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A scraping sound lifted the hairs on the back of her neck She spun, but the street was ee separated Sharp’s lot froan backed toward the office, senses on alert The hedge rustled Backlit by the rising sun, a figure stepped out of the hedges His shadow fell over the grass

Chapter Thirty-Three

Lance woke to a dark house He’d worried about Nick in the ICU, crazy Dean Voss on the loose, and Morgan falling apart in his arms

Especially that last part

His hand brushed the eher to bed Beyond the physical desire, she was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman, a beauty that went soul deep and an irresistible coility

He didn’t kno she handled the a after just his mother overwhelmed him at times

His joints felt like rusty hinges after a night of very little sleep All he wanted was a cup of strong coffee and a hot shower There was no way in hell that Sharp’s green tea would cut through Lance’s brain fog

But as he got out of bed, he sensed the place was euest bedroom The door was ajar He peered inside

Morgan was gone

Damn it

There was only one place she could have gone Her van was at the office Lance tugged a T-shirt over his head, stepped into shoes, and went outside Voss was still loose and dangerous

The sun was peering over the horizon as he hurried to his Jeep In front of the office, Lance parked at the curb and ju, his heart skipped at the sight of her purse and a s on the ay halfway to the front door

Drawing his gun, he went inside “Morgan?”

“Back here” The feht-headed with relief He picked up her purse and duffel and carried them inside

Morgan sat at the kitchen table She still wore his clothes Blood wept froainst her legs Sharp, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, wasa pot of tea

As Lance stepped into the kitchen, the dog bristled and growled, getting between hian

He stopped “What happened?”

“So’s head “I tripped and skinned my knee She chased him away”

“Did you see who it was?” He set her things on the empty chair next to her

Morgan shook her head “He was in the hedges next door The sun was infroe”

“Did you call the police?” Lance asked

Sharp shook his head “He didn’t do anything illegal”

Lance swore “Did you check the surveillance footage?”

Sharp reached behind hih a couple of screens and handed the iPad to Lance “The sun was behind hiuy, dressed in jeans and a black hooded jacket It looked like his face was covered with so”

“That’s not very helpful” Lance watched the video The figure was a barely detailed shadow, an outline of a es Before he’d taken two steps, a white blur charged hi is a rocket”

“I’et any more details out of it,” Sharp said

Morgan stroked the dog’s head “If we assume the man was Tessa’s killer, that would rule out Robby Barone and his father Robby is too se”

“What if theto do with the case?” Sharp asked “He could have been a prospective burglar casing the building next door”

“Or it was Jacob Eested “I’m sure the DA has already called his father Maybe he doesn’t appreciate the prospect of being swabbed for DNA”