Page 54 of Knight's Desire

Hope turned to make her way to the dressing room where Tally waited. She assisted the bride into her first dress, the delicate ballgown that had Tally twirling around like a princess. The rustle of petticoats enhanced the glow of light beaming off the sequins painstakingly sewn into the lace. Hope pulled up the zipper on the fitted bodice and inspected the dress with her expert eye. The length was perfect for the elaborate heels Tally wore and planned to wear during her wedding. The waist was tucked in the right places, outlining the young woman’s hourglass figure. The neckline hit the right spot, showcasing her cleavage without being vulgar.

“What do you think?” she asked, though she couldn’t see anything about the dress that needed further tweaking.

“It’s perfect,” Tally breathed. “Oh, Hope, it’s everything I dreamed of. I love it.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. Now, let’s get you out into the salon, so you can get the full effect in front of the mirrors.”And so your mother can find something to criticize,she thought though she would never say the words aloud.

Once Tally and Hope made an appearance, Kayla joined them as Tally stood on the pedestal. Hope fluffed the skirt and, with a flick of her wrists, allowed it to fall to the floor in a gorgeous cascade. The effect was stunning.

“It’s just what I envisioned.” Tally’s smile was wide, but when Hope glanced over at her mother, she noted Ellen’s pinched expression and braced herself for the worst.

“I don’t know,” Ellen spoke slowly. “I think I need to see it with the veil before I decide. Has the veil arrived?”

Kayla leaned over to whisper in Hope’s ear. “I forgot to tell you, it’s not here unless it came in today’s shipment. I haven’t had a chance to unpack it yet.”

The Shoppe’s phone rang, and Hope stiffened. She looked over at Gennessey who motioned for Kayla to join her at the counter to answer the phone. Not wanting to wait around to see if her stalker decided to call again, she smiled at the O’Learys as if all was right with her world.

“I’ll just get the veil and give you two a chance to talk. I’ll only be a moment.”

When they didn’t have time to sort through shipments as they were delivered, they stored the boxes in a back dressing room that was too small to use for appointments. Crossing her fingers that she didn’t have to tell them the veil hadn’t been delivered, Hope first searched through a rack of tulle, lace and beading to make sure Kayla hadn’t overlooked it. Then she started searching through the boxes until she found just what she needed — a light, pure white veil of lace that matched Tally’s dress to perfection. Hope smoothed out the wrinkles as best as she could, wishing she had time to steam the veil before showing it. Cradling it carefully in her arms, she turned and drew up short.

Her scream froze in her throat as a man, dressed in black with a mask covering his face, loomed over her, his eyes shining with an evil gleam that froze her in terror. He moved closer, backing her into the boxes until she stumbled, tripping over the veil.

“N—”

The man’s hand clamped down over her mouth, sealing off any hope she had of screaming for help. His other hand pinched a spot at her shoulder or neck. She winced at the sudden pain, and darkness crept in. Panicked, she started to struggle against his hold, scratching at his hands, but the pressure at her neck was too much.

“Don’t fight me, Hope. It was only a matter of time. You belong to me.”

She had two thoughts cross her mind before she slipped into unconsciousness. One, she hoped the veil wasn’t damaged in the struggle, or Ellen O’Leary would give her hell.

The other — how the hell did this guy keep getting passed her security?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Brick jerked the door open hard enough to rattle the glass in the frame. The damn thing could have been thrown off its hinges for all he cared. He stormed into the lobby of Hope’s Bridal Shoppe, glaring at anyone within his line of sight. When his vision settled on Gennessey, he became like a heat-seeking missile, ready to reign destruction on anyone who stood in his way.

“What the hell happened here? How could you let her just disappear right under your damn noses? You had one job, and you let that maniac take her? What the—”

Gennessey stood in front of him, her hand whipping up to stop his tirade. “I’m sorry, but there’s something you need to see.”

She whirled around on her heel and walked off without making sure he followed. Brick wanted to put his fist through the wall, and he wasn’t exactly sure how he managed to curb the urge. He was aware of all eyes on him – Kayla, Sam, the Sheriff’s deputies, the Alpha Team, Tristin. They all responded to Gen and Sam’s Code Red emergency when they discovered Hope’s sudden disappearance.

He stomped after Gennessey, ignoring everyone else. He didn’t care about the angry impression he was leaving with everyone. He only wanted answers that would lead him to his girl before she was hurt…or worse.

He followed Gen into a dressing room. Racks and boxes were moved to one side, and she stood in front of a wooden seat affixed to the wall. Waiting until she had his full attention, she then pointed to the seat. Painted white with a few chips in the paint, he couldn’t see anything special about the seat.

“Talk, Gen, or you’re fired.”

“This is how the stalker has been getting into the Shoppe without being seen.”

He looked from the bench back to her, his confusion adding fuel to his anger.

“Under the bench. There’s a door in the wall under the bench. It leads to a tunnel that goes between the walls of this store and the next. It ends up in the alley behind the shopping complex, in a blind spot not picked up by the security cameras. This has been here a while. I don’t know how he knew about it. I have Syd locating the plans to the complex to see if it was included.”

Brick knelt down and leaned over far enough to get a good look underneath the bench. He had to study the space closely to see the door. Hidden in the shadows, it was painted to match the wall. “How did you find this?”

“Hope came in here for a veil, and we found it on the floor right over there. I was looking over the floor for a clue when I just happened to turn. The door wasn’t closed completely, otherwise we’d still be wondering what happened.”

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