Page 19 of Knight's Desire

“That’s me. I’m Mason Coffey, but most everyone calls me by my nickname, Brick.”

Her mouth formed a perfect oval in a silent “oh” before she realized they waited for her to reply. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I’m Hope Robertson. But then I already told you who I am. I’m sorry. I’m still shaken up by what happened.”

“It’s understandable,” Gen told her. “Just take your time and tell us what you can remember.”

Hope took a deep breath before launching into her story, leaving out the detail of her argument with Parker. Her body felt chilled as she relived the details. Crossing her arms over her middle, she ran her hands up and down her biceps to chase away the goosebumps.

Gen placed a comforting hand on Hope’s shoulder. “Thank you for telling us. We couldn’t see the driver either, but we did get the license plate. We have a friend upstairs calling in the information to the Sheriff’s dispatch. There’s nothing more that can be done tonight, but if you’re up for it, you can come back here tomorrow. We’ll have a deputy here to take a report, and we’ll add what we know to it.”

“Do you think this is related to the break-in at your store?” Brick asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t make any sense of it. I think I just want to go home.”

This time Jordan spoke with all the protectiveness of a father protecting his daughter. The comparison oddly comforted her, a surprise since she’d been intimidated by the man at first. “Gennessey, I think you should drive Hope home and make sure she gets there safely. Brick can follow and give you a ride back here. Is that okay, Hope?”

She didn’t know these people, so she certainly had no reason to trust them. But she realized she did trust them and knowing they would be with her as she went home made her feel safer. Her previous idea of sketching was gone. The notion of sliding under her covers and forgetting this entire day ever happened was more appealing.

“I hate to be an inconvenience, but if you truly don’t mind, yes, I think I would feel better if you were with me in case the truck comes back.”

Hope suspected they would have accompanied her home no matter what she said, but she appreciated them leaving the decision up to her. She pushed to her feet and swayed a bit, her legs still shaky. Brick reached out to catch her arm and steady her. The tingling returned, this time traveling up her arm to her heart, causing it to beat rapidly. This felt different than when she was being chased. This felt…exciting, not scary. Her eyes darted from his hand to his face, but his expression was unreadable. If he was affected by the contact as she was, he didn’t show it.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, and she glanced down to realize she had several missed calls and texts from Parker. “Before we leave, can you excuse me? I need to call someone and let him know I’m alright.”

She stepped from Brick’s slight hold and walked over to the counter to make her call in private. As she waited for Parker to answer, she was aware of Brick’s eyes watching her.

Chapter Eight

Brick waited for Hope to move out of earshot before pulling Jordan and Gennessey to the side where he could keep an eye on Hope without her overhearing him.

“Get with Zane. Make sure he gets the report from the break-in at her store.”

“You think it’s connected?” Gennessey questioned.

“Unlikely. The deputies weren’t convinced her store was even burglarized, but after tonight, I think we need to look into it.”

“She’s not technically a client. Can we just insert ourselves into the investigation like that?”

“I doubt they opened an investigation.” Brick’s gaze rested on Hope, and his gut clenched. “I’d feel better if someone looked into it. Something feels off about all of this.”

“I’ll make sure Zane puts in the request. Anything else I can do?” Jordan asked.

“Yeah, but it can wait until tomorrow. I want to get access to any security footage with any of the businesses on the street, and I want to compare it with our footage from the last month. I want to know if someone has been lurking around the neighborhood and could have possibly been watching her.”

Jordan nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

Hope ended her call looking more upset after her call than after her ordeal. He wanted to know who made her upset, and the fact he had no right to ask bothered him.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I’m ready now.” Hope wrung her hands but smiled, an attempt, Brick suspected, to hide her unease. Distracted by the slight tilt of her lips, his eyes traced the shape of her mouth before moving to her jaw, down her slender neck, before settling over the soft swell of her breasts. Realizing he was ogling her when he was supposed to be helping her, he gave his head a faint shake.

Gennessey stepped up to lead Hope out to her car. Jordan nudged him in the side with an elbow to remind him to follow the women to the parking lot. Once he was behind the wheel of his SUV, he was able to focus. He kept the taillights of Hope’s sedan in his sights, but he missed nothing of his surroundings. Any vehicle they passed was inspected with his critical eye, but none of them were the offending truck and none of them seemed to be tailing their caravan to get to Hope. It was possible whoever had followed her only wanted to scare her or was looking to carjack a lonely woman driving at night.

Whatever the reason, Brick wanted to get his hands on the driver and pound him into the ground.

Seeing Hope upset and afraid had flipped a switch inside of him. He fought the urge to shelter and protect her. He wanted to keep her close, to keep threats away, so she only had reason to smile and not cry.

His reaction to her was strong — irrational since he knew nothing about her. There could be more going on that would indicate Hope was less a victim and more of a manipulator. He’d seen it before, but his gut told him that wasn’t the case with her.

He refused to entertain the notion that his reaction was born more of his attraction to her than of real concern. She was beautiful with the kind of curvy figure he liked — soft, voluptuous, and sexy. Her hair was long, a deep brown with a hint of chestnut, and her lips were full — both weaknesses for him. Since the first time he saw her, he thought of little else but devouring her sweet lips while fisting his hand in her silky hair. He’d always had an infinity for brunettes, and Hope had more than piqued his interest.

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