What do you need to say?” Thomas kept his voice low and tried not to move his lips too much when he talked.
“That lovely lady who was with you left in a big hurry. She might be heading for trouble. I think she is the one who will help lead you down that road we talked about earlier.”
Morgan? “She’s in trouble?” Thomas said loudly, not caring at the moment who saw him talking to nobody.
“Well, she does work for a newspaper...” Percy shrugged.
“Where did she go?”
“She hurried out of the party. I think she was following some men who drove off in a truck.”
Thomas dashed outside. He scanned the parking lot quickly. His heart sank when he couldn’t find her. Suddenly, he heard a motorcycle engine revving up and seconds later she sped out of the parking lot.
Without a second thought, he ran toward his Tesla, pulling the car remote out of his pocket and pressing the button to turn it on. He climbed in and put it into gear, squealing his tires on the pavement as he sped out of the Country Club’s lot, trying to fasten his seatbelt at the same time.
He zipped in and out of cars until he saw Morgan up ahead. He stayed a good distance behind her, watching where she was going. He couldn’t see what truck she followed, but she wouldn’t have run out of the club unless it was important.
After a few turns, he realized she was heading toward his house. He frowned. Why was she heading there? Unless... whoever she was after was going the same way. His heart dropped. Something must be terribly wrong, and he worried that Morgan might get hurt. He’d protect her – something he hadn’t ever had to do before.
He actually looked forward to the task.
THIRTEEN
When Morgan noticed the Silver Spruce’s brake lights as the vehicle turned toward the large estate, she knew this was Thomas’ house. She didn’t want to get too close to the house because the men would be able to hear her motorcycle, so she killed the engine and let the bike drift down the road until it wouldn’t move any longer. She quickly parked it in some bushes before running as fast as she could in her boots, toward Thomas’ house.
She stopped to catch her breath and saw them standing at the iron gate. Morgan ducked behind a hedge to keep her eyes – and ears – on them. Her heart beat so fast she wondered if she would be able to regulate her breathing before passing out. But she tried not to worry about her burning lungs, and instead, focused on Garth and the three other men.
Morgan withdrew her cell phone and quickly dimmed the light before turning it toward the men to take some pictures. Hopefully, she would be able to capture some images that let her see their faces.
She could hear the men talking but not what they were saying. Getting closer would help, but she didn’t want them to spot her. Not far from where they stood was a large bush. If she could only make it to that spot, she’d be able to hear their words.
Suddenly, from behind, the bushes rattled mere seconds before a hand covered her mouth. Her immediate response was to struggle, but she also didn’t want to alert the men of her presence.
“Shhh,” the deep voice whispered in her ear.
A man’s musky cologne scent touched her senses, and she knew who it was. She squeaked a surprised gasp and swung around, facing Thomas.
He slowly removed his hand from her mouth, but kept his index finger to his own lips, showing her that they needed to be quiet.
“You scared the crap out of me,” Morgan whispered.
“What are you doing here?” Thomas peeked over her shoulder toward the gate.
“I followed Garth and three of his friends.”
“What are they doing here?” Thomas leaned closer to her, sliding his hand around her waist.
“I overheard something—”
He covered her mouth again. “Shhh... Lower your voice.”
She nodded and moved his hand away. “I overheard their conversation at the party and knew they were coming here to break into your house.”
“But why?”
“They want your planner.”
He chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. “They aren’t going to find it outside.”
She loved how