Page 6 of Unmasked

She flicked a glance at the letter, her brows drawing together in confusion when she saw her ex-husband’s name on the addressee line. “It came here?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Odd. They’d been divorced for nearly a year, and he was still back in New York. He’d never lived anywhere close to here, so she couldn’t help but wonder how the company had gotten his address mixed up with hers. It was even stranger considering she’d gone back to using her maiden name after they separated.

She briefly considered marking it return to sender to let them know, then changed her mind. Though their marriage hadn’t worked out, Fletcher and she were still on good terms. He’d left a voicemail last week asking how her move had gone, but she’d yet to respond with everything going on. She’d give him a call to let him know she’d received the letter, see where he wanted her to forward it.

She slid the envelope into her purse. “I’ll take care of it, Lettie. Thank you.”

Making her way to her room, she dropped her purse on the dresser and extracted her phone. She pulled up Fletcher’s number and waited for the call to connect. After several rings, it rolled over to voicemail, and she infused a smile in her voice as she left him a message. “Hey, sorry I haven’t had a chance to get back to you. Everything’s been great here, but I wanted to let you know, I got some mail that I think belongs to you.”

She pulled the envelope from her bag and turned it over in her hand, inspecting the return address. “It looks like it might be important, so I didn’t want it to get lost in the system somewhere if you needed it.”

She hesitated for a second, feeling awkward. “Anyway, just call me back when you get a chance. Bye.”

She hung up and dropped her phone back into her bag, staring at her reflection in the mirror above the dresser. Instead of seeing herself as she was now, she envisioned seventeen-year-old her, head over heels in love with the boy next door.

The boy from the broken family on the wrong side of the tracks. The boy who’d grown into a man, so handsome and sure of himself. A man who despised her. Which made sense, because she hated herself for everything she’d done, too.

CHAPTER

THREE

Three quick knocks sounded at the door, and Knox lifted his head to find Mason leaning against the doorjamb. “Hey.” He waved him in. “Come on in.”

Things were still a little bit strained between them, but that was mostly Knox’s fault. It was hard for him to get over the thought of Mason with his baby sister. He knew Mason adored her—would literally put his life on the line for her. The fact that he absolutely cherished the ground she walked on helped to temper Knox’s disapproval. Mason was a good guy, a good friend, but part of him still felt a little weirded out by the whole thing.

Mason sank into a chair across from Knox and tossed a manila file folder on the desk. “I'm going to start a detail on Ms. Beaumont tomorrow. She’ll apparently be having lunch at the country club, so I'll tail her and see if I can find anything.”

“There's a coffee shop across the street. If you sit near the window, you should have a pretty decent view of the portico and surrounding parking lot.”

Mason raised a brow in question, but Knox refused to rise to the bait. No way would he ever admit to Mason that he had utilized that very vantage point more than he wanted to admit. Fifteen years ago, he’d sat at a table near the window in the coffee shop, though it was under different ownership back then, studying the country club across the street and hoping for a glimpse of Everleigh.

Though he worked as much as possible out of necessity, he went to that shop every Sunday he was free. It was like looking in on a life he would never be a part of. The people coming and going from the country club were so different from him and the way he had grown up. They drove expensive cars, dressed in clothes and accessories that cost more than he made in a year. Those memories were bittersweet, and they served to remind him of precisely why Everleigh and he could never be together.

Mason nodded slowly. “Good to know.”

Ignoring Mason’s penetrating gaze, Knox continued, “Do whatever you need to, and let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do.” Mason gave a curt nod.

He studied Mason for a second. Mason had been on light duty for the past couple of months after taking a bullet to his shoulder, and he was actively surveilling a cheating wife. “How is your other stuff coming along?”

“Fine.” Mason shrugged. “I got the pictures he wanted, so that should get wrapped up once I turn those over to him.”

“Keep me posted.” Knox jerked his chin toward Mason’s left shoulder. “How’s it feeling?”

“So far, so good.” Mason circled it in response, demonstrating his range of motion. “Still a little sore sometimes, but I’ll take it.”

“Good.” He began to roll up the blueprints he’d been looking over. “Well, just let me know if you need anything else.”

Mason dipped his chin. “One last thing—I just need to know how to bill Everleigh for our services.”

Knox shook his head. “This will be pro bono. She and I grew up together, and I'm doing this as a favor to her. You'll still get your regular pay, but I don't want her money.”

The look in Mason’s eyes said he knew differently, or at least suspected there was more to the story. He said nothing to either confirm or deny it. “Just make sure if anything else turns up or if it escalates that we take it to the police.”

“You got it.”