Page 97 of Knox's Boy

It was a harsh, ugly sound. Knox frowned. He never got calls on the house line unless it was urgent. He set his tablet down and pressed the button.

"Yes?"

"Sir," the voice of his head of security, Kyle, crackled through the speaker. "We have a situation at the perimeter. Code Four. I need your authorization on the intake."

Knox’s demeanor shifted faster than a blink. The relaxed lover vanished. His spine straightened, his face closing off into a mask of stone.

"I'll take it in the study," Knox said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming cold. He stood up, buttoning his cardigan. "Florian, stay here."

"What's going on?" I asked, stepping down from the ladder. The sudden change in the atmosphere made my stomach turn over. "Code Four? Is that bad?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about," he said, forcing a smile, but already walking away from me. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

He didn't look at me. He walked straight to the heavy oak double doors of his study, entered, and closed them.

I stood there holding the blue books, my heart doing a strange, uneven rhythm against my ribs.

I tried to go back to shelving. I placedThe Blue of Distanceon the shelf, but my hands were shaking. I couldn't focus. I was scared, even though it was probably nothing. Yeah. Probably nothing.

But I couldn't quite breathe right.

I walked toward the study. I didn't mean to sneak. I just wanted to be near him, to prove that whatever was happening, we could handle it.

I raised my hand to knock, but his voice came through the wood, muffled but distinct. He must have been pacing near the door.

"...how did he get past the outer gate?"

Pause.

"I don't care if he was intoxicated. That is an unacceptable lapse, Kyle."

My hand hovered over the wood. My blood ran cold.Intoxicated.

I pressed my ear against the wood, shame and terror warring in my gut.

"Where is he now?" Knox asked. "Good. Keep him zip-tied. Do not call the police yet. No. I want him detained in the garage until I come down."

My knees gave out.

Finn.

It had to be Finn. I mean, I couldn't know it, but I had a gut feeling. A horrible, gut-wrenching feeling.

The door handle turned.

I couldn't move. I stood there, frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi-truck.

Knox stepped out. He looked furious, but when he saw me, the anger faltered.

"Baby," he said, reaching for me.

I flinched. I stepped back, hitting the wall. "He came here, didn’t he?"

Knox froze; his hand suspended in the air. He didn't insult my intelligence by asking what I meant. "You were listening."

“I'm sorry, I just…” I started, but suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore.

"I’m handling it," Knox said, trying to smother my panic. "I didn't want you to be upset."