Page 29 of Knight's Desire

Brick hesitated, his brow furrowing. “That’s odd. If she needed something, why didn’t she call me or Gen? She has our contact info. I guess I better head up.”

The prickling on the back of his neck started when he stepped on the elevator. A faint scent of floral and something else lingered in the cramped space. It seemed to follow him as he stepped from the elevator and made his way down the hall to Tristin’s office. Since Tristin had Hope with him, he didn’t stroll inside. Instead, Brick tapped a couple of times and waited to be called in.

“Hey, man. Jordan said you wanted to see me.”

Tristin waved him inside. Hope sat in a chair across from Tryst’s desk and didn’t turn around when he entered. As he approached, his eyes fixed on the back of Hope’s head. When she turned to face him, he stopped mid-stride, his heart ceasing to beat. He met her wide eyes, the deep emerald getting lost among the molten brown. Her eyes were puffy, dark circles marring the skin underneath them. She was pale and troubled, and all Brick wanted to do was wrap her tightly in his embrace and shield her from whatever had upset her.

“Brick, I believe you know Miss Robertson. Miss Robertson is interested in hiring us, but I thought you should hear from her before we finalized arrangements. Miss Robertson, you remember Brick Coffey, our lead investigator and head of security,” Tristin made the introductions.

Hope’s regal posture was more slumped with what seemed like defeat. Dressed in customary black attire, she appeared soft and innocent. She exuded class, even when she was not at her best.

“Nice to see you again,” she said softly.

“What happened?” He watched her drop her gaze to where her hands rested in her lap.

“Have a seat, Brick,” Tristin said. “If Miss Robertson doesn’t mind, I’ll fill you in on the details to save her from having to tell them again.”

The only seat available was the one beside Hope. Brick squeezed his bulky frame onto the chair as she quietly nodded her head.

“Miss Robertson had another break-in at her bridal shop. Someone found a way inside while she was working late and vandalized one of the dresses she had on display. The dress was one of her own designs and was the only one destroyed. Then she received a disturbing phone call, and the only thing she heard was laughter. The way she described it sounds like they used a voice distorter, so their voice wouldn’t be recognized.”

Brick almost came unglued at the single tear trailing down Hope’s cheek. She seemed…lost and afraid.

“Why didn’t you call me? Or Gen?”

Hope drew in a shaky breath. “I don’t know. All I could do was sit in the salon and stare at the damage they’d done. Once the shock passed, I got angry. I want to know who did this and why. I couldn’t stand the thought of calling the police knowing they would just doubt what I told them. That’s why I want to hire you.”

“You don’t have—”

Hope threw up a hand to stop Brick. “I do have to. I don’t expect you to spend time and equipment finding out who is harassing me without compensation. It wouldn’t be fair to you, and I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness.”

“I’m sure we can work something out. I’ll have our receptionist, Sarah, put together the paperwork, and then we’ll assign your case to an investigator,” Tristin explained.

“I can handle it,” Brick told his boss firmly. “I want to tighten up the security around the store, but first, I’ll take Isobel with me to gather any evidence we can find.”

Tristin nodded before addressing Hope. “It makes sense to have Brick work your case since he’s already familiar with it. Isobel Garcia is another investigator on our staff who’s very good at what she does. You have two of the best on the case. Unless you have any objections.”

She shook her head. “No. No objections. How soon can you go to work?”

“Right away. With your permission, they can head over to your shop and get started while you and I review the new client paperwork.”

Hope gifted them with a polite smile. “Thank you both.”

Tristin rose. “I’ll go get Sarah started on the paperwork. I’m sure Brick wants to ask you some questions in the meantime. Before I go, I do have one request.”

“Yes?”

“If Brick and Isobel find any evidence, you must report this to the police to open an investigation. We work very closely with law enforcement when the need arises, and to protect that relationship, we never want to step on their toes when the situation involves criminal activity.”

“Of course, Mr. Knight. I have no problem with that as long as the police understand I’m not imagining things or creating drama where none exists.”

“You’ll have our support if that happens. And the name’s Tristin. Or Tryst as my friends call me.”

She raised a delicate brow, her mouth twisting in a smirk. “Tryst? Do any of you go by your real name?”

“We’re all ex-military, and when you’re given a nickname during your service, it’s usually one you can’t escape.” Tristin returned her smile as he walked out of the office.

Now that Hope was a client, Brick had questions to ask and intel to gather to get the investigation underway, just as he would with any new case. But he couldn’t bring himself to start the questioning, His heart ached to see her so vulnerable. He wanted to see the fiery woman who stood up to him and the deputies at her shop, not the exhausted and frightened woman who only wanted people to believe she was being targeted and not losing her mind.

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