Page 43 of Knight's Desire

“Hope’s Bridal Shoppe. How may I help you?” She struggled to infuse the right amount of professionalism into her tone while she fought off annoyance at the interruption.

“You’re mine.” The voice hissed across the phone line, the tone distorted but nonetheless menacing.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“You’re mine. How can you act like a whore withhim? We belong together, but I can’t be with a whore. You’ll ruin everything. Everything.”

Her hand started to tremble. The warmth that infused her body only a moment ago dissipated, leaving behind an icy chill that froze her blood in her veins. “Who is this? What do you want?”

“Sweetheart, I want you. You’re mine. You just have to wait for me. We’ll be together very soon. I promise. We’re worth the wait, baby.”

The endearments sent a wave of fear rocketing through her body, and she almost dropped the phone. She jumped when a hand covered hers, and her eyes flew up to lock with Brick’s. He took the phone from her while his other arm draped over her shoulders and pulled her securely against his side. He listened to the voice on the other end of the call, and she could see from the hardening of his features that the voice continued to say creepy things. She buried her face against his chest, shutting her eyes tight, but she couldn’t erase the sound of the voice. The words were intimate, as if he knew her, but she didn’t recognize the voice. She thought it was a man on the other end of the call, but with the distortion, she couldn’t be sure. She was only certain this his words would haunt her for a while.

You’re mine. We’ll be together very soon.

Chapter Eighteen

Brick rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. His steps were slow down the long hallway. He was in no rush to reach his office only to acknowledge he had failed. It wasn’t something he accepted easily, and when the case was this early in the investigation, he rarely conceded defeat. Yet he had no news to report, and knowing he would have to admit it while looking into Hope’s trusting eyes only worsened his mood.

Part of him wished she would be sleeping when he got to his office. After the disturbing phone call, he’d hustled her out of the Shoppe into the safety of KSI’s walls. Making sure she was comfortable in his office, he put his team to work trying to trace the call and get a lead on the person on the other line. Though the caller used a voice distorter, Brick would bet good money that it was a man on the other end. The man’s words were burned into his memory, and he’d be replaying them as he took the asshole down.

You’ll soon realize we belong together. You’ll be begging me to make you mine. Soon, Hope, soon.

Brick fought the urge to put his fist through the wall. No way was this bastard getting to Hope. He may not have a lead on the guy’s identity or location, but he would keep Hope safe for however long it took to take the guy down. The guy would make a mistake. Cowards like him always did, and Brick’s team would be ready to take him down. He would make sure of it.

The door to his office was ajar, and he pushed it open to see Hope standing by the windows, looking out over the street that ran in front of KSI and her Shoppe. Only one set of the lights illuminated the office, so she stood in shadows, the darkening evening sky her backdrop. He wasn’t sure if she heard him step inside. Her profile was solemn, but beautiful. Her skin was smooth, almost translucent, and his fingers twitched with the memory of how soft it was against his calloused hands. Her arms were crossed over her middle, pushing her breasts up against the knit fabric of her shirt.

She was perfect, better than he ever could be. He should keep her firmly in the client zone. She needed him for his protection and his investigative skills, and caving into the chemistry sparking between them could compromise the case. She was his opposite in all the ways that mattered, but he was drawn to her like a drug. She reminded him of all the good and sweet things that were missing in his life. He couldn’t walk away from her once this case was over. Just as he couldn’t stay away from her now.

He crossed the room to stop beside her and gently touched her arm so as not to startle her.

“Hope.”

She turned tortured eyes to face him, and Brick’s heart stuttered in his chest. His finger rested against her cheek to catch a tear as it escaped the corner of her eye.

“Were you able to find him? Or at least find out who he is?”

“No. He used a burner phone, and it couldn’t be traced.”

“He thinks I belong to him, Brick.” Her voice broke with barely contained emotion. “Could he really be someone I know? H-he thinks I-I’m a wh-whore.”

He pulled her firmly against him, cradling her head against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him. It wasn’t until he felt the moisture dampening his shirt that he even realized she was crying. She didn’t sob, and her body didn’t shake in a show of emotion. It was a quiet type of despair, and it crushed him.

His hand stroked her hair as he murmured nonsense words that he hoped comforted her. He had never been able to handle a woman’s tears well, and he was at a loss as to what to do now. Just standing there, holding her as she cried, seemed inadequate, but it was all he had. He had no idea how long they stood there in his dimly lit office, and he didn’t really care. He was content to stay there as long as Hope needed him.

She pulled away, and Brick fought the urge to drag her back into his arms. Her fingers hovered over the damp spot on his shirt, and her cheeks flushed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t usually get so emotional. I was trying to hold it together, but you came in before I could get a handle on it. And well…”

“Don’t worry about it. I work with some of the strongest women I know, and they’ll be the first to tell you sometimes you need a good cry to get you through whatever is troubling you. You can use me to cry on anytime you need to.”

She smiled shyly and stepped back, putting more distance between them. “I appreciate that, but maybe next time, you just don’t leave me alone with my thoughts for very long. With nothing to do but think, I started to realize some unsettling things.”

Brick studied her face closely. He’d dreaded having to tell her what they actually did find besides the burner phone, but it seemed she already guessed.

“What things did you realize?”

Her head tilted slightly to one side as she regarded him. “I know he was watching us. That’s how he knew I was even at the Shoppe to answer the phone. That’s why he called me…those names. He saw you and me…well, he saw us kiss and didn’t like it.”

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