Page 28 of Stone

“You’ll need to testify.”

She lifted her chin. “I can do that.”

“Good.” Killian nodded. “If there are any problems, call. Otherwise, lay low and rest. Tomorrow, we’ll get you to the office.”

Knox lifted his chin. “Thanks, Killian.”

“No, thank you, Knox. Nola is family, and you got her secure. That means a lot to all of us.” Killian nodded, then the call ended.

God, she was safe.

It was really only just sinking in.

She strode back into the living area, dropped the wig on the coffee table, and threw her arms out. “We made it!” She spun and saw Knox smiling at her. “I really need that drink.”

“I’ll see what we’ve got.” He rolled the sleeves of his shirt up, uncovering lots of interesting muscles and tattoos. The white fabric looked bright against his tanned skin.

Heat made her belly coil.

In the kitchen, he opened a few cabinets, then pulled out a bottle of gin. He turned to the fridge and opened it.

“How about a gin and tonic?” He leaned into the fridge. “I can’t mix a fancy cocktail. Sorry.”

She laughed. “I didn’t have you pegged as a cocktail man. A gin and tonic sounds fabulous.”

He found some ice and mixed the drink for her. She took the glass with a smile. She dropped down on the gray couch and sipped. “Here’s to not being dead.”

He sank onto an armchair close by. “That’s a good thing.”

“It puts things in perspective.” She shook her head. “All the things I haven’t done yet, the places I haven’t been to.” She took a large gulp of the drink. “I want to live.”

“And you will. No one is hurting you.”

She drained the rest of her drink. “And I really, really want a shower. I can feel the germs on my feet.”

The corner of his lips lifted. “The bathroom is all yours.”

She set the glass on the table. “Getting safe was the number one thing I was focused on, but a close second was washing my feet.”

His laugh was a low rumble. She liked it. A lot.

The bathroom was as sleek as the rest of the apartment. It wasn’t big, but whoever had designed it had done well. There was no tub, just a spacious walk-in shower, toilet, and floating vanity. There were stylish black-and-white tiles on the floor and a white tile with an interesting ripple in the shower.

Nola toed off her borrowed shoes and stripped off her clothes. When she stepped under the hot spray, she moaned.

She washed her hair twice, and her feet four times. She figured after that alley, she couldn’t be too careful. A few times, thoughts of that poor man who’d been executed popped into her head, but she squelched them. Later. She’d deal with that later.

Once she finally felt clean, she stepped out and dried off. In the mirror, she saw the faint swelling around her left eye and cheek where she’d hit the dumpster. She probed it and pulled a face. It wasn’t too bad.

Nola wrapped one of the thick, white towels around her, then stepped out of the bathroom. She wondered if there was a stash of clothes somewhere.

When she looked over, she froze.

Knox was sitting on the couch, shirtless. He was probing an area of his ribs, but her brain kind of short-circuited, and all she could see was that expanse of toned chest.

His shoulders and chest consisted of heavy slabs of muscle. And ink. Tattoos she’d like to explore in great detail. He had a smattering of black hair peppered with gray across his pecs.

And abs. He had lots of abs. He was in better shape than a lot of younger guys she’d dated.

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