Page 1 of The Traitor

Chapter 1

Spencer Knox looked outside,enjoying his second cup of coffee as the sun slowly rose over the lake.Damn it was cold. Cold and damp with white shit all over the damn landscape, as far as the eye could see. The mountains, the valleys, the fucking roads were slippery as hell. Why had he chosen a small community nestled in the Rockies for his new beginning? Maybe because it was as far from the big city as he could get. In his head, a new beginning meant doing something new and unexpected. And he’d made one hell of a decision when he’d decided to leave the city.

Even with the weather announcing the heart of winter and the snow, he couldn’t have chosen a better location for his new home.

Isolated by the lake with neighbors he couldn’t see, but close enough to town so he could take care of the auto mechanic’s shop he’d acquired less than six months ago, it was perfect. His second-best decision ever.

A quick look at his watch told him he had little time left for his workout and shower before heading to the shop, but still, he waited. Waited for his lady of the lake.

She’d appeared like a ghost the very first morning he’d moved to the town of Landston. Surrounded by boxes and unable to sleep, he’d been watching the sunrise when he’d seen a feminine form in the distance gliding toward the lake with wisps of dark hair blowing in the wind. Knox was fascinated by this vision through the trees and couldn’t take his eyes off her. He couldn’t see her face clearly though due to the distance. The woman was wrapped in a brown coat and for a long moment, she’d stood there immobile.

Each morning since he’d arrived, Knox watched the woman walk by the lake and stand there for the longest time, unconcerned about the weather or the freezing temperature.

It was his own personal apparition that always vanished just as he made a move to go to her. If he hadn’t seen her in the flesh, walking the streets of Landston, he would have thought himself crazy. From a distance she appeared ethereal, up close she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

Knox knew she wasn’t beautiful in a conventional way as she was on the curvier side, but he didn’t mind, and his cock sure didn’t care. He wished he’d met her in the anonymity of the city, so he could’ve had her and left without the risk of having to see her again. He knew very well the kind of man he was and made sure not to entangle himself in feelings and emotions. He could offer his body, but not his heart. As for his soul, he’d bargained it away a long ago, and the devil wasn’t handing it back any time soon.

As the sun started to lighten the overcast sky, the woman he now knew was Josie disappeared, walking back to her cabin that was hidden behind the trees. She would walk into town an hour later. He wasn’t tracking her, but his eyes always seemed to catch on her form whenever she passed by.

As Knox put his mug in the sink, he realized he was late and headed out to start his car so at least he wouldn’t freeze his ass off. Since winter had arrived, he was always cold and that pissed him off.

He knew he was getting old, but never imagined having to turn the thermostat up that much. He was happy he lived alone, otherwise, he would be nicknamed ‘grandpa’ in no time.

Grabbing his coat and beanie, he locked the door behind him and hopped into his truck.

At least his driveway was cleared of snow. Too often he’d woken up to a foot of snow on the ground. His truck was a 4x4, but he lacked experience driving in the snow with that sort of engine. He was used to hard and fast, not slow and easy. That sentiment applied to his cars and his women.

As he listened to the local radio station, Knox growled at the snow forecast for the afternoon, not that he could do anything about it.

Arriving at his shop, he parked in the back where the snowplow would have enough space to clear the snow if he was busy inside and couldn’t get out later that day to move his car.

Lowe’s Auto Mechanic and Repair stood in the middle of town. It had been a staple of Landston for so long and was the reason Knox had decided not to change the name. Not the only reason, but a valid one for sure. He hadn’t changed much of anything since buying the place.

He’d cleaned everything, repaired or replaced the equipment that required it, repainted others, but had kept the staff on board. Georgia Lowe, the former owner’s widow, still manned the front desk and honestly, Knox wouldn’t want it any other way. She had the helm of the ship in a strong grip and his admin was in tip-top shape.

Marvin and Tom were the two mechanics that worked for him, older gents, talented and never in a hurry to finish jobs. Another sign of the small town was time had a different speed here, and Knox wasn’t used to it.

He needed someone to help with bodywork and paint, but so far, nobody had applied for the job. He was glad it wasn’t an emergency at the moment but knew he might have to extend his search area.

Exiting his truck, he unlocked the back door and wasn’t surprised to smell coffee brewing. Georgia was always there at least five minutes before he was. When he’d told her to take it easy and that she only needed to arrive a few minutes before opening, the woman gave him a look that almost made him shiver. She’d then proceeded to tell him, with a few chosen words that she was able to work as many, if not more hours than he could, and if he wasn’t happy with her services, she would go on her merry way.

It was an empty threat because Georgia Lowe was a fixture and when he’d acquired the shop, he’d had to keep the woman, and she loved being at the front desk. It was the male equivalent of a beauty parlor. It seemed the men of the town loved to gossip and his place was where they did it.

He had been the main focus of said gossips when he’d arrived. Knox had heard so many ridiculous and ludicrous bits of information, he’d been astonished by people’s imaginations. The only thing that kept it from turning into complete lunacy was the fact he’d decided to make Landston his home and buy a local business, thus maintaining employment in town. That and the fact an extramarital affair exploded two months after he’d purchased the business. It was a sure way of distracting the locals and diverting the spotlight off him.

After that, he’d seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the town. Maybe not that easily, but he was accepted by most of the friendly residents.

“Coffee will be ready in a minute!”

Knox shed his winter gear in his office and put on a pair of workbooks. A clean coverall was hanging on the hook, thanks to Georgia.

“How are you this fine morning, Spencer?”

She made a point of always using his first name, and, equally annoyed, he rolled his eyes at her. “It’s cold. Nothing new.”

Georgia, as usual, boomed in laughter. The woman was a powerhouse. “You’ll get used to it. Your blood will thicken. Winter is only just beginning.”

Knox bit back a moan. If January was just the beginning, he might not survive until the end.

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