Page 44 of Knight's Desire

“Isobel and Gennessey searched the Shoppe. There were two live cameras with short-range transmissions.”

All of the color drained from her face. “Oh my God. I was hoping I was just being paranoid. My God, he’s been watching me and Kayla. Oh, and my clients!”

“Your clients’ privacy was protected as far as we could tell. One camera had a view of the lobby and main salon. The other had a view of your office. There was no audio, so he couldn’t hear anything that was said. He didn’t have a view of the dressing rooms or of the computer Kayla uses.”

“I suppose there’s no way to trace the cameras either.”

Brick shook his head. “No. They are standard issue cameras that can be bought at any electronics store. As I said, they have a short-range transmission, so for him to access the feed, he had to be close by.”

“So he could have been in his car parked nearby, right? Can you figure out which car?”

“We’re already checking on it.” He smiled at how easily she slipped into the investigative mindset. She would fit in well with the other KSI women with their strength, intelligence, and bravery. “Right now, I think I need to get you home. You’ve had a long day, and there’s nothing more we can do here tonight.”

She nodded. “You know, that sounds like a very good idea. I’m suddenly exhausted. I wish this could all be over.”

“I know. We’re doing all we can to end this. I promise.”

“I know you are. I appreciate all you’re doing.”

Brick reached for her hand and was pleased when she didn’t pull away. “Come on. Gen took care of closing up the Shoppe, and she called Kayla to tell her not to open up in the morning until one of us is there with her. Isobel is meeting us at your house. She went ahead to clear the perimeter. Once we get there, you can relax and turn in early.”

“That sounds heavenly.”

He didn’t drop her hand until they reached his SUV. He helped her inside, taking a moment to secure her seatbelt around her. Reaching in to snap her seatbelt in place, he breathed in the scent of lavender from her hair as it spilled over her shoulder. He couldn’t resist pressing his lips against her forehead and peering into her eyes as he pulled back. Giving her a quick wink, he closed the door and rounded the front to the driver’s side. He quickly maneuvered the vehicle onto the road heading toward her house.

“I’ve been thinking about something. When I talked with my father, I promised him that if things got to be too dangerous, that I would come home while you and the authorities handled everything. Maybe I should do that.”

Brick didn’t like the idea of her being out of his protection, but he decided against voicing his objection. “If you think you should, then we can help you make arrangements.”

“Do you think the harassment will stop if I’m not here?”

“It’s possible. There’s no way to know for sure.”

“I don’t want to do that. I can’t afford to close the Shoppe, even for a few days. I wish I knew why he chose me to fixate on. Maybe I could stop whatever it is, and he’ll leave me alone.”

“Hope, none of this is on you. This guy has a problem. His fixation is not based on logic, so you can’t approach it that way.”

“I know. I keep thinking if I could only understand this, it would be easier to handle. It’s unsettling.”

Brick grasped her hand and placed it on his thigh, covering it with his own. He had no words to ease her worry, so he hoped his touch would comfort her when his words couldn’t. Holding her, even if it was just her hand, made him feel calmer, more at peace. She fell silent, settling against the leather seat, content to leave her hand where it was. He allowed her the quiet, choosing to focus on their surroundings. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and they weren’t being followed. He hadn’t expected them to be, but he never took anything for granted. He’d been taking a different route to Hope’s house each time he drove her there to prevent any ambushes.

He turned into the driveway, and at first glance, everything seemed as normal. All was quiet and dark, her neighbors in their homes enjoying dinner or an uneventful evening in front of their streaming TV. A random dog barked as it searched the neighborhood for a spot to do its business. So why were the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing on end?

“Where’s Isobel?”

There it was. Hope’s question pinpointed the source of his unease. Isobel’s SUV was parked in the drive, so why hadn’t she made herself known now that they’d arrived?

He used his phone to pull up the camera feed from around Hope’s house. Accessing the previous half hour’s recordings, he could see Isobel making her usual rounds of the perimeter. Nothing about her demeanor or movements indicated a problem. At one point, she expanded her perimeter watch to include the edge of the property. She stepped behind a cluster of trees, and from there, her movements were off camera.

Brick hit a saved number in his SUV’s Bluetooth system and kept his head on a swivel as he waited for Isobel to answer. After the fourth ring with no answer, not even a voicemail, he ended the call and tried a different number.

“Hey, man. What’s up?” Sam greeted.

“I need back-up at Hope’s house. Something’s not right. Can you leave Aidan with Chloe and head this way?”

“She’s not here. Let me send an alert to Alpha. They’re all on standby, and some of them can get there faster than I can. What’s the SitRep?”

Brick knew as he talked, Sam was using an app on his phone to send an alert to the Alpha Team to respond. They were all equipped to get the alerts on their cell phones, which were never far from their persons.

---