Page 11 of Knox

“Sounds good.” Maggie headed for the door, then paused with her hand on the frame. She looked back at Colton. “You should come too. If you want. There’ll be food, and you look like you could use a good meal after driving all day.”

Colton opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “They’re going to be busy here. Going through Mom’s files.”

Maggie’s eyebrows rose slightly, but she didn’t argue. “Suit yourself. Knox, don’t be late.”

“I won’t.”

She slipped out the door, and I heard her truck start up a moment later. When I turned back to Archer and Colton, Archer was grinning.

“She seems nice,” he said.

“She is. She’s also like a little sister to me, as I mentioned.” I directed the comment at Colton, whose ears were still pink. “So, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t even think about her again.”

“I wasn’t thinking about anything,” Colton protested.

“Sure you weren’t.” I moved toward the hallway. “I’m going to clean up before I head out. You two get started on those notes. I shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

“Take your time,” Archer said, already picking up another of my mother’s trail maps. “We’ve got plenty to keep us busy.”

I took the stairs two at a time and headed for the shower. The hot water felt good on muscles that had been tight for days. I scrubbed off the grime and sweat and tried to organize my thoughts into something resembling a plan.

Keep Sloane safe. Work with Archer and Colton to analyze my mother’s research. Build a profile for the person behind this. Then stop him before he takes another woman.

I turned off the water and grabbed a towel. My reflection in the steam-fogged mirror looked like hell. Dark circles hung beneath my eyes. Hair in desperate need of a cut and longer than I’d worn it in ages. Stubble was already making a reappearance having just shaved hours ago.

I ran a razor over my cheeks and jaw. There wasn’t much to do about the rest right now.

I grabbed a white button-down and dark pants to match the uniforms of Maggie and the catering staff. Then I headed back downstairs.

Archer and Colton were exactly where I’d left them, surrounded by papers, deep in conversation about trail patterns and hunting behavior.

“I’m heading out,” I said, grabbing my keys from the counter.

“We’ll be here.” Colton answered without looking up. “If there’s anything to find, we’ll find it.”

Of that, I had no doubt.

Chapter 5

Sloane

I stood in the suite my parents occupied during their infrequent visits to the islands, watching my mother adjust her pearl necklace in the mirror for the third time. Everything about Angelica Mercer was precise, from her perfectly styled blonde hair to the designer cocktail dress that cost more than an average mortgage payment.

“Sloane, darling, you’re not wearing that, are you?”

I looked down at my simple navy sheath dress. It was elegant, custom-designed, and highly appropriate. But of course, it wasn’t right.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it, per se.” My mother’s tone suggested otherwise. “It’s just so... plain. This is an important evening. The Harrisons will be here, and the Vanderbilts. Senator Caldwell is flying in from Raleigh. You should make an effort.”

“I am making an effort.”

My mother sighed, the sound conveying decades of disappointment. “Where are the Tiffany earrings your father bought you for your birthday?”

“In Charleston.”

“Sloane.”