Page 5 of Knox

Chapter 3

Sloane

The coral and turquoise building rose like an oasis as I jogged the final distance to the porch. Claire’s familiar script on the window declared, “Island Adventures: Your Gateway to Carolina Bay Exploration.”

At the moment I needed a safe place to have a meltdown and some water. Then, I’d need a ride back to my car.

A black Jeep Wrangler sat in the small parking lot, and I thanked my stars that the place was open when I needed it most.

My knees nearly buckled with fatigue as I climbed the wooden steps and tried the door. Unlocked.

A man stood behind the counter, his back to me, studying papers pinned to a corkboard on the wall. He was tall, well over six feet, with broad shoulders and dark hair just long enough to curl at the edges. He wore jeans and a T-shirt that stretched across his back.

He spun at the sound of my entrance, one hand falling to his hip, and my breath caught.

This man was gorgeous, and my rattled brain struggled to make sense of him where Claire belonged. I scanned his strong features and sharp jawline shadowed in stubble. His striking blue eyes locked onto mine with immediate, intense focus, and I made a small unintelligible sound.

He frowned, gaze trailing over my hot, sweaty face, then my scratched and stinging arms, reminding me of my wholly disheveled state. His body shifted from relaxed to alert in an instant, and I felt my bottom lip tremble with overwhelm.

“Are you okay?” His voice was deep, rougher than I expected. His presence suddenly filled the room with energy both protective and dangerous.

I opened my mouth to speak, unsure if I should stay, but the words stuck in my throat. I looked over my shoulder at the parking lot beyond the window, then back at him.

“I—” My voice came out shaky, and I willed myself to be strong. “I think I’m being followed.”

Knox

The woman standing in my mother’s shop looked terrified.

And she thought she was being followed?

My training kicked in before any conscious thought, and I moved around the counter, crossing the distance between us in three strides. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, but her hands were trembling. Scratches covered her arms. Dirt smudged her cheek. Her light brown hair was wild around her shoulders, tangled with leaves and small twigs, as if she’d been running through the woods.

“Where?” I asked. “Where were you being followed?”

“Blufton Woods Trail. About two miles south.” Her green eyes met mine, searching my face as if trying to decide if she could trust me. “I was hiking, and I think someone was behind me. I was sure, then. But now, I don’t know.” She frowned, gaze darting. “When I stopped, they stopped. When I ran, they ran.”

I wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince. Probably herself. I already believed her. Blufton Woods was where Jessica Hammond had disappeared three weeks ago.

“Did you see anyone before or after this happened?”

“No. I just ran.” She released a long, trembling breath. “There was a man at the trailhead when I started, but he had his back to me the whole time. I thought it was weird, but I went anyway.”

“Was there another vehicle?”

“Not in the lot, but there was a VW bus parked up the road a bit.” She was watching me closely now. “Why?”

I tensed. My mother’s notes mentioned a VW bus seen near the trailhead before the first hiker’s disappearance two years ago. Could be a coincidence in a small town like ours, especially if the owner was local, but I wasn’t so sure. And I’d been reading those exact notes thirty seconds before this woman walked through the door.

“I probably should’ve asked this sooner,” the woman said, taking a backward step. “But who are you? And why are you here right now?”

My frown returned. “I’m Knox Hawthorne. This was my mother’s shop.” And apparently, now it was mine.

Recognition flashed across her face, followed immediately by grief. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” All signs of fear fell from her pretty face, replaced with heartbreak. “I knew Claire. She was—” Her voice cracked. “She was my friend.”

Seeing the same pain and grief I felt reflected in a stranger’s eyes hit harder than I expected. For a long moment I couldn’t speak.