Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Everleigh couldn’t help but smile as her parents’ house came into view through the trees. It seemed like so much had changed since the last time she had been there. She felt like a completely different person—all of it for the better.
Though she and Knox were going to meet her parents for dinner that night, she wanted to stop by and officially clear the air with her father face-to-face. She knew he was still struggling with the situation, and she commended his efforts for trying to welcome Knox into the fold.
Though Knox had a couple of his men deliver Everleigh's car to the house yesterday, she had opted to walk the short distance to their place. She cut across the backyard and let herself in the back door. Her father had said he was finishing up work early that day and would be home around five.
Everleigh knew she was a little early, but she headed to his office to wait. She dropped her purse on one of the overstuffed chairs and drew in a deep breath. The room had such a distinct smell, like old books and cigar smoke, lemony wood polish used on the paneling, and leather from the furniture.
Even as a little girl, she had loved that room.
Her father had invited her in, settled her on his knee, and taught her to read.
They spent hours poring over books together, reading facts about the places he’d pointed out on the ancient globe in the corner.
She passed the globe and gave it a little spin, a smile touching her lips.
There were so many good times from her childhood; she wanted them to get back to that place.
Things had been so tense recently, and she hoped that he would be able to set aside his resentment and truly embrace her happiness.
Because she really was happier than she had ever been.
Knox was back in her life, and it felt as though everything had fallen into place.
Everleigh stroked her fingers along the spines of the books lining the dark wood shelves as she made a slow circuit around the room. Some were new bestsellers, while others were ancient first editions. Her father was an avid reader, and he didn't discriminate when it came to genre.
She circled the desk and took a seat in the plush leather chair.
Her father's desk was immaculate. Every pen, paper clip, and piece of paraphernalia was in its place. That was why the tiny sliver of white sticking out from beneath the black blotter jumped out at her. Barely more than a millimeter was exposed, and she touched the sharp corner of the object. She knew it wasn’t her place, but curiosity got the best of her, and she lifted the blotter.
Her breath suspended in her lungs, and she blinked, rendered motionless.
For several seconds, she stared uncomprehendingly at the 5x7 black-and-white photograph.
Just like the photographs that had been left on her car, her image stared back at her.
She lifted the photo to find another one stacked underneath. Then another, and another.
Goosebumps raced over her skin as ice settled in her veins. Why would he have these? At first, she thought they were duplicates of the ones she had received. But these were all new. And very recent, judging from some of the locations.
She stood frozen, not quite sure what to do.
All of a sudden, it occurred to her how long she had been there.
Her father would be home soon, and if he walked in right then, he would catch her looking at the photographs.
Working quickly but quietly, she stacked the photographs and returned them to their original position underneath the blotter.
She grabbed her purse and peeked out of the office, then checked to make sure no one was around before quickly making her way down the hall.
She hadn’t encountered anyone on the way in, and if one of her father’s employees told him they’d seen her, she could always explain that something had come up. Quietly as she had come, she slipped out the back door and raced across the backyard, headed toward home. Toward Knox.
Her entire body shook, and her heart pounded as she ran through the woods that connected their land. Just as she reached Knox’s back porch, her phone rang. Her heart gave a little leap when she saw his name, and she fumbled to answer the phone. “Hello?”
“Where are you?”
She flinched at the hardness of his tone. “I… I’m home. Your house.” She wanted to tell him about everything that had happened. “Knox, I…”
“Don’t move,” he ordered. “I need to talk to you. I’m on my way now, so I'll be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.” She hung up and headed into the house, still deeply unsettled after what she had found in her father's office. On the way home, a dozen scenarios had swirled through her head, but not a single one of them made sense. She restlessly prowled through the house, unable to sit and relax. The sound of Knox’s SUV pulling into the driveway reached her ears, and she bolted out the door and onto the front porch.
Knox met her seconds later, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her right off her feet. She clung to him, loving the security he offered, like shelter from the storm. After a long minute passed, he set her back on her feet and ran one hand over her hair. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded and swallowed hard. “I’m fine. But I need to talk to you.”
“Me too. There’s something I need to tell you.” His expression was grim, and that bothered her nearly as much as finding those photographs in her father's office. He took her hand and led her inside.
“Remember I told you about the photographer Mason and I spoke to at the bar last week?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but Knox continued before she had a chance. “We went into town today because he was supposed to make another drop for the photographs. The photographer was going to meet his mark at the gazebo. He dropped off the photographs, and the other guy came to pick them up.”
He paused, looking uncomfortable. “None of this makes any sense, and I don't even know how to tell you this, but…”
She studied his face, his eyes dark with pity and something else. The lightbulb suddenly clicked on in her head, and all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “It was my father, wasn't it?”
Knox blinked in surprise, then reached for her hand. “How did you know?”
“That's what I wanted to tell you.”
“I went over to their house today to talk to him. I know we're supposed to have dinner tonight, but I wanted to talk to him one-on-one and tell him how much I appreciated it. When I got to his office, I found a bunch of those photographs on his desk. Pictures just like the ones on my car.”
His expression turned positively murderous. “I don’t know how he’s involved, or why, but we’re going to figure out what’s going on.”
The way he said it told her that dinner that night was going to be nerve-racking in more ways than one.