Page 56 of Knight's Desire

“Exactly. He had chip in one of his teeth. On the top, next to his front tooth. It made it shorter than the others.” Ellen pointed out the spot on her own mouth as Tally gaped at her.

“I didn’t remember that, but she’s right. He does. His teeth were unnaturally white and straight except for that one.”

“Anything else you can remember?” Brick asked.

Mother and daughter shared a look before they shook their heads.

“No, I don’t think so,” Tally said.

“Thank you. You’ve been very helpful. Do you need me to arrange for someone to take you home?” Brick offered, but the ladies declined.

He tapped Gennessey’s arm and motioned for her to follow him back to the lobby.

“He touched the door.”

Gen nodded. “Already on it. Zane fingerprinted the door. It’s smudged, but he got a couple of partials. We took Kayla’s prints before she left, and he lifted a print from Hope’s drawing desk so we can eliminate hers. Syd’s running comparisons now. The thing is, unless this guy has a record, his prints won’t be on file.”

“It’s a start. You guys finish up here. I’m going to take Jay and touch base with Syd. As soon as any of us get a lead, we touch base, got it?”

“Copy.”

Brick called for Jay to follow him outside. He ran toward the side entrance of KSI, and he could hear Jay’s heavy boots hitting the concrete as he followed. Once inside, Jay grabbed his friend by the shoulder and halted him on the stairs heading up to the Command Center.

“I need to know. Is she it?”

Intense stare met intense stare. Brick didn’t have to ask to know what his friend was truly asking. Jay wanted to know how special Hope was to him. If his personal feelings were involved, it changed how they handled the case. Jay wouldn’t stop him from investigating, but he would make sure Brick acted more with his head than with his heart. That’s why Brick wanted Jay by his side. They’d gone through this when Jay and Payton reconnected when she was running from a cartel.

“Yeah, man. She’s it for me.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“Find out who knew about that tunnel. It’s been there a while, but I have a feeling it’s not public knowledge. Whoever had access to that information could be the one who has Hope.”

Jay nodded. “Makes sense. Let’s get Syd working on it. And, uh, well, we may need to have Chloe and Bridget on standby as well. You need to be prepared because we don’t know what he’s putting her through while we’re trying to find her.”

“I know. That’s why we take him dead or alive. Just like any mission.”

“Are you ready?” Jay challenged him. “For whatever we find, for whatever healing she has to do to get over this.”

“Hell, yes. As long as she’s alive, I’ll give her whatever she needs. I swear it.”

Jay nodded. “She’s alive. He’s too obsessed with her to kill her until he’s lived out whatever fantasy he has for her.”

“How do you know he’s living out a fantasy?”

“Isobel’s had some time on her hands. Once the fog lifted, she worked up a profile for us to work from. Let’s get to the Command Center, and I’ll fill you in.”

Brick took the steps two at a time, chanting in his head in time with his footfalls.Hang in there, Hope. We’re coming. You’re family, and we’re coming. Just hang in there.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The fog was thick and black. No matter where Hope looked she couldn’t see anything. Where was she? Why did her arms and legs feel so heavy? Why was a piledriver drilling its way through her skull?

She felt a tightness in her chest, and her breathing became labored. Something was wrong. The ground underneath her was hard but smooth, and something smelled like burning leaves and urine. She tried to fight through the rising nausea and pain to recall what happened. She remembered the lovely morning at the Shoppe, sketching a new design…

No. She wasn’t sketching. She couldn’t because she was distracted. Something in her office…

No. It was Brick. After spending the entire night in his arms, she’d spent the morning thinking about him and reliving every moment he touched her and kissed her and…

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