Page 42 of Knox

The mention of my mother hit me square in the chest. Maggie was the second person to tell me Mom would’ve been happy for me. And I wished whatever was between Sloane and me was real.

“I have to get back to the restaurant,” Maggie said. “Find this guy before he hurts someone else. And at least try to let yourself enjoy the time you have with Sloane. You’re technically the one protecting her, but remember that it’s okay to trust someone to take care of you too.”

She slid behind the wheel and closed her door. Then she left me standing in the parking lot with a head full of complicated thoughts.

I wasn’t falling for Sloane. I couldn’t be, because I might be leaving this town, and she deserved better than the attention of a man with one foot out the door.

I headed back inside, but paused at the window. Through the glass, Sloane sat between Archer and Colton, completely at ease with my found family. The evening light through the glass caught the gold in her hair. She looked like she’d always been part of this picture.

Like she could be part of my future, if I let her.

The thought should have terrified me. Instead, it made me want to stay in this moment, something I’d never felt during my time in the Marines.

Chapter 13

Knox

The evening passed in a blur of planning and preparation. By the time we locked up the shop and headed back to Sloane’s house, the moon was high in the sky.

“I need to do a security check before we settle in,” I said as we pulled into her driveway. “Standard protocol.”

“Of course.” Sloane climbed out of the Jeep, stretching her arms over her head. The movement pulled her shirt tight across her chest, and I forced myself to look away.

I’d done a thorough check this morning and again this afternoon. Every window, every door, the alarm system, the camera feeds. Everything had been secure when we left. But something nagged at me as I approached the house, a feeling I’d learned not to ignore in combat zones.

The front door was locked. The alarm still armed. I disengaged it and stepped inside, immediately scanning the space.

Nothing appeared to be disturbed. The furniture was exactly as we’d left it. No signs of forced entry or any intrusion. But my instincts were screaming.

“Stay here,” I told Sloane, pulling out my phone. “I’m going to check upstairs.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Maybe nothing. Probably nothing. Just let me look around.”

I moved through the house methodically, clearing each room. Sloane’s bedroom first. Then the guest rooms and bathrooms. Everything appeared normal until I reached the hallway window overlooking the side yard.

The window was wide open.

I stared at it, my heart rate kicking up. I’d checked this window in the morning. I was certain of it.

Even if I was wrong, and I hadn’t remembered to check the lock, I wouldn’t have left it wide open.

Which meant someone had been inside the house.

And they wanted us to know.

I pulled out my phone and took photos of the window, the latch, the sill. No obvious signs of tampering, but that didn’t mean anything. A professional could get in and out without leaving evidence.

“Knox?” Sloane’s voice carried up the stairs, tight with worry.

I raced back to her, drawn by the fear in her voice. “Here.”

Sloane stood frozen in the living room without looking in my direction as I approached. Instead, she stared at the coffee table.

“What’s wrong?” I moved to her side, then followed her line of sight.

A single shell sat centered on the arrangement of books. Small, brown and white, perfectly placed.