Unmasked #2
For the first time in several minutes, he lifted his gaze to hers.
The uncertainty he found in her eyes made him waver.
A huge part of him didn't even want to help her, but he also knew it wasn't in him to turn her away.
He had never been able to say no to her, and now wasn't any different.
Still, there wasn't a chance of him getting involved personally.
He had been burned by Everleigh before, and he wasn't keen on letting her back into his life so she could do it again.
“I can put one of my guys on it.” Her teeth cut into her bottom lip, but she didn’t seem surprised by the fact that he refused to handle her case personally. “To date, you've received only those three photos?”
She nodded. “It started shortly after I moved back.”
He couldn't stop himself from asking; he had to know. “How long have you been here?”
She bit her lip and averted her gaze. “Not quite a month.”
She had been home all that time, and he hadn't even known. He hated himself a little more for the fact that he wished he had. He swallowed down the emotion in his throat and nodded. “No other threats? No letters, no phone calls?”
Everleigh shook her head. “Only the photos.”
“And how were they delivered to you?”
“I found each one tucked under the wiper blade of my car while I was in town.”
As furious as he was, he was also glad that they hadn't been delivered directly to her home. Not yet, anyway. “Have you noticed anything else strange? Anyone out of the ordinary who might be following you?”
Again she shook her head. “Not that I've seen. After the first couple of photographs popped up, I started watching my surroundings more closely. I haven't been able to pinpoint anyone in particular.”
Something he vaguely recognized as protectiveness swirled in his gut, and he fought to ignore it.
He forced himself to focus on the facts as if she were any other client.
“What, exactly, are you looking for? We can offer the occasional surveillance to find your photographer, or if you feel unsafe, I can assign someone for 24/7 detail.”
Her fingers twisted the strap of her purse as she mulled it over for a moment. “I think just focus on trying to find him for now. He hasn’t tried anything else, so…”
She trailed off, and he picked up her train of thought. “Our goal is just to find whoever is taking the photographs, discover the motive?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I just want it to stop.”
He could understand that, because he wanted the same. It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest she let him put someone on her 24/7, because the thought of leaving her unprotected, even for a second, turned his stomach into knots.
For the dozenth time since she’d sat down, he had to remind himself that she wasn’t his responsibility.
If he turned her away, it would leave her completely vulnerable to whoever was stalking her; if he took her on, he’d have to deal with receiving daily updates on her until they’d found the person responsible.
He was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t.
He cleared his throat. “I believe Mason is free at the moment. I'll get him on this, let him know what's going on. He’ll work detail for you, follow you when you go out so we can try to narrow down who’s been sending these photographs to you.”
Everleigh rolled her lips together like she wanted to say something but remained silent.
“If you happen to get more pictures, take them immediately to the police, then let us know.” She nodded, and he continued. “If you have a few minutes, I’d like to introduce you to Mason.”
“Sure.”
Her voice was soft, tentative, and it sent a little bolt of unease straight to his heart. He stood, eager to put some distance between them. “If you’ll stay here for a moment, I’ll see if he’s available.”
Without waiting for her reply, he bolted out of the office and down the hall. He paused in front of the door of the bullpen, and he felt Vivi’s eyes on him from where she sat behind the reception desk.
“Is…?”
He waved her off before she could finish whatever she was about to ask.
He was too much of a mess inside; he wasn’t even sure how he felt yet, and he didn’t want to get into it with her right now.
He keyed in the code, then threw open the door.
Mason and Miles Kane turned to glance at him as he practically barreled into the room.
“Mason.” His eyes locked on him as he immediately stood, looking wary and alert, almost as if he could feel the tension rolling off Knox. “You free for another job?”
“Absolutely.” He didn’t hesitate, though his inquisitive gaze never moved from Knox’s face as he approached. “What do you have for me?”
“I’ve got a woman in my office, someone I grew up with.
” Knox almost choked on the words. What a way to describe his relationship with Everleigh.
“Her name is Everleigh Beaumont, and she’s the daughter of a wealthy oil baron.
Someone has been stalking her, taking photographs and leaving them for her. ”
He followed Knox out of the bullpen. “Anything else?”
“Not yet, and I’d like to keep it that way.” Knox pointed to the conference room. “Meet you there in just a sec.”
Mason nodded and broke off, heading into the conference room while Knox went to retrieve Everleigh. He paused outside his office and drew a deep breath before stepping inside. Everleigh turned at the sound of his feet on the carpet, and he tipped his head. “If you’ll follow me, please.”
His heart thundered in his chest, his stomach twisting into knots as he led the way down the hall. He gestured for her to precede him inside, and she shot a little smile Mason’s way as she entered.
“Hello.”
“Ms. Beaumont.” Mason extended his hand to her, and Knox felt something twist inside him when he watched her slip her fingers into his. “Mason Kane.”
Knox cleared his throat as he stared at Mason, still unable to look at Everleigh. “If you need anything, please let me know.”
He turned to go, but a soft voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Knox…” Several seconds of silence followed, but he didn’t dare turn around. “It was good to see you.”
The foundation of his carefully constructed world felt like it was crumbling beneath his feet, all because of her. The one woman he had loved with every fiber of his being. The one who sat just a few feet from him, yet had never been farther away.
A myriad of emotions clogged his throat, threatening to choke him, and he swallowed them down.
His lungs constricted in his chest, and his heart cracked wide open.
He couldn’t drag in a breath, let alone bring himself to respond.
He moved quickly from the room, desperate to put distance between them.
With just a few words, Everleigh had managed to shake the foundation he had built over the past decade. He refused to let her back in. He couldn’t. Because if he did, it would break him… And this time, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to put the pieces back together.
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