Page 14 of Knight Watch

Sydney shoveled food in her mouth, not tasting the first few bites as she was so hungry. She looked up and saw Kingsley watching her as he ate a large sub filled with the same ingredients as her salad. She blushed at his intense gaze but didn’t look away. He was a handsome man, with a strong jaw under that sexy beard, but he had kind eyes, and for some inexplicable reason she felt herself trusting him even though that probably made her a fool.

Sydney looked toward the door when it opened. She watched as two men walked in and sat down. She unconsciously moved slightly closer to Kingsley, wary of the strangers, and felt his eyes on her. She glanced at him and saw a frown marring his features.

“Knight, you save any of that for the rest of us?” the younger one asked, although neither of the men could be considered old.

The older one had olive skin, dark eyes, and dark, almost black hair that swept off his head in waves. At around six feet tall, he was tall; he also had a stern look on his face. No, not serious, it was sadness she saw, and she wondered what had happened to make him look that way.

The younger man who had spoken to Kingsley was taller, probably six foot four, and was broad across the shoulders, with tattoos down both arms. He was blond and had pale green eyes and blond scruff on his face. He also had a hard body and a chin dimple that probably made women go wild.

Her instinct told her he was a player, but as he turned his cheeky smile on her, she didn’t feel the same pull she felt for Kingsley. Her unease left, and she relaxed slightly. She didn’t feel any malice from these men, which was crazy because she knew in her heart they were dangerous in a way her uncle could never be.

“Get your own, James.”

Sydney laughed when the man Kingsley called James grabbed his heart. “You wound me, Knight. I thought we were friends.”

“We are, but I ain’t your goddamn mother. You want food then go get it.”

“Fine, I have a cute little redhead that works at the Pincho Factory on Kendall Drive. She’ll sort me out.” He winked at Sydney.

“Yeah, well, first we need to talk about where we go next with Sydney’s case.”

Kingsley looked at her, his face determined, and Sydney felt the food in her stomach turn to lead as all eyes moved to her.

“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Nick Hale, and Romeo here is James Valentine.” The older man with wavy dark hair held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you.” Sydney quickly shook his hand and then James’, keeping the contact to a minimum.

“Sorry to hear about your troubles, but don’t worry, we’re here to help you.” Nick stood with his arms crossed over a broad chest, his face impassive, tenacious. She nodded, not trusting her voice to hold if she spoke.

She caught Kingsley watching, and he smiled softly in encouragement before looking away then back at her. “Let’s start at the beginning. Sydney, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself and your family, so we have some background.”

“Okay. Well, my mom and dad are both dead.”

“How did they die?” James asked. All signs of the sexy lothario were gone, replaced by an efficient operator.

“My mom died in a car accident when I was a child and my dad a year ago. He was killed in a home invasion gone wrong.” Her heartbeat was fast as she talked about the deaths of the two people she loved most in the world.

“Did the police suspect foul play?” Kingsley had turned to her and his dark eyes shone with curiosity.

“No, my mom’s breaks failed. Her car went over a small cliff on a sharp corner. The men that shot my dad were arrested but released when a slick lawyer got them off.”

“Who paid for the lawyer?” Nick asked.

“Not sure. They were gangbangers with no obvious cash. My uncle admitted he was behind the shooting, so my guess is he paid for it.”

“We need to look into that.” Kingsley nodded to Nick. “We should also investigate your mom’s accident.” His eyes went soft when he saw her look of dismay. “Just as a precaution.”

“Tell us about your uncle.”

Sydney froze and glanced up as a new man walked in, and she noticed he was limping slightly. She recognized him as the man who’d caused the distraction at the bank, the man Kingsley had referred to as Malco. She hoped he hadn’t been hurt in his altercation with Troy.

“Sydney?” Kingsley asked gently.

She turned and looked at him, embarrassed that she had spaced. “Sorry. My uncle and I have no relationship. He and my dad were not that close, but I found a picture from when they were younger that showed they used to be.”

“Do you know if they fell out or had a disagreement?”

“I’m not sure what happened. Whatever it was, it was before I was born.”