Jessica Linden - Fight for Me

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For Alex, Thanks for trusting me with this story.

Chapter 1

Knox barely heard them shout his name. The minute he stepped into the cage, he was in the zone. Nothing existed except the fighter in front of him. And nothing would stop him from winning. As was customary before beginning the fight, he bumped his tattered, battle-scarred gloves with the other fighter’s as a sign of goodwill. But it was all for show. Maybe in professional MMA fighting it meant something. However, in this filthy warehouse, it meant nothing. You did whatever it took to get the win. The faint scent of bleach was in the air, not uncommon in the underground fight venues. Bleach washed the blood away. Once upon a time, Knox’s blood had stained the cracked concrete, but these days that was rare. Knox stayed light on the balls of his feet and hung back, studying his opponent. Size-wise, they were nearly equal. The guy was new to the circuit and young—Knox hadn’t seen him fight before, so he’d wait to see what the guy brought to the table before making any moves. He didn’t have to wait long. His opponent faked a left jab, then swung away with his right. Knox easily ducked out of the way, throwing an uppercut straight to the guy’s kidneys. The kid responded by wrapping Knox in a clinch and attempting a takedown, but Knox planted his feet and refused to take the fight to the mat. Knox preferred to win by knockout. The kid came at Knox with a bull rush, trying to force Knox’s back to the cage, but Knox anticipated the charge and looped his arm around the guy’s neck, setting up a guillotine. They centered up again, but before the guy could come at Knox for a third time, he closed in with a barrage of punches, unleashing the fury he’d saved up for just this moment. Knox showed no mercy. MMA, like life, was not for the weak. With a final and devastating right hook, the guy’s neck snapped to the side, his hands dropped to his sides, and his body crumpled, falling to the mat with a satisfying thump. Knox’s gaze raised to settle on X’s smug smile, the dim light glinting off his gold tooth. The shadows performed a grotesque dance over the scar in the shape of an X where his right eye had been. A suit next to X handed him an envelope bulging with money, a prize that Knox would only see a fraction of. It was an arrangement that was no longer welcome, but Knox had no way out of it. As the ref raised Knox’s right arm, Knox spat out his mouthpiece. He was done. Natalie set her empty wineglass on the marble counter at the bar. “Another?” She shook her head. “No, just water, please.” Her head needed to be clear tonight. The bartender placed the requested glass on the counter, and Natalie dropped a bill into

the tip jar. She wished Kat were tending bar tonight. It would have been nice to see a friendly, familiar face. Natalie slipped away to an empty table in the corner of the room, where she could sit— hopefully unnoticed. At twenty-six and the sole heiress to the Farrington fortune, she was probably the youngest guest at the Kids Literacy Network gala. She sipped her water, watching the elderly guests schmooze and dance while the full band played. This event itself probably cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to put on. Surely it would be money better spent to simply give it directly to the literacy fund, but when she’d mentioned that at the planning committee meeting, the horrified glares she received put her in her place. The older members of the group had an “older is wiser” mentality, and to them, she was still just a child. She’d never been entirely comfortable at big events like these, dressed to the nines in designers she didn’t care about and adorned with family heirlooms worth more than the servers here likely made in a year. Her father, on the other hand, was in his element. He’d shaken hands with everyone who was anyone in the room, even earning himself a seat at the local congressman’s table. Gerald Kent was a snake underneath his charming, smooth exterior. Natalie felt like she was the only one who knew what he was really like. He was handsome—no one could deny that. As he’d aged, his dark hair had gotten gray at the temples, making him seem more distinguished, and added an air of sophistication he’d previously lacked. Her father had come up a long way in the world, wholly due to his late wife and her fortune. Anna Farrington had been kind, beautiful in a fragile way, a little naïve, and more importantly wealthy, making her easy prey for men like Gerald. It had been fifteen years to the day since she died, and Natalie would give anything to have her mother here. Natalie’s plans for the evening were fitting for the anniversary of her mother’s death. It had taken her a while—too long if truth be told—to get the courage to move forward, but her mother would be proud. She caught her father’s eye from across the room; he crooked his finger at her and she knew that she was needed—or else. Sighing, she downed the last of her water and squared her shoulders, preparing to go into the lion’s den that was the upper crust society at a charity event. “Natalie, my dear,” her father said smoothly. “Have you met our chief of police? This is Chief Follett.” Natalie affixed the smile on her face that she knew was expected. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” “Likewise.” Follett sipped what appeared to be scotch, scanning the room. Although Natalie had never met the man before, she’d read in the paper about him and how he’d worked his way up the chain from a basic beat cop to the chief of police. He had the grizzled look of a man who’d seen his fair share on the streets. “His wife, Mrs. Follett,” her father said, continuing with the introductions. “Are you enjoying yourself, my dear?” Mrs. Follett asked with a kind smile. She had the look of a grandmother who regularly baked chocolate-chip cookies for her grandchildren, causing Natalie to once again feel a pang of loss for her mother and grandparents, who had passed shortly after the death of their only daughter. “Everything has been lovely,” Natalie responded.

Chief Follett gestured to two men sitting at the table behind him. “These are some of the police department’s finest—the recently promoted Lieutenant Schafer and Lieutenant Vasquez.” The men, obviously uncomfortable in their dress uniforms, nodded stiffly at Natalie. Mrs. Follett turned to her husband. “As much as I hate to say it, we should probably call it a night. Thomas has a baseball game bright and early tomorrow.” She smiled at Natalie. “Thomas is our grandson. He’s eight.” “Don’t let us keep you,” Natalie’s father said. “It’s been a pleasure.” When they had gone, the congenial look in his eyes was replaced by his normal calculating one. “Where have you been all night?” “I’ve been here,” Natalie replied. “These shoes hurt my feet, so I’ve been sitting down.” He narrowed his eyes at her and surveyed the room one final time as he buttoned his tux jacket. “Well, I suggest we leave. There’s no one worthwhile left to talk to.” He put his hand on the small of her back to guide her out of the room. She knew how they appeared—the perfect devoted father-daughter pair. But they were anything but that. As soon as they were settled in their limo, her father lit a cigar. She scooted as far away from him as she could and cracked a window. He knew she hated when he smoked in the car. She’d smell like cigar smoke until she showered, and even then, the scent would linger. “Did you have a nice time?” she asked. It was easier to engage him in idle chitchat than to wait for him to accuse her of some wrongdoing. “The salmon was dry,” he said. “At a thousand dollars a plate, you’d think they could cook the damn fish properly.” “I’m sorry to hear that. The chicken was good.” “Weren’t you on the planning committee?” She nodded. Here it comes. She didn’t bother telling him that the board members wouldn’t let her actually help with anything. The only reason they’d even allowed her on the committee was because of the Farrington name and the money that came with it. It seemed silly that the charitable cause had such a social hierarchy, like they were meeting in a high school lunchroom instead of five-star restaurants. Strangely, her father let this one go, choosing not to criticize her. “I pledged several thousand more to the cause. We’ll take it out of your trust’s monthly allowance.” There it was. Living in the Farrington mansion, she wanted for nothing. Nothing but freedom. In theory, she was entitled to several thousand every month from her trust, but somehow every month the money was gone before she could get her hands on it. Her father controlled the allowance, generously decreeing that she could buy whatever she wanted using the family’s American Express Black Card and her inheritance would pay the bill. But if she bought what she really wanted—a one-way ticket out of there—her father would sic the guards on her before she could even get one toe past the front door. Until now. Natalie looked down at her lap and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress, a smile threatening to erupt at the mere thought of the look that would be on her father’s face when he woke up in the morning to find her missing.

Knox made his way through the crowd toward the locker room, the other fighters in X’s crew congratulating him and giving him pats on the shoulder. He glanced back at the cage where two rookies were starting to battle it out in their debut matches. The smaller one had potential, but damn, he couldn’t be older than fifteen. Too young for this shitty excuse for a life. Yeah, it was easy to get sucked in by the allure of X’s empty promises. He’d fallen for the same ploy over a decade ago. Those ten years in the cage now felt like twenty. And he’d give anything to go back and make a different choice. He pushed through the door of the sorry-ass excuse for a locker room to find Tony, a fellow fighter, doing his warm-up stretches. “Did you win?” Tony asked. Knox snorted and sat on the bench. He was X’s top fighter, but for whatever reason, X hadn’t pitted him up against anyone of his caliber for at least the last year. This fight was a joke. Tony laughed. “Stupid question.” Out of all the guys, Tony was the only one he considered a friend. He was a few years younger than Knox and had showed up about three years ago wanting to train. That was how it happened more often than not these days—X didn’t have to actively recruit anymore. The guys came to him. The other guys gave Knox a wide berth, but not Tony. He kept trying to bring Knox into the fold, like he was the damn social chair in a sorority. Knox liked the younger guy, but he didn’t get him. He was an anomaly—an honest man among thieves. Everyone else had an element of asshole to their personalities, but Tony was an all-around good guy. Knox wondered what had prompted him to turn to X, but he figured it wasn’t his business. If Tony wanted him to know, he would tell him. “You can’t lose, man,” Tony said. “One of these days, we’re going to be watching you on Pay-per-view.” “Doubtful.” More like impossible. Pros weren’t allowed anywhere near their matches, and anyway, X would never let him go. The door clanged open, and X entered the room wearing his usual all-black ensemble— black suit, black shirt, black tie, black shoes. He’d never altered his clothes, not in all the years Knox had known him. Back when Knox still gave a fuck, he wondered if X’s good eye had been damaged when he’d lost his other one. X stretched his arms wide as a seedy smile stretched across his face. “Gentlemen.” He was the king of this dusty dank hellhole, and he beckoned his subjects to worship him. Fuck that. Knox had spent enough time sucking up to this asshole. “Sir,” Tony said. “You’re due out on the floor,” X said. Tony nodded and exited the locker room. X waited until the door had slammed closed before approaching Knox. “What did you think of your match?” Knox was surprised by the question. Since when did X care about his opinion? “I won,” he said in a neutral tone. Just like when fighting, it paid to not give anything away. He would use it to manipulate you, back you into a shitty corner, and never let you out. “I know it’s early to talk about your next fight, but we need to,” X said, getting down to business. The niceties were over. “What if you could earn five times your normal cut in just

one fight?” Knox almost snorted. If he got that, he would be getting his fair share, what he was actually worth in the ring. Pros easily made that money. A small kernel of hope surfaced, but Knox crushed it immediately. He wasn’t actually stupid enough to think that X would ever go legit, because that would mean he’d have to walk the line. “What’s the catch?” “The catch is inconsequential.” At least he didn’t bother denying there was one. Knox stayed silent, waiting for X to elaborate. This whole situation was strange. Knox was stuck—he knew it and X knew it. He was a high school dropout with no skills beyond those he gained using his fists. Fighting was the only thing he knew. So he’d fight, and he’d win. What was so different about this fight that X felt they needed to chat? “How long has it been since you’ve lost a fight?” Knox shrugged. “A while.” Years. “You’re a sure bet.” He paused. “There’s a new guy coming in next week. I hear he’s pretty good. ’Bout as good as you, I’d say.” Knox clenched his fists. Goddammit, X liked to hear himself talk. Get to the fucking point. “It’s not a stretch to think you might lose.” It took Knox a second longer than it should have to put it all together. “Fuck that. You want me to lose? Hell, no. I won’t take a dive.” He started to stand, but X put both hands on his shoulders and shoved him back down on the bench. “You can’t think about it that way. This is a business arrangement.” “Again, fuck that.” Knox was a good fighter, arguably the best, and that was the only thing he had going for him. He’d trained hard to get there, and he’d be damned if he was going to compromise what reputation he had. The integrity of the fight was the only thing that kept him going. His opponents might not be as good as he was, but he won his matches fair and square. “Knox, my boy, I’ve been building you up for just this moment. Don’t be a fool and let all this preparation go to waste. I need you on board so I can make the deal tonight. Just think of the money. It’s time you got your payday. ” It all made sense now—why X hadn’t been putting him up against better fighters. He’d been setting him up this whole time. Anger clawed at his gut—a hungry monster that demanded to be fed. He had to get out of there before he did something he couldn’t take back. Knox stood. “We’re done here.” “We’re done when I say we’re done,” X sneered. Knox slowly turned, clenching his fists so hard his arms shook. “That’s right, son. You stay when I tell you to stay. You fight when I tell you to fight. And you lose when I tell you to lose. You’re nothing without me. I made you. You got that? I . . . made . . . you.” Fuck. Knox closed his eyes for a brief second, his blood pounding in his ears. He was done. So fucking done. Before X could see it coming, Knox swung with his right hand, clocking X in the temple and sending him sprawling across the bench.

“What the—” X didn’t have time to complete his sentence. Knox picked him up and slammed him into the wall of lockers. X threw one arm up to try to protect his ribs while reaching down with the other one to pull out a knife tucked behind his belt. The blade wasn’t long, only about five inches, but that made it easier to handle in close combat. The knife flashed across Knox’s arm before he shoved X away, causing him to crash into the sink. A stunned expression graced his face as if he couldn’t believe his numberone fighter was turning on him. X had no idea how long Knox had been waiting to shed his blood. He’d barely been able to contain his rage in the last few months, though it had been building for years. Now that he was giving in to it, an odd sense of freedom washed over him. It was something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Knox held his arms out in an imitation of X’s earlier stance when he first entered the gym. “Still wanna tell me what to do?” In his hand, X rotated the knife already streaked with Knox’s blood. Knox glanced down at the gash in his arm, but he didn’t even feel it. All he felt was the fury running through his blood. X’s lips curled in a snarl, and he charged at Knox with the knife. Knox grabbed his wrist and pounded it against the wall until the knife clattered to the floor. He grabbed X’s leg as he tried to execute a roundhouse and yanked it straight up in the air, taking X completely off his feet and causing him to hit his head on the bench before landing on his back. Knox straddled X and grabbed hold of his shirt with one hand, slamming his fist into X’s face. He continued to pummel X with both fists, heard a crack, and felt his teeth give. His hands were covered in blood. X’s one eye rolled back, and Knox’s punches slowed. “Fuck.” Knox stood and paced beside X’s unconscious form before slamming his fist into the locker, leaving a dent. He grabbed a towel to wipe his hands. He hadn’t fully processed what just went down, but he knew one thing—he had to get out of there. Now. He threw the soiled towel on top of X. Was he even alive? Knox watched as his chest moved up and down. He was for now, but Knox didn’t know the extent of the injuries he’d just inflicted. And he didn’t care. X could rot in fucking hell. But not with his money. He reached into X’s jacket and pulled out the envelope full of the cash Knox saw him get after his fight. Knox had earned that damn money. It was about fucking time he got his due. He quickly changed into his street clothes and stuffed everything into his duffel bag. At the last minute, he knelt next to X to pat him down, coming up with a Glock. A search of X’s pockets found two full clips. He pocketed both and tucked the gun into his waistband at the small of his back. Knox picked up his bag and strode out the door, not looking back. Natalie’s fingers hovered over the alarm system buttons. Was she actually ready for this? Could she really leave behind everything she’d ever known? Yes. It was past time she freed herself of her father’s tyranny. She punched in the fivedigit code that turned off the exterior alarm system. Earlier today, she’d unscrewed the

faceplates of the units in both her father’s bedroom and office to disable the mini LED bulbs on the off chance that he might notice the lights were blinking red instead of green. She figured the absence would be less noticeable than the change in color. She hoped. She only had one shot at this. If the guards found her before she escaped, she doubted she’d ever get another opportunity. Her father would make sure of that. Her stockinged feet made little noise as she padded through the tiled kitchen to the pantry. There she pulled her black backpack out from where she’d hidden it. Inside was everything she was taking with her—enough essentials to get her by for a few days, including several thousand dollars and a selection of Farrington jewels she could sell if she needed to. She’d buy whatever else she needed once she was gone. She slid her feet into black shoes, then slipped out the side door. The cameras might record her leaving, but there was nothing she could do about that. She’d managed to pick up quite a few skills from trolling the Internet, but scaling the roof to disable the cameras mounted there wasn’t one of them. The decaf coffee she’d so thoughtfully prepped for the control room guard was laced with Benadryl. If that didn’t knock him out, hopefully it would make him sleepy enough that he wouldn’t notice the figure in black exiting the gates. In theory, all the security surrounding her house was supposed to keep intruders out, to keep the heiress to the Farrington fortune safe. But none realized it was to keep her prisoner. Even she hadn’t realized it at first. When her mother died, she’d sought her father in her grief, believing he felt as she did, that he was the only one who truly understood her loss. But she’d learned her error, and now she finally had the courage to take control of her life. She scanned the lawn one final time before starting across it. With every step that took her farther from the house, her heart pounded louder. Thud, thud. THUD, THUD. God, it was all she could hear. It was so loud. How could she be the only one hearing it? Because no one is out here. The lawn is empty—as planned. Still, her heart continued to beat louder and faster, not out of fear, but excitement. Freedom was just a few steps away. If only she could’ve taken a car, she’d already be miles away. But she knew she’d made the right decision. It was slower to go on foot, but it was smarter. The shiny silver Mercedes parked in the garage would stand out and once her father learned she was gone, the police would surely be on the lookout for it. Plus, her father could have her tracked using the car’s GPS features. That was one of the reasons she also left her phone behind. She’d purchase a burner later. The important thing was staying under the radar for the next four years. Then when she turned thirty and could access her trust fund, she’d be set. She’d be damned if she’d let her father get his greedy hands on it. He’d already taken enough from her and her mother. And if she had to pretend to be the happy daughter any longer, she might claw his eyes out. The perfectly manicured grounds that looked so beautiful in the daylight became creepy in the darkness. When had the lawn gotten so big? She’d been out of the house less than a minute, but it felt like this walk was taking forever. Brightness blasted across the lawn from a motion sensor light mounted in a tree, and she jumped, her hand grasping at her throat. Stupid. She knew that light was there and could have easily avoided it. Focus. Now was not the time to get careless. The side gate the groundskeepers used was locked. Damn. She’d planned for this

possibility, but she had hoped it would be open. No matter. She’d have it open soon enough. She reached under the edge of the iron fence, feeling for the wire that connected the lock on the gate to the main security system. A quick snip with a pair of pliers and then she’d turn her attention to the lock on the gate. It was a standard lock and wouldn’t take long to pick. She pulled her kit out of her pack and set to work, trying out several picks before hitting pay dirt. The lock gave with a slight click, and she pushed the gate open with a smile. Thanks, Dad, for the tools. She’d ordered them online from a generic sounding site using her credit card, and they’d arrived in an unlabeled box, complete with locks to practice on. Intercepting the box before the guards inspected it had been tricky, but worth it. How ironic that her father had paid for the tools she used to escape him. No, that wasn’t exactly true. He paid that bill with her monthly allowance, the money that was hers. She shoved her tools back into her backpack and stepped out onto the sidewalk, a satisfied smile stretched across her face. The hardest part was done, and it had gone perfectly. The April air was cool, and the moonlight shone down as she quickly walked through the multimillion-dollar neighborhood. She scanned her surroundings, looking for any signs of movement, not to mention security cameras. It hit her just how alone she really was. Exhilaration shot through her as adrenaline ramped up her heart rate. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out in public without her bodyguard, Hugo, her silent shadow. She wasn’t even sure if Hugo was his first or last name. There in the distance, she could see the line of towering luxury hotels. Once she crossed through them, she’d head to the bus station on the south side of town to hop on a five A.M. departure. She’d managed to trace her mother’s estranged and disowned aunt as far as Orlando, so that’s where she was heading. As she approached the first hotel, Natalie tucked her long blond hair into her ball cap and pulled the brim down low over her eyes, hoping the employees wouldn’t recognize her from the events she’d attended there over the years. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck came to attention, and she instinctively looked over her shoulder. No, no, no, no, no! A black Escalade, license plate reading KEN T 3, barreled down the street. How had they found her so quickly? Panic, along with a side of anger, flooded her. She had not gotten this far only to be returned right back to her father. She would have to run for it. She tightened the straps on her backpack and ducked inside the revolving door of the hotel. There was another exit to the hotel that would put her out on a side street. She walked quickly through the lobby, keeping her eyes down, but also watching for figures in black suits. She hung a left to go down a side hallway, but it led to a dead end. Shit, shit, shit! She didn’t have time to make stupid mistakes like that. She backtracked and went down a different hallway, this one leading toward the rear of the building. Her heart raced, and she welcomed the rush of adrenaline. She burst through a door marked with a red glowing exit sign, hoping to God this wasn’t one of those exits that set off an alarm. She looked left and then right, trying to decide which

way to go. The decision was easy—left was the way that took her away from her father’s guard in the black suit at the end of the alley. She walked quietly, trying to keep her steps soundless. Every instinct told her to run, but her feet pounding on the pavement would surely draw attention. A door several feet ahead of her swung open, and a teenager launched a black bag into the Dumpster across the alley before letting the door close behind him. It rattled before landing with a loud thud. What was in that bag—cans and rocks? Natalie closed her eyes for a brief moment, praying the guard hadn’t heard the racket. “Stop! Miss Kent!” She grabbed at the door handle the kid with the garbage had just closed, trying to pull it open, but it was locked. No! She took off at a sprint, angry at herself for wasting several precious seconds. The guard’s feet pounded on the pavement behind her. He was closing in on her. She came to a side alley and briefly slowed, whipping her head back and forth. No time! No time! Just go! She hung a right and realized too late it was a dead end. She spun on her heel and nearly collided with the guard, who was breathing heavily. He grabbed her wrist. She’d never met this particular guard, which surprised her because she thought she knew them all. She tried to jerk her arm away, but he only squeezed harder. “Ow, you’re hurting me!” she screamed, hoping to play on his sympathies. He merely chuckled. “You should have thought of that before you went running.” She tried another tack. “My father is not going to be happy if you hurt me.” “Your father gave orders to return you at all costs. As long as you’re alive, he doesn’t care what it takes to bring you home.” The guard started to twist her arm behind her back, and she quickly stepped in and brought her knee up, connecting with his groin. A look of surprise crossed his face and his grip on her wrist loosened, though he didn’t give up her arm completely. She brought her knee up again, this time twisting her wrist free as the guard tried to dodge the blow. She wasted no time and took off running again. The thought flitted through her mind that he might not be alone. Then what? She had to get away. “You’re going to regret that!” The guard must have recovered enough to continue his pursuit. She panted, frantically looking for a way out of the alley. Maybe if she got to a main street, she could dart across traffic. Or blend in with the crowds. That always worked in the movies. Too bad it was after midnight and there were no crowds. God, this wasn’t part of the plan! This wasn’t supposed to happen! She needed time to think. Away, away, away. Just get away. She pumped her arms and legs, willing them to go faster. Her lungs burned and felt like they would burst. Oh, no . . . She was coming to the end of the alley, and there was a chain-link fence that blocked her way. On the other side of it, she could see the main road. But she wasn’t going to make it. No way she’d be able to climb it in time. She could hear the guard closing in on her. His fingers glanced through her hair in his

attempt to grab her, and she tried to go faster. She tried, but she didn’t have anything left. The guard’s hand clasped her shoulder. Knox cut right into the alley, setting his pace at a jog. He needed to get as far away from the ring as fast as he could. X’s words echoed in his mind. I made you. You’re nothing without me. What if he was right? No. He pushed the revolting thought down. He might not ever become rich, but he . . . Rich. That’s where he needed to go—the north side of town. He rarely set foot in the swanky neighborhoods and upscale plazas just several miles away from the slum he called home. He wouldn’t know his way around, but no one would ever think to look for him there. He’d hole up somewhere for a day or two while he figured out a plan. There was nothing keeping him in this city now, but he felt a light tug holding him back. It was all he’d ever known. It didn’t take long for the roads to start looking better maintained and the bars to be absent from business windows. This area was where the city’s revenue came from, so the mayor and the police actually gave a fuck. Suddenly a woman with long blond hair flew down the alley with a hulking man dressed in black in hot pursuit. She screamed as the guy roughly grabbed her shoulder and flung her around. She raked her nails across his face, and he pushed her to the ground. “You fucking bitch!” The guy touched his hand to his face and his fingers came away bloody. The woman backed away with her hands out to protect herself, looking up at him with determined wide blue eyes. Knox stopped in his tracks as something stirred within him, something he’d never felt before. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew that no one was going to hurt her unless it was over his dead body. He dropped his bag and closed the distance between him and the attacker. The man raised his hand, aiming for the blond, but before he could bring it down in a backhanded slap, Knox tackled him. He punched the guy in the face and his nose started bubbling blood. Before he could get another hit in, the man threw his forearm up to block it and lifted his hips, bucking Knox off to the side. Knox easily jumped to his feet. “Go. Run!” he yelled to the woman, who was now on her knees next to the chain-link fence. He wanted to go to her, make sure she was all right, but taking this guy out so he couldn’t attack her again took priority. The man pulled out a gun, and immediately Knox shifted so that he was in front of the woman, who now held a fragment of a brick in her hand to use as a weapon. “Go!” he yelled again, not turning around to see if she followed his instructions. She wouldn’t have to use her makeshift weapon if he had anything to do with it. “This doesn’t involve you,” the attacker said. “Leave now, and I’ll forget about you.” “If it involves her, then it involves me,” Knox said. “Suit yourself,” he said, pulling the trigger. Knox twisted out of the way a second too late, and felt a fire ignite in his shoulder. He thought it only felt like a graze, but he wasn’t sure.

Luckily—or maybe not—it hit his right arm instead of the left that was already sporting X’s knife wound. But damn, it fucking hurt. Before the guy could take another shot, Knox charged him again, slamming him against the building. In a move reminiscent of his earlier fight with X, he slammed the guy’s wrist into the wall until he dropped the gun. “He’s got a knife!” the woman screamed. Knox instinctively slipped under the swipe of the blade. He would have taken a slash across the throat if she hadn’t warned him, but even still, she needed to get the fuck out of here. “I got this!” Knox yelled to the woman. “Go!” The fight with X had been easy. This one wasn’t going to be. The guy was huge—taller than Knox by a few inches and easily a hundred pounds heavier. He was pudgy and definitely not as muscular as Knox, but fuck, this was his third fight in the last two hours. His body was protesting the abuse. Knox curled his lip and bent his knees slightly, preparing to dodge the next swing of the knife. The guy came at him and Knox spun away, then quickly kicked out as the hulk charged at him again, knocking him on his back. As Knox went down, he heard a clatter, and out of the corner of his eye he saw X’s gun fall to the ground. Fuck me. He’d forgotten he even had the gun on him. He was so used to fighting with his fists it hadn’t occurred to him to reach for the gun. He slipped his knee between himself and the brute, then centered his hips and locked his legs around the guy, assuming a guarded position on the ground. Seeing an opportunity to finish it, the guy wrapped both hands around the knife to drive it down into Knox’s throat. Knox grabbed his wrist and pushed away with his legs. He was completely off the ground except for his shoulder blades as the point of the knife inched closer to his windpipe. “Stop! You’ll kill him! Don’t make me shoot!” The woman’s voice was frantic. “Go,” Knox ground out between clenched teeth. “Leave me.” Why wasn’t she running? There would be no one to protect her if he went down. “Stop! Or I swear I’ll shoot. I’ll do it.” She came in closer, holding X’s gun in her outstretched hands. The guard sneered. “Too bad for you she doesn’t have it in her,” he grunted out to Knox. The gun fired. He didn’t know what she was aiming at, but the shot went high, hitting the wall above them. Knox used the distraction of the gunfire as an opening to pivot his hips and sweep the guy off his knees. In the sweep, the guy’s arms flung out, knocking the woman to the ground. Knox rolled in the opposite direction and scrambled to his feet just as the guy wrapped his hand around her neck. “No!” he yelled. Fuck. He was too far. He wouldn’t get there in time. The guy was going to crush her windpipe. Knox lunged forward as her eyes began to flutter. Her arms drew in, and her eyes closed. Then the back of the man’s head erupted.

Chapter 2

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. The guard’s body was heavy and limp on top of her, so heavy Natalie’s lungs hurt from trying to breathe. Is he dead? That was when she felt the blood running from his head onto her face. The wet warm liquid was all over her. “Get him off me!” she shrieked. “Get him off!” Panic set in and she put her palms flat on his chest, pushing with all her strength while flailing her legs, but he didn’t budge. His body rolled to the side and Natalie frantically wiped at her face with her sleeves. They came away dark and wet and warm. Horrified, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Oh my God, I killed him, dead, dead, dead, his blood’s all over me. “Are you okay?” What to do? What to do? Think, Natalie, think. Oh my God, he’s dead. Her breath started coming in short pants, and she realized she was hyperventilating. Don’t panic, don’t panic, there’s no time to panic. But he’s dead, he’s dead. There’s so much blood. Abruptly, she sat up, gasping for air. She looked down at herself. There was blood and bits of white and gray . . . The bile rose in her throat and she clapped a hand over her mouth, crawling away on her hands and knees on the grimy pavement. Get away, just get away. What have I done? I killed him, killed him, killed him. “Are you okay?” the voice asked again. Natalie spun, and her eyes focused on her rescuer, getting a good look at him for the first time. His eyes were hard and fierce, and for a moment she regretted not listening to his demands that she run. She should be scared. This man was dangerous. He looked it, and she’d already seen firsthand what he was capable of. Would she be any safer with him? Yes. Instinctively she knew she was. He’d put his life on the line to save hers. She could trust him. Looking into his eyes just now, she felt the panic slowly begin to leave her and her thoughts became a little more coherent. Looking at him, in the middle of this blood-soaked horrible alley, she found her center in an unlikely place—in the abyss of his dark eyes. Something clicked when she looked at him. “Are you okay?” he repeated. She nodded, then glanced to the side at the body next to her. His back was to her and through his hair matted with blood, she could see into his head. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away. Even though she knew the answer, she had to ask. “Is he . . . did I kill him?” His expression was grim, and she knew she had. She was a murderer. Oh God, oh God, oh

God. No, stop. There was no time for this. She looked at the man’s face again and found her focus. His face softened a touch, and he held his hand out. “Come on.” She looked up at him. “What should we do?” “We need to get out of here.” She looked over at the body once more and wrapped her arms around herself. “I killed him.” Her lip trembled, but she sucked it in. This was no time for tears. “You had no choice.” He paused. “Why was he after you?” “He was sent by my father.” Her voice was mechanical. She didn’t even know this guy’s name. She squeezed her eyes shut. That’s not important right now. “My father is not a good man,” she added. Sirens blared in the distance. “Fuck.” He grabbed the gun and hastily wiped it down with his T-shirt, then hesitated briefly before tossing it into the Dumpster. “We need to get out of here,” he repeated, holding out his hand again. The sirens got louder, their urgency snapping her out of her fog, and she put her hand in his. He pulled her to her feet, and her body brushed close against him. “Where are we going to go?” she asked. He scanned the alley with a calculating look in his eyes. “Over the fence. Can you climb?” She looked over her shoulder at the chain-link fence behind her. Her legs were still wobbly beneath her, but she grabbed her backpack from where it had fallen and slung it over her shoulders. “Yes.” Even though the woman—Knox hadn’t even thought to ask her name yet—claimed she could climb the fence, he had his doubts. As she slid her feet into the chain links, he put his hands on her waist to help her up. He climbed a few feet below her, ready to catch her if she slipped. The wounds on his arms burned, and the slash from X’s knife was reopening, but he ignored the pain, focusing on her instead. He would not let her fall. She reached the top and threw one leg over. He picked up the pace so he could already be on the other side when she started her descent. He jumped the last few feet and then put his hands on her waist to bring her down, her body sliding along his. That something he’d felt when he first saw her stirred within him again. He wanted to thread his fingers in her hair, drag her head back, and ravage her mouth. Her eyes locked with his, and he knew he wasn’t the only one affected. The sirens blared louder, and he stepped away from her. Priorities, Knox. He’d get her safe. Then maybe he’d take the time to explore what that something was. Later. “Can you run?” he asked. She nodded. He set the pace slower than he would have if he were solo and increased it when she managed to keep up. He took them south, back the way he’d come. It put him at greater risk of running into X’s men, but getting her out of the north side—and away from any more men like the one they’d just faced—seemed wise. Plus, they were both covered in

blood and that wasn’t going to be easy to hide, even in the dark. They needed a resting stop before they could continue. They? Knox questioned himself. Yes, they. For years, it’d been him against the world. Now within moments of meeting this woman, he was throwing his lot in with hers. Deep in his gut though, he knew he wouldn’t be okay walking away from her. And he still didn’t even know her goddamn name. Christ. The closer they got toward the south side of town, the hard knocks of life became more evident by the run-down buildings and unkempt lawns. A dive hotel was their best bet. The blood on their clothes might raise a few eyebrows, but questions wouldn’t be asked. Hopefully. They didn’t have another viable option. If they were farther out toward the suburbs, they could hole up in a vacant house, but vacant apartments in the city were hard to come by and the risk of being noticed there was greater. Besides, they needed water and electricity, and clean towels would be nice. He slowed down to a brisk walk. “Why are we slowing?” she asked. “Is it safe?” “Safe enough.” As long as they kept to the side streets and kept moving, they’d be fine. It was doubtful the police would canvass an area this wide so quickly. But shit, they were closing in on X’s territory, the very place he’d run away from hours ago. “How many men were pursuing you?” he asked. He wanted to know what they could be up against. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I thought I knew all of the bodyguards my father used, but I’ve never seen him before.” They were nearing the corner of Prosper and Martin Streets. A few blocks ahead, there was a motel with room doors that opened to the outside. People were less likely to see them that way. It was unlikely X was already looking for him, but it was only a matter of time. The less he showed his face around here, the better. He stopped across the street from the motel, and she sidled up next to him, looking to him for direction. She still seemed shaken by everything that had gone down and happy to let him take the lead, not that he could blame her. The brand of clothing she wore and the way she held herself gave away that she wasn’t from his neck of the woods, but her life couldn’t have been all that great since she was running from it. “We’re going to check into that motel,” he said. He put his hands on his hips, weighing out their options. Fuck. He really didn’t want to send her in there, but his face was far too recognizable. He lifted the edge of his T-shirt and gently wiped her face with it, rubbing away the remaining blood. “Do you have a jacket or something you can throw over your clothes?” She nodded and slung her backpack around to her side, unzipping it and pulling out a black hoodie. “What’s the plan?” “Can you check us into that hotel? Don’t use your real name. Pay with cash.” He reached into his pocket for some bills. “I’ve got it,” she said, patting her backpack.

He took a deep breath and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. An uncomfortable feeling rose within him, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Fear. He didn’t want to send her in there alone, but there was no better option. “I’ll wait around the side of the building. If you run into any trouble, anything at all, just scream and I’ll be there.” She nodded, her eyes wide and trusting. She let out a little breathy laugh and put on a brave smile. “It can’t get much worse, right?” She leaned into him, taking him by surprise for a second. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body close. He didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse to have met her in these circumstances. He put his face in her hair and smelled the faint scent of strawberries, which momentarily overrode all that surrounded them. Blessing, he decided. Definitely a blessing. His eyes focused on her slightly parted lips, then shifted up to her eyes. They widened for a split second before her eyelids closed and her body shifted imperceptibly closer. Then he crushed his mouth to hers. She stiffened for just a moment, before yielding and letting her body form to his. He hadn’t planned to do it, but God, looking at her with her brave smile to cover her fear, how could he not? She had to feel an inkling of what he did. She clung to him, matching his urgency with her own. They were both in the moment, alive in the here and now, like they weren’t in an impossibly fucked-up situation. She pulled away, and her chest heaved as she breathed deeply. Her lips were slightly swollen and red, making him want to pull her to him again. There will be time for that later, he promised himself. That promise was the only thing that kept him in place as she crossed traffic and into the motel lobby, out of his sight. Getting a room key was easy. The clerk was more interested in watching reruns of Maury than getting a good look at her. The woman had handed her an actual metal key and not a key card. Natalie didn’t even know there were hotels that still used real keys, but apparently this one did. She emerged from the hotel office, and her protector was waiting for her along the side of the building as promised. When his eyes locked with hers, some of the tension left them. He was obviously relieved to see her again. He had the opposite effect on her—she became tense, but for a very different reason. He took her breath away. He would be good-looking under any circumstances, but what could she say? The fierce protective look on his face made him her warrior. He had a presence about him that captivated her. He was wild, dangerous, and unlike anyone she’d ever met. She should run from him as soon as she knew it was safe. But she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to, and she didn’t think she could. “What room?” he asked. “One-oh-seven.” They walked swiftly to the door. The metal seven had fallen off the door, but someone had drawn it on with a Sharpie. Natalie inserted the key into the lock while he kept watch, shielding her body with his own. When she opened the door, a strong, musty scent spilled

from the room. She hurried inside and he closed the door behind them. The room was dingy, with outdated wallpaper and scratchy polyester bedspreads. The security lock was broken, so he moved the dresser in front of the door while she drew the curtains tightly closed. She whirled around to face him, suddenly feeling shy. She didn’t even know his name. He walked the perimeter of the room, watching her, reminding her of a caged tiger: stunning, untamed, and threatening. “Who are you?” she ventured bravely. “Knox,” he said simply. “Knox? Knox what?” “Just Knox.” He propped himself against the edge of the dresser and crossed him arms over his chest, saying nothing. Watching her. “I’m Natalie,” she said, her fingers toying with the simple moon-shaped pendant on her necklace. “Natalie Farrington Kent.” If he recognized her name, his expression didn’t give any indication. “Why don’t you get cleaned up?” He nodded toward the bathroom. Of course. That was why they were here, after all. She stripped off her hoodie, cringing at the bloodstained shirt she still wore. She couldn’t wait to throw it away. But wait, would that be safe? She hadn’t planned for this situation. Damn it! She glanced up at Knox, now shirtless and riffling through his duffel bag. When he pulled out a small first-aid kit, she gasped. “You were hurt!” She crossed the room to him, and gently put her fingers on his shoulder. “You were shot.” He shrugged. “Just a graze.” She looked to the other arm, where a gash was still seeping blood. “He got you with the knife.” “No. That was from earlier.” She raised her eyebrows in question, but he said nothing. “Let me help you with this,” she said. “I’m used to tending my own wounds.” She bit her lip and studied the gash. “This one’s deep. It might need stitches.” He shook his head. “I’ve had worse. It’ll be fine.” She put her hands on her hips and frowned at him. Why was he pulling back? Didn’t he realize he’d saved her life? The least she could do was help. She picked up his kit and walked toward the bathroom. “Come in here where the light’s better.” She flipped on the light in the bathroom and jumped, her hand clutching at her chest. He was right behind her in the mirror. She laughed nervously, trying to play it off. “You move fast.” The bathroom was tiny, and the two of them could barely fit in it together without brushing up against one another. Her body was all too aware of his presence, which was overwhelming her in the small space. He leaned against the counter right beside her and tossed his ruined T-shirt into the trash can. Holy wow. She was kidding if she thought she was overwhelmed before. Her heart hammered in her rib cage.

His chest and abs were muscled with deep ridges and valleys. Her fingers itched to run over the intricacies of his chest and abdomen. His physique looked like it belonged on a chiseled statue rather than a flesh-and-blood man. Over his right pec was a large tattoo of an X. She traced her fingers over it lightly, wanting to ask what it stood for but afraid he wouldn’t answer. Then she realized what she was doing —feeling up a virtual stranger. And while he was injured, no less. They’d only just met an hour before, and she didn’t even know his name until a few minutes ago. She looked up, her hand still on his chest, to find her face inches from his. Her gaze flicked down to his lips, and her insides warmed at the memory of the kiss they’d shared— hot, deep, perfect. His dark eyes bore into hers with an intensity she’d never experienced before. It rocked her. If he weren’t hurt and she weren’t . . . She cleared her throat and hastily dropped her hand. Focus, Nat, focus. She pulled out a small bottle of antiseptic. She looked up at him as she twisted off the cap. “This is going to sting.” With an apologetic look, she poured it on the gash. He didn’t even wince, keeping his gaze steady—unflinching—on her. She moved to his other arm to inspect the graze wound. “This one isn’t as bad,” she said, relieved. She hated that he had been hurt trying to help her. She owed her life to this man, this mysterious warrior. She wanted to unravel all his layers to find out what lay beneath. She tried to remain calm and collected as she treated his wounds, but every time her fingers came into contact with his skin, a jolt shot through her and continued to circulate. The energy and tension between them kept building and building. Her system was in overload just from being in such close proximity. “You’ll need to shower before I can cover it with gauze.” “Thank you,” he said. “You’re welcome.” She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling incredibly exposed. He raised a hand to trail his fingers down her cheek, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He looked like he wanted to say something, but then he blinked and dropped his hand. He turned away from her, unbuttoning his jeans and letting them fall to the floor, leaving only black boxer briefs. She reluctantly averted her eyes, exhaling heavily when he stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed before stripping the rest of the way. Relief or disappointment? The water started running and steam poured over the top of the curtain. Don’t be ridiculous. If there was ever a worse time to have feelings like these, she couldn’t picture it. She looked in the mirror and was greeted by dark circles under her eyes and a hollowness she didn’t remember. Had they always been that way? Her life had sure changed in the last few hours. Miraculously, she’d escaped with only minor scrapes and bruises. Noticing the stains and grime all over her skin, she turned on the water in the sink and splashed it on her arms. The water going down the drain was tinged with pinkish-red. “Oh, God.” She looked at her reflection in the mirror again, and she realized she was staring into the face of a murderer.

Knox tilted his face up toward the showerhead, letting the hot water cascade over him. He couldn’t remember the last time his body had taken such abuse. He hoped they’d get a decent night’s rest before the next disaster struck. He heard a thud from the other side of the curtain and frowned. Then he heard Natalie gasping. Quickly pulling aside the curtain and grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist, he found her sitting on the closed toilet with her head between her knees, desperately trying to suck in air. “Are you okay?” he asked. She lifted her head up, panic in her eyes. “I can’t . . . I . . .” He pulled her to her feet and yanked her shirt over her head, then flicked open the button on her jeans and slid those down. She squeezed her eyes shut, and he lifted her over the tub’s rim and into the shower spray with him, holding her tight against his chest. Of course she wasn’t okay. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she wasn’t accustomed to violence, and she’d just been forced to kill a man. Hell, he’d witnessed deadly violence on the regular, but he’d never done it himself. He would have done it for her, though. He cursed himself for not being faster, for not anticipating that fucker’s moves. It should’ve been him, not her. As she clung to him, her breathing started to slow. He ran his hand over her hair and put his lips to her temple. He grabbed the soap and ran it over her back in lazy circles, hesitating when he came to her bra strap. She reached back to unclip it, letting it slide to the ground, and he bit back a groan as her breasts pressed up against his chest. “Hold me,” she whispered. As if anyone or anything could pry me away from her. Her fingers dug into the flesh of his back as if she were clinging to the edge of a cliff, holding on for dear life. And she probably was. She’d crossed a line earlier tonight that there was no going back from. “Let’s get you clean,” he said. “You’ll feel better.” He wasn’t able to take away the memory that would haunt her, but at least he could get rid of the physical reminders. She nodded and he knelt to wash her calves, kneading and massaging her muscles as he covered her soft skin with suds. He worked his way up her thighs, and she put her hands on his shoulders for balance. As he ran his hand along her inner thigh, she inhaled sharply and swayed against him. All that separated his mouth from her core was the thin fabric layer of her panties. How easy would it be to shove those aside and taste her? Too easy. She’d probably let him, but she might not forgive him. When they were together—and they would be—he wanted her to want him and not be in the throes of post-traumatic-stress meltdown. Though she might welcome the distraction, Knox wouldn’t do that to her. He inched his way higher, washing her navel, but not before gently suckling her belly. He stood. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was slightly parted. She was so fucking sexy.

He ran the soap over her breasts, teasing her nipples to attention with his fingertips. She gasped, her mouth forming the perfect invitation. He cupped her face, capturing her mouth with his. When she responded by grabbing his shoulders, he let her take the lead, let her deepen the kiss. She was going to destroy him, and she had no fucking clue. He broke the kiss. “Let me wash your hair.” Her big blue eyes peered up at him, and she nodded. He filled the palm of his hand with shampoo, and she let out a little laugh and smiled. “That’s way too much.” She scooped out a portion of the shampoo and worked it into her hair. He was content to watch her, to admire the rise and fall of her breasts while she worked the now darker blond strands from root to tip. When she started to rinse the suds out of her hair, he tangled his hands with hers. When her hair was clean, she faced him, eyes open. “Why did you do it?” she asked. “Why did you save me?” “I had to.” It was the honest-to-God truth. The look in her gaze was almost too much for him—whether he’d saved her or not, he wasn’t worthy of that look. The look scorched his soul—it was good and pure and everything he wasn’t. So with one final caress of her lips, he stepped out of the shower to allow her to finish washing in private, exchanging the now soaked towel with another. He left, not looking back, knowing if he did, he wouldn’t leave.

Chapter 3

Natalie gingerly patted herself dry with the scratchy motel towels. Her body was growing stiff and achy, the last few hours catching up to her once again. She replayed the night’s events in her mind, viewing everything as a spectator, like it hadn’t really happened to her. Twenty-four hours ago, she was the sheltered Farrington heiress, locked away in her tower. And now? She was free, but she’d paid a heavy price. One she hadn’t prepared for—how could she have? A man’s life had been exchanged for her own. Even if he was her father’s hired muscle, taking his life was still a blow she hadn’t expected; she knew she’d do anything to gain her freedom, but this? The image of the guard’s fallen body flashed through her mind, and she briefly closed her eyes, willing the image to recede, but it was burned into her memory. Would she ever stop seeing it? It was all so surreal. Except for Knox. He was solid, real, hers. That much she knew. Beneath his hard exterior and guarded eyes there was a soft side. She’d experienced it firsthand just now when he’d tenderly cared for her in the shower. But underneath the softness there was a whole slew of heat and hardness that simultaneously petrified and excited her. Her ruined clothing was no longer on the floor. Knox must have taken care of it for her. Oh, yes, there was definitely more to him than met the eye. She slipped out of the bathroom, hiking the towel farther up her chest. She’d just been almost completely naked with Knox, but suddenly and irrationally, she felt shy. He was stretched out on one of the double beds, scrolling through his phone. His eyes met hers. “Feeling better?” “Yes. Thank you.” She searched through her backpack for a clean pair of panties and a Tshirt. She hadn’t anticipated having a roommate when she’d packed, so she hadn’t brought pajamas. A ridiculous thing to be worried about. She and Knox were way past worrying about pajamas. She returned to the bathroom to put her clothes on, then sat on the corner of the bed. Knox scooted to sit next to her. He lifted her chin to look at her neck. Bruises were beginning to emerge where the guard had choked her. “Does it hurt?” he asked. “A little,” Natalie admitted, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Knox’s fists were already clenched and his expression murderous. He stood and pulled an ice pack out of his first-aid kit, cracking it to get the cold flowing. Crossing to Natalie, he held it up to her neck. She let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks.” “Anything else hurt?”

She shook her head. His washing of her was so thorough that he would know better than she would. Tingles raced through her blood at the memory of his touch. The tingles turned to fire when she thought of his mouth on her skin. She closed her eyes briefly to revel in the memory, then she took a deep breath. “I think we should call the police.” “Why?” Knox frowned. “We just ran from them.” She traced her finger along the fraying seam of the bedspread. “I just killed someone, Knox. Yes, it was self-defense, but I murdered someone. I have to turn myself in.” He paced in front of her. “That’s not a good idea.” “I won’t be able to hide what I’ve done forever.” She had been perfectly prepared to run and hide from her father, but the situation had escalated. And fast. “Would you believe me if I told you there were dirty cops in this city?” He sat next to her and rested his elbows on his knees. She frowned. She’d never even considered that the police might not be trustworthy, but they were people, just like everyone else. They were susceptible to corruption. Right and wrong and good and bad were no longer black and white areas. She was swimming in a sea of gray where her trust needed to be closely guarded. She never would have thought she’d trust someone like Knox with her life, but she did. Unequivocally. And now knowing the lengths her father would go to get her home made her nervous. He could more than buy someone off. Besides, she didn’t know exactly what would happen if she turned herself in. Thinking about it more, she realized if she turned herself in to the police, then she might as well just return to her father. Either way, she’d end up separated from Knox, and that bothered her way more than it should. Though he’d played the Good Samaritan and risked his life for her, he didn’t mean anything to her. He couldn’t. She’d just met the man. Still, her gut clenched. She sighed and rested her face in her hands. It was four in the morning, and she wasn’t thinking clearly. In her sheltered isolation, she’d had a lot of time to prepare for her escape. Meticulous plans made and remade and tweaked until they were perfect. Every contingency had been considered. Or so she’d thought—she definitely hadn’t planned for murder. And now that she was on the run, she didn’t have time for that kind of planning or secondguessing, and she hated how vulnerable that left her. No matter. She lifted her face and rolled her shoulders. She’d made it this far. She’d just have to figure it out. And now she had something—someone—on her side she definitely hadn’t planned on. “Let’s get some sleep,” Knox said. “We don’t need to make any decisions tonight.” What he wasn’t saying was in the way he was looking at her—he wouldn’t let her go to the police. It seemed she wasn’t the only one reluctant to separate. She nodded, barely able to keep her head up, and crawled up toward the pillows. He lifted the blankets over her, and she held them up for him to climb in beside her. With no hesitation, he lay next to her and pulled her body against his. There were two beds in the room, but it hadn’t occurred to either of them to make use of the second. Wrapped in his muscular arms, for the first time since her mother died, Natalie felt safe.

Natalie blinked as dingy curtains and cheap particle board furniture came into focus. Where am I? She sat up straight, pulling the sheet up around her neck. Mercifully, she’d slept a deep, dreamless sleep, but now in the stark light of day, the events of last night came crashing back. She looked around frantically. Knox. Where is Knox? He walked out of the bathroom, wearing jeans that were unbuttoned at the waist and hanging low on his hips. For a moment, she’d thought he’d decided she was too much trouble. But something told her this man didn’t give up easily. She was pleased to see his bandages were still white. Good. He hadn’t bled through them overnight. His dark eyes swept over her, sending tingles down her spine. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” “You didn’t. What time is it?” “Ten.” He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, his presence reassuring. She wanted to pull him back into bed, to restart the morning with him beside her. But there were more pressing issues. “Are we leaving?” Part of her hoped he’d say no, that it’d be safe to bunker down here for another day while they figured out what to do. She could definitely handle spending a lazy day in a motel room with Knox. “We should move.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The longer we stay in one place, the easier we are to find.” She sighed. “Maybe we can just move to room one-oh-nine?” she asked hopefully with a wry smile. Knox chuckled, the first time she’d heard him laugh. It had a deep timbre that warmed her heart. “I wish, sweetheart.” He stood and held his hand out to help her up. She groaned as her muscles tightened under the weight of her own body. She ached all over. This time it was his turn for a wry smile. “You won’t be as sore once your muscles warm up.” He drew her to his chest and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes, drinking in the warmth of his body and the feel of his lips on her skin. He released her much too soon. She hobbled to the bathroom to brush her teeth, and by the time she emerged, she was moving much easier. The sun shone through the closed blinds and Natalie slipped her fingers between them to peek outside. “Oh, no,” she whispered. Apprehension filled her. Knox looked up, getting to his feet. “What is it?” Natalie peeked out the window again. She didn’t think he was one of her father’s men. Maybe it was just a coincidence that he was sitting there, looking so ominous. She wanted to believe it, but after meeting Knox, she didn’t believe in coincidences. “A guy is sitting in a car in the parking lot, watching the door.” She shoved her legs into a pair of jeans. “We’ve got to go. Now.” Knox glanced out the window and cursed, recognition sparking in his eyes. “Do you know him?” she asked.

“Not exactly.” He paused, and she waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. No time for that now, anyway. He quickly gathered his belongings and threw them in his bag. “I don’t think he knows we’re on to him. Yet.” He tucked his phone in his back pocket, but she shook her head as she pulled and twisted her bra around. “Leave your phone behind.” Understanding showed on his face. “Fuck.” “I’m probably just being paranoid . . .” “No, you’re right. We don’t want the cops tracing us.” His eyes searched her face. “I’ll keep you safe.” She pressed against him, her heart beating into overdrive, both from fear and the look in his eyes—the one that told her he was willing to risk his life for her. He crushed his lips to hers, and Natalie returned the kiss, letting it express the things they had no time to say. She reluctantly let him go. His expression turned hard. “When I open the door,” Knox instructed, “I want you to take a right and walk quickly. Don’t run . . . yet. We might be able to sneak out without him seeing us. But if I say run, I want you to run this time. Don’t worry about me. This fight is mine, and I won’t have you hurt because of it.” His words made it dawn on her that she wasn’t the only one running away from something. “Bullshit,” she said forcefully, with much more bravado than she felt. “The fight with the guard in the alley was my fight, but you didn’t stay away. I’m not leaving you.” Her expression must have convinced him of her conviction, or maybe they’d run out of time. Either way, he didn’t argue with her. He pushed aside the dresser that was blocking the door, then quickly pulled out a drawer. He broke the flimsy wood over his knee, and it splintered into pieces. He picked up the longest and strongest of the shards and handed it to her. “Know how to swing a bat?” “It’s been a while, but I think I can manage.” He nodded, then opened the door a crack. He motioned for her to go. She slipped out the door, walking quickly along the sidewalk. Don’t look back. She trusted Knox, but she wanted to scope out the situation for herself. Was he behind her? That man moved like a ninja, so she couldn’t tell. Surely she would be able to feel his presence though. She glanced over her shoulder, just in time to see Knox fly out the door and tackle a man. They hit the ground. He was smaller than Knox, not nearly the behemoth they’d fought last night. In a fair fight, Knox would easily be able to take him. He was already injured, though. And size didn’t matter when there were bullets involved. Natalie hesitated, watching the fray unfold. Knox punched the guy, and it seemed like he had the upper hand. When the man fumbled around his waistband, though, she saw a flash of silver. “Gun!” she yelled. “He’s got a gun!” She wouldn’t have even known if Knox had heard her except he grabbed the man’s hand and before she could blink, she heard a distinct crack. The man screamed, holding his mangled hand. Knox grabbed the gun and stood, pressing his foot on the guy’s windpipe. “Are you alone?”

The man clamped his mouth shut, but his eyes darted around like he was looking for someone. Natalie instinctively stepped closer to Knox. Suddenly, the man let out a high-pitched whistle, and Knox stomped on his windpipe. He groaned and rolled to his side in the fetal position. Knox grabbed Natalie’s arm and pulled her behind him just in time to confront another attacker who had come from the opposite direction. In the skirmish, Natalie stumbled and fell next to the guy with the crushed windpipe, who was reaching out for Knox’s leg. Natalie rose to her knees and swung the makeshift bat down on his arm as hard as she could. He howled in pain and retracted his arm. She tried to get to her feet, but he kicked out, catching her around the ankles. She hit the pavement hard, momentarily stunned, but was jolted back to reality when he wrapped the fleshy fingers of his good hand around her wrist. She jerked her arm, trying to break free of his hold and failing. His grip was too tight, his fingers digging into the sensitive tendons on the underside of her wrist. She stretched out with her other arm toward her weapon she’d dropped as she fell. She was too close to him to get a proper swing in, so she jabbed the splintered end of the wood into his cheek. She’d been aiming for his eye, but she achieved her goal of forcing him to release her wrist. She jumped to her feet, weapon in hand. Knox? Is he okay? She had been so busy with her own fight that she hadn’t seen what happened. She whirled around. Where is he? Her sudden motion must have broken Knox’s opponent’s concentration because as soon as his eyes landed on Natalie, he stopped momentarily, surprise registering in his eyes. “You’re that Farrington Kent bitch,” he said. Then he laughed. Stupid move. That cost him the fight as Knox slammed his fist into his temple one final time. The man dropped to the pavement. Knox wiped a streak of blood off his chin with the back of his hand. “Are you okay?” Natalie nodded. The guy on the ground clutched at his wrist and laughed. “Knox, you’re stupider than you look. Once X learns you’re shacking up with this princess—” Knox kicked him in the temple, silencing whatever information he was about to share with them. Then Knox frisked him, coming up with a knife and a wad of bills in addition to the silver revolver. “Who’s X?” Natalie asked. Knox looked up at her, then strode to the second guy to strip him as well. He came up with another gun and more cash. “I’ll tell you later. We need to go,” he said. “Even in this part of town, someone might call the cops. And X will start to wonder what happened to his men.” Natalie looked back and forth between the two downed men. They knew Knox and knew him by name. “Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “I promise I’ll tell you everything once we’re safe.” She almost laughed at that word. Safe. Would they ever be safe again? A feeling of dread settled over her as she jogged alongside Knox. She had a feeling things were going to get much worse before they got better.

Chapter 4

They ran three blocks south, deeper into X’s territory, before cutting over and making their way back to the north side. Natalie clutched her side, but Knox didn’t bother to ask her if she was okay. She’d more than likely bruised some ribs—a pain he knew all too well. He also knew she wouldn’t admit to the injury if it meant slowing down. She was a lot tougher than she looked. He stopped, looking up at a hotel that was a definite upgrade from the lodging they’d just come from. It wasn’t quite far enough north to be too upscale, though. “This will work,” he said. He’d prefer to hole up in an abandoned apartment or somewhere where they didn’t have to deal with people, but Natalie needed to rest. Plus the longer they stayed out in the open, the more susceptible they were to another attack. Although they hadn’t been in the open a moment ago. Knox clenched his jaw. That was too close of a call. He should’ve killed the guy for laying a hand on Natalie. It was his fault. Those were X’s men, goddammit. They were after him, not her. If he had any damn sense, he would have skipped town. He’d been so close to starting a new life, free of X. Figures the one time he stops to do the right thing, it causes him even more trouble. But how could he have turned a blind eye? Natalie couldn’t have fought off that guy on her own. One woman had already lost her life because he hadn’t been able to fight off her attacker. He couldn’t have another on his conscience. It was more than just that, though. The more time he spent with Natalie, the more bewitched he became. And the less he wanted to leave her. The guy’s comment about Natalie troubled him, though. How did they know who she was? And why would X care? Unease tugged at his gut. “Okay,” Natalie said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll get a room.” “No, I’ll do it. Now that we’re on the north side, I doubt anyone will recognize me. Come in, but keep your face hidden.” Natalie nodded and ducked her chin, letting her hair swirl around her face. When they entered the lobby, she went to the far side and picked up a magazine, leaving Knox to deal with checking in. “Need a room?” the desk clerk asked. “Yeah,” Knox said. “First floor.” “Fill this out.” The clerk shoved a form across the desk and returned to playing with his smartphone. Knox picked up a pen, pausing briefly at the first line labeled N AME. Hopefully this establishment would take cash and not require an ID. Natalie tugged at his sleeve. He shifted to block the clerk’s view of her and glanced down

to find her eyes wide and her face pale. She nodded at the television mounted behind the desk. The sound was muted, but her picture flashed on the screen with the caption: R EW AR D: MI SSI N G SO C I ALI TE.

So that was how X’s men had recognized her. And soon X would know they were together. Fuck. Just what they needed. Another complication. He cursed himself under his breath for not killing those guys. The big question now was whether the reward was big enough to warrant X’s attention. Of course, he might seek out Natalie just to spite Knox. X was a vengeful bastard. Once in their room, Natalie immediately turned on the TV while Knox inspected the window. It was double-paned with no way to open it. There were no crossbars, though, so he could break it if they needed a quick escape. He didn’t want to be trapped with the door as their only exit. Natalie sat on the end of the bed, her hands clasped between her knees, watching her father being interviewed on the local news. “I’m just devastated, as any father would be. My Natalie . . . she’s all I have left in this world. I’d give anything for her safe return.” Natalie shook her head in anger. “Bullshit. That’s all bullshit, and people will buy it because he’s Gerald Kent.” She stood and paced. “He’s never cared about me. I’m nothing but his golden goose.” Although Knox didn’t know exactly what she was talking about, he could identify. He’d been X’s prized fighter for years now, bringing in at least twice as much as his next best fighter. And even though he’d left, he still wasn’t free of X. He wondered if he would ever be free of the corrupt man he’d once considered a father. “And Natalie, if you’re somehow listening, I love you, baby girl. Come home.” Gerald Kent’s expression was pleading and full of anguish. He was putting on one hell of a performance for a man who’d sent thugs to retrieve his daughter. “No chance in hell, Daddy.” She laughed bitterly and winced, holding her side. Knox frowned and grabbed the empty ice bucket off the dresser. “I’ll be right back.” Several minutes later, he held a bag of ice to her ribs, hoping it wasn’t too late to reduce the swelling. She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “Geez, that’s cold.” “It’ll help,” Knox said simply. He could’ve let her hold the ice, and maybe he should have. She would have been able to apply it to the precise point of pain better than he, but he needed to feel like he was doing something. He needed to feel like he was helping her. Running and hiding wasn’t in his repertoire. He faced problems head-on and fought them. But even he was beginning to see he wouldn’t be able to fix this problem with his fists, especially now that Natalie’s picture was all over the news. “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t mean to whine, especially after everything you’ve done for me.” “It hasn’t been enough.” “Knox, you’ve done everything. You saved me. Twice.” “If I were smarter or faster, I wouldn’t have had to save you the second time. You shouldn’t have to fight.” She wasn’t meant for this type of life. True, she’d been holding her own, but she shouldn’t have to.

“Neither should you,” she said quietly. His eyes met hers—eyes filled with goodness and innocence. Everything he wasn’t. Holding his gaze, she gently put her fingers to a scrape at his temple. “This could use some ice as well.” He tore his gaze from hers and grabbed her wrist, planning to push her away from him. He couldn’t deny he was drawn to her, but he was going to do right by her and keep his distance, even though it killed him inside. Seeing X’s man attack her had put things into perspective. Her involvement with him would bring her nothing but more trouble. Hell, it already had. So he’d keep her safe until they figured a way out of this mess, and that meant keeping her safe from him as well. They were from two different worlds. When she took the ice from her ribs and held it to his temple, his noble thoughts disintegrated. When she peered at him with concern overwhelming her big blue eyes, he dropped her wrist. When she moved closer and her breasts grazed his chest, he lost it. He hauled her against his chest and pressed his lips to hers. She gasped a little, and he used the opportunity to slide his tongue between her lips and fully devour her mouth. The tenseness left her body, and she leaned into him, letting out a small sigh. Fuck. Knox ran his hands under her shirt and up her back, her skin soft against his rough, scarred palms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing up against him, while he continued to explore her mouth. But he wanted more. He needed to feel her skin against his. He yanked her shirt up and over her head, finding a black lace bra against her satin skin. Her nipples strained against the lace and he dipped his head down to suckle the left one through the sheer fabric. She moaned and pressed her hips against him, knotting her fingers in his hair as he moved to give equal attention to the right. He gave one final suck to her tight bud before trailing his tongue down her torso, lingering at her belly. He slowly undid the button on her pants, pausing to gauge her reaction, to make sure she was on board with where this was going. He needed this. He needed her. She swayed against him. “Knox,” she said breathily, her thighs quivering. She held onto him for support. God, he was dying to taste her. Then to feel her wrapped around him. He inched her jeans lower to the top of black lace panties that matched the bra. In one swift move, he lifted her and deposited her on the bed. As he climbed over her, she looked up at him, her half-closed eyes full of heat and something else. Innocence. Christ. He paused and leaned back, then he scrubbed a hand over his face. Natalie was nothing like any of the women he’d been involved with. They’d used him as much as he’d used them. But Natalie was good and pure. And a little hesitant. Not unwilling, exactly, just not experienced, either. He had a hunch about that. She noticed the change in him immediately and put an arm over her breasts. “Is something wrong?”

He hated to see the change in her, that she felt the need to cover herself in front of him. Who the fuck was he kidding when he vowed to stay away from her? He wasn’t capable. But he wouldn’t shatter her innocence this way. “Are you a virgin?” Natalie scooted farther back onto the bed until her back was against the headboard. A moment ago, she’d felt sensual only wearing half her clothes. Now she felt exposed. “Are you a virgin?” Knox repeated. “Yes,” she whispered, and he retreated, his eyes closing off and his shoulders squaring. She didn’t want the distance between them. Not with the only person she’d ever been real with. She’d dated a little in high school, but all it took was one meeting with her father for those boys to run away with their tails between their legs. During her senior year, she’d kept her relationship with Zach McKutcheon a secret. They’d cut class and make out in an empty classroom, both petrified of getting caught. After graduation though, Zach had left her behind to go away to college while she was forced to attend the local university. Her college years weren’t much better. How could they be when she was still living at home under her father’s careful eye? He’d had her followed regularly, saying it was for her protection. Protection from what? She’d always wanted to ask. He was the one she needed protection from. God, she’d yearned for affection. Still did. She hadn’t felt truly loved since her mother died. So forgive her if she wanted to experience physical love with Knox. He treated her so tenderly, and she wanted more—as much as she could get. True, their situation wasn’t ideal, but she’d never felt more alive. Before, nothing in her life had been her choice. Now she was choosing Knox. She sat up straight and looked him right in the eyes. “I liked where that was heading. My being a virgin has nothing to do with it.” “You don’t know what you’re getting into with me,” Knox said gruffly, the torment evident in his eyes. He put his hands on the back of his neck, which put his bulging biceps on display. She definitely knew what she was getting into. Knox may have the appearance of a brutal street fighter, but he was so much more than that. She wished he could see himself as she did. She stood and walked over to Knox, her jeans slipping lower on her hips with every step. “I may never have been with a man before, but I know what I want. And I want you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, gently at first and then with more urgency. He didn’t resist but his arms hung limply at his sides, his hands in fists. A smile teased at her lips. He could deny it all he wanted, but the attraction between them was powerful. They were better together. “I’ve lived my entire life feeling dead inside. But you make me feel alive,” she whispered. “Help me to feel, Knox.” With a growl, he crushed his lips to hers, ravaging her mouth. He splayed his hands on her back, then guided her backward until her knees hit the edge of the bed. He gently lowered

her. He hovered over her with his eyes locked on hers, and Natalie couldn’t help but reach up and stroke his cheek while admiring the hard edges of his features. This man had risked his life for her. And if she knew anything about him, he would do it again. She could lose herself in his eyes that held so many secrets. How had this man lived his life for his eyes to become so afflicted? She would find out, but not now. It wasn’t time for talking. Now was for feeling. He leaned down to nibble behind her ear, sucking gently on the sensitive skin. She gasped, clutching at the sheets, and then closed her eyes to enjoy the new sensation. She was momentarily filled with disappointment when he moved away from that tender spot, but it quickly faded as his expert mouth found her breast once again and coaxed her nipple into a peak. His hands traveled lower along her skin past her navel to tug her jeans the rest of the way off her hips. As his fingertips grazed her flesh, goose bumps emerged. But why was she the only one unclothed? She wanted to feel his body, too. She yanked on his shirt, and he took her hint and pulled it over his head, tossing it on the floor. She spread her palms over the muscles of his chest, once again marveling at the hard lines and contours, the scars and marks. He lowered his mouth to hers and placed his hand flat on her lower abdomen, just inside the edges of her panties. She tensed immediately. No one had ever touched her there. Knox didn’t move his hand, instead letting her body acclimate to his touch. He knew just what she needed. Her body relaxed as he continued kissing her, and he slowly moved his hand lower and lower still until he’d reached her folds. When his fingertip caressed her clit, she arched her back as heat built inside her. “Oh, God.” “You said you wanted to feel,” Knox whispered in her ear. “Just wait.” While one finger continued to tease her clit, another stroked her opening. Natalie’s hips reacted, instinctively arching. Knox kissed the top of her breast, then her rib cage, then her belly. He pulled her panties down to her knees, and she bent them so he could pull the lacy fabric all the way off. “Spread your legs for me, baby.” She inhaled deeply before obeying. He lowered his mouth to her core, and the sensations overwhelmed her, sending fire to her extremities. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out. What Knox was doing to her felt oh so good. He took her higher, higher, higher to the point where she didn’t know if she could take any more, but she felt she would die if he stopped. Every muscle in her body tensed and she turned her head to the side, burying her face in the pillow. Then the fire inside her exploded, and she shattered, his name on her lips. Knox pulled the covers over Natalie’s naked body and held her, pressing a kiss to her temple. He’d thought there was no better feeling than having just defeated an opponent in the cage. He was wrong. Giving pleasure to Natalie was the best feeling in the world. Especially since he knew no

one else had done it before. She lay content, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted. His dick grew hard just looking at her. He ground his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to strip his pants off and drive into her, but now was not the time for several reasons. The most important being that he didn’t want to be her regret. Her stomach growled and a smile tugged at his lips. That was the more immediate reason. When was the last time they ate? She blushed. “Sorry. I guess I’m hungry.” As much as he hated to do it, he disentangled himself from her and retrieved his shirt from the floor. She pulled the covers up to her neck, her eyes wide. “Where are you going?” He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair away from her face with his fingers. “We need food. And a burner phone.” “I’ll go with you.” He shook his head. “You’ll be safer here. Keep the door locked. I’ll be back in half an hour.” She snaked her arm around his neck, pulling his lips to hers. “Hurry back.” He stood and put the two guns in the nightstand drawer, making sure she saw them. She paled a little, but nodded. He hoped it didn’t come to that, but no way in hell was he leaving her without a way to defend herself. He’d never relied on a gun for protection before—his fists were usually enough—but Natalie wouldn’t stand a chance against an intruder without a weapon. He hustled down the street to the convenience store to load up on food they could carry with them. Having to venture out of hiding for sustenance would be a stupid reason to put themselves in danger. For once luck was on his side as the store carried a meager selection of burner phones. He grabbed the cheapest model. “Such a nice day today, isn’t it?” the clerk said brightly as she rung up his purchases. Knox nodded, not wanting to make small talk, but she was relentless. “I hope the sun stays out long enough for me to take my dogs for a walk this evening. The poor things have been so cooped up since I’ve been pulling double shifts. Do you have dogs?” “No.” Christ, the woman wouldn’t shut up. “They’re great companions. Man’s best friend, you know? Or in this case, woman’s best friend.” She chuckled and handed him his bag. Knox took it and strode toward the exit. “Sir! Sir! Your receipt!” “Keep it,” he said over his shoulder and pushed his way out of the store. Fuck. He missed the south side, where people kept their heads down and their mouths shut. Knox stole away into the alley next to the burger joint that was across the street from the hotel, where he could keep an eye on the front entrance. He had to dial from memory since all his contacts were in his abandoned phone. It took him three tries to get the number right. “Tony, it’s Knox.” The background noise faded, signaling Tony must have walked away from the other guys. “Knox, what the fuck, man? Where are you? X has all his men looking for you. Did you really beat the shit out of him?” Knox ignored the questions. “Do you have any useful information?” “Ah, shit. Yeah. Some of X’s guys were hanging around talking about X going uptown to

meet with a guy named Kent. Something about a missing woman.” Fuck. Kent and X were bad enough when they were separate. He didn’t know what their meeting would mean for him and Natalie, but it couldn’t be good. Tony chuckled nervously. “You didn’t kidnap her, did you?” “Is that all?” “You should know there’s a price on your head.” “How much?” “Quarter mil.” Knox whistled softly. X must be really pissed that his heir apparent had turned on him. Fuck him. Knox had told him time and time again that he wanted nothing to do with X’s business dealings. Once upon a time, he would have been more than happy to take over X’s empire, back when he still looked up to X as a father figure. Those days were long gone. Damn. Now he’d really have to watch his back. Everyone on the south side would be looking to cash in on that reward. “Don’t tell anyone you spoke to me.” He trusted Tony, but Knox didn’t take it for granted he would keep his mouth shut. He wasn’t playing games with Natalie’s safety. “Of course not, man. Look, do you need money or something? I can help you out with that.” “I’m good on money. But I could use a car.” His request was greeted with silence. Not promising. “Do you know anyone? I can’t exactly walk into an auto dealership right now. It’s got to be unregistered.” Public transit was out of the question, but they couldn’t keep going on foot like this, either. They wouldn’t get very far. For the first time, he wished he’d gotten involved in some of X’s other dealings. Maybe then he’d know how to steal a car. He scrubbed a hand over his face. It was just as well. That would create its own set of problems. “Not offhand, but I can look into it.” “Do that.” Knox paused for a moment. “Please.” He hated involving Tony in this mess, but he had limited options. And if his instincts were right, Tony would be a valuable resource with the potential for insider information. “You got it.” “I owe you.” Natalie put her arms above her head and stretched, wincing at the pain in her ribs. It had felt better when it was numb from the ice, but the numbness had worn off while she was busy with Knox. Busy. She almost laughed out loud at her lame euphemism. She snuggled down in the sheets, allowing herself another moment to bask in the afterglow. It was crazy to think that when practically everything in her life was so wrong she could find something so right. Knox was an intense, complicated man, and their situation made him even more so. She looked forward to peeling back his layers and discovering the man underneath. Literally and figuratively.

The next time they had an interlude, Natalie wanted to take care of Knox like he’d taken care of her. She got out of bed to retrieve her clothing and get dressed. As much as she wanted to lie in bed and wait for Knox to return, she knew she needed to get dressed and be ready for action. If only she had a computer. Then she could try to figure out the best way for them to get out of town. Public transportation was out. Taking the bus would have been fine when no one was looking for her, but now her father would surely be monitoring them. Perhaps they could buy a secondhand car from someone who wouldn’t ask questions. But how would they find someone they could trust? And there would be the transfer of title to deal with. Well, if they bought it through legal channels anyway. She was still thinking like a law-abiding citizen, which she certainly wasn’t anymore. Not after . . . Don’t think about that. Still though, she needed to change her way of thinking. Following polite society rules wouldn’t get her out of this mess. She just wished there was something she could be doing right now, but without a computer or phone, she had no way to get information. She was stuck waiting for Knox. She resisted the urge to peek out the window to look for him and instead turned on the television to distract herself. Bad decision. The news station was still covering her story. Sighing, she settled in to watch. It was better to know what was being said about her so they wouldn’t make their next move blindly. This wasn’t the first time she wished she didn’t have such a public life. If she was just an ordinary middle-class woman, her story wouldn’t receive this much coverage. Of course, if she were an ordinary middle-class woman, she wouldn’t have had to run away in the first place. Most of it was a recap of the earlier broadcast, except with new sound bites from her woebegone father. Her fingers tightened on the remote and she narrowed her eyes at the screen. It wasn’t any more pleasant to watch his act the second time around. She was about to turn it off when a red banner flashed across the screen. BR EAKI N G N EW S! A toothy reporter took to the screen. “We have new information that Natalie Farrington Kent was abducted by this man, John Cowley, III.” Natalie sucked in a breath as Knox’s picture appeared. “Cowley may or may not be armed, but even without a weapon, he should be considered very dangerous. If you see this man, don’t attempt to apprehend him. Instead, call our crime hotline.” She jumped as the door opened and Knox stepped through, carrying several bags and bringing with him the aroma of greasy french fries. Clicking off the TV, she stood and faced him, ignoring her growling stomach. “Your name is John?”

Chapter 5

Knox set the bags of food on the table and put the security chain on the door, taking the moment while his back was to her to collect himself. No one had called him that name in over a decade. “Is your name John?” Natalie asked again. He turned and met her stare with one of his own. “I haven’t used it in a long time, but legally, yes.” Her expression softened and she ran her hands through her hair. “I think it’s time for you to explain a few things.” He didn’t like delving into his past. No one at the gym even knew much about it—just that he’d been with X for a long time. Yet he found himself inexplicably wanting to confide in Natalie. A rich girl from the north side was the last person he’d expect to understand, but considering how much she’d just gone through to escape her own past, she just might. Despite their differences, they had that in common at least. “You need to eat,” he said, handing her a bag of food from the burger joint. “I didn’t know what you’d like . . .” He trailed off as she shoved a handful of fries in her mouth. She closed her eyes and moaned. “Fries never tasted so good.” He closed his eyes briefly, the sound reminding him of earlier when she was writhing on the bed. He grew hard just thinking about it. “Sorry,” she said when she noticed him staring at her. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.” She unwrapped her burger and took a bite. “Who’s X?” “X is . . .” He stopped, trying to figure out how to explain him. Corrupt motherfucker worked, but that description didn’t provide the entire picture. Plus, that label was applicable to half the people in this town. “He runs an underground fighting ring, among other things. If there’s something shady going on, chances are X has a hand in it somewhere.” “Are you . . . were you his fighter?” Knox paused, not wanting to answer the question. He wouldn’t lie to her, but he was afraid of what she might think, of how she might look at him when she knew the truth. “Yeah,” he said finally, meeting her eyes. She used a napkin to wipe her mouth, her expression carefully neutral. “I didn’t realize exactly what I was getting into,” he said. He’d never felt the need to explain himself to anyone, but he wanted Natalie to understand. “I was fourteen when I met X. I’d just gotten kicked out of my foster home, and X took me in.” Knox had been covered in cuts and bruises from various fights with classmates and neighborhood kids who’d already dropped out of school. X cleaned him up and told him that when he was through with him, Knox would be the one leaving scars. X had been true to his word. And Knox had adored him for it. He’d felt powerless his whole life, and X had empowered him, given him purpose. A future.

Or so he’d thought at the time. Natalie ran her fingertips down Knox’s chest, tracing the X pattern over his shirt. “Is the X on your chest for him?” He could feel the ink on his chest as acutely as if it were burning him. “I got it when I was fifteen.” He didn’t regret the mark that signified his bond to X. Once he learned the truth about him, it served as motivation to never forget. To never let his guard down again. “And your parents? What about them?” Knox hadn’t thought about his bastard of a father for years. His mother, though, he thought of her frequently. She’d still be alive if it weren’t for him. “They’re dead,” he said bluntly, with enough finality to signal the topic wasn’t open to further discussion. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, reaching out to touch his arm. “My mother passed when I was young. Car accident.” Compassion and understanding showed in her eyes, and he looked away, overwhelmed by feelings that were long out of use, that he thought were broken inside him. He cleared his throat, wanting to keep the conversation moving. “X’s stable of fighters grew, and eventually he expanded his business into other areas, but I was never involved in that. Well, mostly. By the time I realized what a cocksucker X was, I was stuck.” She laughed bitterly. “I know all too well about being stuck. What finally made you leave?” “He wanted me to throw a fight. So I . . . left.” “I assume it wasn’t on good terms.” He shrugged. “You might say that.” Things had looked good from where he had stood—over X’s limp body. His only regret was not kicking his ass years ago. “And that’s why his men are after you.” “I suppose,” Knox allowed. “No one’s ever left before.” At least, not against X’s wishes. Sometimes Knox thought it would be easier to be a crappy fighter. Then X would’ve cut him loose long ago. Then again, fighting was the only thing he’d ever been good at. Natalie nodded and balled up her burger wrapper, then tossed it in the trash can. “Anything else I should know?” “There’s a price on my head.” “So every thug in the city is looking for you.” Worry was threaded through her voice. He flexed and released his fists. “Probably. It’s definitely enough to tempt some to seek me out.” He was worried that someone would try to take him out and claim the money. And certain individuals would think nothing of shooting through Natalie to get to him. His gaze shifted to her delicate features, igniting a fiery resolve inside him. That would not happen. He’d put this target on himself, and he would not let her take the fall for it. “I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but . . .” Natalie grimaced, then filled him in on what she’d learned from the recent broadcast. Her shoulders slumped as she spoke, and Knox wrapped his arm around her, pressing his cheek to her hair and inhaling her scent.

“That was quick, but I’m not all that surprised. I spoke to one of my contacts,” Knox said. “X had a meeting with your father.” She frowned, turning to look at him. “My father never mentioned him, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t know each other. I don’t know what to believe about my father anymore. I used to think there was a line he wouldn’t cross, but after he sent those men after me . . . I just don’t know.” Knox pressed his lips to her forehead. “Well, they certainly know each other now.” “What are we going to do?” She looked up at him with her trusting big blue eyes. Knox stared at her grimly. It pained him that he didn’t have an answer to her question. When he’d been beating the shit out of X, he’d been living in the moment. He hadn’t thought ahead, and there was no way he could have anticipated his current predicament. Never in a million years had he pictured someone like Natalie walking into his life. “Look at us—two fugitives on the run.” She attempted a feeble smile. “So I guess we might as well stick together, huh?” “That was never in question.” His eyes locked on hers. “I’ll keep you safe.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her chin and he ran his thumb over her lips. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. Damn, she set him on fire, and she had no fucking clue how sexy she was. “I don’t want you going anywhere without me,” Knox said fiercely. “You’re mine to protect. I will defend you with everything I have.” He pulled her to him, feeling the rise and fall of her breasts against his chest. He touched his lips to hers, tasting her, letting his tongue explore her mouth. A purring sound emanated in her throat, and his dick hardened. I will protect her. Until he was sure she was safe, he wouldn’t be separated from her unless it was over his dead body. And even after she was safe . . . he’d deal with that part later. Natalie deserved more than a fuck-up like him. A sharp knock at the door had Knox pulling away and putting his body in front of Natalie’s. “It’s probably just housekeeping,” Natalie whispered hopefully. Another knock at the door sounded, this one more insistent. “Police! Open up!” Natalie clutched Knox’s arms. “Shit. That’s the only door.” “Window,” he said. He quickly ripped the lamp’s plug out of the wall and wrapped a towel around its base. Then he used it to smash the glass pane. “Police! We’re coming in!” The knocking at the door turned into banging as they worked at breaking the door down. Natalie already had her backpack on and held Knox’s bag. He grabbed it from her and tossed it out the window. He laced his fingers together to boost her up. “Go.” She stepped into his hands and shimmied through the window, inhaling sharply as a shard of glass caught her arm. The banging at the door rattled the hinges on the door frame. The police were almost through. As soon as Natalie’s feet were through the window, Knox pulled himself up just as two

uniformed police officers burst into the room. They pointed their guns at him. “Freeze!” With one final glance at the black metal of the guns, Knox slid out the window to the alley below. He took his bag from Natalie and grabbed her hand, cursing at the wet blood on her palm. “Run!” They took off at a sprint down the back alley, and Knox tipped over a few trash cans along the way to make it harder for the cops to follow them. The first one had made it through the window. “Stop or I’ll shoot!” The officer’s voice was shaky and a glance back at him told Knox he was a rookie. Luck was finally on their side. Despite the officer’s warning, he wasn’t likely to deploy his weapon. They turned the corner, and Knox took them down another alley to a side street, stopping at a boarded-up basement-level storefront. They quickly descended the half-flight of cracked concrete stairs. There was just enough room for him to fit his fingers under the board and pull it up. He kicked at the rusty lock several times, and when it broke free, Natalie yanked it off the hasp and pulled the door open. Knox followed her in and replaced the board from the inside as best he could. A close inspection would reveal it had been tampered with, but they’d have to take their chances. Just seconds after the door was closed behind them, the thud-thud-thud of the officers’ boots slapped on the sidewalk just outside the window at their shoulder level. Natalie breathed heavily, holding her arm that was streaked with blood. Knox took a second to catch his breath, then unzipped his bag to retrieve his first-aid kit. The sight of the officers’ boots outside the window made him pause. There was static and a muffled voice from a radio. “Yes, sir,” the officer responded. “We’ll canvass the area. Someone had to have seen them.” The officers took off on foot and Knox breathed a little easier. Until he inspected Natalie’s arm. Goddammit. The gash there was about three inches long and looked deep. He turned her hand and found a shard of glass in her palm. He pulled it out and she winced, tears filling her eyes. He wrapped his arm around her neck and put his lips to her forehead, hating himself for causing her pain. “Sorry,” she said. “I should have been more careful.” “It’s not your fault.” He wanted to say it was his fault, that he should have made a cleaner break of the window, but that was impossible. They were in an impossibly fucked-up situation, barely staying one step ahead of their assailants. All three groups of them. It was bad enough when they just had Kent’s men and X’s men after them. Now the goddamn police were their enemy, too. “How did they find us?” Natalie asked. “We’ve been so careful.” Knox thought about the chatty clerk at the convenience store. Or hell, the employees and other patrons at the burger joint. Maybe even the hotel clerk. Now that their pictures were plastered all over the media, neither one of them could safely show their face in any part of town. “Oh, shit.” Natalie paled and covered her face with her hand. “What?”

“The guns. They’re still in the drawer at the hotel. I didn’t get them.” Fuck. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from punching a hole in something. They needed those weapons. They’d been on the wrong end of several guns lately, and it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out. Shit, it already had. Knox’s shoulder dully ached from where the bullet had grazed yesterday. It felt like a lifetime had passed since them. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he propped it on his shoulder while he continued to tend to Natalie’s wounds. “Knox, man, did you kill someone?” “No.” “Everyone’s saying you blew some guy’s head off. A bodyguard.” Shit. With everything else, Knox had forgotten all about the guard Natalie had killed. But it was better that they were pinning that on him. If shit went south, he didn’t want her taking the rap for that. It should have been him making that kill. “I didn’t kill anyone,” he said, and Natalie paled, no doubt also remembering the guard. “Do you have anything for me?” “I found a guy who can get you a car, but probably not for a few days.” “Shit, Tony. I can’t wait that long.” “Sorry, man.” Tony’s remorseful tone told him the words weren’t just lip service. “Is there anything else I can do?” “I could use a gun.” “Fuck, Knox, that’s more trouble than a damn car.” Tony sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.” Knox disconnected and ground his teeth. He hated having to rely on someone else for this shit. He liked taking care of things himself, but all of his contacts were connected to X, making them worthless. Knox pocketed the phone and paced the length of the room. It was an abandoned barbershop, with one remaining chair and gaping holes in the floor where two other chairs used to be. It looked vaguely familiar. Perhaps in another life he had gotten a haircut here. He continued to pace, trying to come up with a semi-permanent place they could hide while they figured out what to do. He had nothing. Things had gone from bad to worse in a fucking hurry. “Fuck!” He punched the aging drywall, leaving a fist-sized hole. Natalie approached him apprehensively, wrapping her arms around his slumped shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Knox. I didn’t mean to drag you into this.” He turned and wrapped his arms around her, immediately feeling calmer. “None of this is your fault.” He needed to keep himself in check. Losing his cool wouldn’t do them any favors. “We can’t stay here,” he said. “The cops will find us eventually. But I’m out of ideas.” That was probably for the best. His previous ideas hadn’t worked out. They’d been run out of the last two places he’d found for them. Natalie furrowed her brow, then her eyes widened and a smile erupted on her face. “I might know a place.”

Natalie hadn’t seen Amelia North since her mother’s funeral. Her father had never approved of Amelia and Natalie’s mother’s friendship, and in turn, Amelia hadn’t approved of Anna Farrington marrying Gerald Kent. Amelia was one of the few people who saw through her father’s smooth veneer, which was why Natalie hoped they could trust her now. It took them several hours of weaving through the city to make it to the gates of Amelia’s estate on the far north side of town. As they hid across the street to scope out the premises, guilt snuck up on Natalie. They were bringing peril to Amelia’s doorstep. Though she didn’t think they’d been followed or seen, X’s men would probably consider Amelia collateral damage. An acceptable loss. She didn’t know about her father’s men. She knew a lot of the guards, and she’d hate to think they’d kill an innocent woman . . . hell, she hated to think they’d kill anyone, but that wasn’t something she could rely on anymore. “There’s a camera.” Knox pointed to the corner of the gate. Natalie nodded. She’d already spotted it. The setup here was similar to the one at her house, so she shouldn’t have much trouble disabling it. There were probably cameras in the trees in the yard, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that. Nor would she be able to disable any possible motion sensors from outside. Natalie’s gaze traveled the length of the wrought-iron fence. She pointed to the far right corner where a barely visible wire went into the ground. “There,” she said, pointing. “That’s where I can disable the gate alarm.” Knox shook his head. “That’s out in the open. You’ll be too exposed.” “It’s the only way. If we don’t disable that alarm, then the minute we open those gates, a call will go out to the police.” “Will she let us in if we ring the buzzer?” Knox asked. “Probably. But more than likely a guard or a servant will answer. And if they’ve been watching the news . . .” Natalie trailed off. Knox cursed and crossed his arms. “This woman is a friend of the family, right?” “Sort of. She was my mother’s best friend before my parents got married. My father hates her, and the feeling is mutual.” “Would he suspect that you would come here?” “I don’t think so.” Natalie’s tone was confident, but honestly, she wasn’t so sure. When she was a very young girl, she’d spent long afternoons with her mother and Amelia having “girl time.” They’d end with dinner at a fancy restaurant, where her mother would always order her a Shirley Temple while the older women drank cocktails. She’d felt so grown up sipping her fizzy pink-tinged drink and swinging her feet that didn’t even touch the floor. Her memories of those times were hazy, but they were always filled with smiles and laughter. The older she got, the fewer and further between those dinners became. And the less her mother smiled and laughed. At the time she didn’t understand why they no longer visited with Aunt Amelia who always gave her Blow Pops, the kind with the gum in the middle that she wasn’t normally allowed to have. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she realized the hold her father had had over her mother. To appease her husband, her mother had forsaken her friendship with Amelia, one of the few people her father couldn’t manipulate. Amelia had always been an uncanny judge of character. Perhaps that’s why she’d become

a recluse in recent years. Now, Natalie was counting on her father’s prejudice blinding him to Amelia being their potential ally. Knox scanned their surroundings, and then gave a satisfied nod. “Okay. Go.” Natalie grabbed her wire cutters out of her backpack, then walked swiftly down the street, keeping her head down. Knox was right behind her. When she got to the correct place in the fence, she crouched down, then cursed. “I don’t know if this is it.” “What do you mean?” “I think this wire is old, which means her system might be wireless. Shit. I didn’t even think of that.” Her heart sunk. She’d gotten cocky, thinking she’d be able to get through this security system as easily as she’d escaped her own. But she’d neglected to take into account that not all security systems were hardwired like the ones at her house. “So you can’t turn off the alarm?” Knox asked, his hands on his hips. She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” “What about the cameras?” “Now those I can take care of, but I’ll need a boost so I can reach them.” “Don’t you think that will be a little suspicious?” She sighed. “Yes. I don’t know what else to do, though.” “Let’s continue around the property and see if we can find another way in that won’t automatically trip an alarm.” They continued along the length of the fence. The wrought iron continued along the street, but everywhere else was solid stone with no gates. There was one way in and one way out. It was a fortress. Natalie wondered if Amelia was simply overly paranoid, or if she had a reason to need so much security. She shrugged helplessly. “Should we take our chances and ring the buzzer?” Knox shook his head. “There was a tree around the back. Can you climb it?” She gulped and nodded. Her ribs were screaming at her and her arm had already started bleeding again under her bandage. But if that was the only way in, then she would put on a brave face and get it done. They returned to the tree in question, and Knox studied it. “I’ll go first to make sure it can hold the weight. When I get to the top, you follow my path, okay?” Natalie nodded, and Knox strapped his bag to his back before beginning his ascent. He scaled the branches easily. His climb could also be considered graceful, Natalie noted with surprise. She wouldn’t have expected that from someone with his bulk. Although Knox had done nothing but surprise her since they’d met. If she had seen him in her former life, as she’d come to think of it, she would have thought he was nothing but a common street thug. And she would’ve been dead wrong. At the top of the stone wall, he motioned for her to start climbing. She said a quick prayer and reached for the first branch. Even as a child, she’d never climbed a tree, but there was a first time for everything. She was experiencing a lot of firsts lately. Her insides tingled with the memory of this

morning in the hotel room, and she closed her eyes. Focus, Natalie, or you’ll fall out of the damn tree. She made it to the top, though it took her twice as long, and Knox helped her onto the wall before jumping down. He reached up to help her, his hands around her waist to steady her. “Whew.” She smiled. “We made it.” “I thought you said you could climb.” “I did,” she said sheepishly, “but that doesn’t mean I’ve done it before.” His hands lingered on her waist, and she instinctively stepped closer, tilting her face up. His lips grazed hers, and the tingles in her body returned. They were in the middle of breaking and entering—sort of—and he still affected her this way. And though it seemed backward, for the first time she felt like she had her priorities straight. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. A low growling sound came from behind Knox. He pulled his mouth away from hers and turned his head. Natalie gasped and stiffened, fear spreading throughout her body. Oh, no. Two huge Dobermans had their ears pinned back and their teeth bared. And they were staring right at them.

Chapter 6

Knox shifted so that Natalie was behind him, his adrenaline pumping. He’d fought many types of men before, but he’d never fought an angry Doberman. Times two. The dogs stood about ten feet away, crouched and ready to attack at any moment. He took a step back, pushing Natalie, but there was nowhere to run. Their backs were against the wall, literally. His regret at not having a gun doubled as the dogs took several slow, controlled steps. “Can you reach the top of the wall?” he asked. “No. It’s too high.” Fuck. He’d have to keep both of the dogs occupied long enough for her to run away. There was no way he was getting out of this with all his skin intact. But she would if he had anything to do with it. “If they attack, you run. I’ll keep them busy.” He heard the swish of her hair as she nodded mutely. He still didn’t trust that she’d follow instructions, though. “I’m serious this time, Natalie. Run.” Suddenly, the dogs’ ears shot straight up, like they were listening to something. Then they did an about-face and ran off. What the fuck? Knox frowned, keeping Natalie safely behind him. Moments later, a handsome woman with gray-streaked light brown hair came into view as she walked across the lawn, the dogs trailing behind her like they were ducklings and she was the fucking mother duck. Behind him, Natalie let out an audible sigh of relief. This must be Amelia. “I was wondering if you’d show up here,” Amelia said, stopping a few feet in front of them and putting her hands on her hips. The dogs sat to either side of her, their tongues lolling out of their mouths, as if they hadn’t been in attack mode just seconds earlier. They looked almost friendly. Knox narrowed his eyes at them. The woman chuckled. “Bambi and Lula won’t hurt you.” Amelia looked Natalie up and down, inspecting her. “You look like your mother. Luckily, you have more sense than she did. Although it took you long enough to leave that godforsaken man. And you . . .” She turned her sharp gaze toward Knox. “You don’t trust me, do you?” This woman was throwing him for a loop. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met. “I don’t know you,” Knox replied evenly. “Good. You’re right not to trust me. You can’t trust any of the blue bloods in this town. Come on.” Amelia gestured for them to follow and turned to walk toward the house. “Let’s go inside.” The dogs pranced after her, their black little nubs wagging.

Knox put his hand on the small of Natalie’s back, wanting to keep her close. They followed Amelia into a side entrance of the grand house, which took them through a mudroom and then into an enormous kitchen outfitted in outdated industrial appliances. The room was bigger than Knox’s whole damn apartment. So this was how the other side lived. With a start, he realized that included Natalie. Her house was probably even grander than this one. “I don’t cook,” Amelia said, “and I don’t believe in servants, but I can put a pizza in the oven for you. I usually just eat frozen meals.” “Thank you,” Natalie said. “That’s very kind.” “So there’s no one else on the property?” Knox asked. He found that hard to believe. “Just me and the pooches.” He met Amelia’s eyes, studying her. “You said I was right not to trust you. So why should we stay?” “Knox . . .” Natalie started, a warning in her tone. “No, it’s all right. You’ve found yourself a good partner here. He’d take a bullet for you, I can tell.” Amelia gestured between the two of them. They exchanged a look. “Or have you already?” Amelia asked with raised brows. “Let me put it to you this way: I take care of my own business. I’m not about to call the cops on you. I said Bambi and Lula won’t hurt you. I didn’t say they couldn’t. Now do you prefer cheese or pepperoni?” She turned the knob on the oven to preheat it. Knox crossed his arms over his chest, not ready to let down his guard. But damn if he didn’t like this woman. She didn’t take any shit, and she called them like she saw them. He didn’t trust easily, but his gut said they could trust her. Though, after the last twenty-four hours, he was starting to doubt his gut. It seemed every move they took was a wrong one that put them in more danger. Although Natalie was the one who’d suggested they come here, so perhaps it really would be okay. At this point, they were out of options. They sat at a scarred wooden kitchen table, and Amelia placed tall glasses of water in front of them. “So tell me what you’ve been up to,” Amelia said. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard on the news,” Natalie began. “Oh, quite a bit. You two are the hot topic. But you can’t trust what the media says in this town.” “Who can you trust in this town?” Knox asked. Amelia smiled. “Now you’re getting it. It doesn’t look to me like this is an abduction.” She looked back and forth between him and Natalie with a knowing look, leaving Knox to wonder if the heat and electricity in the air between them was palpable. He leaned closer to Natalie and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. Natalie leaned into Knox and smiled tightly. “The only person who’s ever kept me prisoner is my father.” “And now you’ve broken free of that prison,” Amelia commented. “Yes, but nothing went according to plan.” “Things rarely do,” Amelia said, getting up to put the pizza in the oven. “Things rarely do.”

It was such a relief to sit around the table eating dinner with a friendly face, someone they didn’t have to worry would turn them in to the cops, her father, or X. As soon as Amelia started talking, Natalie knew they’d made the right decision in coming here. Natalie was so stupid. If she’d thought of Amelia when she was planning her escape, she might have been able to avoid all this. But she hadn’t considered reaching out to anyone for help. She’d wanted to do it on her own because she’d never done anything on her own before. As she looked over at Knox, though, she realized that depending on someone else didn’t have to be a weakness. With the right person, it could be a strength. She reached for his hand under the table and squeezed. “What was your plan?” Amelia asked. “I have a great-aunt in Florida. That’s where I was going.” “It’s probably a good thing you didn’t make it,” Amelia replied. “Your father would have looked there.” “Will he look for us here?” Alarm filled Natalie, not only for her and Knox, but for Amelia. The last thing she wanted to do was drag the other woman into this. “He knows better than to mess with me,” Amelia reassured her. “Besides, what’s he going to do? I knew the minute you two were outside my gate, and I’ll know if he sends anyone here. As long as you stay inside, you should be safe.” “Thank you,” Natalie said. “I . . . we can’t thank you enough. As soon as we figure out a plan, we’ll head out. I don’t want to put you at risk.” “That’s nonsense. You didn’t do anything wrong. You can stay as long as you need to.” Guilt stabbed at Natalie’s gut. She wasn’t the innocent that Amelia seemed to think she was. She’d killed a man. In self-defense, logic screamed at her. That was true, but she was still a murderer. Don’t think about that now. “Okay, so Florida,” Amelia said. “Then what?” “Just lay low until I turn thirty and can claim my inheritance.” Amelia’s lips pursed. “That damn clause. Your mother never should have let those bloodsucking lawyers put that in there.” “Clause?” Knox asked, the confusion evident on his face. “I can’t touch the Farrington fortune until I turn thirty. Then it becomes mine.” “What happens to it if you die?” Natalie blinked. “I guess it would go to my father.” The three of them exchanged uneasy looks. Natalie wondered if they were thinking the same thing she was: if that were true, why hadn’t her father had her killed before now? She couldn’t believe she was thinking this way. Her father was not the nicest person in the world, but he was still her father. Yet, if the past twenty-four hours were any indication, he cared about her even less than she’d thought. It was disheartening, soul-crushing. She’d always known her father had very little love for her, but to have it confirmed so brutally . . . She would have to process all of that later. She couldn’t afford to get emotional right now. “Maybe . . .” Amelia tapped her chin. “Do you have a copy of that paperwork?” Natalie shook her head. “I’ve never needed to look at it before. But now I’m thinking I might want to.”

“Can you get it?” Knox asked. Natalie frowned. “Not easily. But maybe. Probably.” Her father had grown up poor with no computer at home, and he’d never fully gotten comfortable with the technology that came naturally to her. For a while, she’d handled all of his “electronic” affairs. She realized now that it was another of his control tactics—it gave her something to do in the prison that was her home. Eventually, though, he cut her off and handed the job over to a paid assistant. By that point, she didn’t care. The fewer interactions she had with her father, the better. But her technological curiosity had already been piqued, and she continued honing her skills. And now something that her father had originally used to shackle her to the house was going to help with his undoing. “We have all of our important documents stored electronically. I’d have to figure out how to route the IP address so they won’t know where I’m accessing it from. Otherwise, it’ll be like pointing a red arrow right at us.” At Amelia’s and Knox’s blanks stares, she explained, “I have to figure out how to hide the location of the computer I’m using to access the document. And I’ll need to cover my tracks so he won’t know I have it.” “You can use my laptop,” Amelia offered. “We can’t let my father get away with this.” The more she thought about it, the angrier Natalie became until the fury lapped at her insides. “The Farringtons were good, kind people, and their legacy shouldn’t go to that bloodthirsty man. We need to expose him for what he truly is.” She looked to Knox for confirmation that he’d continue to help her. “Agreed,” he said, his expression intensely fierce. “Thank the lord,” Amelia exclaimed. “I hate to say it because you’re his daughter, but Gerald Kent is a curse on the Farrington family. I’ll applaud you when you put him back in his rightful place.” Natalie nodded, committed. She just hoped she’d feel the same when it was done. When Knox awoke to find the space beside him empty, panic squeezed at his heart. He jumped out of bed before remembering where he was and that they were safe for the moment. Safe. What a joke. They hadn’t been safe since this started and wouldn’t be until they somehow rid themselves of Kent and X for good. Even then, there was the small matter of the police and the dead guard. And who knows how much more blood would be shed before it was all over? Knox threw on his clothes and walked down to the kitchen, making a wrong turn before finding his way. Christ, this house was fucking ridiculous. He was completely out of place in these posh surroundings. Natalie, on the other hand, seemed right at home. Amelia was stirring her coffee when Knox walked in. “Where’s Natalie?” “Good morning to you, too,” Amelia said dryly. Knox narrowed his eyes at her, then spun on his heel to find Natalie. He wouldn’t be at ease until he’d laid eyes on her. “Relax, hotshot. She’s on the computer in the other room.”

He walked down the hallway and peered through the crack in the door to see Natalie stretched out on a couch with a laptop in her lap and a frown on her face. One of the dogs lay stretched out on the floor beside her. A quick scan of the room told him all the blinds were drawn, making her secure from anyone looking in. He watched her for a moment more, wishing there was something he could do to help her, but he knew nothing about what she was trying to do. It left him sitting with his thumb up his ass. He hated feeling useless. He returned to the kitchen to find Amelia sitting at the table. “She’s exactly where I said she was, right?” Knox grunted and poured some coffee into a mug that was sitting on the counter. “Thanks,” he said grudgingly. “Anything for Anna’s girl,” Amelia said. “I only wish she’d come to me sooner. She had everyone fooled, though. For appearance’s sake, she was Gerald’s perfect little pet. Glad to see it was all an act.” “I’d love to wrap my hands around that man’s neck,” Knox growled. The dog sitting beside her came to attention, eyeing him, but Amelia absentmindedly patted it on its head and it settled down. Amelia shrugged, not intimidated by Knox. He hated to admit it, but that made his respect for the woman go up a notch. “You’re one of the few,” she said. “Gerald can be very charming and he certainly knows how to work a crowd. Those in themselves aren’t bad traits. It’s the motive behind them that matters.” Knox said nothing and sipped his coffee. “Gerald even fooled me at first.” Amelia ran her finger along the top rim of her mug as she gazed into it. “Anna met him right out of high school when she was going through her rebellious phase. Lucky for me, I went through mine early. Smoked a cigarette at age thirteen and spent the next hour puking my guts out. My rebellions became a little tamer after that.” Amelia laughed. When Knox was thirteen, he’d smoke or drink whatever he could get his hands on. Being a poor foster kid, though, meant that wasn’t much. Soon he found himself getting into fights almost every day—during school, after school, it didn’t matter. The chip on his shoulder was the size of a boulder. It was the fighting that attracted X to Knox in the first place. But for him, fighting wasn’t a way of rebelling. It was just life. “Is Kent from the north side?” Knox asked. He wanted to learn more about the man who had become his enemy. “Heavens, no.” Amelia shook her head emphatically. “Anna met him at a bar she’d started going to with her fake ID. She was only nineteen and she must have stood out . . . well, like a north-sider in a south-side bar. She’d asked me to go with her, but I was dating Peter at the time. God rest his soul. So I don’t know a whole lot about the beginning of their relationship. By the time she brought him around to meet me, he’d already ensnared her. Anna adored that man, and nothing I said could change her mind. Her parents weren’t wild about him initially, simply because he was from the wrong side of town, but he won them over eventually. They got engaged around the time my Peter died. I should have tried to stop her,

but I was too consumed by my own grief.” “I’m sorry for your loss.” Amelia waved her hand dismissively. “It was a long time ago. Cancer is a bitch, though, let me tell you. By the way, help yourself to whatever you can find in the pantry. I’m not much of a breakfast person, but there might be something. You know,” Amelia paused to take a sip of coffee, “I think I like you. You don’t have to return the favor, but I like you all the same. You’re a breath of fresh air.” Knox blinked. He’d been called many things, but never that. “I’m sick to death of society people. I stopped attending events years ago. My grandmother is probably rolling over in her grave now that there’s no longer a North woman on the board of the Gardening Society.” Knox didn’t know what to say, so he did the sensible thing and stayed silent. “And just so you know, I did my research. I know who you are, and I know all about you. This isn’t the first time your story’s been in the papers.” She tapped her finger on the local newspaper sitting in front of her, which indeed had pictures of him and Natalie on the front page. He clenched his jaw, but still said nothing. So this woman knew about his past. Like she’d said, it was public information. And he wasn’t a victim anymore. Never would be again. He’d made sure he knew how to protect himself and what belonged to him. Like Natalie. “Don’t worry,” Amelia said. “I won’t tell her. But you had to believe I was going to do my due diligence on you. Now that that’s out in the open, tell me how I can help you.” Knox didn’t understand this woman. One minute, she was telling him she’d dug into his past because she didn’t trust him, and the next minute she was asking how to help. He didn’t understand her, but he appreciated her brutal honesty. She didn’t play games and meant what she said. Maybe he’d like more people if they were more like her. “We need guns.” “I have several, and you’re more than welcome to file off the serial numbers.” She frowned. “Except I’m not sure that I have a tool that can do that. You can see what’s in the shed.” He shook his head. “We’re not taking yours.” Filing off the serial numbers would probably be enough to keep Amelia’s association with them under wraps, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He didn’t want to cause her any trouble. Also, Natalie had just reconnected with her and Knox didn’t want to jeopardize that. She hadn’t said as much, but he knew it meant a lot to Natalie to connect with this small piece of her mother. “Sadly, I don’t have any connections to the black market gun trade.” Her tone was facetious, but Knox suspected there was some truth to her words. “It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Knox said with a thin smile. Amelia’s lips stretched upward. “No, it doesn’t.” She clinked her mug against his. “Cheers.” Natalie accepted her third cup of coffee of the morning from Knox with a grateful smile. “Thanks. You were still sleeping when I got up, and I didn’t want to wake you.” Knox had earned the extra rest.

She should’ve slept better last night than the previous night, but her thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone. Last night, she’d more or less vowed to ruin her father. He deserved it. Still, he was her father, her flesh and blood. The only family she had left, unless she counted her estranged great-aunt in Florida whom she hadn’t seen in at least a decade. She’d spent all of her adult life serving on the boards of various charitable organizations. Her sole purpose had been to help other people. Going for revenge wasn’t like her. Of course, maybe if she’d developed more of a devious streak earlier in life she wouldn’t have spent so many years—wasted years—under her father’s thumb. And was it really revenge if it was justified? “Getting any closer?” Knox asked. She turned back to the laptop. “I think so. I know a little about hacking, but you know what they say—a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Of course, it helps that I already know all the passwords. I just want to make sure I can get in undetected in case he decides to check.” Knox sipped his coffee. “Amelia has several handguns, but I don’t want anything getting traced back to her.” “I agree,” Natalie said, grateful that Knox was taking Amelia’s safety as seriously as their own. “She’s already risking so much by letting us stay here.” “Yes. We should move soon.” Bambi—or was it Lula?—rubbed her muzzle against Knox’s thigh, and he absentmindedly scratched her behind the ears. Natalie just shook her head. Nothing surprised her anymore. She turned back to the computer and scrolled down. After reading a few lines, she sat up straight. “This is it. It’s so easy. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this.” “You can get the documents?” She nodded. “All I have to do is delete the access file logs when I’m done. It’ll only be on record that I’ve accessed the files for the five minutes it takes for me to download them. The odds of someone happening to check the logs in those five minutes are slim to none.” She moved the laptop to the coffee table and leaned over it, pounding away at the keys. Now that the documents were within her grasp, she could hardly wait to get her virtual hands on them. For as smart as she was, she felt really freaking stupid, because she had been stupid. Why had she never read these documents? Sure, the family lawyer had explained everything to her, but he was hired by her father. Could she really trust anything she had been told? She felt like she was finally waking up from the fog she’d been living in. And she had so many questions. “There it is.” She clicked on the folder that held all of the Farrington trust and inheritance documents. There were hundreds of folders in the database—decades’ worth of titles and deeds and trusts and miscellanea. If she hadn’t known where to look, it would have taken her hours to find it. “Come on, come on,” she muttered, urging the file to download faster. Then it would only be a matter of deleting the access record. Right before she set about to do that, another folder caught her attention. SW EETPEA FI LES.

Sweetpea. That was the name of her mother’s favorite cat, the cat that mysteriously went

missing shortly after she died. Why would her mother include pet veterinary records in their database of important documents? She clicked on the folder, and it prompted her for a password. She entered the usual one and was denied access. “Huh.” She bit her lip. “What?” Knox sat beside her. “There’s a folder here that was my mother’s. It shouldn’t be here, and it’s password protected.” She entered in a few different tries, like her birthday, her mother’s favorite song, everything she could think of. She sat back on the couch, thinking and running her pendant along the silver chain on her neck. She gasped and typed quickly. AC C ESS G R AN TED.

She laughed, wiping at the tears that filled her eyes and bringing her moon-shaped pendant to her lips. “I love you to the moon and back,” she whispered. “Thanks, Mom.” The folder contained several files, but most importantly, a newer version of the Farrington trust papers. It was dated a week before her mother died. Natalie’s blood chilled. What else was in this database? She scrolled through the folders, looking for anything unusual or out of place. Of course, a smart person hides things in plain sight, like her mother did with the Sweetpea folder. Even if her father ventured into the database, he wasn’t imaginative enough to think the folder would contain anything other than pet records. She did a search for hidden folders and came up empty. A nagging feeling in her gut told her she was missing something, but it was eluding her. With a sigh, she wiped the access log files and closed the Internet browser. Her hand shook as she directed the mouse to the Sweetpea file folder. Whatever was in those files could change everything. Knox put his arm around her and kissed her temple, and she leaned in to him for a moment, closing her eyes and soaking up the strength that his nearness brought her. When she opened them, her hand no longer shook. She clicked on the first document.

Chapter 7

Natalie scrolled through the document while Knox peered over her shoulder. “What is it?” he asked. “The terms of the trust. Most of it is legal jargon.” Natalie quickly scanned it, running her finger along the screen. “Here. This is the important part.” She read over it, working through the confusing legal language. She blinked, then re-read, making sure she’d gotten that last part right. Then she sat back and looked at Knox. “It looks like my trust is managed by a board of trustees.” She’d never heard anything about a board before, not in all those boring meetings with the family lawyer that she’d attended with her father. Wouldn’t it have come up at some point? Then again, she’d never been a valued member at those meetings, her father and the lawyer talking over her. “What does that mean?” Knox asked. Natalie shrugged. “I need to keep reading.” As she continued to read, Amelia came in and sat in the armchair across from her. One of the dogs trailed behind her and lay at her feet. “It doesn’t say who is on the board, though.” Natalie sighed. A list of board members right there in the document would be too easy. What good was it knowing about the board if they didn’t know who was on it? “What board?” Amelia asked. “The board that manages the Farrington trust. Why would my mother set this up? Why wouldn’t she just manage it herself?” It made no sense. Her mother wasn’t a lazy woman, someone who would pass her responsibilities off to someone else. She’d always been very active in the family’s business affairs. In fact, it wasn’t until she died that her father started playing a large role. And this document was signed a week before her death. She couldn’t have known . . . or could she? Natalie paled. “It’s like my mother knew she was going to die.” “You said she died in a car accident, right?” Knox asked. Natalie nodded and scrolled a little farther in the document. “The board only takes effect in the event of her death . . .” She trailed off as waves of nausea hit. “There’s no way she could have known. It was an accident.” She rose and paced while Knox and Amelia looked on. “It was signed a week before she died. That has to be a coincidence, right? Right?” She knew she was getting a little hysterical, but she looked at Knox and Amelia, silently pleading for them to agree with her. When neither did, she sank onto the couch beside Knox and put her head in her hands. How could she have known? Was it somehow suicide? No, her mother never would have

abandoned her like that. Anna Farrington didn’t have a selfish bone in her body. And she hadn’t been depressed. Looking back, Natalie realized she was unhappy, but surely she would have noticed if her mother was on the brink of suicide. That just wasn’t possible. Which left only one other option. She felt the bile rise in her throat just thinking about it. It was too horrible to be true. “Did you know about the board?” Amelia asked. Natalie picked her head up and shook it. “The lawyer didn’t say anything about it, so either he didn’t know about it, or he lied to me. I don’t know which.” “What are the terms of the original trust? The one the lawyer told you about.” “I have it here,” Natalie said, “but from what I recall, the basics are that I get an allowance every month, which is managed by my father. When I turn thirty, I inherit the full trust.” “Is that all?” Knox asked. Natalie pulled the computer closer. She wondered what else she hadn’t been told. “I think I better read the original document.” With the exception of the grandfather clock ticking away in the corner, the room was silent while she read. “Okay, originally, my mother had sole control of the Farrington fortune. When I turned thirty, I would control half of it. In the event of her death, the fortune would be frozen, with the exception of the monthly allowance, until I turn thirty. Then I would get all of it.” “Where would the money have gone in the event of your death?” “My father.” Knox looked at her grimly. “According to the new document,” Natalie continued, “if I die before I turn thirty, then the money is distributed to several charitable organizations. Besides the board, that’s the major change.” Natalie took a shaky breath. “The money disappears if I’m dead. So my father needs me alive.” It felt like a knife had stabbed her in the back and lodged itself in her heart. When that guard had said her father just needed her alive and didn’t care about her condition, she hadn’t taken it seriously. But now she knew her father wouldn’t care if she were brain dead, as long as her heart was still beating and her lungs were still breathing. Her stomach churned as she realized he might even prefer it that way. “What power does the board have?” Amelia asked. “It says they can change the terms of the trust with a majority vote.” Natalie’s mind was whirling. All this time, a nameless, faceless group of people had had the power to change her fate, and she hadn’t even known about it because she’d been too complacent. Never again. Never again would she be so naïve, so taken advantage of. “What does that mean for us?” Knox asked. Natalie pressed her lips into a thin line. “It means we’ll be staying on the north side for a while.” Natalie sat on the bed in the guest room, her knees drawn to her chest. The last two days had

been the best and the worst of her life. Yesterday morning in the hotel room with Knox was . . . words just couldn’t describe it. Just thinking about the sensations he’d given her made her toes start to curl. She’d never felt so sensual, so desired, so alive. And to think—that was just the beginning. Despite being twenty-six, she had almost no experience with men. Life with her father hadn’t exactly allowed for romantic interludes. So she knew she was more than a little sheltered and naïve. But this thing between her and Knox was real. She knew that as surely as she knew the exact shade of his eyes—umber, like dark chocolate. As if her thoughts of him were a magnet, he opened the door slowly and entered the room, closing the door with a soft thud. He sat next to her, the bed shifting under his weight so that she naturally leaned into him. She went with it, resting her head on his shoulder. Thank God she wasn’t in this alone. They sat quietly for a moment before he broke the silence. “Are you okay?” “I . . .” She was about to give the standard response, I’m fine, but she wasn’t. And she didn’t want to lie to him. “I don’t know.” Knox shifted so that he was propped up on the headboard and pulled her against his chest. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the soft feel of his cotton T-shirt against her cheek and his scent—all male with a hint of the cucumber soap that had been in the shower. He was all hard lines and edges. She loved his body, ached to run her fingers over the ridges and valleys, to lose herself in him, if only for a little while. He put his hand over her hair and gently stroked, kissing her forehead. “I keep thinking about my mother’s death,” she said. “I was young, but I remember most of the details. It was late at night, and she was driving home from a charity committee meeting or something. She was in a midsize sedan, and a U-Haul truck ran a red light, slamming right into the driver’s side. She . . .” Her breath hitched. “She died on impact.” God, she could only hope that last part was true. She squeezed her eyes shut as painful images played through her mind. She hadn’t gone to the scene and hadn’t been allowed to see her mother’s body until the funeral, when she had looked exactly and nothing like herself. But she’d seen a picture of the wrecked, twisted pile of metal that was the car, and that was enough for her to imagine how mangled her mother’s body must have been. Knox said nothing, just continued to stroke her hair until she was ready to speak again. “They never found the driver. The truck was abandoned a mile away. It had been stolen from the lot. The police suspected teenagers had taken it for a joyride, then fled after the accident. I don’t know, though. If that were the case, wouldn’t there be fingerprints?” “Probably,” Knox agreed. “I doubt a group of teenagers would know enough to wipe down the vehicle. And a U-Haul isn’t exactly a top choice for a joyride.” “I never really thought about it before because I was too caught up in the fact that my mother was dead, but now . . . something just doesn’t seem right.” Natalie sat up and looked Knox in the eye. She wanted to see his reaction to her question. “Do you think my father could have arranged to have my mother killed?” Knox’s gaze remained cool. His eyes didn’t widen, his pupils didn’t dilate. He wasn’t surprised by her question at all, and that was her answer. She felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

“Why? Why would he do that? She’d already changed the terms of the trust by then.” “He clearly didn’t know about it.” Natalie’s chin trembled, the thought that her mother was murdered for money too much to bear. Could it be true? The circumstantial evidence was all there, and she had no compelling reason to leap to her father’s defense, especially after recent events. She hadn’t looked at the accident clearly at the time, but she’d only been eleven. Now, she could easily see how suspicious the circumstances were. Why didn’t the cops take notice and investigate? Maybe Knox and Amelia were right. Maybe you couldn’t trust anyone in this town. She hated to believe that. There were good, kind people out there. Her mother had been one of them. Amelia was one of them. She wanted to think she was one of them. But it seemed they were outnumbered. Or overpowered, at least. The bed shifted as Knox moved to the foot and pulled her leg away from her body. She opened her eyes and watched as he began kneading her calf. Her muscles practically sighed with pleasure. She was in shape, but her body had taken a beating these past few days. “It’ll feel better if you take your pants off.” Knox’s gaze was intense, and she cracked a small smile. He let out a little laugh—a rare sound that was music to her ears. “That sounded like a lame pickup line.” Her smile broadened. “It did.” She shimmied out of her jeans and tossed them aside while Knox stepped into the adjoining bathroom for a minute. He emerged with a bottle of lotion, which he squeezed into his hands. He rubbed the lotion into her calves and feet, her muscles gradually relaxing and giving up the tension they’d been holding. And although the massage couldn’t completely relieve the tension in her mind, it definitely helped. Knox kneaded a particularly tight spot on her foot, and she closed her eyes. “That . . . feels . . . so . . . good.” She practically purred the words. “How do you know how to do this?” “After a fight, it was either live with the cramping muscles or learn to massage them.” He gave a wry smile. “So I’m only good for legs and feet. That’s all I could reach on myself.” “Women would pay good money to get your hands on them.” His eyes darkened, and he brought his lips to the inside of her ankle. He worked his way up her leg, the stubble on his cheeks prickling her skin. He spent a few extra torturous seconds at her inner thigh, leaving it quivering. He skipped over her clothed belly and went straight to her neck, trailing lazy kisses in the sensitive spot behind her ear. “I don’t want my hands on other women,” he whispered. “I only want you.” “Then take me.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. She could tell by the torn look in his eyes that he was at war with himself. So she would just have to help decide the victory. She reached down to his belt buckle and undid it and the button beneath. Slowly, keeping her eyes on his, she lowered the zipper and reached her hand inside. When her hand made contact with his hard flesh, his pupils dilated. He closed his eyes, then tried to shift away. She

didn’t let go of him and grabbed his arm with her other hand. “I know what you’re going to say,” she said. “I’m not going to regret this. I know what I’m getting into. I want you, Knox. I want all of you.” She started to move her hand on him, swallowing the embarrassment of her inexperience. She’d never pleasured a man and had no clue if she was doing it right. But she knew that she was enjoying exploring his body. A fire started to burn inside her, and she hoped he felt it, too. When his breath hitched, she smiled. With a growl, he pulled her hand out of his pants and quickly yanked her shirt over her head. He dragged down the fabric of her bra and put his warm mouth on her nipple. She gasped and arched her back, reaching down to put her hands on him again. His mouth found hers, and his fingers found her clit. It was already throbbing and she moaned at his touch. This was what she wanted—no, needed. Suddenly, she was no longer embarrassed by her inexperience. She was glad her firsts would be with Knox. Abruptly, he pulled away, and her eyes sprang open in shock. She relaxed when he stripped his shirt and jeans off, leaving only his boxer briefs. For the brief moment before he returned to her, she admired his body—the tightness of his pecs, the bulge of his biceps, the sleek muscles that ran down into his briefs. His skin was marred with scars and the overbearing X tattoo, but they just made him even more beautiful. This was a warrior’s body. Tenderly, he brushed her hair back from her forehead and kissed her softly. “Are you sure about this?” he asked. She laid her hand on his cheek. “Knox, I’m sure.” He pulled his wallet out of his abandoned jeans and retrieved a foil-wrapped condom. She eyed it with trepidation, nerves and butterflies forming in her stomach. When she returned her gaze to his, though, the butterflies flew away. With so much uncertainty in her world, this was one thing she was certain of. He leaned down to kiss her as he lowered her panties, slipping them off. Their recent urgency was replaced by a tender slowness. But the heat remained. His fingertips ran the length of her body, lingering at her hip, then lightly pressing on her inner knee until she opened them for him. He settled between her legs, still content to take things slow. And she loved him for it. Since the moment he’d first laid eyes on her, he’d done nothing but put her first. He pressed against her center, and she breathed deeply and tensed. He went no further, just continued kissing her to allow her time to get used to the sensation of his body between her legs, against the most intimate part of her. He reached his hand down between their bodies to rub her clit. So good. It felt so good. How could anything feel better than this? Her hips instinctively began to rock against him as the heat continued to build inside her. He brought his hand up and cradled her head as she continued to move against him. Each arc of her hips made the pressure of him against her more gloriously intense until she took

him in. She gasped and her eyes opened wide, meeting his. There was raw tenderness in his gaze, but also a question. She raised her lips to his and ran her hands down his back, her answer to his question. She shifted her hips to open fully for him, and he accepted the invitation, slowly pushing into her. When he was all the way inside, he paused. She kissed him, sucking lightly on his lower lip, before resting her forehead on his and nodding. She was ready. She’d been waiting for him her whole life. He set the pace slowly at first, and she closed her eyes, concentrating on the feel of their bodies working together. She shifted a little, bringing her knees closer to her chest, and he groaned, immediately increasing the pace. She took that as a good sign and shifted more. His breathing became shallow and the pace increased yet again. She pressed her face into his shoulder, riding the wave of pulses shooting through her, releasing a muffled cry into his skin. As his body went rigid, he brought his lips to hers. After dealing with the condom, Knox returned to bed and wrapped Natalie in his arms. There was an unusual feeling in his stomach. It took him a minute to realize it was nerves. Aw, hell. He was nervous about Natalie’s reaction to their having sex. Except that wasn’t what it was. The realization slammed into him as hard as any hit he’d taken in the cage. He’d been with his fair share of women, but he’d never made love before. Because that’s what it was—not fucking, not having sex. Making love. It was a first for him. She snuggled her face into his chest and let out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a purr. A smile played at the edges of his lips as he kissed her forehead. That was exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for. He’d been Natalie’s first, and he’d wanted it to be a good experience for her. No matter how many men she was with after him, she would always remember. A pang shot through his gut, replacing the nerves, and he tightened his arms around her. He didn’t want there to be any other men for her. But that was ridiculous. She was high society and he was nothing more than a common street thug. Sure, they were in this thing together, but it would end eventually. And when it did, what then? Would she take him to her garden parties? The image of himself rubbing elbows with the elite of the city ran through his mind and he almost snorted. Yeah, right. That would never happen. Natalie might accept him, but they never would. He ran his fingers along her spine and down to her ass cheeks, and she arched her back, pressing her warm body closer to his. She was his. That was all he knew. He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, or the next day, but he knew that she belonged with him. Someway, somehow, she did. And he belonged with her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She tilted her head back so she could look in his eyes. “I’m more than okay. Are you okay?” “Oh, yeah. I’m okay.” He suddenly turned shy. “I was just asking because . . . you know . . .” “Because I was a virgin?” If he didn’t know better, he thought he felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks. God, she undid him. He cleared his throat. “Well, yeah.” “I appreciate your concern.” She paused to kiss him. “And I’m fine. I’m also glad that I’m not a virgin anymore.” His eyebrows shot up. “Really?” “Yes. Now the next time we do this, you don’t have to worry.” He was totally fucking undone.

Chapter 8

Natalie selected a donut out of the box sitting on the kitchen counter. “Thanks, Amelia. You really didn’t have to go to the trouble.” “Don’t thank me. I’m just using you as an excuse to break my diet.” Amelia licked her fingers. “Either way, thank you.” Natalie opened the laptop at the kitchen table, wanting to take another look at the documents they’d found yesterday. Though she’d read them thoroughly not once, not twice, but three times already, it didn’t hurt to quadruple check. A rustle at the kitchen door caught her attention. Knox leaned against the door frame, his thumbs hooked in jeans pockets that rode low on his hips. His faded navy T-shirt stretched tight across his biceps. He yawned. Never before had Natalie considered a yawn sexy, but Knox could probably pull off sexy during a root canal. There was something innately male about him, something primal that drew her in. Her past boyfriends—if they could even be called that—were rich, pretty boys. They were nice, sure, but they didn’t possess the rawness that Knox did. Looking at him made her body tingle. Knox wandered over to the coffeemaker and poured himself a cup. Natalie focused on the computer screen again. “Anything new?” Amelia asked. Natalie shook her head. “No. It would have been nice if they had used an actual name instead of just ‘Board Director.’ Or if I could talk to the lawyer who drafted the document.” Unfortunately, the law firm was now defunct, and that particular lawyer had moved out of state from what Natalie could tell. But where exactly, she had no clue. And with a name like John Smith, it would take weeks to figure out which lawyer was the one she was looking for. Knox took a seat next to her, placing a pile of donuts on the table in front of him. “Do you have any idea who your mother might have appointed?” “No.” Natalie sighed. “The only person I can think of is Amelia.” “And it’s not me, honey.” Amelia patted her hand. “I wish it were.” “It says here that the only person who can call a meeting of the board is the director. Though there are four other board members whose votes hold equal weight, none of them can put anything to a vote. Only the director has that power.” Amelia rested her chin in one hand and drummed her fingers on the table. “It has to be someone she knew. Anna wouldn’t appoint just anyone.” “Or maybe she would,” Natalie said slowly. “If my father wanted to find the director, he would look for someone she knew, just like us. So maybe she chose someone she didn’t know well.” Amelia pursed her lips. “I don’t see her doing that. But then again, I hadn’t seen her for

years before she died.” She pounded her fist on the table. “Fucking Gerald Kent. I could kill that man.” “Get in line,” Knox muttered. Amelia shook her head, her lips drawn in a thin line. “Sorry, dear, I know he’s your father . . .” “Don’t apologize,” Natalie said firmly. “He hasn’t been a father to me in a long time. If ever.” The silence stretched on as the three of them looked at one another. One of the dogs whined, breaking the quiet. “They want their morning walk.” Amelia drained her coffee mug, then rose. “This is so frustrating,” Natalie said after she had left. “None of this information will do us any good if we can’t find the director.” “Maybe you were on to something before,” Knox said. “Maybe both you and Amelia are right and she chose someone she knew, but not someone so close to her that your father would know them.” “If my father doesn’t know them, then chances are neither do I.” Knox reached over and ran his fingers down her cheek. “You’ll figure it out.” Her heart palpitated at the feel of his fingers on her skin. “You’re so sweet,” she whispered. He dropped his hand instantly and pushed his chair back with a screech, then stood and crossed to the sink. “I’m really not.” He put his hands on the counter and leaned forward, staring out the window. Natalie walked over and wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek on his back. “You’re a good person,” she said simply. “I’ve spent my life fighting in an underground ring for X. I’m not—” “That doesn’t make you a bad person. If our pasts define us, then what does that make me? A meek society girl under her father’s thumb.” He turned so he could wrap his arms around her. “That’s not you.” She cupped his face in her hands, looking into his eyes. “And your past doesn’t define you, either.” She touched his lips to hers, willing him to stop being so hard on himself. He was so much more than he let himself believe. Amelia had said to make themselves at home, but Knox still felt like some sort of trespasser as he and Natalie explored the house. What did one person need with seven bedrooms? Granted, Amelia hadn’t always lived here by herself, but still. Even for a family, it was excessive. As a foster kid, he’d often shared a bedroom with two or three other boys. A whole football team’s worth of foster kids could fit in this house. Though most of the rooms didn’t seem to be in use, each one was lavishly decorated. From what he’d gotten to know about Amelia, he doubted that was her doing. It was most likely left over from when her parents ran the house. Natalie opened the door to what appeared to be another sitting room and flipped on the lights. She stood in the doorway with her hand on her chest, like she was trying to keep her heart from leaping out of it. “This room seems so familiar.”

“Your mother probably brought you here,” Knox said. She stepped through the doorway and slowly turned in a circle to take it all in. “My house is architecturally similar to this one, so I thought that’s why some of the other rooms seemed familiar, but this room . . . I feel like I’ve been here before. I know I have.” Knox watched as she knelt next to an old wooden chest and opened the lid. She pulled out several Barbie dolls all in various stages of undress. “Susannah,” she whispered. “This one’s name is Susannah. And the redhead is Lucy.” She reached into the chest again and brought out a plastic game with four hippos. Hungry Hippos? Something like that. One of his foster homes had had one, but the marbles were all missing, rendering it useless. In her hand, though, she held a fabric pouch that looked like it held the marbles for the game. She looked up at Knox. “I used to play this. Right here, with both of them. And my father took that away. From all of us.” Knox knelt next to her, his fists clenched. He wanted to hand her father to her on a platter. He’d love to gut the man himself, but he knew firsthand that to truly be free of him, Natalie would have to deal with him herself. The ghost of his own father followed him everywhere. “Tell me more about your mother,” Knox said. “I used to love the Disney princesses. So did she. One year for Halloween, we both dressed up. I was Ariel, and she was Cinderella.” Natalie laughed, tears glistening in her eyes. “I think she got more candy than me. She was so beautiful. She was a romantic at heart, always reading romance novels. She used to read to me before bed every night. Fairy tales. Life was a fairy tale for her. Until it wasn’t. Looking back, I see now that my mom changed. She used to be so lighthearted and carefree, but the older I got, the more serious and withdrawn she became. Not with me. Never with me, but I could see it with other people. I think my father must have cut her off from everyone just like he did to me.” Her fingers tightened around the legs of one of the Barbie dolls. “God, he’s such a bastard.” “He can’t hurt you anymore,” Knox said. Natalie blinked, trying to clear the tears out of her eyes, but one fell anyway. “He’s already done so much. Now that I’m away from him, I see things so clearly. He killed her. I know it in my gut. And unless I can figure out this thing with my trust, he’s going to walk away with everything.” When Natalie walked into the kitchen with a stack of children’s books in her arms, Amelia stood at the stove stirring something in a huge pot. Natalie did a double take. “I thought you didn’t cook.” “I don’t,” Amelia said briskly. “This is for the pooches. Chicken and rice.” Natalie and Knox exchanged a glance, and Natalie put a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. This was exactly why her mother must have loved Amelia. Natalie only wished she could have had the other woman in her life longer. It may have made all the difference. She cursed her father silently, losing count of how many times she’d done that in the past few days. Amelia wiped her hands on her apron. “There. That just needs to cook a bit.” “Amelia, I was wondering if I could have these,” Natalie said, holding out the books she’d

found mixed in with the toys. “Not now, obviously, but if you could set them aside for me.” Amelia took a look at them. “Ah, yes. The fairy tale books. Your mother read those to you every time you two visited. They were mine when I was a girl.” “Then I can’t take them. I’m sorry for asking.” “Don’t be silly. What am I going to do with them?” Amelia came closer so she could look at the titles. “Ooh. Cinderella. That was your mother’s favorite.” “We had a copy at home, too, but I don’t know what happened to it. She read it to me at least once a week. The fairy godmother part was her favorite. She always used to tell me my fairy godmother would help me when I was in trouble.” Natalie chuckled. “What I wouldn’t give for . . .” A fairy godmother. She didn’t have one of those, but she did have a regular godmother. Her name was Eleanor Simmons, and she’d been a friend of her grandparents. Her mother had not been close with her at all, and they only saw her on the rare occasions when their visits coincided at her grandparents’ house. “Do you know Eleanor Simmons?” she asked Amelia. “That woman is more of a hermit than I am. It’s been at least a decade since I saw her. Why in God’s name are—ah.” Amelia nodded knowingly. “Smart girl.” “What?” Knox asked. “I think she could be the board director,” Natalie explained. “She was a friend of my grandparents and my godmother. My mom wasn’t overly religious, but she had me baptized at their church. I’ve seen the pictures.” “How do we find out for sure?” “I don’t know. Ask her, I guess. But it makes sense for it to be her.” Natalie started ticking off the reasons on her fingers. “She was my grandmother’s closest friend, but my mom wasn’t close to her. So she wouldn’t come to my father’s attention. It’s like you said, Knox.” “Do you know how to get in touch with her?” Knox asked. A vibration sounded and he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Natalie snorted and opened the laptop that was still sitting on the kitchen table. “Everything is on the Internet these days.” Twenty minutes later, she pushed it away. “Okay, maybe not. The only mentions of her I could find online are random society page snippets and an obituary for her husband. No phone number, but I did find a street address.” Knox checked his phone again. “Tony came through. I need to go.” Natalie closed the lid on the laptop and stood. “I’m going with you.” “It’s safer for you to stay here.” She put a hand on his arm. “We’re in this together, remember? And besides, while we’re out, we can swing by Eleanor’s house.”

Chapter 9

Knox parked the car Amelia had lent them. It was a late-model luxury sedan, the nicest car he’d ever driven. Though, the car he’d learned to drive on was a close second. When he was fifteen, X took him to an abandoned parking lot to teach him to drive, letting him behind the wheel of X’s own expensive car. Knox had thought he was the shit, expertly parallel parking on the first try. X’s look of pride had meant everything to him. Then, when he’d turned sixteen, X had gifted him with a car of his own. Nothing fancy—a fifteen-year-old beater—but it was more than he’d ever had before and way more then he’d ever expected. “Ready?” Knox asked. Natalie took a deep breath and pasted on a brave smile. They’d spent almost forty-eight hours in relative safety, and now they were venturing out. Tony had finally come through and found someone who was willing to sell them a gun and keep his mouth shut. The second part was the most important and the least guaranteed. Knox—well, actually Natalie—was paying handsomely for his silence, but someone willing to sell guns illegally probably wouldn’t think twice about going back on his word, paid or not. It was a necessary risk, though, and a minimal one. The guy could report back to X, but by then they’d be long gone, and the meet-up location was nowhere close to Amelia’s house. They met Tony’s contact in a park that straddled the north and south sides. It was as neutral a location as any in this town. Natalie hung back a little, both to keep a lookout and to stay out of arm’s reach from the guy Knox had no reason to trust. “Damn, man, it’s all true,” the guy said when he noticed Natalie. “I should charge you double for getting me involved in this crazy shit.” Knox’s nostrils flared. He wanted to slug the guy for even mentioning Natalie. Too bad they needed him or he’d be on the ground. Knox inspected the gun, a .44 Sig. He knew a little about guns, enough to know this wasn’t the one Tony described. “It was supposed to be a Glock.” The guy shrugged. “This is what I got. Take it or leave it.” Knox didn’t have much of a choice. He popped the clip out to find it half full. “Where’s the rest of the bullets?” “That’s all, man.” “You got more?” “No, I ain’t no friggin’ Walmart.” Knox narrowed his eyes at the guy, who was several inches shorter and pudgy. In the cage, he would have pulverized this punk. Where the hell had Tony found him? Didn’t matter. He was willing to part with the gun they needed. Still, Knox leaned close to his ear when he handed over the cash.

“If I hear you crossed me, I won’t need a gun to end you.” The guy pocketed the money and took a few steps back, stumbling. Knox held his ground and watched the other man scurry away. Then Knox tucked the gun into the waistband of his jeans and joined Natalie. “Let’s go,” he said. Once back in the car, Natalie directed him to the address she’d found for Eleanor Simmons. It was on the far northeast part of town. As they turned onto Kennedy Street, Natalie stilled, turning her face toward the window and away from him. “This is my street,” she said quietly. Knox glanced over at her. Why had she brought them this way? It might be the most direct route, but surely there was another way they could have gone. “Which one is yours?” he asked. After about thirty seconds, she pointed to a massive brick mansion with tall white columns in front of the entryway. It was easily the biggest house on the block. Hell, it was the biggest house he’d ever seen. That was where Natalie had grown up and lived her entire life. If he didn’t already know she was out of his league, he sure as hell knew it now. They took a few more turns, winding up on a street with houses that were almost as impressive as those on Kennedy Street. “There,” Natalie said, pointing to a house in the center of the block. Knox didn’t get a good look at it. He kept driving and parked on a side street. He turned off the ignition. “What’s your plan?” “Ring the doorbell?” she asked with a wry smile. “Natalie . . .” “No, hear me out,” she said. “We could have done that at Amelia’s right? It would have saved us a lot of trouble. Eleanor is a friend of my mother’s family, so there’s no reason to think she would turn us in.” In his experience, Knox had found that most people couldn’t be trusted. He didn’t want to take any risks now. He pulled out the gun and checked the clip again. Damn. He’d feel a lot better about this if he had a full magazine instead of nine measly rounds. He let out a breath. “Okay. Let’s go check it out. We can decide how to proceed once we get there.” On the sidewalk, Natalie reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his. She leaned her cheek against his shoulder. Just an average couple out for a stroll. Yeah, right. He’d never fit in in this neighborhood. The house and yard were enclosed by a wrought-iron fence, as were most of the houses around here. There were no visible cameras near the gate or the driveway. The landscaping wasn’t immaculate, either. In fact, the grass was several inches too tall and the flower beds were overgrown. Natalie wrapped her fingers around the bars of the fence. “It’s vacant,” she said, her voice sounding vacant as well. “That would have been too easy.” “Did you find any other addresses?” She shook her head. “This was the only one listed. It’s the family estate.” She gazed

forlornly at the house. A young couple pushing a stroller and walking a dog was nearing them on the sidewalk. “We should go,” Knox said, wrapping an arm around Natalie. Before he could lead her back to the car, she spotted the couple. “Excuse me!” she called out, walking to meet them. “Fuck,” Knox said under his breath. He doubted this yuppie pair was a direct threat, but the longer they stayed out in the open, the higher the risk. Plus, their pictures had been all over the media. They could be recognized. Knox hung back, keeping an eye on the situation and devising an exit strategy. “What a lovely baby!” Natalie said, leaning down to look at the infant. “She can’t be more than a month old.” “Four weeks last Tuesday,” the mother said with a smile. “Congratulations. She’s beautiful.” Natalie beamed at both of the new parents and reached down to scratch the dog behind the ears. “Listen, I was wondering if you know anything about the woman who used to live here. She’s an old friend of the family, but we’ve lost touch. All I had was an address, but it appears she moved away.” The father furrowed his brow. “That house has been empty for a few years now, right, honey?” His wife nodded. “To tell you the truth, it’s become a little bit of an eyesore. Whoever owns it is not keeping up with it the way they should.” “That’s a shame,” Natalie said. “It’s a gorgeous neighborhood. Only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch though, right?” The father snapped his fingers. “Exactly! I’ve been meaning to contact city hall about it to find out what can be done, but with the pregnancy and baby and all . . .” Natalie chuckled. “Not much time with a newborn, is there? I’ll let you two continue on. Congratulations again.” The couple thanked her and continued on their way. Knox turned his back as they passed, masking his face. “What was that?” he asked Natalie as she approached. “Just gathering information.” “They could have recognized you.” She shrugged. “They’re new parents. Did you see the dark circles under their eyes? And the man’s shirt was buttoned in the wrong holes. They probably don’t even know what day it is.” Knox narrowed his eyes at her. He hadn’t noticed that about them, but then again what did he know about babies and parenthood? “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “Okay.” She sighed. “This turned out to be a waste of time.” On the walk back to the car, the hair on the back of Natalie’s neck stood on end. There was no reason for it. Everything had gone smoothly, and they had one more block to go until they’d be safely on their way back to Amelia’s house. So why was she nervous all of a sudden? Knox extended his arm to stop her in midstep. His eyes met hers with a grim expression before he ushered her into a crouched position behind a parked car. He peered around the bumper and cursed.

Dread filled her stomach. Damn. She knew it had been too easy. She peeked out to see what had raised Knox’s alarm. A man dressed in black was studying the license plate on Amelia’s car and talking into his cell phone. “Oh, shit. Do you recognize that guy?” she asked. He wasn’t wearing a suit, so he probably wasn’t one of her father’s. Knox shook his head. “He looks like he might be one of X’s, though.” “Shit, shit, shit! I bet they’re tracing the license plate.” Their eyes met and Natalie knew Knox was thinking the same thing she was: it would lead them straight to Amelia. Knox pulled out his cell phone and dialed, but hung up after a few moments. “Straight to voice mail.” “We’ve got to get to her. We have to warn her.” This was exactly what Natalie had been afraid of—putting Amelia in harm’s way. “There’s no way we can get there before they do. Not without a car.” “We have to try. We can’t just abandon her.” Knox scrubbed a hand over his face. “Okay, let’s go.” They backtracked and cut over a block to make their way back to Amelia’s house. Natalie would have preferred to run, but even though the streets weren’t crowded with people, sprinting down the sidewalk would definitely draw too much attention. So they set as fast a pace as they could without standing out. Please be okay, please be okay. If she willed it hard enough, maybe it would happen. How could she live with herself if Amelia got hurt? Or killed. Natalie’s knees went soft. No, that won’t happen. She had to believe they had a chance to save her. She and Knox were the ones they wanted. Amelia was only good for information, and she couldn’t provide that if they killed her. Natalie tried to let logic prevail in her mind, but it did nothing to stem the flow of worry that was taking over. With every minute that ticked by, Amelia was more at risk. “How could they have found us?” she wondered aloud. “Who knows?” Knox said. “Our pictures are everywhere. Someone could have seen us get out of the car.” “We never should have agreed to take it.” The muscles in Knox’s jaw tightened. When they got within a block of Amelia’s house, they could already see they were too late. Her front gate had been left open. Given how vigilant Amelia had been about security, it was unlikely she’d simply leave the gate open. “No, no, no!” Natalie took off at a run for the gate but Knox grabbed her and held her back. “No, Natalie. Let’s take a minute to come up with a plan.” Natalie strained against him, desperate to get to Amelia, before she realized he was right. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Natalie took a deep breath. “I’m not thinking straight. Of all the stupid things I’ve done lately, this one is the worst. I never should have gone to her.” “This is not your fault,” Knox said. “You’ve done nothing wrong. Amelia knew the risks when she took us in.” “I . . .” Natalie took one last breath and squared her shoulders. This wasn’t about her. This was about helping Amelia. She could deal with all her guilty feelings later, but now, she

needed to focus. “What should we do?” Knox took the gun out of his waistband. “We figure out a way in.”

Chapter 10

Knox took precious minutes to survey the area. As much as he wanted to charge in there and rescue Amelia, it wouldn’t be smart to go in blind, especially with only nine rounds in his gun. Just like he studied an opponent before a fight, he wanted to know who and what they were dealing with. He doubted the cops were involved, which meant if they approached and guns were drawn on them, they wouldn’t be given the chance to surrender. X’s men would shoot to kill. Well, kill him, anyway. What Natalie had learned about her trust gave him a twisted reassurance that they wouldn’t kill her. But a lot of damage could be done to a person while they still lived. Natalie’s nervous finger-tapping against the building turned to hand wringing, then to pacing. Knox was about to suggest they move in when a black SUV pulled into the drive. Fuck. X was in the passenger seat. He didn’t show up for just anything, and when he did, it was only for the main event. Whatever shit was about to happen was gonna be bad. And soon. And it was just him and Natalie with their one gun against a slew of X’s men, all of whom were probably heavily armed. “Knox, we’ve got to get in there, now.” Natalie’s fierce look told him she wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Maybe I should just turn myself in.” “No—” “They won’t hurt me. My father needs me alive. The only reason they’re after Amelia is to get to me. Once they have me, they have no reason to bother her, right?” Her logic made sense, except they were dealing with X, who didn’t necessarily deal in logic. X did whatever the hell he wanted, logic be damned. All they knew was that Kent and X knew each other in some way, since Tony had told him they’d had a meeting. But that meeting could have been a onetime thing, and they didn’t know why they’d met in the first place. There were still too many unknowns. Kent needed Natalie alive, but why would X care about that? And besides, she could be a vegetable in the hospital with machines breathing for her and still be legally alive. “That’s not an option,” he said firmly, dragging her to his chest and pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that was urgent and all-consuming. “Me losing you is not an option,” he repeated. Her eyes locked onto his. “Okay,” she whispered. “We’ll go in the same way we did before. Maybe we can get in undetected.” He doubted it, but it might buy them an extra minute or two. In any event, it was better than going through the front gate. They snuck around to the tree and easily climbed it, then scaled the wall. No one rushed forward to capture them, and no shots were fired. It was eerily silent. Knox didn’t like it. For the first time since they saw the man examining their license plate,

he thought of the dogs. Where the fuck were they? It was silly when human life was at stake, but he hoped they were okay. They crept across the lawn, making it farther than they had the first time they crossed the wall. Ironic considering it was just one woman with her two dogs then, and now there were probably at least half a dozen of X’s men. Not to mention X himself. Natalie pointed. Just ahead, one of X’s men was standing around, puffing on a cigarette. His back was to them. Knox handed Natalie the gun, wishing he’d taken the time to show her how to take off the safety and rack the slide. But he’d had no way of knowing they’d need the gun this soon. Knox quietly approached the man, and by the time he realized someone was behind him, Knox had his hand over his mouth and his neck in a choke hold. It only took seconds for the man to go limp. Knox slid his unconscious body to the ground and motioned Natalie forward. For now, he’d let her keep the gun. He could defend himself with his fists if necessary. They went around the back of the property, where the driveway curled around to an ancient four-car garage. Suddenly, a large car crashed through the garage door, splintering the old wood. Amelia was at the wheel. The commotion caught the attention of the men inside the house, and they came streaming out the back door with their guns drawn. Knox pushed Natalie down to the ground and covered her with his body. He took the gun from her and pointed. The car screeched to a stop in front of them. “Get in!” Amelia yelled through the open passenger window. Knox helped Natalie up and into the passenger side. She immediately threw her leg over the seat to climb in the back so Knox could sit in the front. The back window shattered, sending pieces of glass all over her and the dogs who were cowering on the floorboards. Before Knox even had the door closed, Amelia slouched down low and stomped on the gas pedal. “Keep your head down!” Knox said. He was on the wrong damn side to get any shots off. Goddammit! All he could do was take cover and hope none of them were hit. “Close the gates!” one man yelled. “Don’t shoot the woman!” The black metal gate was sliding closed as they approached. “We’re not going to make it!” Natalie yelled, her voice full of panic. “Bullshit.” Amelia pushed the pedal to the floor, sending the old Cadillac careening toward the gate. There was the thud-thud-thud of bullets hitting the back of the car. More glass shattered and rained down on the backseat passengers. There was a loud clang as the metal of the car’s grille met the metal gate. The gate gave way to the car’s force, but not before the hood buckled. They skidded into traffic. Horns blared, and they narrowly missed being T-boned by a pickup truck. Amelia righted the car in the correct lane and weaved in and out of traffic. “Are they behind us?” she asked. “I don’t see anyone . . . wait!” Natalie said. “Two blocks back. There’s a black SUV, and it’s gaining on us.” Amelia ground her teeth and set her mouth in a determined line. She took a hard right

down a side street. “They’re still there.” A trash truck was blocking the right lane of their two-lane road. Instead of slowing down, Amelia gunned the car and zoomed around it, barely making it back into the right lane as oncoming traffic laid on their horns. “I see you, I see you,” she muttered. She took another right and then a sharp left. “That oughta do it. Those trash trucks are the worst. They gum up traffic for hours.” “Oh my God, Amelia. Are you okay?” Natalie asked. “I’m fine. But how are the pooches?” Natalie was surprised when Amelia took them to the local country club, parking in the back reserved lot, which was mostly empty. “It’s harder than Thor’s abs to get in here unless you’re a gold member,” Amelia explained. “They won’t find us.” Amelia had also said that no one would get onto her property without her knowing. That hadn’t worked out so well. Plus, Natalie wouldn’t put it past their pursuers to break down the gate—similar to how they just did—to gain entry. But they needed to take a breather, and this was as good a spot as any. Nowhere was safe. Now that they were out of immediate danger, the severity of the situation came crashing down on her. They’d just been shot at in broad daylight and chased down a road with many witnesses. It seemed there were no limits to the lengths X and her father would go to catch them. Natalie was just glad Amelia—and her pets—were safe. She already had one death too many on her conscience. Knox opened the back door and the dogs leaped out to where Amelia was kneeling and licked her face. She ran her hands over their sleek black coats looking for signs of injury. Knox carefully helped Natalie out of the backseat and brushed the broken glass off her clothes, inspecting her exposed skin for cuts. Then he pulled her to him. “That was too close,” he said quietly. Natalie held onto Knox and closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment to find her center. The contact with Knox calmed her. “We need to end this,” Natalie said. “Now Amelia is at risk, and they were shooting near bystanders. If it keeps going like this, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed.” “Agreed,” Knox said. “Goddammit!” They turned their heads to find Amelia inspecting one of the dog’s legs, which was streaked with blood. “Reach in the glove box and get me some tissues,” Amelia commanded. “Bambi has a cut. Those bastards hurt my baby.” Natalie did as instructed, handing over a wad of napkins. “What happened?” Knox asked. “They came when I was out with the dogs. They must have disabled the power grid to the house, because everything was dark inside and the damn alarm was out. Since I was outside I

had no idea. Broke into the damn house and made a mess of everything.” Knox and Natalie exchanged a look. Their bags were there and tucked inside hers were her mother’s jewels. Plus, the books she’d found just that morning were still sitting on the kitchen table when she’d left. She closed her eyes to stanch the flow of tears. They’re just material things. True, but they were some of the few material connections she had to her mother. She sucked in a breath, her hand going to her neck. Thank God. She’d remembered to put on her moon necklace today before leaving the house. That was one small miracle. Natalie opened her eyes and watched Amelia making soothing tones in Bambi’s ear as she cleaned the wound. This was the miracle. Things could have ended up a lot worse today, and she was getting upset over some metal and rocks and paper? Her priorities realigned immediately. “How did you manage to get away?” Natalie asked, kneeling to rub Lula behind the ears. “Luckily, I saw them before I approached the house, so I was able to send the dogs to their kennels. I knew I wouldn’t be able to just walk out of there, so I went in to face the music.” “You should have run,” Knox said, shaking his head. “Called for help.” “I would have, but my damn phone was in the house. Anyway,” Amelia said, tenderly blotting at Bambi’s leg, “I was prepared. Given your situation, I armed myself before I went out. If only I’d remembered my damn phone. They questioned me about you two—don’t worry, I played little-old-lady-stupid—and eventually they gave up and left me in the mudroom with one guard. Didn’t even bother to tie me up or anything. I guess I don’t look threatening. And that’s when I shot him.” “Shot who? The guard?” Natalie’s jaw dropped. “You shot the guard?” “Not with a real gun. A tranquilizer gun. I keep one for when I go on hikes in the mountains. They’re for bears. He’ll recover. Probably. To be honest, I don’t really care. So anyway, when he dropped, I got the dogs and went around to the garage. I waited there for about ten minutes and then you two showed up. You’re lucky you showed up when you did. I couldn’t stay much longer or they’d notice I wasn’t where they put me.” “What are you going to do?” Knox asked. “Not go home. That’s for sure.” Natalie hadn’t even thought of that. Amelia couldn’t go home, not until all of this was over. And even then, who knew when she would truly be safe? This knowledge fueled the rage inside her. “I have some cousins I’ve been meaning to visit,” Amelia said. “Now’s as good a time as any, I suppose.” She looked at the wrecked state of her car and sighed. “I’ll have to get a different car.” “When all this is over, I’ll pay for all the damage,” Natalie said. Amelia waved her hand. “I’ve got more money than I know what to do with. I did overhear them talking about something that might interest you. Apparently a detective named Carmichael down at the third precinct is reopening some cold case files. Got X’s panties all in a twist.” Natalie looked at Knox. “Do you know what that’s about?” “Not exactly,” he replied. “But X has a few cops in his pocket. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d fixed some evidence for him.” “Hot damn,” Amelia said. “I knew you couldn’t trust the cops in this town.”

“Not all of them,” Natalie said, thinking back to Chief Follett, who she’d met just days ago at the charity event. Had it only been a matter of days? It seemed like a lifetime ago. “I suppose you’re right,” Amelia said. “My second cousin is a cop. He may be a prick, but at least he’s honest. Well, listen, when you finally catch up with that scumbag father of yours, make sure to give him an extra one-fingered salute and tell him it’s from me.” Natalie laughed and hugged her. “Count on it.”

Chapter 11

“What is it you want again?” Knox asked. If their situation wasn’t so dire, Natalie would have laughed. The big bad Knox who could choke someone out in seconds with his bare hands was breaking a sweat over purchasing a box of hair dye. “Any kind will do. You won’t have much to choose from.” “What color?” “Anything but blond. Don’t forget scissors.” Knox disappeared around the corner into the truck-stop convenience store. Although they’d refused Amelia’s offer to go out of town with her for a while, they did accept a sizable amount of money. Their bags were at her house, so all they had left were the clothes on their backs and whatever cash was in their pockets. So not much. But Natalie would find a way to make it up to Amelia. That woman had been a godsend, and now she was running away from her own home. It wasn’t right. But Natalie would make it right. She smiled at a mom who had three young children in tow, the youngest of which was doing an impressive pee-pee dance. Travelers passing through. Amelia had dropped them off at a truck stop on the outskirts of town, right near the interstate. As far as she knew, their story hadn’t made the national news, so no one here should recognize them. Should being the key word. None of the events from the last few days should have happened. She shouldn’t be running for her life from her father. Knox shouldn’t have to risk himself for her. She shouldn’t be falling in love with Knox. It was crazy. The timing was terrible and he was a street fighter, coming from a life she knew nothing about. It shouldn’t make any sense. And yet, it was the only thing in her life that did make sense right now. Her thoughts about everything else were so scrambled, but her thoughts about him were clear. When she looked at Knox, she knew she was where she belonged—by his side, wherever that may be. And right now, that just happened to be on the run from some of the most powerful people in the city. People she hadn’t even known existed a week ago. Well, she’d wanted to broaden her horizons, she thought bitterly. Knox reappeared with a cheap backpack and two plastic bags, one full of food and the other full of random clothing and toiletries. A trucker cap peeked out from the top of the bag. Nice touch. Inside the truck stop there were facilities you could rent by the hour. Natalie put in the necessary cash and they slipped into a tiny bathroom with a stand-up shower stall. She’d have to dye her hair in the sink. The color Knox had found was labeled burnt sienna, but it looked more like tree bark to

her. It was awful. “That’s all they had,” he said apologetically. “It was either that or red.” “This is fine,” Natalie reassured him. “It doesn’t matter. I just need to be less recognizable.” She opened the box and laid out all the supplies on the sink. Standing behind her, Knox ran a lock of her hair through his fingers. She met his gaze in the mirror, and a ball of heat formed in her stomach. He spun her around, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I hate that you have to change,” he said quietly, resting his forehead against hers. “It’s just hair. Some women change their hair color every other week.” He traced the features of her face with his fingertip, starting with her forehead and working his way down to her lips. She kissed his finger. “You’re perfect the way you are,” he said simply. She brought her lips to his, and the warmth of his mouth increased the heat in her body until it was all-consuming. Her hands slipped under his shirt, and he pulled away. “You’d better dye your hair.” She took a minute to catch her breath and regain her composure. Knox’s touch did that to her—made her forget she was in a filthy truck stop restroom. Made her forget her troubles, if only momentarily. “Yeah.” She sighed and turned back toward the mirror. Then she gathered her hair in a ponytail and picked up the scissors. After one last long look at her reflection, she closed her eyes and hacked at her hair with the cheap shears. When she opened her eyes, she saw long locks of blond hair all over the floor and in the sink. She gave a halfhearted smile to Knox in the mirror, who was watching over her shoulder. “It’s just hair, right?” He gave her arm one last squeeze and slipped out of the room. It didn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. But damn it if tears didn’t well up in her eyes, making it difficult to read the instructions on the dye kit. She’d always had long blond hair. Now she’d be a bobbed brunette. With one final look in the mirror, she leaned over the sink to apply the first chemical. Knox almost didn’t recognize Natalie when she emerged half an hour later, toweling her damp, dark, short hair. When he looked into her eyes, though, he saw her—the woman who meant everything. The dark auburn color made her skin look even creamier and the blue of her eyes even more striking. It was a different look, but she was still gorgeous. Most importantly, though, the casual observer wouldn’t recognize her. “That’s pretty good,” he said. “If only we could change your appearance that easily.” He rubbed at the stubble on his jaw. “Soon I’ll have a full beard.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “That’s true. But hopefully you’ll be able to shave in peace before you go all Duck Dynasty on us.” “Don’t worry about that. It itches like crazy. The first chance I get, it’s coming off.”

They left the truck stop, already having lingered too long. Knox had kept watch the whole time she was in the bathroom, sizing up everyone who laid eyes on him. Could they be one of X’s men? Or Kent’s? At least police were easy to spot in their uniforms. He had also kept his eye on the TV behind the cashier. The big story was an Ecstasy drug bust at a local club that was full of minors. The break-in and subsequent shoot-out at Amelia’s hadn’t made the news yet, but it was only a matter of time. There were too many witnesses for it to be swept under the rug. Knox used the GPS on his phone to take them to a place he had found on the Internet while waiting for Natalie. The house had been listed for sale for over a year, and by the looks of the pictures, the damn thing should probably be condemned. For their purposes, it was perfect. No one was likely to visit it anytime soon. Her lock-picking kit was in her bag that had been left at Amelia’s, so she’d had to pick up some new tools at the local hardware store on their walk to the house. She hadn’t been pleased by the selection, though. Hopefully she’d still be able to get the job done. She’d said she could, and that was good enough for him. He located the main water valve in the backyard and turned the water on, but there was no power. Good thing the spring weather was in full force. The inside had been gutted. Walls were ripped out, leaving exposed wires everywhere, the linoleum floors had been torn away, showing cracked concrete, and the appliances were all missing, not that the last part mattered since they had no electricity anyway. It was less than ideal, but it was a shelter away from prying eyes. And the toilet worked. That was important. Natalie looked around the dilapidated house, her arms wrapped around herself. This had to be a far cry from what she was used to. But she didn’t say a word, just unrolled the cheap sleeping bags they’d picked up at the hardware store to set up a sleeping area in one of the bedrooms. Knox pulled the razor he’d bought at the truck stop out of the bag. “I’m going to shave.” “Do you mind if I use the phone? I want to research Eleanor Simmons some more. Someone has to know where she is.” “Sure,” he said, handing her the phone. He paused for moment before going into the bathroom. “I’m sorry about the house. It’s—” “Perfect,” she said. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Perfect. No one will know we’re staying here and more importantly, we’re not putting anyone else at risk.” He slipped his hands under her shirt, wanting to feel the softness of her skin. “What happened at Amelia’s wasn’t your fault.” Even though Amelia had said the same thing, he knew it still weighed on her. She let out a breath. “Yeah.” It was obvious she didn’t believe it, though. He lowered his mouth to hers. Her arms wrapped tighter around his neck and her breasts pressed against his chest. He gripped her ass, pulling her against him. Minutes or hours could have passed and he wouldn’t know the difference. He was lost in the feel of her, the taste of her, the smell of her. He’d never felt such a pull toward another human being before. He broke away to find her lips swollen and her skin red from where his whiskers had rubbed against her cheeks.

“Ouch,” he said, running a finger over it. “What?” she said breathlessly. “I’m going to shave. You do your research.” Ten minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom feeling more like himself. Natalie was engrossed in the phone, jotting down notes on a scrap sheet of paper. “Find anything?” he asked. “Kind of.” She frowned, obviously frustrated. “The only family Eleanor has around here is a stepson. Victor Harding. I’ve met the guy a few times. Complete asshole. But he might know where she is.” “That’s good.” “Yeah. The trouble is that no one’s phone number is listed anywhere. But I learned on social media that he has dinner once a week at O’Henry’s. He’ll be there tomorrow.” Knox met her determined stare with his own. “Then so will we.”

Chapter 12

Natalie bounced on her feet, throwing a few short jabs and feeling very much like Rocky. Knox stood across from her with his hands on his hips, an amused expression on his face. So maybe she wasn’t so much like Rocky. Rocky’s opponents didn’t laugh at him. Or so she thought, anyway. Rocky had never been her thing. They were in the largest room in their run-down temporary home, and all the blinds were open to allow the sunlight to stream in through the grimy windows. She and Knox were at an impasse. With no new information, they had time to kill before they could try to intercept Victor Harding at dinner. So Knox decided Natalie needed to learn some basic self-defense moves. “Rule number one—fight dirty.” She frowned and stopped moving, dropping her hands to her sides. “Seriously?” That didn’t seem like it should be rule number one. “Sorry, you’re right,” Knox said. “Rule number one is to avoid the fight. Run away. You’ve tried to do that already, but sometimes the fight can’t be avoided. That brings us to fight dirty.” This was not what she thought Knox had in mind when he said he wanted to train her. She was thinking more along the lines of learning how to choke someone out like he did to the guy at Amelia’s house. Or he could teach her how to punch. Either one of those would be fine. But fighting dirty? “Do you fight dirty?” “I don’t need to.” She cocked her head at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “It means I’m a trained fighter. I’m also a comparable size to most of my opponents. You, on the other hand”—he took a moment to survey her figure—“are going to be outsized. You need all the advantages you can get. So fight dirty.” She’d protest, except he was right. She didn’t have the time needed to become the formidable fighter who could inflict a lot of damage. Avoiding injury was probably her best tactic. “Got it. Fight dirty. In other words, kick them in the nuts.” She was going for a laugh, trying to keep it light, but Knox nodded seriously. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You kick a man hard enough, that will take him down or at least slow him down long enough for you to get away.” “Even you?” “You kick me hard enough in the junk, then sure. I’ll go down.” As he spoke, her gaze shifted south and lingered. Then realizing she was ogling him while he watched, she snapped her neck up, a blush spreading over her cheeks. The amused smile returned to Knox’s face. His serious demeanor gave way to so few smiles, but his face positively glowed when they appeared, making his hard good looks softer

and more approachable. Most times, Knox was downright intimidating, from the expression on his face to the way he postured his body. He looked like a panther, muscles tense and ready to attack at a moment’s notice. She wondered if he did this on purpose or if he even realized he was doing it. Knox stepped toward her, his cool gaze sizing her up. On second thought, he totally knew. There was nothing Knox did that wasn’t deliberate. He stopped a few feet in front of her and crossed his arms, the muscles flexing in his forearms. “If I come at you from the front, what would you do?” She licked her lips. Jump your bones. That probably wasn’t the answer he was going for. He approached slowly, and she watched the strong muscles of his thighs flex with every small step he took. Heat pooled between her legs in response. “Keep your eyes on your attacker’s face,” he commanded. “His eyes will give away his next move.” She did as instructed, looking into his intense umber eyes. Her knees turned to jelly. So not helpful for self-defense. “Uh . . .” She flung her foot up, and he easily grabbed it before making contact, causing her to balance on one foot. “Wrong. You run. If I’m there and not occupied, you let me fight. Let’s pretend neither of those are options. What do you do?” He grabbed her wrist, his grasp firm, but not tight enough to hurt her. She brought her knee up, stopping right before it made contact. Much to her disappointment, he didn’t even flinch. Hopefully in a real fight, she’d get more of a reaction, especially if she actually followed through. “Good,” he said smoothly. “Now let’s say that’s not enough. Your attacker doesn’t let go.” “Well . . . um . . .” She couldn’t think with him this close to her, with his fingers wrapped around her wrist. Those fingers that worked magic on her body. “Knee him again if you can,” he instructed. “Then spin.” He showed her how to turn her body so that her back was against his chest. “Then use your elbows. Repeatedly. They’re one of the hardest parts of your body. Also, stomp down on his feet as hard as you can.” She closed her eyes, concentrating on the feel of his hard stomach against her back. “That doesn’t seem very effective.” “You’re small and you’re not a trained fighter,” he said pragmatically. “Those are the facts. You will more than likely not be able to beat your attacker without some kind of weapon. Your goal is to inflict enough damage that you can run away.” “Okay. Use elbows and feet. Got it.” His fingers trailed down her arm, sending shivers shooting through her. “And scream. I know we’ve been trying hard not to attract attention, but if it comes down to it, scream. Bystanders may be able to help you.” “I can scream.” She rotated her hips so that her ass ground into his crotch. He stilled instantly, but she could feel that she had his attention. His full attention. His hands snaked around her stomach, spread wide, and he ran them up to cover her breasts. His mouth lowered to her throat, and she tilted her neck to give him better access. He quickly spun her around so they were chest to chest, and their mouths met in an

explosion of heat and need. His fingers tangled in her now short, dark hair. She tugged at his shirt, pulling it up and over his head, needing to put her hands on his skin. For a few brief seconds while they were separated, they stared at one another, each panting slightly. “Knox,” Natalie said. “How have I not known you until now?” He made her feel alive, vibrant, wanted, needed. Desired. His answer was to crush his mouth to hers, parting her lips and tangling his tongue with hers. God, she wanted his tongue on other places. She wanted it on her neck, her nipples, her clit. She tore her mouth away from his and trailed her tongue on his throat up to the sensitive space behind his ear. His breath hitched in his throat, and he put his hands on her ass and pulled her closer to him. It was exhilarating. She had the power to affect him the same way he affected her. She trailed kisses down his chest and over the ridges of his hard abdomen. When she met with the barrier of his jeans, she undid the top button, then slowly slid down the zipper with shaking hands. His erection was contained by the cotton of his boxer briefs, and she pulled those down, too. At first she used her hands to explore him, this part of him that drove her wild. The skin was much softer than she’d expected. Tentatively, she flicked her tongue on the soft skin that covered his hard length, and he groaned. She looked up at him. His eyes were closed and his fists were clenched at his sides. He was obviously struggling to maintain control. Taking his fist in her hand, she loosened it and laced her fingers through his. Then she took him in her mouth. She didn’t know what she was doing, but it didn’t seem to matter. She experimented with different pressure until he gasped out. “Stop.” She pulled away from him immediately. “Don’t you . . .” She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “Don’t you like it?” He used her arms to yank her up to a standing position. His eyes were wild. “Yes. Yes, I like it. But I like being inside you more.” He used his hand to lift her chin up so that she was forced to look in his eyes. “I love what you did to me. Fuck, I love what you do to me. I think I . . .” He didn’t finish his sentence, and instead pulled her shirt over her head. Then he dropped to his knees and yanked her jeans down. He pushed aside the cotton of her panties, and she got her wish. His tongue was all over her. She put her hands on his shoulders, needed the support as her knees weakened. He took her up and up, until she thought she would explode. “Knox . . .” She bit her lip as a tremor shot through her body. “I want to be with you.” He stood and picked her up, then carried her to the room they’d been using as a bedroom. He laid her down on the sleeping bag and pulled her jeans off the rest of the way. Then he dropped his own. She stretched out, suddenly feeling shy in the rays of sunlight streaming through the

cracked blinds. He didn’t seem to notice, laying down beside her and running his hand along her hip. His mouth found hers, and it was gentle, some of the earlier need having lost its urgency. She could still feel his need for her pressed into her belly, though. He rolled onto his back, taking her with him so that she was on top of him. He gripped her ass, pulling her against him. “Grab the condom out of the bag there.” He nodded toward one of the bags he’d picked up at the truck stop the day before, which was within reach. She handed him the foil-wrapped condom and scooted down his legs so he could take care of it. When he was ready, he lifted her hips and positioned her above him. She sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of him entering her. “Take it as slow as you need,” he said. She nodded and slowly lowered herself, an agonizing inch at a time until he was fully enveloped within her. He laced his fingers through hers, waiting while she took several deep breaths and allowed herself to acclimate to the new sensation. She’d thought he filled her before. That was nothing compared to this. He put his other hand on her hip, guiding her movement. She closed her eyes and took it slow, her breath catching as the tension within her began to build. Once she had a rhythm going, he removed his hand from her hip and brought it to her clit. Pleasure shot through her. She moaned, stopping her motion. “Keep going, baby,” Knox urged and she slowly started moving her hips again. Faster and faster she went. She shifted her legs slightly wider and his cock hit a spot inside her that sent small spasms through her. She bit her lip and ground her hips harder, working for that sweet release. Every muscle in her body tensed as the orgasm vibrated through her. She cried out, squeezing Knox’s hand and digging her fingernails into his chest with her other hand. As she was coming down, she felt Knox jerk his hips one last time and shudder, enjoying his own release. She collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily while he stroked her hair. When she’d caught her breath, she shifted to lie beside him, throwing her leg over his. “That was . . . words can’t . . . I just . . .” He kissed her temple. “I know, baby, I know.” And somehow, she knew he did. “That’s him.” Natalie nodded toward the black sedan with tinted windows sitting at the red light. Knox couldn’t see anyone but the uniformed driver. “Are you sure?” “Oh, yeah.” Natalie laughed. “Check out the license plate.” As the car turned into the restaurant parking lot, Knox caught a glimpse. MN Y TLKS. “Money talks?” Natalie shrugged. “He’s kind of a douche bag.” Knox just shook his head. “Come on.” They waited for a break in the traffic, then came out of the alley they’d been lurking in to

cross into the parking lot. They’d become expert alley lurkers, blending into the shadows. Natalie had wanted to go directly into the restaurant to talk to him, but Knox vetoed that idea. She might be able to blend in—if they had suitable clothes—but there was no way he was getting in there unnoticed. And there was no way in hell he was letting her go alone. So instead, they were spending the evening waiting in a parking lot. The first order of business was taking out the cameras monitoring the lot. Natalie figured if they disabled them, an alarm might sound. So they were taking it old school—spray paint. It took Knox back to his early days of living with X when he was a punk teenager with too much time on his hands. As long as he stuck to his MMA training and didn’t get picked up by the cops, X didn’t care what he did. At the time, Knox thought the free rein was the best thing in the world. Years later, he realized it was because X didn’t give two shits about him. Not really. He was nothing more than a piece of livestock. He and Natalie settled behind a large potted bush to wait. They were out of sight from most of the lot, but Harding’s car was still visible. Luckily, his driver was nowhere to be found. The sound of footsteps had Knox tensing with his hand on the gun. Natalie sucked in a breath and stayed absolutely still. A woman dressed in all black except for a silver vest walked by, too caught up in her cell phone to even notice they were there. The silver vest . . . there was something about it. Suddenly Knox shuddered, closing his eyes. Splatters of blood on a silver vest. “Knox, what is it? Are you okay?” Knox exhaled, taking a second to calm himself. When he opened his eyes, Natalie had her hand on his arm and a concerned look on her face. He’d seen that silver vest almost every day of his early childhood. His mother must have worked at this restaurant. He knew she was a waitress, but he hadn’t known where. It wasn’t like his family could actually afford to eat somewhere like this. He never talked about it. Hadn’t since he’d given his statement to the police from his hospital bed. But looking back at Natalie’s sweet eyes, he suddenly wanted to. Natalie was the first person he’d loved since his mother died. “My mother was murdered,” he said. “In front of me.” “Oh my God.” The words escaped just before Natalie put a hand up to cover her mouth, the other one going to Knox’s arm. Her eyes widened as a bevy of emotions crossed her face. First horror, then sadness, and finally understanding. “How old were you?” “Eight. My father . . . he was a drunk. Liked to smack my mom around. I don’t know why she stayed. He couldn’t hold down a job, so she supported the family. She could have left. She should have left his drunk ass.” “Sometimes it’s not that easy,” Natalie said quietly. She took his hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand in a soothing circular motion. “I usually stayed out of the way, and for the most part, he left me alone. Sometimes I think he even forgot he had a kid. One night, he got really loaded. My mom was late coming home from work. As soon as she walked in the door, he laid into her. She didn’t even see it coming. At first, he only used his fists, but then he picked up the old rotary telephone we had in the hallway. At that point, I jumped on him, trying to get him off her. I couldn’t call for

help. Our phone service had been cut off days before. He threw me into the wall, and I blacked out. When I woke up, blood was everywhere. She was dead. Her head had been completely bashed in by that bastard. And her face . . .” Natalie rested her head on his shoulder, keeping his hand in her lap. “Knox, you couldn’t have done anything. You were so young. You’re lucky he didn’t kill you, too.” Knox turned his head, looking away. He knew that. Now. But try explaining that to an eight-year-old boy who’d waded through his mother’s blood and brain matter only to see that her face was no longer recognizable. He’d spent the rest of his childhood cloaked in a cloud of guilt. And as soon as X gave him the opportunity, he started training. So he’d never be defenseless again.

Chapter 13

The driver returned to the car ahead of Harding. When he saw Knox and Natalie lingering, he slowed his walk, looking at them suspiciously. “What are you—hey! Get away from the damn car.” He pulled out his cell phone, and Knox closed the distance between them and stripped it out of his hands before Natalie could blink. “We’re not here to hurt anyone,” Knox said. “We just want to talk to Mr. Harding.” Natalie stepped forward. “I need to talk to Mr. Harding about some family business. That’s all.” “Then why don’t you call and set up an appointment?” The driver’s comment made perfect sense under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. “And give me back my phone. That’s theft, you know. I’ll call the cops.” Natalie and Knox exchanged a look. “Charlie, what’s going on? Why isn’t the car started?” Harding approached. Seeing Knox and Natalie, he frowned. “Who are these people?” The driver crossed his arms. “They say they need to talk to you about family business.” “Oh yeah? They can call my secretary just like everyone else. Let’s go, Charlie. Start the car.” Natalie stepped forward. “Mr. Harding, you might know me. I’m Natalie Farrington Kent. I met you once or twice before.” He looked her over for a moment before recognition flashed in his eyes. “What can I do for you, Miss Kent?” His tone was patronizing, the way so many of those in her father’s circle had spoken to her. “I’m trying to locate your stepmother.” “Ex-stepmother.” Harding’s tone was petulant, like that of a spoiled child rather than a man old enough to be a grandfather. “I’m sorry. Ex-stepmother,” Natalie corrected, trying to appease the man, even though her heart sank as she stared at the man standing before them with his chest puffed out and thinking he was better than they were. Harding wasn’t going to help them. “I couldn’t care less where that crazy old bitch is.” Natalie smiled tightly. “So sorry to have bothered you.” She turned to Knox. “Let’s go.” Harding pulled a small silver handgun from inside his suit coat and pointed it in their general direction. It was the kind that Natalie would have expected a woman to pull out of her garter belt. Still, it was a gun, so she froze, instinctively putting her hands up. “I don’t think so,” Harding sneered. “A lot of people are looking for you two, including your dear father. He’s worried sick. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t call? Give my driver his phone.” Knox took a few steps forward, no doubt to put the attention on him instead of Natalie. Harding swung the gun in his direction. No! Natalie wanted to scream. He wouldn’t shoot her, but Knox didn’t have that same guarantee.

Knox looked at Natalie briefly before holding up the phone and shaking it. “This phone?” Then he threw it as far as he could, over the cars and the line of bushes into the neighboring lot. Charlie looked back and forth between Harding and Knox, looking like he’d rather chase down the phone than stand between his armed employer and Knox. Harding let out an irritated sigh. “Why do you have to be difficult? Do you want me to shoot you? Everyone would believe it was self-defense. And no one would miss you.” Not true. Natalie’s nostrils flared, but Knox remained unaffected. Harding reached into his pocket while still keeping the gun trained on Knox. However, that little loss of concentration was enough of an opening for Knox to lunge at him, hitting him in the midsection and taking him down. “Sir!” Charlie stepped toward the fray, but Natalie rushed to stop him, trying to remember what Knox had told her. She brought her knee up toward his groin and felt satisfaction as her blow hit home. He doubled over for a second, then his hand flung out, catching Natalie on the face. She reeled back, her cheek feeling like it was going to explode. She blinked, then prepared for her next strike. Beside her, Knox roared. He handed her Harding’s silver gun. “Use it if you have to.” Then he advanced on Charlie with slow measured steps. Natalie kept the gun trained on Harding, whose eyes were wide. His lower lip quivered. He looked like a man who was about to pee his pants, a far cry from the arrogance he’d displayed moments ago. “Oh, shit.” Charlie took one look at the murderous look on Knox’s face and turned to run. Knox grabbed him from behind and threw him on the ground. He started whaling on him until the man passed out and his face was a bloody mess. But he kept going. “Knox!” Natalie cried. “He’s done! He’s finished!” Her words didn’t register. It was like he was in another place. “Stop, Knox!” Natalie put her hand on his shoulder, and he turned, his fists raised and bloody. His eyes finally focused on her and he lowered his arms. “We need to go.” He nodded and stood, but before leaving he walked to stand over Harding one last time. “If you ever—and I mean ever—threaten Natalie again, I swear I will find you and rip your tongue out through your asshole.” Knox inspected the teeth marks on his shoulder in the bathroom of the house while Natalie illuminated the wound with a flashlight. In over a decade of fighting, Knox had never had another man bite him like Harding had done. “He didn’t even break the skin.” He shook his head and pulled his shirt back on. “What a fucking pansy.” Natalie clicked off the light as they returned to the living room. “That’s good. Otherwise it could’ve gotten infected.” “It better not leave a scar.” No way was Knox wearing some douche bag’s dental records on his shoulder. He had plenty of scars on his body, but those were acquired respectably, in

proper fights. Natalie just laughed. “I hate to say it, but seeing the fear in his face was almost enough to make this night worthwhile. Almost.” “Are all of the rich fuckers in this city like him?” If Darwin’s theory of survival applied in today’s world, punks like Harding would have kicked it long ago. Too bad today it was all about who you knew and how much money was in your bank account. “No.” Natalie made a face. “Some are like my father. Others are good people, though. Most are involved in charity work in some way, and though some do it for the social aspects and the recognition, a fair amount of them genuinely care for the causes.” She paused and her face brightened. “The greenhouse! That’s it! Eleanor started a local greenhouse to grow fresh produce for the needy. It’s even named after her. I doubt she works in it anymore, but someone there might know something about her.” “Where’s the greenhouse?” By the look on her face, Knox knew it wasn’t anywhere close. He sighed. Tomorrow. They’d deal with that tomorrow. Natalie disappeared into the bathroom and Knox settled on his own sleeping bag, lying on his back with his cell phone in his hand. He absently scrolled through the local news channels and snorted when he came to a news clip featuring an interview with Harding. The backdrop was the parking lot of the restaurant, which was now cordoned off with yellow police tape. “Look at this,” he said to Natalie, and tilted the phone so she could see before he hit play. “So Mr. Harding, John Cowley, more commonly known as Knox, attacked you?” “Yes. I was brutally and viciously attacked. This was after he held me up at gunpoint and assaulted my driver.” “Thank goodness you got away.” “Yes, well, my concern is for poor Natalie Farrington Kent. I fear for that girl. That man is feral and doesn’t belong in civilization. I can only imagine what he’s inflicted on her.” Natalie gasped. “That son of a bitch.” She shook her head and fumed. Pictures of Knox and Natalie flashed across the screen as the reporter reminded the viewers of the ongoing story. There wasn’t anything that they didn’t already know, so Knox hit pause. “It pisses me off that they keep dragging your name through the mud when I’m the one who’s actually at fault.” Knox shrugged. “You’re not at fault. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.” “It does matter,” Natalie said firmly. “All we’ve done is worry about my problems, but what about yours? What are you going to do about X?” Knox ground his teeth. Even though the same question had been running through his mind for days, he didn’t have an answer. He should have killed him when he had the chance. If he had been thinking clearly, he would have. If X’s men ever caught him, the repercussions would be the same whether X was alive or dead. Might as well have the personal satisfaction. His original plan of skipping town was the only one that made sense. But now that wasn’t an option. Because now, he had Natalie. Once she got her trust situation straightened out—and he had no doubt she would—then what? Her family estate was here. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t just leave.

And as long as X was around, she wouldn’t be safe. X was a goddamn snake, and he had his beady little eye set on Natalie, too. Until he had her in his fangs, he wasn’t going to forget. “And then there’s the police.” Natalie was getting more and more worked up. “Knox, they think you’ve committed all these terrible crimes. I’m the one who’s a murderer.” Her chin quivered and her eyes welled up. “Come here,” he said, opening his arms. Natalie crawled into them and rested her face on his chest. “You killed that man in self-defense. It was your life or his.” He didn’t say what was running through his head: he still intended to take responsibility for that. It should have been him. Natalie shouldn’t be the one to pay for the crime. Although in the long run, it might be smarter to let her claim the kill. No one in this town would convict the Farrington heiress of murder. “I keep putting it out of my mind because I have to go on, but eventually, I’m going to have to face the consequences.” Natalie let out a shaky breath and ran her fingers along his chest. “One thing at a time,” he said. He pulled the sleeping bag around her and stroked her hair until her breathing became even. Even though it was well past midnight and it had been a long day, sleep did not come for Knox. His mind was too full. He mentally ran through his options. X was involved in a lot of shady shit. If he played informant to the police, he’d have a bargaining tool for any charges they wanted to bring against him. The police would surely trade his freedom for the chance to put X behind bars. But ratting out X would create ripples that would touch a lot of other people who were equally as powerful as X. And there was also the matter of X’s cops. They’d already managed to cover up so many things for X over the years. So even if he went to the police, there were no guarantees. Fuck. He remembered what Amelia had said about that cop who was digging into old files. What had she said? X’s panties were in a twist. He smiled wryly into the darkness at the mental image. He sure would like to know what that cop had uncovered, but it’s not like he could waltz into the police station and ask. If he were smart, he’d leave town now and not look back. Natalie shifted, moving her leg on top of Knox’s and snuggling closer into him. He rested his chin against her forehead and closed his eyes, concentrating on the feel of her body against his. He was one dumbass motherfucker. Because he knew what he needed to do. Once way or another, he had to take care of X. Permanently.

Chapter 14

Natalie stared at the contraption Knox held out to her. “You want me to do what?” “Get on and ride.” She was well-acquainted with riding a bike—the one in the gym that you didn’t have to balance on and didn’t actually move. The rusted-out piece of junk that Knox wanted her to sit on was another story. She had no clue where the two rusty beach cruisers had come from. Knox had disappeared for half an hour this morning and come back with these. They were probably stolen, which didn’t bother her as much as it should have—as much as it would have a few weeks ago. If she’d learned nothing else from this experience, she’d discovered that sometimes wrong is just plain wrong, but most times, wrong fell into a huge gray area. And that’s where she’d been spending most of her time lately. She swung her leg over the bike and rested her butt on the seat, the metal digging into her left ass cheek. The seat’s padding had seen better days. They set off toward the center of the city. They’d debated whether it was better to travel during rush hour when they could blend in or before, when there were fewer people on the road, but they’d stand out more. In the end, they’d decided to set out way before rush hour, which was why Natalie found herself pedaling on this death contraption at six A.M. Knox glanced over at her, flashing one of his elusive smiles. “It’s just like—” “Don’t even finish that sentence,” Natalie said, narrowing her eyes at him. So she was wobbling a bit on the bike. She hadn’t fallen over—yet—so she’d consider that a victory. Knox could just shut it. The greenhouse that was their destination was on the complete opposite end of town, so honestly, the bikes were a godsend. Otherwise, it would have taken them hours to get there. Natalie had done some research before they’d set out so they’d know what to expect. She’d been pleased to see that Tabatha Dimitri ran the greenhouse. She’d met the woman before and had liked her. She was much more likely than Harding to help them. Hopefully, she knew where Eleanor Simmons had ended up. She also hoped Tabatha hadn’t changed her routine. The news article she’d found online stated she spent her mornings at the community greenhouse, but the article was several months old. The greenhouse was deserted when they arrived, so they stowed the bikes around back and out of sight, and Natalie quickly picked the lock. They settled to wait behind a row of plants. Tomatoes? Zucchini? She had no idea. If she really wanted to know, she could look it up online later. Natalie sighed, running a leaf through her fingers. “I feel like we’ve been doing a lot of waiting around.” Knox shrugged. “That’s not a bad thing if it’s strategy.” “I just feel like we could be doing more.”

“There’s no reason to expend energy for the sake of doing something if it won’t be effective. Like in the cage—sometimes you have to wait for the right opening. Wasting energy doesn’t help in the long run.” Natalie smiled at Knox. “How come you’re so smart?” Knox snorted. “I might know about fighting strategy, but I’m not smart.” “Yes, you are. You don’t give yourself enough credit.” “I don’t even have a high school diploma.” Knox stared straight ahead as he said this, not meeting Natalie’s eyes. She’d wondered about that. “I guess X didn’t care too much about education.” She tried to imagine Knox as a desperate adolescent, so desperate that he looked up to X as a father figure. She couldn’t picture it. Knox was always so in control, and he always seemed to know what he was doing. Knox shrugged. “Not that kind of education. He taught me to fight.” Natalie watched him and the façade of nonchalance he displayed. He might act like he didn’t care, but she knew better. She’d seen the pain in his features and heard the desperation in his voice when he talked about his past. “A diploma’s just a piece of paper, you know.” “Money’s just paper, too, but it sure as hell matters.” He made a valid point. But she was sure, now more than ever, that there were much more important things in life than what could be printed on paper, money included. How ironic, considering they were hiding in a greenhouse, stalking a woman who could possibly help Natalie gain control of the Farrington money. But it wasn’t about the money exactly. It was about controlling her destiny and making sure the Farrington legacy didn’t fall to her bloodthirsty father. And she had to be honest here—even if it wasn’t the most important thing, money helped. It helped a lot. She reached over and put a hand on Knox’s arm. “I’m not going to lie. Money helps. But that doesn’t make it the most important thing.” He looked down at her hand, then his eyes met hers. His gaze was cool before he returned to staring straight ahead. “Someone like me doesn’t fit into your world. You deserve a doctor or a lawyer or someone who is somebody.” She was taken aback for a moment. After everything they’d been through, how could he still think that way? “You are somebody, Knox.” “You deserve better than me.” “I don’t know what I deserve,” she said slowly, “but I know I need you.” He slowly turned his head to look at her, his expression pained. He opened his mouth to speak, but she swallowed his words with her mouth, wanting to show him. She ran her hand up his chest to rest on his cheek and softly worked her lips on his. His resistance gave way, and she straddled his lap. He ran his hands under her shirt and up her back, pulling her close against him. His tongue parted her lips, and she welcomed the dizzy sensation that always accompanied his touch. How could he possibly believe he wasn’t enough for her? Up until now, she’d been living a lie, and Knox was her truth. She’d just have to make him believe it.

Knox was so lost in the feel of Natalie straddling him that he almost missed the sound of the door being unlocked. He pulled away from her and put a finger to his lips. She nodded, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen. Talk about shitty timing. Although making love to her on the concrete floor of a dirty greenhouse would only prove his point that he wasn’t good enough for her. She deserved five-star hotels and silk sheets, not sleeping bags in decrepit houses with no power. She silently removed herself from his lap, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. Then he shifted to a crouching position, ready to move if need be. Natalie did the same. Thank God it was only the Dimitri woman. When Natalie’s body was pressed up against him, he lost all sense of reason. She was his fucking drug. He hoped it didn’t get them killed one of these days. Tabatha flipped on the light switch and the low buzzing of the fluorescent lighting filled the silence. Natalie looked at him with the silent question in her eyes. Now? He shook his head. Tabatha was the only one who’d entered the building, but it was too soon to tell if she was alone. They’d give it another couple minutes. They watched as Tabatha flipped on the radio and tinny classical music filled the large space. What a fucking cliché. Natalie bounced a little in her crouching position, her fingers fidgeting. She shot him a distressed look, but he shook his ahead again. She didn’t like waiting. Five minutes passed by, and Tabatha was still alone. It was a safe enough bet that no one was going to join her. Still, they would follow the plan—once they were sure Tabatha wasn’t a danger to Natalie, Knox would slip out of the greenhouse to secure the area. With any luck, the most he’d have to deal with would be another spineless driver. What the hell was with these people and their drivers? They shelled out six figures for these fancy-ass cars that they didn’t even drive themselves. He motioned Natalie forward and she stood, leaning over far enough that she couldn’t be seen through the rows of plants. She continued forward with Knox close behind. When she was a few rows away from Tabatha, she showed herself. Tabatha let out a little yelp, her hand clutching at her chest. “Tabatha, don’t worry,” Natalie said, putting her palms out to show her harmless intentions. “I just want to talk to you.” Tabatha cocked her head to the side, recognition showing in her eyes after a few moments. “Natalie, I didn’t recognize you at first with that short dark hair.” Her gaze shifted to Knox. “And this must be your abductor.” Natalie rolled her eyes. “He didn’t abduct me.” Tabatha raised her eyebrows as she surveyed Knox. “I might not mind being abducted by him.” Natalie laughed, but it was forced. Tabatha didn’t seem the least bit alarmed by their presence, which set Knox on edge. Wouldn’t a lone woman normally be afraid when approached by two fugitives? Amelia hadn’t been, but she’d had two big-ass dogs. Plus, she just wasn’t afraid of anything. Knox jerked his head toward the door, and Natalie nodded. Time to secure the area. Knox opened the door, but before he stepped out, Tabatha called over her shoulder, “It’s

just me.” While Knox appreciated her candor, he wasn’t going to take her word for it. He stepped out and the parking lot was empty, save for a white two-seater convertible sports car. She was most likely telling the truth about being alone, but Amelia’s words rang in his ears: You can’t trust the blue bloods in this town. Not that he needed Amelia’s warning. As a general rule, he didn’t trust many. He circled around the building, but the most noteworthy thing he found was a stray cat who mewed and rubbed along his ankles. Christ. First Tabatha and now the damn cat. Did he intimidate no one anymore? In a few weeks, that wouldn’t matter much anymore. Intimidation wasn’t part of most job descriptions. Then again, it was just about his only skill. Fuck. He’d have to get a job or something when this was all over. He was strong. Maybe he could work in a warehouse or something. But what a shitty existence. He’d be better suited to work as a bodyguard. Maybe Natalie would hire him. If he managed to keep her safe. Maybe this was his goddamn fucking interview. His hands fisted at the thought of seeing Natalie every day, but not being able to touch her, to kiss her, to love her. He never would have dared to dream of having a woman like Natalie in his life, but now that she was there, he didn’t want to live without her. Too bad he was barely qualified to even be her employee, much less her lover. Where the hell did he expect their relationship to go? Where could it go? Nowhere. No matter how deeply he felt for her, he wasn’t good enough for her. He never would be. He was nothing but a street fighter thug with no prospects for a future. Even still, he wasn’t giving her up without a fight. The clang of the door had him rounding the corner in record time. He almost ran headfirst into Natalie. “She doesn’t know where Eleanor is,” she said, the disappointment evident on her face. “I really thought she could help us.” Knox put his hands on his hips. Another dead end. No reason to hang around any longer than necessary, though. “Let’s go.” He ushered Natalie to the back of the building to pick up their bikes. She rode ahead of him on the way back, her shoulders slumped. If only he could help locate this woman. His skills didn’t extend to finding missing persons, though. He felt useless. Again. Fuck. He’d give anything to be able to help her beyond using his fists. The ride back was slower than the ride out because the sidewalks were riddled with pedestrians, and they had to stop for red lights at almost every other block. Knox ground his teeth as they hit their sixth red light in a row. Natalie made it through, but Knox was forced to stop or take out a woman with a baby in a stroller. There were few lines he wouldn’t cross to keep Natalie safe, but needlessly plowing into an infant was one of them. He considered darting through traffic, but his getting flattened by a dump truck wouldn’t do either of them any good. He crossed his arms, waiting for the next light cycle while Natalie lingered on the other side. He didn’t like this. Suddenly, a black SUV pulled to a stop in front of him, blocking his view of her. What the hell?

Shit, no. This wasn’t good. He swung his leg over his bike, stretching to see around the SUV. The doors on both sides swung open and two men got out on his side. Through the back window, he could see a man approaching Natalie. The blood in his veins chilled, turning to solid ice when he saw the look of terror on her face. Fuck. That Dimitri bitch must have sold them out. He threw his bike to the ground and nearby pedestrians jumped out of the way, some of them cursing at him. Once they saw the two men approaching Knox, they scattered. Take them out quickly. Then get to Natalie. He had to trust that she could take care of herself long enough for him to handle these two thugs. He was outnumbered, and it wouldn’t help either of them if he let himself be distracted now. But the dread in his stomach didn’t lessen. The first guy came at Knox, not wasting any time in throwing the first punch. Knox easily dodged by ducking, coming up to uppercut the guy several times in his kidneys. The second guy charged Knox from the side, wrapping his arms around Knox’s midsection. Knox’s feet skidded until he was slammed into the side of the stone building. The second guy was a lot stronger and a lot better trained. His hand went to Knox’s throat but Knox swung his leg out, his foot making contact with his side. That made the guy loosen his grip, but he didn’t let go. Knox head-butted him hard enough to make him break contact, but also hard enough for Knox’s vision to blur for a few precious seconds. The second guy staggered back and the first guy charged him. Knox sidestepped and put his hand behind the guy’s head, using his own momentum to slam his forehead into the building. He slunk to the ground, leaving a smear of blood on the stone wall. Knox quickly pivoted, searching for the second guy while also trying to catch a glimpse of Natalie. That little loss of concentration was enough to give the second guy the upper hand. His palm slammed into Knox’s throat again, and Knox twisted before he could get a strong grip. His throat screamed at him with every breath he sucked in. Sirens wailed in the distance, and the guy looked at Knox one last time before turning and sprinting to the waiting SUV. Oh, fuck no. Knox tackled him from behind and repeatedly punched him in the temple. Yeah, it was a little dirty to hit him while he was on his stomach on the ground, but he hadn’t thought twice about outnumbering Knox, so Knox figured it was fair. Besides, he would do whatever it took to get to Natalie. The guy wasn’t unconscious, but he was hurt enough that he wasn’t getting up. Knox leaped up, frantically searching for Natalie. There. Across the street. A few male bystanders stood between the guy and her, creating a human barrier. Thank God there were a few Good Samaritans left in this town. The sirens grew louder, and the second guy dragged himself off the ground and jumped into the backseat of the SUV. It peeled away with a squeal of tires. The sound caught Natalie’s attacker’s attention and when he swung his head in that direction, his eyes met with Knox’s.

Knox didn’t hesitate. He sprinted into traffic. Horns blared, and he narrowly missed being hit by a yellow cab. Natalie used the distraction to slip into the coffee shop behind her, but the guy noticed, and pushed the bystanders out of the way to pursue her. Knox flew into the coffee shop, hurtling over the table the guy had knocked over on his way through. Patrons all around him shrieked. He burst into the kitchen just in time to see the guy fly out the back door. Damn, he’s fast. Knox would have to be faster. Natalie’s life was at stake.

Chapter 15

Natalie’s legs pumped, the pounding of the assailant’s feet behind her urging her to go faster. It sounded like he was gaining on her. No, no, no! She was in an alley, similar to the first one she’d found herself in. The one where she’d killed the guard. Please, God, don’t let it get to that. As if God was listening, she felt the gun start to slip out of her pants pocket, the motion of her running causing it to ride up. With a clatter, it fell to the ground. Shit, shit, shit. Even though she didn’t want to be forced to use the gun, she didn’t want to be without it, either. Maybe he would stop to pick it up. She doubted it. He was probably already armed. Knox would be proud of her—she was actually following his first rule—run away. But it wasn’t working. Her legs were tiring, and her lungs were burning. Yet, he was still gaining on her. She hung a sharp left, and seeing a Dumpster, she made a split decision. She scurried to the top of it, poised to jump. If she was forced to grapple with the guy, she wanted the upper hand, literally. She just hoped that her weight and the force of her landing on him would be enough to take him down. As soon as he turned the corner, she lunged. His head slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Still, he didn’t go down. Fuck, fuck, fuck. What had she done? What a stupid freaking move. She clawed at his face, trying to stick her fingers in his eyes. The closest she got was his eyebrows. He reached up and grabbed her shoulders, flinging her over his head like she was a rag doll. She hit the pavement hard on her shoulder, then rolled until her head struck the Dumpster. Her vision blackened, and when it started to return, blurry at first, blood was dripping into her right eye. She cradled her shoulder and wiped the blood from her eye with her forearm, trying to figure out where her attacker was. He only got one step toward her before Knox flew into him, taking him to the ground. Her attacker was momentarily stunned by the hit and didn’t have time to react before Knox was on him, laying into him. Punch after punch after punch. His battered face shifted from side to side with each blow, but still Knox continued. Natalie grabbed hold of a ledge on the Dumpster to haul herself to her feet. “Knox!” He didn’t hear her. She stepped closer to him and said his name again. When he still didn’t stop, she put a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around, bloodied fists raised, his eyes feral. He’d never scared her before, but

she was a little frightened now. “He’s unconscious, Knox.” Knox took several deep breaths and the mad look in his eyes receded. He stood and wrapped his arm around Natalie. Then he guided her out of the alley. Natalie slept while Knox watched on. They’d iced down her shoulder before she’d fallen asleep, but she was already sporting a purple bruise. There was a matching one on her hip. Not to mention the abrasion on her forehead. X was going to pay for this. Knox didn’t blame the guys who’d attacked them. They were following orders. He got that. It was a rough life on the south side, and people did what they needed to survive. For some that meant working as X’s hired muscles. For others, it was being one of X’s fighters. He worked the muscles in his jaw. Years of his life wasted. His efforts had lined the pockets of that motherfucker. That had been his own choice, though. His goddamn stupid choice. He could have faced the consequences of walking away years ago, but he’d stayed. That was on him. But Natalie? She didn’t ask for any of this. She was born to the cocksucker she called a father, and now he’d sent X after her. She didn’t deserve any of it. But Knox of all people knew life didn’t play fair. Knox slipped out of the house, locking it behind him. He’d left a gun with Natalie so if anyone tried to break in, she’d be able to defend herself. He still didn’t like leaving her, but he sure as hell wasn’t bringing her into the heart of X’s territory. The gym should be empty tonight, a rare occurrence that only happened on fight nights. So it was now or never. He hoped to God they’d be free of all this by the time another fight night rolled around. Knox took the lesser traveled route to the gym, and it didn’t take him long to get to the place that had once been his home. Knox’s key still worked, which didn’t surprise him. X’s arrogance wouldn’t allow him to even consider that Knox would come back. X’s office door was also unlocked, another sign of his arrogance. And up until now, it had been justified. No one ever entered X’s office unless they were invited. Knox turned on the small desk lamp, not wanting the overhead light to shine through the windows. He felt safe enough coming here tonight, but even still, it was a calculated risk. The more he could do to mask his presence, the better. He just hoped he could find what he was looking for. He needed something incriminating. Some kind of evidence he could use as a bargaining chip with the cops or something he could use to take X down. Lord knew X was involved in enough shady shit, and arrogant enough to leave shit laying around. In the beginning, X’s fighters used to pull double duty and work as enforcers for him. Even Knox had done it a time or two, but as X’s empire grew, he separated the fighting from the rest of the business. Managing the fighters became more of a hobby—X had bigger irons in the fire to worry about.

Knox had preferred it that way, but now he wished he’d paid more attention. X was old school and kept his fight records in ledger books. Knox’s original thought was to take the books and turn them over to the cops, but that would implicate the other fighters, not to mention him. That probably wouldn’t be enough to bring him down. At least, not permanently. He flipped through the first book, only mildly surprised to see that X’s cut of the other fighters’ wins was even larger than the money he took from Knox. And he was right about not being able to use these—all of the fighters’ names were there in black and white. Still, he took out the most recent book. Some figures on the second page caught his eye. Most of the fights in the past years blended together, and he sure as hell didn’t remember the details from the other guys’ fights. But he remembered this one. It was Mike’s first big win, and drinks after the fight had been on him. The figure written here did not match the number Mike bragged about that night. X was skimming from the guys. On top of taking an absurd percentage, X was lying to them. So much for all his pep talks about the fighters being his family. Knox’s hands balled into fists and he resisted the urge to look through the records to see how much X had cheated him. There was no point in letting it anger him more than it already did. The past was done. Knox left the book laying open on the desk and pulled open the top drawer of the file cabinet. All of it looked to be deeds and titles to the various properties X owned. And maybe some tax records. Was X current on his taxes? That was how the feds got Al Capone, right? Tax evasion. Wouldn’t it be some shit if the same thing happened to X? But Knox didn’t know enough about it to pursue that angle. So he closed the drawer. The next drawer had more of the same, so he didn’t bother to search it. The third drawer was a little more interesting. It was full of cocaine. But that was nothing new. X had been dealing in the white powder for almost a decade. Farther back in the drawer, he found a shoe box filled with packets of pills. Each pill was stamped with a sun insignia. Ecstasy. Now that was something new. Knox hadn’t been aware that X had gotten involved in that. There wasn’t much of a market for the rich-kid party drug on the south side. The bottom drawer of the cabinet was filled with the standard steroids offered to all the fighters. When Knox first started, X didn’t have those. Otherwise, he might have started using them if X had encouraged it. By the time X made them readily available, Knox had already made a name for himself in the cage. He didn’t need enhancement. Plus, it just wasn’t his thing. Knox took pride in winning his fights on his own. Probably at least half the guys used, though. Knox looked the other way—he didn’t want to know. None of this did him any good, though. There was nothing here he could use. Damn it. He looked around the office, hoping he had missed something that would now stand out to him. X rarely used this office anymore, just like he rarely came into the gym. But Knox wasn’t desperate—or crazy—enough to break into X’s main office. That was suicide. His gaze settled on the lone framed picture on X’s desk. It was of him at age sixteen, with X, and X’s mother. For a while, he’d called the woman Grandma Fran. She’d even baked him cookies. A smile played at the edges of his lips. Those had actually been good times, back when the dementia was barely lapping at the edges of her mind. These days, Fran didn’t even remember her own name, much less his. Still to this day, X visited her at the nursing home

every other Sunday, like any good Italian son would. Knox had had a family for a while. X had given that to him, until he’d brutally shattered the illusion. Knox was nineteen when he’d had his first big fight. That was back when X was still completely invested in his fighters, before his other business interests took priority. Knox had lost, but he’d lost more than just the fight that night. He’d lost his dignity. X had taken him back to the gym and whipped him in front of all the other fighters. Whereas he’s previously called Knox his son, he’d made it clear that no son of his would disgrace him by losing. The next day, X treated Knox like nothing had happened. Referred to Knox as his son again. That was the beginning of Knox learning X’s true nature. Knox took the picture out of the frame and carefully ripped himself out of it before tossing the frame and the torn picture back on the desk. He no longer gave a fuck if X knew he had been there. Then he took a picture of the ledger page he’d left out. On second thought, he tore it out and tucked it in his back pocket. He turned on the desk lamp, and a few seconds later the light flickered on in the gym. Fuck. He parted the blinds with one hand to see who it was, while taking hold of his gun with the other hand. Tony came into view, followed by Mike. What the hell were they doing here in the middle of the night? Mike was one of the newer guys, and Knox hadn’t had much interaction with him other than after his fight that one night. So Knox couldn’t say how loyal he was to X. Since X didn’t come around as much as he used to, the newer guys didn’t always have the same allegiance he’d had in his early days. But you know what? Fuck it. He wasn’t cowering in X’s office. Knox stepped out. Tony stopped in his tracks. “You shouldn’t be here.” Mike’s jaw dropped a little at the sight of Knox. “What the fuck are you doing here?” “Leaving.” Knox started toward the exit, but Mike stepped into his path. “No, man, you can’t leave. X has been looking for you.” Although Mike said the words, his expression was conflicted. Knox gave him a hard stare, and Mike’s confidence faltered. He stepped aside. As Knox was walking past, Mike said quietly, “Why’d you do it?” Knox turned. “X had it coming.” “But you had everything, man,” Mike said. “You were the top fighter. You’ll never get back in the cage.” Knox rocked back on his heels. Though he’d known his days fighting in the cage alongside these guys were over, he hadn’t had time to dwell on it or process it. He’d never watch his opponent cower before him. He’d never experience the euphoria of standing over a fighter after he’d knocked him out. He’d never feel the ref lift his arm, signifying the win. He’d never get in the cage again.

What happened in the cage had been his whole life. He’d trained for it all day, every day. He was a fighter—that was his identity. But maybe that’s where he’d gone wrong. “There’s more to life than the fight.” Natalie came to mind as he spoke. Mike looked back and forth between Tony and Knox. Tony’s expression was neutral, and Knox wondered once again what the fuck he was doing in a life like this. He was different than the other guys, and while Mike didn’t seem convinced by his words, he knew Tony understood. Mike’s eyes darkened. “X has been good to me. I should kick your ass for what you did to him.” Knox didn’t bother pointing out what they both knew—Mike was a rookie and his words were just that—words. Knox would have Mike on his back before Mike could take his first swing. Knox took the ledger out of his pocket and pressed it against Mike’s chest. The other man took it. “I used to think X was good to me, too.” Then he left the gym for good.

Chapter 16

With her eyes still closed, Natalie sleepily reached over for Knox’s hand. Instead, she found an empty sleeping bag. She sat up and peered into the darkness, but her eyes couldn’t make him out in the darkness. He must have gotten up to go to the bathroom. She ran her hand over his empty place again. Except if that’s true, then why are his blankets cold? Natalie’s heart jumped into her throat, and she scrambled to her feet. Now that she was fully awake, she knew instinctively that he wasn’t there. She knew he wouldn’t have left her there by herself without a damn good reason. What she couldn’t believe was that he’d left without telling her. She clicked on a small flashlight and shone it over their things, and then she went into the bathroom to look in there. No note. No indication of where he’d gone. Nothing. Shit, shit, shit. The back door swung open, and Natalie stilled. Relief and apprehension flooded her. It was probably Knox, but she knew better than to assume. He’d left a gun lying between their sleeping bags, but the thought of firing a bullet into another human being made bile rise in her throat. She couldn’t do that again. With shaking hands, she silently picked up a spare piece of lumber from the pile in the corner of the room and positioned herself behind the door where she’d be able to swing at an intruder before she was seen. She raised the wood and her body screamed, protesting the motion after the abuse she had taken in the fight in the alley. A shadowy figure entered the room, and she dropped the board, the breath she’d been holding leaving her lungs in a whoosh. She’d know Knox anywhere. She leaped at him, curling her arms around his neck. He lifted her by her ass, and she wrapped her legs around him. Her bruised hip throbbed, but she didn’t care. “Knox,” she got out before she crushed her mouth to his, reveling in the taste of him. She ran her fingers through his hair and along his cheeks, reassuring herself that he was here and safe. When she’d woken to find him gone, her logic had taken over. But now that he was back and safe in her arms, her emotions shifted into overdrive. If X had gotten to him while he’d been out, she’d never even know what happened to him. He would just be gone. And Natalie would be destroyed. She pulled back and shimmied out of his hold and onto her feet. She gave him a hard stare. “Don’t ever do that to me again.” He reached out for her hand and she let him have it, but she didn’t close the distance

between them. “I woke up and you were gone,” she whispered, raw fear in her voice. “I didn’t know where you were.” He pulled her roughly against his chest, then tenderly brushed her hair away from her face as his eyes found hers. “I’ll always come back to you.” His mouth dragged across hers hungrily, giving and taking as his tongue caressed hers. Natalie met his passion with a need of her own. They were safe and they had each other, but who knew how long that would last? The thought of losing him tore at her heart as she entwined her body with his. Knox laid her down on his sleeping bag, then reached under the oversized T-shirt she wore to bed to hook a finger on the edge of her panties, pulling them down. He brought his mouth to her core, suckling and applying just the right amount of pressure to make her clench her hands in his hair and moan his name. So good. His mouth traveled up her body, covering every inch of her skin with kisses, taking extra care with her bruises. He pulled her nipple into his mouth, and it tightened into a hard bud. She never felt more alive than when his mouth was on her. She raked her fingers down his abdomen and then back up to his chest, bringing his shirt up and over his head. He quickly shed his pants, pressing his erection against her opening. She shifted her body toward him, wanting to pull him inside her, wanting to feel all of him and revel in the closeness of their joined bodies. “Hold on, baby,” he murmured against her ear, then turned away to handle the condom. When he settled back between her thighs, she drew her knees up. As he began to enter her, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He groaned, filling her completely. His eyes locked on hers, and she knew he really saw her. With him, she was stripped bare —physically and emotionally. He slid his arm under her neck to hold her while they moved together, the pleasure coiling and building inside her. She dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades, wanting to delay the inevitable and prolong the experience. Soon, she couldn’t hold back anymore, and her world exploded. Knox followed shortly after her, his body giving a final shudder. Knox trailed a fingertip along Natalie’s shoulder, his eyes straying to the bandage on her temple. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply, but she wasn’t asleep. Her body was tucked in close to his. Even beaten up and covered in bruises, she was still the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. But it wasn’t just her physical beauty. She was good. Everything about her was just so damn good and pure. He hated that their fucked-up situation put her in a position to act against that goodness. He didn’t deserve her. “I’m sorry,” he said. Her eyes opened, but she didn’t respond. “I’m . . .” he stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m not used to having someone care.” She turned to face him and ran her hand along his cheek, saying nothing. But she didn’t

have to. “Where did you go?” she asked. “To the gym.” Her eyes widened, then narrowed at him. “That wasn’t safe.” “It was a calculated risk. I wanted to find something on X.” “Did you find anything?” “No.” In fact, going into his office had done nothing but dredge up memories. And he hated to admit it, but not all of them were bad. For a while, X had done right by him. And that’s what pissed him off the most—he didn’t know if X had actually cared at one point or if X had been manipulating him the whole time. They’d been frequent visitors at Grandma Fran’s house in the first few years that he was with X, back before her dementia got bad. At Thanksgiving, she’d set a plate for him right between X’s and hers. No being relegated to a too-small, rickety card table in the living room that served as the kids’ table for all the foster kids. No, he was a valued member of their little group. X even taught him to carve the turkey, and the next year, he had that responsibility all to himself. At Christmas, Grandma Fran bought him loads of presents, labeling them all “from Santa.” He didn’t have the heart to tell her he hadn’t believed since he was five and that he was too old for most of the crap she’d given him. Despite that, it was the best Christmas he’d ever had. No worrying that his father would get drunk and beat his mom. No fighting with other foster kids over cheap toys that were usually broken by the end of the day. If X had one redeeming quality, it was his devotion to his mother. X kept her in the dark about and away from his business dealings. In fact, it had taken nearly half a year for X to trust Knox enough to introduce him even though by that time he was already referring to Knox as his son. Grandma Fran was a good woman. Knox regretted that cutting himself off from X also included her. But she didn’t seem to have a clue what a cocksucker her only son had turned into, and Knox couldn’t pretend anymore. He hadn’t seen her in five years. “Hey,” Natalie said. “Where are you?” His eyes focused on her. “Sorry. Just lost in thought.” “I want to go to the library tomorrow.” He frowned. “Why?” “I need to do more research. Find more info on Eleanor. Dig into my family’s files again. I just know I’m missing something.” “Like what?” “I don’t know. And it’s driving me crazy.” He knew the feeling since his trip to X’s office turned up nothing. He could tell she was discouraged by the lack of information they’d gotten on their trip to the greenhouse. They were zero-for-two when it came to getting information from people who might know her elusive godmother’s whereabouts. Hell, with the way things had been going, they’d be safer in the library than trying to talk to someone else directly. And of all the places X would think to look for him, the library didn’t even make it on the list. He had to imagine it’d be the same with Kent. “Okay,” he said.

Her eyebrows shot up. “Okay? That’s it? No argument?” The edges of his lips tilted up and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Nope.” If Natalie thought this was the best course of action, then he’d support it. And if it came down to it, he’d be there to protect her. On the way to the library the next morning, Knox popped into a convenience store for a new burner phone and more food. He didn’t waste any time getting what he needed and rejoining Natalie, who waited outside. Until X and Kent were out of the equation, he didn’t like leaving her unattended for any longer than necessary. He handed her a banana, and she took it gratefully with a look of pure longing on her face. “Oh, thank God,” she said, tearing into it. “Fresh fruit.” He bit into an apple, and as the juices flooded his mouth, he had to admit that he was getting tired of all the junk they’d been forced to eat. Before he’d kept a strict diet of lean proteins to keep his body in top fighting shape, and he was definitely feeling the effects of this new temporary lifestyle. As Natalie had predicted, the library was nearly empty. They secluded themselves at a pair of computers deep in the reference section. Knox didn’t think he’d ever even stepped foot in this library, much less been this deep into it. From the looks of the dust that had settled on the thick volumes on the shelves, it didn’t seem like many others had, either. Natalie cracked her knuckles and rolled her neck before attacking the keyboard. Knox smiled, but turned his face away, lest she think he was laughing at her. He supposed there was more than one way to fight. He used his fists, while she used her brain. They made a pretty good team. Knox scrolled through various news sites, looking for any new articles that mentioned them. Other than a small blurb that stated the investigation into Natalie’s disappearance was ongoing, there was nothing. Right there on the front of the local newspaper’s site, though, was an article about the growing drug problem in the city and the police’s efforts to crack down. Knox almost snorted. Everyone on the south side knew where the drugs came from. Hell, the cops probably knew it, too. But he’d always managed to slip through the police’s fingers. X had laughed about it, calling himself untouchable. But maybe not anymore. If Amelia was right, then Detective Carmichael was finally making X nervous. Knox would love to meet with the man and figure out what he had on X. “I’m almost done,” Natalie whispered in a library-appropriate voice. “I just want to print out a copy of the trust and some other documents.” A few minutes later, she logged off of the computer and Knox did the same. Then they set off for home. Home. It was a strange thought, but Knox had come to think of that little abandoned house as their home. He wondered about the state of his apartment. Though he’d lived there for the last seven years, he had no attachment to the place or any of the belongings in it. No doubt it had been ransacked by X, and since he no longer had his phone, there was no way for his landlord to get in touch with him. Of course, given recent events, his landlord might be happy he was gone. Even when they got this whole mess sorted out, people wouldn’t forget. The “innocent until proven guilty” rule did not apply to reputations or public opinion. All anyone would know about him was that he’d been suspected of abducting an heiress and accused of

attacking that rich cocksucker, Harding. Which technically, he had. But not before the bastard pulled a gun on them. He—and his driver—had deserved what they’d gotten. But getting his life back wasn’t enough anymore, because things had been taken from him that he could never reclaim. And X would have to pay for that. He just needed to figure out how. It was there, right under his nose. He could feel it, but he just wasn’t seeing it. “Did you find anything useful?” he asked Natalie once they were out of earshot of other pedestrians. Her eyes brightened. “Yes, actually. So I figured out that Eleanor stopped attending events roughly ten years ago, shortly after her husband died. And you’ll never guess which date is coming up later this week.” He looked at her blankly. “The anniversary of her husband’s death!” The smile faded from her face and was replaced by a pained expression. “Ugh. It sounds terrible that I’m excited about that. But anyway, I’m ninety percent sure she’ll visit his grave that day.” “And we’ll find her there.” Natalie grimaced. “Yes. I feel awful disturbing her there, but I’ve got no other ideas. That woman is a ghost.” Once back in the house, Natalie sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag with her printed papers in front of her, and Knox lay on his back on his, but he was too restless. He’d never gone this long without working out. He missed the monotony of his morning runs, where the only thing he had to worry about was not getting run down by cyclists. And he craved the calmness that overtook him when he lifted weights. So he flipped to his stomach and started a series of push-ups. His mind immediately felt more peaceful as his muscles easily handled the exertion. He closed his eyes, welcoming the feeling. If only the house were bigger, he’d run laps inside. He was halfway through his second set when he felt Natalie staring at him. He cut his eyes over to find her chewing on the end of her pen, her eyes tracking his every movement. The heat in her eyes sent his blood rushing south. He lost count of his reps, not able to hold any thought in his mind other than the memory of how her body felt under his. How she tasted and how her body seized when she came. Fuck. No woman had ever had this effect on him before. And somehow he doubted anyone else ever would. “Are you trying to distract me?” Natalie had been itching to get her fingers on these printouts the whole walk home from the library, but now watching Knox do push-ups, she had an itch to get her fingers on something else. His back was straight and rigid, and the muscles in his arms were taut, flexing with every move. Biceps, triceps—he had all the ceps covered. And that ass . . . it was tight, solid muscle. He was totally focused on the movement, and his eyes had that utter concentration that she’d witnessed when they’d been together. Only then, that intensity was focused solely on her pleasure.

Heat built within her at the memory. “Is it working?” Knox asked. She blushed and looked away, astonished that he still had this effect on her. They were lovers, but he still could make her blush with just a look or a handful of words. Heck, he didn’t even have to do anything. She could just look at him and feel her cheeks flush. Of course, that might have more to do with the thoughts running through her mind. She met his eyes. He was sitting with his arms resting on his knees and looking at her with that intense gaze of his. Everything about him was intense. And she loved that about him. “I wasn’t trying to distract you,” he said. “I know how important this is. I can go in the other room if you want.” She hesitated. She’d like nothing more than to spend the afternoon naked with him, but she needed to be prepared. “No, that’s okay.” She tore her gaze away from him and forced herself to focus on the papers in front of her. She was a mature adult. She could totally handle being in the same room with Knox and all his sexiness and still be productive. Maybe. She hoped. She returned her attention to the trust documents and underlined parts that were the most relevant to her situation. In just a few days’ time, she would be face-to-face with the woman who could change her future. Eleanor would be there later in the week. She had to be. Natalie refused to believe otherwise. She was ready to take control of her future. Two weeks ago, she had been fine with hiding. Four years had seemed like a reasonable price to pay for her freedom. But now she had Knox. This lifestyle didn’t suit him. Even now, he looked like a caged animal, all penned in. She couldn’t ask him to put his life on hold that long, not when he’d already given up so much to protect her. He could’ve skipped town and started a new life. Now that he’d broken ties with X, there was nothing keeping him here. Instead, he stayed. And he was wanted by the police for questioning, at the very least. There might even be a warrant out for his arrest. Not to mention X had it out for him. If Knox hadn’t paired up with her, he would have been free of all this. So much depended on this meeting. She’d better not screw it up. When she found she was gleaning no more useful information from the trust documents, she took a break and stretched her arms toward the ceiling, twisting to work out the kinks in her back. She wished she could’ve stayed and worked at the library at a proper table with a chair, but Knox had been antsy as it was. And he was probably right. They needed to keep their profiles as low as possible, which meant staying out of sight. She stood and continued stretching. Knox watched her carefully, so she did her best not to favor her shoulder or her hip, but both were throbbing. And neither one was pretty to look at. She’d never known so many shades of purple could exist. She turned her attention to the other documents she’d printed out, the records for the Anna Farrington Foundation, which benefited local women and children in need. It had been

formed after her mother’s death. She’d planned to look at these at Amelia’s, but her time there had been cut short. She wasn’t usually involved in the foundation, but all her recent thoughts of her mother made her curious about it. From what she could tell, the foundation was thriving. If her father was good at one thing, it was convincing others to part with their money. A faint feeling flurried in her heart. Hope. Maybe her father wasn’t the complete monster she’d come to find out about these past few days. Maybe her mother’s accidental death was just that—an accident. True, her father was a prick. There was nothing that could take that away from him, but until she’d dug into these records, she hadn’t realized that a small part of her still hoped that the man who had fathered her was a decent human being. She didn’t want to be the offspring of a monster. She flipped to the next page and frowned. The dates were the same. It looked like she’d accidentally printed two copies of the same report. Just before she balled the paper up in her fist, a word at the top of the column caught her eye—transfer. The flurry of hope turned into a stabbing in her gut. She examined the two papers side-by-side. Same dates, different monetary amounts. “He’s embezzling,” she whispered. “Did you say something?” Knox asked. She pushed the papers away from her in disgust. “My father has solicited tens of thousands of dollars for the foundation, and he’s stealing it. He’s been embezzling from the foundation that bears my mother’s name. Goddammit.” Knox didn’t look surprised, but what did she expect? She was a fool for being disheartened every time she learned about another horrible deed her father had committed. This foundation was the only good thing that resulted from her mother’s death, and it hurt that her father had sullied it. It somehow seemed worse than his trying to take over the family’s money. He was disrespecting her memory and everything she stood for. “How long has it been going on?” Knox asked. “I don’t know. I’d have to look deeper into the files, but I need a computer for that. Fuck! I could be wrong, but somehow I don’t think so. There’s no reason for there to be two sets of records for the same date.” It made her sick to her stomach that this had been going on right under her nose, and she’d been too powerless—and clueless—to stop it. “What do you want to do?” She rubbed her temples. “For now? Nothing. Eventually, I’ll turn this information over to the authorities, but for right now, it can wait. Another week won’t make much of a difference if this has already been going on for years.” “Maybe it will help your case with the board.” “That’s a good point. If I can prove he’s embezzling from a charitable foundation, then surely they’ll believe I’m better suited to handling my own inheritance. If nothing else, they can give the monthly allowance directly to me instead of it going through him.” She sighed. “God, I just hate this. I just hate that my father is such a scumbag.” Knox nodded, his expression tired, and she suddenly remembered what he’d told her about his father. Guilt slammed into her. Here she was complaining about her situation when his upbringing had been much, much worse. Despite everything, she’d had a privileged childhood. “What was it like?” she asked. “Living in foster care?”

His eyes immediately hardened, and he shrugged. She hated that he was shutting her out. Of course, he did confide in her about his mother, and she could tell by the pain in his eyes that it had cost him. But she didn’t want any walls between them. Sometimes she felt she knew him better than anyone else. Other times, she felt like she didn’t know him at all. This was one of those times, and she hated it. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.” “No . . .” Knox’s mouth drew into a hard line. “I just don’t have much to say about it. I got clothes, food, and a place to sleep.” “That must have been a tough way to grow up.” “Not much different from you,” he said, and she paused. In a way it was true. The love she thought she’d had from her father was a lie, but at the time, she didn’t know it. She just thought he was being hard on her. She hadn’t realized the extent of his ruthlessness. She wondered how different her childhood would have been if she’d known then what she knew now. It was probably better that she’d been blind to his ways until she was ready to actually do something about it. She just wished she’d gotten to this point sooner. “I wasn’t the best kid. I was angry,” Knox said quietly. “I was just so angry. I wanted to kill my father. Turns out someone else did, too. He was killed in prison. I had a vendetta against the world, and I didn’t care who knew it. I got in a lot of fights. Eventually, my foster parents kicked me out. That’s when I hooked up with X. He’d seen me fight. Apparently I’m a natural.” He laughed bitterly. “You are,” Natalie said. “That’s not a bad thing.” “X trained me himself. In his day, he was quite the fighter. I lived with him at first. The scary thing is he was more of a father to me than my own had ever been. It took me a while to realize what I’d gotten myself into. By then, I was stuck. I was a high school dropout with no skills.” He ground his teeth and looked away. “Still am.” “But you don’t have to be. It’s not too late to change.” “Isn’t it?” Natalie crawled over to him and laid her head on his shoulder. “No. It’s never too late.” “I’ve spent my whole life fighting. First, my father. Then, anyone and everyone. And now . . . well, up until a week ago, I fought anyone I got paid to. It suited me. Looking down at an opponent after I knocked him out . . . it was the best feeling. I craved it. It was the only time I felt alive.” He let out a shaky breath. “Until now.”

Chapter 17

Natalie traced the features of Knox’s face with her fingertip, smiling when her fingers caught over his stubble. He was sexy as hell. He leaned down to kiss her, his lips gently moving over hers. His hand skimmed her cheek, and that light touch sent shivers down her spine and lit a fire in her belly. She opened her mouth to allow his tongue to mingle with hers. There was usually urgency in their kisses, but this one was slow and savoring. His hand drifted up her back, his fingers running along her spine, only pausing at her bra to unhook it. His fingertips danced across her skin while his mouth lazily trailed down her throat. She leaned her neck back to soak it all in, concentrating on the feel of his lips and hands on her body. Her hands slid under his shirt to feel the warmth of his skin and the tautness of his muscles. She loved his body—every angle, every strength, every scar. When he used it to protect her, it was strong and unyielding. But now, when he used it to love her, it was giving. He pulled her shirt over her head, then eased them both down to lie on the sleeping bag. He trailed kisses along her collarbone, then sucked gently at each nipple until they were hardened buds. She bit her lower lip and tossed her head to the side. She’d experienced it before, but every time with Knox felt so new, like the first time. Every feeling was unlike any she’d felt before. When he got down to her belly, he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants so he could continue his path. He tugged her pants down and ran his tongue along the inside of her quivering thighs. She breathed out his name as he pulled her pants all the way off, then quickly shed his own shirt and pants. “I—” His mouth swallowed her words. I love you was what had been on the edges of her lips. But maybe now wasn’t the time for words. She would just have to show him. She tugged at the elastic of his boxers, pushing them down. He took her lead and stripped them off. Then he quickly slipped on the condom. He settled between her thighs, and she rocked her hips up to meet him. He held back, though, and entered her slowly, so agonizingly slowly. She gripped his hips, but he maintained control of the pace. With his slow, careful thrusts, she could feel every inch of him touching every inch of her. Being with him was always intoxicating, but this was a sensuality she had never imagined. The heat within her built slowly and powerfully. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out, and then when she couldn’t take it anymore, she cried out his name. “Baby, you’re everything,” he whispered.

I love you. The thought ran through her head, but she couldn’t speak if she tried. She gripped his hips again, and this time he adhered to her request, his thrusts gaining speed. Up and up and up she went until she exploded. His body tensed for a moment, then he shuddered and groaned, crushing his mouth to hers. Knox lay awake with Natalie curled up next to him, fast asleep. Every once in a while, she’d let out a little snore. He never thought he’d ever consider snoring cute. God, he was so gone for this woman. In such a short amount of time, she’d become his everything. How was that even possible? He didn’t know, nor did he care. All he cared about was keeping her by his side. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she let out another contented little sound. If they weren’t on the floor of a falling-apart house in sleeping bags, he’d think this was too good to be true. But this was just a quiet moment before the shit storm of their lives started up again. Natalie was one step away from taking control of her future. All she needed was five minutes with that board and she’d have them drawing up papers to give her full control of the Farrington fortune. She was stressed about it, but he knew better. She was going to get the job done. Yet he was nowhere close to breaking free of X. Yeah, he was physically gone, but as long as X was around, he’d never be free of him. He needed more leverage. His visit to X’s office had yielded nothing. And that goddamn fight that X had told him to throw, the request that set this whole thing into motion, was tomorrow night. Part of him didn’t give a shit, but a larger part of him was curious about who he was supposed to lose to. All X had told him was that it was a new guy. X didn’t like to lose any more than Knox did. Although X didn’t pay as much attention to the fighters as he used to, he sure puffed up his chest like a damn rooster at every fight, sitting in the front row. He always gave an inspirational speech in the locker room. Which always happened right after he . . . Knox sat up straight, jostling Natalie awake. “The bag.” Natalie rubbed her eyes and cracked one open. “What bag?” “X’s bag. He brings it to every fight, and he doesn’t ever open it. Just locks it in the same locker every time.” “Okay.” Natalie pulled herself to a sitting position, but her shoulders were slumped and her eyes were only half open. Normally, he’d feel bad for waking her, but not this time. Not when he’d figured out the solution for X. He knew how to get X out of their lives. “That’s when the drop happens. He leaves money and his dealers replace it with cocaine. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it keeps the deal on neutral territory.” “Okay.” She yawned. “So X is dealing coke. Do we turn him in to the cops?” “No.” He paused, taking an extra second to fully process the idea. “I’m going to steal it.”

Natalie’s eyes popped open. Did Knox just say he was going to steal X’s shipment of cocaine? Did he have a freaking death wish? “Care to run that by me again?” Surely she’d misheard him. “It’s perfect.” Knox hopped to his feet and started pacing. “We can’t kill X ourselves. It creates too many complications. But if I steal his stash and flush it, he’s fucked. He doesn’t have the money to replace it.” Natalie ran a hand over her face and uneasiness settled in her stomach. “So let me get this straight—you want to go to the fight where every shady person in this town will be in attendance and steal a buttload of coke.” He frowned. “It’s not as crazy as it sounds.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She would have laughed at the irony of saying the exact same thing he’d said to her time and again if the situation weren’t so serious. They’d been trying to avoid these people, and he wanted to march right into their territory. “No one will expect me to show my face there, and I know the building well. I can get in and get out and no one will know I’m there.” Natalie took a minute to think. He was right that no one would be looking for him there. He knew the lay of the land, and the fights would provide a distraction. Then there was the matter of the coke. She didn’t like the idea of having it in their possession at all, but it would only be temporary. The right thing to do would be to turn the evidence that X was dealing over to the police. But this was another one of those gray areas she’d been wading in lately. With all their rules and regulations and red tape, the police might let X slip through their fingers. And hell, they’d be in possession of the coke, so that could implicate them. She didn’t know enough about police procedure to understand the ramifications of turning in the evidence. Stolen evidence. Plus, they were already fugitives, not the most trustworthy status to have in the eyes of the law. No, if they were going to take the risk to steal the coke, then they needed to make sure X would face the consequences, even if they weren’t legal ones. It was far from perfect, but they were grasping at straws where X was concerned. At least as far as her inheritance went, they had a plan. They’d made no progress in freeing Knox from X, so this was as good a plan as any. As least it was taking some sort of action. She hated to admit it, but his plan made sense. Crazy sense, but sense. “Will the locker room be empty?” “During the fights it will be.” “What kind of lock is on the locker?” “I don’t know. I never paid attention to that. It’s not built-in or anything.” “I guess that doesn’t really matter. It would be better if it were a key lock. I could pick that in no time. But there are tricks to cracking a combination lock as well.” “Wait.” Knox frowned and crossed his arms. “You won’t be picking the lock. You’re not coming with me. Do you know how many dangerous people will be there?” Natalie stood and crossed her arms, mirroring his stance. She narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s exactly why you need me. Lock picking isn’t hard, but it takes practice. If the fight is tomorrow, you don’t have enough time to learn that.” “I’ll get into it another way.” “How?” “I’ll cut the damn lock off.” Knox was getting exasperated.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, which would only make him dig his heels in deeper. Knox was one of the most stubborn people she’d ever met, especially where her safety was concerned. The way he reacted made it seem like she wanted to get herself into trouble. “There are two things wrong with that.” Natalie held up a finger to count. “The first is: how are you going to do that? We don’t have any heavy-grade bolt cutters. And second, it’s better not to cut the lock off. That would alert someone that the locker’s been tampered with. The more time we have to get farther away from the arena—and X—the better.” He shook his head. “I don’t want you getting hurt again.” His fingers rose to touch the bruise below her eye where Harding’s driver had hit her. She knew there was a nasty looking abrasion on her forehead from her skirmish in the alley, not to mention the bruises on her body. “I’ll heal. It’s not a big deal.” “It is a big deal. No one should ever lay a hand on you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” “Even keeping me locked away? I’ve been locked away for over a decade.” His eyes hardened and he took a step back. She sighed. Comparing him to her father was a low blow. But damn it, though his intentions were honorable, no one was going to tell her what to do. Otherwise, what was the point of all this? She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. He didn’t return the gesture. “Don’t shut me out,” she said quietly. Other than her bartender friend, Kat, who she only saw when Kat was working at an event she was attending, Knox was the only person in her life who treated her as an equal. She couldn’t bear for him to pull away from her now. She understood his protective nature. Or at least she thought she did. It ran much deeper than she had realized. For every external wound she endured, he received an internal one. Finally he wrapped his arms around her, tightening the embrace and burying his face in her hair. “I can’t lose you.” “You won’t.” She brought her lips to his, hoping the physical comfort would soothe him where he needed it most: his soul. His mouth was hot against hers, the kiss all-consuming. His fingers raked down her back to her ass and he pulled her close. She ground her hips against him. He groaned and deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with hers. Knox nipped at her lower lip with his teeth, sending desire shooting through her. When the kiss ended, Natalie was left breathless and wanting more. But most of all, she was left with the knowledge that she wasn’t alone anymore. Whatever happened, she and Knox were in this together.

Chapter 18

Knox pulled the trucker cap down on his forehead, feeling more than a little ridiculous. But he definitely didn’t look like himself, which was the point. Although, since it was a fight night, it was probably safer for him and Natalie to be moving about the city because X and all his men were occupied. They only had to worry about police and Kent’s guards. They hadn’t seen any of Kent’s guards in days. That didn’t mean they were out of the picture, though. More than likely, it just meant that Kent didn’t have the same resources as X, whose men seemed to be everywhere. There were no lights on the outside of the building and no indication that anything was happening inside. Even still, it was amazing that the fights had been happening in the same place for the last decade and never once been raided by the police. Maybe they knew and just didn’t give a fuck. Why would they care if some south side guys pounded the shit out of each other a couple times a month? As long as it didn’t bleed over to the swanky north side, the cops probably had more important things to worry about. It felt strange to bypass the door he normally used—the one the other fighters had gone into about an hour earlier. His gaze lingered on the metal door with its red paint chipping off. His days of using the fighting entrance were over. He pulled his eyes away and led Natalie around to the maintenance gate, the one that was rarely, if ever, used. The venue was actually an old warehouse that had been converted into an arena. The cage had been there the whole time he’d been fighting, but the bleachers and the locker room areas had been added over the years. In the beginning, the fights were X’s sole business, and he worked hard building a name for himself and his arena. What had started out as back-alley brawls had turned into a virtual underground empire. Eventually though, it wasn’t enough for X. He moved on to bigger things. The chain-link gate let out a high-pitched squeal when Knox opened it, and he tensed, looking over his shoulder and half expecting someone to come running. They were on the opposite side of the building, so it was doubtful anyone heard it, but his nerves were on edge. Natalie shouldn’t be here. Not only was she putting herself too much at risk, but he was also exposing her to his old lifestyle. He wasn’t sure if that was something he wanted her to see firsthand. The door was locked, so he gestured Natalie forward, and she knelt in front of it. After inspecting the knob, she pulled some tools out of her backpack and set to work. She had the door open in under a minute. He had to admit her skills were impressive, especially considering she’d lost her original lock-picking kit and was making do with a hodgepodge set. They crept inside, closing the door behind them with a soft click. Darkness enveloped them, and they waited a few moments for their eyes to adjust. Then Knox motioned her forward with a flick of his fingers. The hallway that ran along the west side of the building was rarely used. It led to the

access room for the catwalk area high above the main floor. Once the fights began, spotlights would illuminate the cage, leaving the upper area near the roof dark. And that’s where they would be—fifty feet above the cage in the shadows. At the other end of the catwalk was a ladder that would take them to the hallway just outside the locker room. It was perfect. They could get in and out undetected. The access room was unlocked. Knox closed the door behind them and flipped on the lights. There was no lock on the door, so he wedged a metal folding chair under the knob to secure it. That wouldn’t keep anyone out for long, but it might buy them some extra time if they needed it. He hoped to God they wouldn’t. The only problem with this plan was the possibility of getting trapped on the catwalk. They were putting themselves in a position where they could be cornered with no way out besides a suicidal fall, but the likelihood of that happening was slim. They were much more likely to be discovered if they stayed on the ground. The ladder was covered in dust and grime. Knox wrapped his fingers around the highest rung he could reach and shook it. Though old and rusty, it seemed secure enough. Knox helped Natalie up onto the first rung of the ladder, which was several feet off the ground. She looked over her shoulder at him with wide eyes before disappearing into the hole in the ceiling and the darkness above. His nerves gnawed at his gut the minute she was out of his sight. That was the other small problem with the plan—there was a small section they had to climb that would be in complete darkness. The lights from below didn’t reach this far, but the use of a flashlight was too risky. Knox had been up on the catwalk before, but it was years ago and he hadn’t been forced to navigate in the dark. He climbed up behind Natalie, staying a few steps below her in case she slipped. She was taking it slow and steady. Good. There was no reason to rush. Once they got to the top of the catwalk, they’d likely have to wait a few minutes until they could cross the arena. Natalie reached the top and crouched down on the metal grated walkway. Knox joined her, keeping one hand on the wall and another on the floor. It was dark as fuck. After a few minutes his eyes adjusted and he could make out shapes in the blackness. There was light up ahead and Knox crept toward it to stare down at the arena floor. It looked a lot smaller from up here. Funny. For so long it had been his entire world. But now, looking down on the gray metal chain-link, he saw it for what it really was. A cage. X had used that cage to keep him a prisoner. And Knox had allowed it. But that was okay. X was about to get what he deserved. The fighters trickled into the arena and spectators drifted toward their seats. Big crowd tonight. From this vantage, it was easy to see the money that exchanged hands. The lights blinked, signaling last call for placing bets. Beside him, Natalie peered down. He wished he could see her face and her reaction. What did she think of this underground arena that used to rule his life? Whether he liked it or not, it was a large part of his past, and it had shaped him into the man he was today. The announcer’s voice came over the speaker to give an overview of the evening. Knox had heard it all before. When he started to go through the order of the fights, Knox listened intently.

The fight he was supposed to throw was the headliner. Hector was replacing him, which wasn’t a big surprise. Hector was the next best fighter in his class, and more importantly, he bowed to X’s every command. X might not have even had to bribe him to throw the fight. Hector’s opponent was new—someone named Anton Krupin. He squinted, staring down at the guy. Had he fought him, it would have been a good match. He could tell by the way the guy moved and held himself that he was an accomplished fighter. For the first time in years, he might have actually stood the risk of losing. But why would X want him to throw the fight? Most likely it was some sort of sick power play. X had always been good for mind games. It was all about control for him. The first fight was about to start, so he grabbed Natalie’s hand and squeezed to let her know it was time to move. As soon as the lights in the arena dimmed, they made their way across the catwalk. Their movement cast shadows on the ceiling, but there was nothing they could do about that except hope that no one looked up. They made it to the other side without incident and waited. Since Knox was always on the floor during fights, he wasn’t sure when the drop happened, so their plan was to give it thirty minutes before making their way down. Instead of watching the first fight, he watched Natalie—watched her wince when X’s fighter threw his opponent against the chain-link. Watched her gulp as blood covered the floor of the mat from the guy’s broken nose. Watched her turn her head as the downed fighter was carried out of the cage, unconscious. He shouldn’t have brought her. It was one thing to tell her about this life, but another for her to witness it firsthand. And this wasn’t the half of it. It was time, so Knox got Natalie’s attention and climbed down first. The hallway was clear, so he gave a low whistle and Natalie appeared moments later. He gripped her waist to help her jump down the last few feet. She turned and looked up at him with a tight adrenalinefilled smile. He ushered her into the empty locker room, allowing himself a small sigh of relief when he saw the locker that X normally used was occupied. It was locked with a combination lock. Natalie took it in her hands and turned the dial slowly, watching it intently. When it got past number fourteen, she stopped and pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of her pocket. Then she started doing math on it. “What are you doing?” Knox asked. She held her hand up to silence him and kept going, writing down different numbers until she was left with two columns of numbers and one final number. Then she started spinning the lock. Knox had faith in her, but after seven wrong tries, he started to worry. If they couldn’t get that locker open, then this was all for nothing. He surveyed the room, looking for something he could use to bash the locker open, and his gaze settled on the fire extinguisher. He took one step toward it when he heard the soft click. He turned to see Natalie taking the lock off the locker with a smug smile on her face. He never should have doubted her. Knox quickly opened the locker and pulled out the gray gym bag he’d seen X carry. He closed his eyes briefly and blew out a breath. Then he slowly unzipped the bag. “Holy fuck.”

Chapter 19

Natalie peeked inside the bag. She’d never seen so much coke in her life. Well, to be fair, she’d never seen any coke before. Was this a lot for a dealer? Given Knox’s expression, it certainly was. “Jackpot,” he said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go.” But at the door, Knox froze, putting his hand up to halt Natalie. She strained to hear what had made him stop. Voices. In the hall. Right outside the door. Her stomach jumped up to her throat. “Bathroom stall,” Knox hissed. “Go, go, go.” Natalie turned on her heel and scurried around the corner from the locker area to three bathroom stalls, going into the farthest one. She hopped onto the toilet seat, flattening her hands against the stall walls to steady herself. She had to duck down to keep her head below the wall. Knox slid the lock on the stall and joined her on the toilet seat, but there was barely enough room. If they weren’t careful, one of them was going to end up with their foot in the water. That would be disgusting enough, but worse—it would attract the attention of whoever was out there. The locker room door clanged open, and it sounded like two men entered. They were speaking another language that Natalie guessed was Russian. Natalie closed her eyes and buried her face in Knox’s T-shirt, concentrating on his scent and hoping the men wouldn’t hear the hammering of her heart that seemed deafening. Getting caught here was just about the worst thing that could happen to them. Natalie wasn’t worried for herself as much as she was worried for Knox. She’d simply be handed over to her father, but Knox . . . she didn’t even want to think about what fate would await him. With every slam of the locker, Natalie’s heart lurched. The men kept up a steady stream of conversation that was punctuated with laughter. Finally, the door swooshed closed behind them and their voices drifted away. Knox quickly jumped down and helped Natalie down as well. “We’ve got to move.” Knox strode out of the stall and toward the door the men had just exited through. “The fights must be almost over. It must be a short night. Damn it.” Knox peered out into the hall, and though voices could be heard, he motioned her forward. She scurried to the ladder and took the boost that Knox offered, climbing twice as fast as she had descended. Knox had barely made it through the hole in the ceiling when there were more voices directly below them. Natalie took it slower, trying to keep her tennis shoes from squeaking on the metal ladder. She wiped her slick palms on her jeans every few rungs. When she made it to the top, she crawled a few feet before collapsing, closing her eyes, and taking several deep breaths. Her hands were shaking as fast as her heart was beating.

Knox cupped her chin in his hand, and she opened her eyes to stare into the dark intensity of his. A few more deep breaths, and her hands stopped shaking. Her heart slowed, but it was still pulsing with adrenaline. Knox took the lead and she followed, squeezing tightly against the guardrail as they crossed over the arena. Hand over hand. One foot in front of the other. Don’t look down. She gasped, seeing the bag catch on a jagged edge of the rail, ripping a hole in the side. She lurched forward to catch the contents as they fell. All of the baggies except one landed in her hands. She went down hard on her knee with a loud clang, but kept her eyes open to watch the baggie full of coke plummet down into the arena. It fell into the middle of the crowd. No one noticed yet. “Shit,” she whispered. Knox picked her up and shoved the baggies from her hands back into the gym bag, holding the gaping hole closed with his hand. “Let’s go.” Knox’s voice was quiet, but urgent. She looked down one last time, partly expecting half the audience to have guns pointed in their direction. What she didn’t expect to see was her father sitting next to X. Her eyes bulged and she stumbled, knocking into Knox. He turned, and she pointed, still gaping. Why was her father here? He looked perfectly comfortable and at ease, like he was surrounded by the socialites at a charity dinner rather than rubbing elbows with the local mob at an illegal, underground fighting ring. “We’ve got to go.” Knox grabbed her hand. She and Knox hurried along the catwalk, their footsteps making a hollow dinging sound that matched the racing of her heart. He went down the ladder first, and she didn’t wait for him to get very far before she started her descent. Once back on the ground, Knox removed the chair from under the doorknob and listened for a moment. He slowly opened the door, checking the hallway before motioning her forward. Twenty feet and they’d be out. Knox took the time to lock the outer door behind them, and they escaped into the shadows of the city. Knox and Natalie stopped at a twenty-four-hour diner and locked themselves in the unisex bathroom stall. As Knox watched the coke swirl around in the toilet on its way down to the sewer, he couldn’t help but think: what a waste. Hundreds of thousands—maybe even millions—of dollars just gone. He’d never been tempted to join the drug trade, but for the first time he was beginning to understand the appeal of it. And who knows? If X had been dealing back when Knox first joined him, Knox might have ended up involved in it, too. His dumb adolescent self had thought that X walked on water, the result of X being the first fatherlike figure to pay him a decent amount of attention. Knox dumped the last of the coke into the toilet. As soon as the water in the bowl stilled and he could tell it had all been washed away, he opened the door for Natalie and they quickly exited the restaurant. But not before the smell of greasy bacon and maple syrup filled his nostrils. His stomach

growled in protest, and he caught Natalie looking wistfully at the spread on a patron’s table as they passed. He wished they were a normal couple, maybe visiting the diner for a snack after a late movie. Then as quickly as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it. He and Natalie would never be a normal couple. If things were normal for them, they would never have met. They would never be together. And he wanted that for her. It was bad enough he’d had to take her to the fight. He didn’t want her involved in or knowing about the seedier parts of life. But for him? He couldn’t imagine life without her. He tossed the ripped and empty gym bag into a Dumpster and then took her hand in the darkness. He told himself it was to keep her close, for her safety, but he was a damn liar. He just wanted her close. Period. He guided her down the familiar streets, stepping over a pothole in the sidewalk that he’d dodged without even thinking nearly every day on his morning run. This route would lead them past the back door of the gym, but that didn’t matter. No one would be there. Still, his body tensed as they approached and he pulled Natalie closer. Two men appeared from a side street just several yards in front of them. They were dressed casually, in jeans and T-shirts, but something about them put Knox on edge. They stopped at the back door to the gym. “Shit.” Knox pulled Natalie to a crouching position behind a parked car. She peered around the bumper and he tugged her back into hiding. “Do you recognize them?” she asked. Knox shook his head. There was no reason for anyone to be at the gym at this time of night. Anyone with any allegiance to X was required to attend the fight in a show of solidarity. It was one of the things Knox had liked back in the beginning of his time with X. They were like one big fucking family. The taller of the two men lit a cigarette, the flame piercing the darkness, while he eyed the streets. The second man crouched at the drainpipe next to the gym door, sticking his hand up in it. What the fuck? The man stood, a crumpled envelope in his hand. He reached into it and removed a stack of bills, then handed them to his friend. “That’s it?” the tall man asked, his voice laced with disgust. “X is getting stingy on us.” “Fuck. He’d better give us something soon. The captain is riding my ass.” As the men walked toward the car Knox and Natalie were hiding behind, they crept around the car to stay out of sight. Right before they rounded the back bumper, Natalie gasped loudly. The men stopped and Knox pulled Natalie close to him, coming up with a plan for the best way to take the men out. The tall man dropped his cigarette on the ground, not bothering to stamp out the still-lit ashes. He scanned the area. “It was nothing,” the second man said. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” They turned and continued down the road and in the distance, a car engine started. Knox didn’t relax until he could no longer hear it.

He pulled them into a standing position and they doubled their speed as they traversed the remainder of the south side. “Sorry,” Natalie said. “But I recognized those guys. I met them at the last gala I attended.” Knox frowned down at her. “Who are they?” “Cops.”

Chapter 20

As soon as they got back to the house, Knox turned to Natalie. “Cops? Are you sure?” Natalie nodded. “Positive. They were with the chief of police at the Kids Literacy Network gala the night I left home. He introduced them to me. They’d just been promoted.” “Do you know their names?” “I can’t remember offhand, but if you give me your phone I’m sure I can find their names.” Knox handed over the phone and paced while her fingers flew over the tiny screen. “Schafer and Vasquez. They’re both lieutenants.” Knox put his hands on his hips and stared at her, letting his thoughts play out in his mind. Once upon a time, X had shared almost everything with Knox. Even today, Knox knew more about X’s business than he’d ever wanted to know. But the one thing X had never shared was the identity of the cops on his payroll. X simply referred to them as “my cops.” And now Knox had that information. It might not be enough to bring X down, but it sure as hell was enough to fuck up his empire. Natalie clutched at Knox’s hand as they traipsed through the graveyard. Though her mother was buried here, she hadn’t visited in years. Visiting loved ones’ graves might bring comfort to some, but Natalie knew her mother’s essence was not lingering six feet beneath the ground. She wasn’t particularly religious, but she liked to think her mother watched over her, wherever she was. Even still, she gripped a bouquet of partially withered flowers, the best they could find at the local convenience store. “It’s right over there,” she said, gesturing toward an area near a collection of dogwood trees. Luckily for them, her mother’s grave was within sight of Eleanor Simmons’s late husband’s. She felt like a creeper, coming to encroach on a widow’s time at a grave, but they’d run out of options. Natalie leaned the flowers up against her mother’s headstone while Knox stood a few feet away. She ran her fingers over the smooth marble that spelled out her mother’s name and the date showing that she’d been taken too soon from this world. She’d told herself she wouldn’t cry, but she was powerless to stem the tears that filled her eyes. She felt Knox’s hand on her shoulder and she put her hand on top of his. She might have been alone before, but she definitely wasn’t alone now. She rose and they settled on a bench nearby to wait.

It was only when she blinked her tears away that she wondered if Knox’s parents were buried here. He shook his head when she asked. “They were both cremated.” A black car pulled to a stop on the road that meandered through the cemetery. Natalie sat up straight, watching intently. Minutes went by. Five, ten. Finally after fifteen minutes, the driver opened his door, then circled around to the rear door to help the passenger out of the car. It was Eleanor Simmons in the flesh. The fact that she’d arrived so soon gave Natalie a glimmer of hope. She’d been prepared to stake out the cemetery all day. But she was taking this to be a good omen. The driver held onto Eleanor’s elbow as she climbed the slight hill to the grave. Natalie was struck by how elderly she was. Had her grandparents been alive, they would be roughly the same age. She’d pictured Eleanor as being younger—probably because that’s how she pictured her grandparents since they’d died years ago. Though she had had difficulty walking, Eleanor stood straight at the grave while her driver retreated to the car to give her privacy. She pulled out a rosary and closed her eyes, her fingers running over the beads. “We can’t interrupt her now,” Natalie murmured. Knox shifted next to her. He’d been tense since they’d arrived, no doubt because they were out in the open. Without crouching behind a gravestone, there was nowhere for them to conceal themselves. But despite the urgency of needing to talk to her, Natalie would not disturb her like this. She’d give the widow time to finish her prayer. A rustle behind them and off to the left caught her attention. She was just glancing over her shoulder when Knox said, “Oh, shit.” Oh, shit was right. A black SUV had halted on the drive on the other side of the cemetery and two men dressed in the black uniforms her father preferred were running across the grounds toward them. But the men’s gazes weren’t focused on them. No, they were looking at Eleanor, who still had her eyes closed while her mouth moved in silent prayer. “They’re going for her, not us,” Natalie said frantically. “We’ve got to help her.” Knox’s mouth was pressed into a grim line. “You get Eleanor. I’ll take care of them.” Natalie shot off the bench at a run. The commotion caused Eleanor to open her eyes and they widened at the sight of Natalie charging at her. “Mrs. Simmons,” Natalie said, out of breath. “There’s no time to explain, but we’ve got to get you out of here.” Natalie looked over her shoulder to where Eleanor’s eyes were trained. Knox had one of the men pressed up against a headstone. The other was on the ground, but not for long. He was climbing to his feet. Oh, God. Keep him safe. She trusted that Knox was able to handle himself—he’d proven that to her time and time again—but her heart still lurched in her chest. Natalie put her hand under the woman’s elbow to guide her down the hill to her car. Eleanor could not move quickly and shuffled along in a way that indicated she probably should use a walker or a cane.

Her driver emerged from the car and took the woman’s arm, shoving Natalie aside. “Mrs. Simmons, what’s going on?” “Take us away from here,” Eleanor commanded as her driver helped her into the car. The driver shot a suspicious look at Natalie, but left the door open for her while he got into the driver’s seat. Natalie hopped in beside Eleanor and pulled the door closed. She peered out the window, hoping to catch sight of Knox. Instead, she saw one of the men running toward the car with his gun drawn. “Hurry,” she told the driver. “The speed limit’s twenty-five.” “For fuck’s sake, he’s got a gun!” Natalie yelled. “Step on it.” One glance in the rearview mirror had the driver obeying Natalie. He skidded out onto the main street, taking out a few azalea bushes in the process. Natalie leaned back against the upholstery and let out a breath. If that man was able to come after them, then where was Knox? Her hands shook and she forced herself to calm down. “Can you please explain what’s going on?” Eleanor asked. “Who were those men? And who are you?” “I’m sorry, Mrs. Simmons.” Natalie turned toward the older woman. “I’m Natalie Farrington Kent, and I’m afraid those men are my father’s employees.” Eleanor’s expression softened just a touch. “Natalie. I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl. But why were they chasing us?” Eleanor’s tone gave nothing away. She might have been discussing hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party. Natalie’s heart sank. Maybe she was wrong. If Eleanor was the director of the trust, then surely she’d have some idea what was going on. Had she and Knox been putting themselves at risk and searching all this time for the wrong person? “I recently learned my mother set up a board to manage my family’s trust, but the documents don’t tell me who is on the board.” Eleanor didn’t say anything and merely continued to look at Natalie. “I’m hoping you’re the board director.” Natalie swallowed. “Are you?” Eleanor’s lips stretched into a thin smile. “Yes.” As soon as one of the men took off after Eleanor’s car, Knox used the opportunity to smash the other man’s head into a gravestone, knocking him out cold. Then he turned and ran, following the rule he’d imparted to Natalie. He headed toward the street and he could just make out the car before it turned a corner. Good. Natalie had gotten Eleanor out of there. They were both safe. He jogged down the street, not caring if he brought attention to himself. He wanted to get home so he’d be waiting when Natalie returned. Half-hoping that she’d already be there, he let himself in, but it was obvious from the silence that she wasn’t back yet. Fuck, fuck, fuck. With the exception of the night he went to X’s gym, he hadn’t let Natalie out of his sight. That night, he’d known where she was—knew that she was safe. But now, he didn’t know

where the fuck she was. He paced, curling his hands into fists. Minutes passed and he had a hard time not watching the time tick by on his phone. Why the fuck hadn’t they gotten two burner phones? Then she could’ve called him. It hadn’t seemed necessary since they hadn’t planned on separating. Now he could kick his own ass for his shortsightedness. Should he go out and look for her? Where would he even start? No, that was a stupid idea. She was safe with Eleanor. The sound of the door opening made his stomach leap into his throat. He strode over to it. Natalie didn’t even make it all the way inside before he hauled her to his chest. He crushed his mouth to hers, tasting her and reassuring himself that she was here. Her breasts pressed against his chest and he ran his hands up the back of her shirt, wanting to feel the warmth of her skin. He pressed her against the wall and she matched his heat with her own. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she lifted one leg to wrap it around his hips. He grabbed her ass and hoisted her up. She wrapped both legs around him. His tongue lapped at her throat and she moaned, digging her fingers into his shoulders. “Knox,” she whispered and that one word broke him. Made him lose control. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her gently on the sleeping bag. Natalie stared up at Knox as he stripped out of his clothes. A fire inside her ignited. She never grew tired of looking at his body—his strong chest that tapered down to ridged abs, bulging arms that kept her safe, tight ass that gave way to muscled legs. The X tattooed on his chest and the scars only made him that much more beautiful because they represented everything he’d endured to become the man he was today. He knelt beside her and she pulled her shirt over her head and shed her bra, not wanting anything separating them. He cupped her face in his hands, his dark eyes boring into hers. He let out a shaky breath. “I was scared I’d lost you.” Her breath hitched at his confession. The fear and anguish was evident in his eyes. She never wanted to make him feel that way. She kissed him gently, running her fingers up his arm and over the tattoo on his chest. Her hand finally stilled over his heart. “Knox, I’ll always come back to you.” He buried his face in her neck, trailing kisses, and his former urgency was replaced with sweetness. His fingers ran down her spine and she shivered. Tingles flooded every extremity. He lowered her to her back and undid the button of her jeans with one hand while the other finessed her nipple to a taut point. She shimmied her hips out of the jeans and his hand dipped underneath the soft cotton of her panties. Her back arched as his finger found her clit. He stroked and coaxed until a fire was burning inside her and her hips writhed against his hand. Just when she thought she would explode, he stopped and dragged her panties down her legs. He slid down her body, his hands grazing her sides until his mouth found her core. The fire that had only slightly cooled burned hotter until she cried out his name.

“You are so fucking beautiful.” His voice was hoarse and he gazed at her, his eyes showing a mixture of adoration and vulnerability. She put a hand to his cheek. “Make love to me, Knox.” He rolled on the condom and settled between her legs. She rotated her hips toward him and he entered her slowly. Their eyes locked as their bodies meshed together, slowly finding a rhythm that satisfied this most basic of needs. The connection she had with Knox was more than just physical. She gave herself to him— everything she was—and she got all of him in return. As the pressure built inside her, she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her fingers clawed at his back and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Finally, the pressure broke and she cried out. He crushed his lips to hers and thrust inside her one last time before he broke to pieces. Natalie lay with her face on Knox’s chest. She planted a tiny line of kisses from his left nipple to his right. Then she drew his nipple into her mouth. He gasped and his whole body tensed. She released him and a small smile played at the edges of her lips. “I was wondering if that would have the same effect on you as it does on me,” she said. “Baby, everything you do affects me.” Natalie settled next to him, tucked under his arm. It should feel strange to be naked in the middle of the day like this, but it had never felt more right. “How did things go with Eleanor?” he asked. She sat up excitedly. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten to tell him. Then again, Knox had that effect on her. She was liable to forget her own name. “I was right. She is the director. And she’s setting up a meeting in two days. Two days!” He smiled. “That’s great.” “Can you believe it? Knox, it’s really happening.” She paused. “Well, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. Eleanor called the meeting and a change to the terms of the trust will most likely be put to a vote, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll vote in my favor.” “Of course they will. They’d be idiots not to.” “I hope so, but you just never know.” He kissed her temple and smoothed the hair away from her face. “I have faith in you, but if something goes wrong, then we’ll just figure it out.” Natalie snuggled closer to him, feeling content despite the uncertainties and challenges that still lay before them. “True. We’ve made it this far, right?”

Chapter 21

Natalie insisted she needed new clothes for her meeting with the board, and there was no way she could go shopping herself. So she’d called her friend Kat for help getting what she called “appropriate business attire.” In Knox’s world, appropriate business attire had been athletic shorts, so what the fuck did he know? He’d take Natalie’s word that it was important she look the part, even though he didn’t think it mattered. Of course, he preferred Natalie wearing no clothes. Kat’s apartment was just on the north side of town, about a block away from the border. Natalie told him her father didn’t know about her friendship with Kat, a bartender who worked at some of the charity functions the Farringtons attended. They weren’t close friends, but Kat had been willing to help. Natalie said she was trustworthy, so Knox was taking her word for it. She’d been right about Amelia. Natalie knocked on the second-story apartment door and Kat answered after a moment. Kat was dressed in a black and white bartender’s uniform with a little black apron tied around her waist. Although her look was polished—suitable for working in a swanky hotel—Knox sensed an edginess about her. She pulled Natalie into a hug. “You’ve been all over the news. I’ve been worried about you. Are you okay?” “I’ve been better, to be honest,” Natalie said, “but considering the circumstances I’m okay.” Kat released her and ushered them both inside. “This is Knox,” Natalie said. He nodded at Kat while she gave him the once-over, narrowing her eyes at him. As a bartender, she was probably used to sizing people up pretty quickly. He wondered if he’d pass muster. After a moment, she nodded at him, then turned to Natalie. “Come see what I have that might fit you.” Knox waited in the living room while the women disappeared into the bedroom. He made himself at home. The apartment was not all that unlike his own. The building was probably about the same age, although this one was better maintained. The furnishings in the living room were worn, but clean. He settled on the couch and pulled out his phone to make a call. “Hello?” said the stern voice on the other end, although it sounded more like “yellow.” “Amelia, it’s Knox.” “Well, I’ll be damned. I’ve been wondering what you’ve been up to. Still alive, I see.” Knox couldn’t help it—a grin graced his face. Fuck if he didn’t like the older woman. “For the time being.” “And Natalie? How’s she holding up?”

Knox glanced in the direction of the closed bedroom door. It hadn’t even been two weeks, but she was already thinner, and there were circles under her eyes. He didn’t like it. “She’s hanging in there.” “I’d expect nothing less.” Amelia paused for a minute. “Now what do you want? I know you didn’t call just to shoot the shit.” Knox chuckled. “No, I didn’t. You mentioned your second cousin was a cop. Do you know how to get in touch with him?” “Yes.” Amelia sounded suspicious. He didn’t blame her. He rubbed his jaw. “You trust him, right?” “He’s a good cop. A bit of an ass, but honest.” He rattled off his e-mail address and asked her to send along his information. “So, uh, how are the dogs?” Knox was surprised by how much he liked and thought about those stupid mutts. Except they definitely weren’t mutts. Probably more like some designer dog breed that cost more than his car. “They’re good. Ready to come home. They wreaked havoc on my cousin’s flower bed. She was not too pleased about that.” Knox exchanged a few more words before disconnecting the call. Despite his observation about Natalie’s weight loss and dark circles, she had seemed more upbeat since she’d met Eleanor, like the light at the end of the tunnel was shining on her. And maybe it was. But optimism just wasn’t his thing. Neither he nor Natalie had addressed the issue of “after.” Once this mess was all cleared up, what then? Knox didn’t fit into her world. If he was honest with himself, he had to admit he didn’t want to. Sure, the money would be nice, but the idea of rubbing elbows with elite assholes at social gatherings made bile rise in his throat. They were so close to finishing this. When Natalie met with the board tomorrow, it would be the beginning of the end. He had no doubt they’d vote in her favor. But where did that leave him? Kat held a gray suit up to Natalie. “This should fit you. It might be a little loose in the hips.” Kat grinned. “I have a little more junk in my trunk than you do.” Natalie laughed. “Are you insinuating that I have a pancake ass?” “Pancake ass?” Kat laughed. “I’ve never heard that before. Funny. So I don’t want to pry, but are you really okay?” “Yes. Or I will be soon. I’m finally waking up and taking care of things that should have been dealt with a long time ago.” “I know the feeling,” Kat muttered. “If you need somewhere to go, somewhere safe, I have the names of people who help women who are stuck in bad situations.” “Thanks. I appreciate that more than you know. I hope that tomorrow’s meeting will resolve things.” Kat nodded, not asking questions. Natalie appreciated that about her. She got the definite feeling that Kat’s words weren’t just lip service—Kat would help her, more than just by lending clothes. And the other woman had definitely been through her own tough times. Understanding was written all over her face.

“Here’s a blouse that might work. It might be a little big in the top, but the blue matches your eyes.” Natalie held the blouse up to her chest and looked in the mirror, starting a little bit at the sight of her dark hair. She couldn’t wait to get it back to her normal blond. The dark hair just wasn’t her. “Thanks. I’ll take good care of the clothes. I’ll have them cleaned before I return them.” Kat snorted. “That’s not necessary. It’s not like it’s Chanel or anything.” Natalie ducked her chin to hide her blush. Some of the clothing she owned probably cost more than Kat paid for rent every month. It was so excessive, but her father placed high importance on keeping up appearances. “And here”—Kat rummaged in a bin on her dresser—“take some makeup. Not that you need it, but you’ll feel better wearing it to your important meeting.” She zipped up some cosmetics in a little case. “I can’t thank you enough.” Natalie’s lower lip quivered a little and she sucked it in. This was just another thing her father had taken from her—girlfriends. She’d had a few casual friends that she’d seen at school, but she was never allowed to have slumber parties or even spend an afternoon with a girlfriend at the mall. “We should probably get going. I know Knox is probably anxious.” “What’s the deal with him?” Kat asked. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but he seems . . . dangerous, for lack of a better term.” Natalie chuckled. “Oh, he’s definitely that.” At Kat’s concerned stare, she rushed on, “Not to me, though. With me, he’s a perfect gentleman.” That was partially true. When they were naked in bed together though, she didn’t want a gentleman. She wanted someone wild and passionate. “He’s definitely hot. Just different than your usual crowd. That’s all.” “And thank God for that.” Natalie took the bag containing the clothes and cosmetics that Kat held out to her. “Thanks again.” “Wait a second.” Kat opened the closet door and pulled out a black purse. “This will complete the look.” Knox rose when they entered the living room. Kat pulled Natalie into a parting hug. “Let me know how you are if you can. And take care of yourself. You’re one of the few richies I can stand.” “Did you get everything you needed?” Knox asked, holding open the front door of the apartment building for Natalie. She nodded, slinging her newly acquired bag of items over her shoulder. “Kat is so nice.” Knox nodded, choosing not to say anything. In Kat, he’d seen a little of himself—someone from the school of hard knocks just fighting to make something of themselves. And he wouldn’t exactly describe himself as “nice.” As they neared the hotel district, Knox saw a familiar figure step out of a limo. He stopped in his tracks and ushered Natalie back into the alley. He peered around the corner to get a better look. Knox watched as the man held his hand out toward the open limo door. An elderly woman’s hand adorned with jewels that were worth more than Knox’s life grasped it. Once

she was out of the limo, the man put his hand on the small of her back to escort her into the hotel. “What is it?” Natalie asked. “Do you know who that is?” he asked, wanting Natalie to look before they disappeared into the building. She peeked around the corner and then furrowed her brow. “Yes. That’s . . . that’s . . . it’s right there.” She paused for a moment. “Adamo. That’s it. Her first name starts with a G. If you give me a minute—” “What about the guy? Have you seen him before?” Natalie took another look as they disappeared through the revolving door. “He looks vaguely familiar, but I don’t know. I can’t place him.” She put a hand on Knox’s arm. “Is everything okay?” “Yeah.” He didn’t bother hiding the scowl from his face, though. “Let’s go.” Natalie pursed her lips, but didn’t ask any more questions. Knox was grateful, because he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, not when one question kept running through his mind. What the fuck was Tony doing wearing a suit and getting out of a limo?

Chapter 22

Natalie smoothed down her short dark hair, trying to make it look presentable. She still wasn’t used to it. The first thing she was doing when this was all over was dyeing her hair blond again. No, scratch that. She wasn’t dyeing it. She would let the professionals try to restore her hair to as close to its normal color as possible. But just like it would take years for her hair to truly return to normal, she’d also be feeling the after effects of the last couple weeks for a long time. It would take a while for things to return to normal. Except she wasn’t sure what normal was anymore. She glanced over her shoulder at Knox, who was pacing. He’d been on edge ever since they saw the Adamos yesterday, but he hadn’t told her why. And he wouldn’t until he was ready. That much she knew about him. But she couldn’t worry about it now. She had to get ready to meet the board. She pulled the makeup out of the bag, surveying what Kat had chosen for her. When she’d left home, makeup hadn’t seemed important enough to take up space in her backpack. Home. It wasn’t home, anymore, was it? The house had been in the Farrington family for generations, but now her father lived there. God, she wished she’d thought about that earlier so she could have pulled up the property records at the library. Was he on the deed? He must be, right? When her mother died, she’d been underage, so it couldn’t have gone into her name, and there was no one else. Her stomach rolled at the thought of her father living out his days in her mother’s family’s home. Bastard. She took a deep breath, letting the rage roll over her and then recede. Getting control of her inheritance wouldn’t be the end of her struggles with her father. Baby steps, though. She had to get that enormous task checked off the list before she could even think about anything else. She made quick work of applying the makeup and studied her reflection in the mirror with a satisfied nod. Kat had done a surprisingly good job choosing the right shades. She hoped they’d be able to continue their friendship once this ordeal was over. The small taste of spending time with her yesterday made Natalie realize how much she’d been missing out on. Yet another reason to hate her father. She couldn’t wait to put that man out of her life for good. Her life was about to change, one way or another. As was Knox’s. How fitting that they’d found one another right when they’d each just started a journey toward a better future. Now they’d be able to reach the destination together. She hung up the business clothes and returned to the bedroom. “An hour until showtime, right?” Knox stopped pacing for a moment to focus on her. His eyes roamed over her face, and

she ducked her chin, feeling a little self-conscious. He hadn’t seen her in makeup since the first night he met her. “You’re gorgeous.” She looked up at him, and judging from the heat in his eyes, it wasn’t an empty compliment. On second thought, she took back her idea of dyeing her hair being the first thing she did when this was over. The first thing would be spending several hours—maybe days—in a proper bed with Knox. She flipped open the spiral notebook she’d asked Knox to purchase on his latest supply run. All of her notes were there, neatly organized into bullet points. She probably could give her talk straight from memory, but she wasn’t taking that gamble with something this important. She read over her notes again, just to give herself something to do until she had to dress. There was no such thing as being too prepared. She hadn’t decided what approach she would take yet. Should she play to the board’s sympathies? Or appeal to logic? She didn’t know any of the other board members, so it would have to be a last minute decision once she’d gotten an impression of them. You can do this. You can do this. She repeated the mantra in her head over and over. “You have nothing to worry about.” She looked up sharply at Knox, who was looking at her intensely. Had she been talking out loud? “This could change everything,” she said. “It all rides on this meeting.” He crossed to her and wrapped his arms around her. His expression—she couldn’t read it. Was he more worried than he let on? He lowered his mouth to hers, and she kissed him back with vigor. While he wouldn’t physically be in the boardroom with her, he’d still be with her. He was her strength. “You should change. We need to get going,” he said. She took a shaky breath and nodded, then slipped into the bathroom to change into her battle armor of a cheap polyester suit. Knox changed into his last clean shirt, deciding that if Natalie was going to spruce up for this meeting, then he might as well, too. “Ready?” he asked. She nodded, tugging at her skirt one last time and stepping into her heels. He studied the unsteady-looking things and frowned. They’d better not have to outrun any of X’s men today. Natalie wouldn’t make it very far in those. He didn’t comment though, because nerves were already eating away at her. He held out a small gun to her, but she shook her head. “It doesn’t go with the outfit.” He looked down at the gun, then up at her. “Are you kidding me?” “No. I can’t go in there with a gun hanging out of my waistband. That doesn’t fit with the image I’m trying to present.” Her image wouldn’t mean shit if she were dead.

Even though Natalie’s mother had selected these people to sit on the board, he didn’t trust them. For all he knew, one of them might pull a Victor Harding on Natalie. And without her gun, she’d have no way to defend herself. He wasn’t supposed to go in with her, but they’d see about that when they got there, especially now. He’d bring the extra gun, just in case she changed her mind. She let out a breath and shook her hands a little, trying to rid herself of excess energy. She seemed more nervous now than before they’d set out to steal X’s drugs. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “You’re going to be great.” Her brow furrowed. “I hope so. I just don’t know what to expect.” He understood that. He used to get nervous before fights when he hadn’t seen his opponent fight before. She brought her face up to his and kissed him, then rested her forehead against his. “This is it,” she said. “Everything’s going to be different after this.” Dread hollowed out his stomach. Everything would be different, and he wasn’t convinced it would be better. How long would it take for Natalie to realize that she needed more than what he could offer? But staring into her hopeful eyes, he returned her smile. He knew in his gut that she belonged with him. If necessary, he would just have to convince her of that. They started the trek toward the law office where the meeting was being held. It was several blocks past the hotel where he’d seen Tony. That motherfucker. At best, Tony had lied to him. At worst, Tony was selling him out. Knox had trusted that bastard. He wasn’t a genius, but it didn’t take a huge leap to figure out that Tony Adams was actually Tony Adamo. But why? Knox didn’t have a fucking clue. Logic told him that he shouldn’t have trusted Tony. But in his gut, he still believed that Tony was a good guy. It just didn’t make any fucking sense. Knox glanced over at Natalie, who was looking straight ahead, although it was obvious her mind was somewhere else. She was the only person he trusted entirely. He reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers. She looked over and smiled at him and squeezed his hand. The muscles in her face visibly relaxed. That. That’s why they belonged together. They were good for each other. They stopped at a red light, and Knox pulled out his phone to check the GPS directions. The office should be just another three blocks. The light signaled it was their time to walk, and Knox took a step, then felt a sharp pinching on the back of his right arm and the left side of his back. He stumbled, and Natalie’s hand slipped from his. “Knox?” She stopped, but was soon flanked by two men and forced to keep moving. Knox slipped to his knees, the buildings and pedestrians swirling around him. “Mister? Sir? Are you okay?” Natalie’s terrified face as she was ushered toward a black SUV was the last thing he saw before his world went black.

Chapter 23

Natalie jerked her arm away from the man and started to spin on her heel. She sucked in a breath, preparing to scream. The man tightened his grip and something hard poked into her rib cage. “Feel this gun? Scream and I’ll use it, first on you and then on your boyfriend. So keep walking, sweetheart.” Her mind whirled. Would they actually shoot them in front of all these witnesses? She couldn’t risk it, especially not when Knox was in no position to defend himself. Once she was inside the SUV, Natalie peered through the tinted windows, trying to see Knox. The last she’d seen, he’d fallen to his knees. Now she could only see a crowd of people gathered around where he had been. Thank God. Someone will help him. She whirled on her abductor. “What did you give him?” The man to her left had a scar reaching from the corner of his mouth to his ear, and he didn’t bother to acknowledge her question, staring straight ahead. The man to her right was the one who had dug a gun into her rib cage and told her to keep walking. He chuckled. She wanted to slap him across the face. “You’re lucky your boyfriend isn’t dead already. X has plans for him.” The blood drained from Natalie’s face, and she forced herself to breathe. She still stupidly clutched her spiral notebook to her chest, as if it could protect her. They wouldn’t have shot him. She’d fallen for their bluff. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. It would be okay. When she didn’t show up for the board meeting, Eleanor would know something was wrong, and she’d call the police. Natalie tried to convince herself of this uncertainty. And Knox wasn’t dead. He was just knocked out or something. It was better that way, better that they both hadn’t been taken. He’d wake up and then . . . Oh, shit. He’d come after her. That wasn’t good. X might not be willing to have Knox killed in broad daylight on a crowded street, but he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him in private. “Where are you taking me?” The driver grunted, and there was still no reaction from Scar Face. “Tell me where we’re going,” she demanded, sounding much more confident than she felt. “It’ll be better for you if you shut your trap,” Gun Man said. He turned toward her slightly and ran a fingertip up her thigh, pushing her skirt up. “But I might be persuaded to give you some information.” Natalie slapped his hand away and looked forward. He laughed at her. “Sweetheart, where we’re going, that’s the best offer you’re going to get. You might want to think twice about turning it down.” The edges of Scar Face’s lips stretched into a sadistic smile, and Natalie fought hard against hyperventilating.

She closed her eyes. Remember the rules. First rule—fight dirty. No, that wasn’t it. There was another one before that. That’s right—run away. That wasn’t possible when she was stuck between two muscle-bound men in the back of an SUV that was cruising through the city. But eventually, it would have to stop at a red light. They were bound to get caught by at least one. Then she’d . . . what? She had no weapon, and her measly little fists were no match against these guys. She looked around the car, trying to find something she could easily reach that could be used as a weapon, but this had to be the cleanest damn car she’d ever been in. There wasn’t so much as a stray gum wrapper. Her knuckles tightened on her notebook. She was doomed. She squeezed her eyes shut. No, no, not smart. Keep your eyes open so you know where you are. She didn’t know what good that information would do her once she was already there, but it gave her something to focus on besides the metal coil of the notebook that was cutting into her palm. And then it hit her. That’s it. She slid her hand down the notebook, feeling for the sharp edge of the metal. Then slowly, she began to twist the metal so that several inches of it were hanging below the paper. She straightened the end of it the best she could, nearly gasping once when it pierced her finger. Good. It was supposed to hurt. She kept her eye on the traffic lights in front of them, waiting for an opportunity. She’d have to be fast. Both men had buckled their seat belts—although not hers—so she was hoping the few extra seconds it would take for them to free themselves would give her enough of a head start. As soon as the driver applied the brakes, Natalie sprang into action. Using all the force she had, she shoved the wire into the fleshy part of Gun Man’s cheek. It pierced the skin and she was momentarily stunned, staring at the notebook that was hanging from the man’s face. She launched herself over Scar Face’s lap, shoving her left elbow up into his windpipe and reaching for the door handle with the other hand. Fuck! Locked! She fumbled with the door’s lock, but by the time she got it undone and reached for the door handle, Gun Man had grabbed her around the neck and pulled her back. She gasped for air and was thrown forcefully into Scar Face’s lap. Gun Man roughly turned her so that she was faceup, then smacked her across the face with the back of his hand. The pain reverberated through her eye socket, and her face felt like it was going to explode. Her arm flew up to protect her face, and she felt moisture on it. Was she bleeding? She opened her uninjured eye. Gun Man was leering over her. The moisture was his blood, dripping onto her from the wound in his face. He’d ripped the wire out of his cheek, leaving a gaping hole. She gagged and turned her face away. “Bitch,” Gun Man said, spitting blood on her. Scar Face still said nothing, just roughly shoved her off his lap and into a sitting position. “Bind her hands,” Gun Man said. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to his cheek. “You fucking bitch,” he said to her. “That one was free. But if you try anything

like that again, I will shoot you. There’s lot of places you can get shot and still live. X wants you alive. He didn’t say anything about whole.” The SUV pulled away from the light, zooming ahead of the other cars. Natalie watched the pedestrians, none of whom had any idea that behind the tinted windows of the SUV that passed them was a woman fighting for her life. Natalie squeezed her eyes shut as the tears welled up in them, both from pain and from the knowledge that she’d failed. She’d tried to run and fight dirty, and neither had worked. She ground her teeth and opened her eyes. No. She would not be a damsel in distress. Her fear turned to fury. These men were messing with her life and they’d hurt Knox. They would not get away with this. One way or another, she would make them pay. Knox’s eyelids felt like they were sealed shut with cement. He had no idea where the fuck he was. By the slight jostling of his body and the feel of leather under him, he figured he was in a car—a luxury car. But his hands weren’t bound. Not that it mattered. He felt paralyzed. It took all his strength just to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was Tony driving. “What . . .” he croaked out, then licked his lips and swallowed to try to return moisture to his mouth. “What the fuck?” Tony glanced over his shoulder to the backseat where Knox was splayed out, then returned his eyes to the road. “Don’t worry.” “What the fuck?” Knox repeated. “Where’s Natalie?” “You were drugged.” “Where . . . is . . . Natalie?” “I don’t know.” “Tony, I swear to fucking God—” “Look, Knox, all I know is that I was driving by and you were passed out on the street. Someone was about to call nine-one-one when I saw you. So I loaded you into my car.” Knox didn’t say anything for a moment, just closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing. Fuck, he was so fucked. “How could you do it, Tony?” Tony sighed. “Dude, not everyone is out to get you.” “Oh, yeah, Tony Adams? Or isn’t it Adamo?” Tony gripped the steering wheel tighter, but stayed silent. Yeah, Knox knew his little secret. But as long as Tony wasn’t involved in taking Natalie, then he could have it. Knox didn’t care anymore. Knox let his head fall back against the seat. What the fuck had they given him? And when the fuck would it wear off? He had to find her. Natalie sat on the rickety cot and rubbed her wrists where angry red welts burned from the zip ties that had bound them. Her eye throbbed from the hit she’d taken in the SUV, and she put her fingers up to it gingerly. She winced immediately. It hurt something awful. The room was small with a single window. Other than the stained and rank cot she was sitting on, there was no other furniture. The room was filthy, like no one had been in it for years. After her escape attempt in the SUV, they’d bound her wrists, and gagged and blindfolded

her. She had no idea where she was, other than on the second floor of some building. They’d carried her up the stairs and deposited her on the bed. The window was higher than normal, like she was in some sort of warehouse. She pushed the cot under the window and stood on it, inspecting the window. Though it was covered in a film of dirt and grime, she could see enough to confirm that she was on the second floor like she’d thought. Judging by the building’s surroundings, she was definitely on the south side. She pushed on the window, but it wouldn’t budge. Even if she broke the glass, she’d have a hard time fitting through, and then there was the two-story drop to contend with. No, escaping out of the window wasn’t an option. She might be able to signal for help, though. She pulled her shoe off her foot and used the heel to hit the window. After three hard smacks, the heel broke off of the cheap shoe. Damn. She tossed it aside. She looked around the room for anything she might be able to use. Perhaps she could break a leg off the cot. But then she wouldn’t be able to reach the window. Wait! There in the corner was the small bag she’d had with her. Its contents had been dumped out—no doubt they were looking for a cell phone or anything else she could use to call for help. She knelt next to it, sorting through the items. A compact, lipstick, a few pens, and the mini-recorder she’d planned to use to record her meeting with the board. She clutched that in her hand. It was made of hard plastic, so it might work. She shook her head in disgust at her own wishful thinking. All she’d do if she banged the cheap recorder against the window was break it. She stuffed it in her pocket. Now what? She crossed to the door and banged on it. “Hey! Is anyone out there?” She paused, waiting for a response. “I have to use the bathroom!” It wasn’t just a ruse—she really did have to go, and she figured it was a good excuse to tempt whoever was out there—if anyone—to open the door. How long were they going to keep her locked up, anyway? There was no response, so she banged and yelled again. Still nothing. Well, fuck. What was she supposed to do? She turned slowly, and leaned her slumped shoulders against the door. A big industrial bucket in the corner of the room caught her attention, and she grimaced as she realized what it was for. She squatted over the bucket to relieve herself, feeling totally and utterly degraded. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, there was fire in her veins and anger in her gut. Though X’s men had taken her, she knew her father had to be involved in this. And he was going to pay for this—for kidnapping her, for drugging Knox, for killing her mother. Natalie wouldn’t stop until she’d broken him.

Chapter 24

“Wait, where are you taking me?” Knox asked. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog away. Whatever they had drugged him with was wearing off. Tony glanced in the rearview mirror. “My place, so you can sleep this off. You look like shit.” “Fuck that,” Knox said. Tony sighed. “Where do you want to go?” “Give me a minute to think.” He had no fucking clue where they would have taken Natalie. He’d bet it was on the south side, though, where shady practices went either unnoticed or ignored. His thoughts wandered to the time he’d spent in X’s office, trying to find something incriminating. That venture had not proven to be as fruitful as he would have liked, but he did find one thing there: deeds to the many properties that X owned. And one of those was probably where they’d taken Natalie. “Take me to the gym.” Tony put on his blinker and cut through the traffic. Horns blared. Knox put his fingers to his temples. It felt like a sledgehammer was trying to pound its way through his skull. He would have been totally fucked if Tony hadn’t picked him up. Whatever they gave him did a number on his body, rendering him helpless for a short time. If Tony hadn’t come by and the pedestrians had called an ambulance for him, he’d be in police custody. And Natalie would be as good as dead. Fuck. They’d taken her right under his damn nose. A dangerous cocktail of fear, dread, and panic raced through his mind, and he forced himself to block it out. That would only cloud his judgment and make it harder for him to get her back. And he would get her back. They got caught at a red light two blocks away from the gym. Knox considered jumping out of the car and hoofing it, but the dizziness and nausea from the drug weren’t completely out of his system. He was better off saving his strength. He had a feeling he was going to need it. “Listen, Knox,” Tony said uneasily. “If you don’t mind, don’t say anything— “You’ve obviously been keeping a lot of secrets, but this secret”—Knox gestured to their luxurious ride—“is safe with me. Quite frankly, I don’t give two shits about what your name really is or that you obviously have money. All I care about is getting Natalie back.” Knox walked into the gym, not giving a fuck who saw him. X wasn’t going to be there, not when shit was going down somewhere else. He almost wished the one-eyed fucker would show, though. Knox wouldn’t hesitate to put

a bullet through his other eye. But X wasn’t his priority. Nothing mattered but Natalie. The few guys who were in the gym did a double-take when they saw Knox. They were all younger guys, ones he didn’t know well. Ones who were stupid enough to stick around after the discovery that X was skimming from the fighters. Murmurings of “What the hell?” and “Why is he here?” followed him into X’s office, but he simply slammed the door. He pulled open the drawer that contained the legal documents and pulled out all the ones that looked like they involved real estate. He started researching the addresses one by one, eliminating residential properties and ones that were in heavily populated areas. Something told him X wouldn’t want anyone around for whatever he had planned. Rage boiled in Knox’s blood, and he balled his hands into fists. He forced himself to relax. There would be a time and place for his rage, but this wasn’t it. He needed to stay calm and focused. But once Natalie was safe, blood would be shed. Knox typed another address into his phone, taking a closer look when Google Maps showed the property was in the warehouse district. He zoomed in on the map. He was vaguely familiar with the area. It was about five or six blocks away from the arena. With the economy in a downswing, most of the buildings surrounding the warehouse that housed the arena were vacant. This had to be where they’d taken her. He looked at the stack of papers he’d yet to wade through. Should he take the time to research every one? Every minute that passed was another minute Natalie was at X’s mercy. No. His gut told him this was the place. He double-checked the address just to be sure, then swept his arm across the desk to push all the documents into the trash can. He exited the office and strode back through the gym as the guys gaped at him. Right before he left, he turned to address the room. He widened his stance and balled his hands into fists. “If anyone tips X off that I’ve been here, I’ll put you in so much pain you’ll wish you were dead.” His gaze traveled around the room, and he looked each one of them in the eye until everybody had affirmed his statement with a nod. They wouldn’t cross him. Tony had once jokingly said that Knox was like a god to the younger guys. Seeing the looks of adoration on their faces after everything that had happened made him finally believe it. He turned to leave. “Wait,” one of them said, and Knox stopped, though he didn’t turn. “Are you coming back?” “No,” he said over his shoulder. “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get the hell out of here while you still can.” Then he left the gym for the last time. Natalie paced in the small room. She didn’t get very far—ten steps and she had to do an about-face. There had been no sign of anyone on the other side of the door. Was this part of their plan? Drive her stir-crazy by leaving her in this room? If so, it was starting to work.

What did they want from her? That’s the part that was driving her insane. Obviously, it had something to do with her father claiming control of the family money. But how did they plan to accomplish that? Keep her locked away until she turned thirty and got the money, then kill her so her father would inherit it as her next of kin? It just didn’t make sense. Her father had to know about the terms of the new trust, or else he would have had her killed by now. Which brought her back to her original question: what did they want from her? Unless this wasn’t about the money. But what else could it be about? She ran her hands through her hair, frustration running through her until she wanted to kick the wall. She had been only an hour away from changing her future. An hour. That was all she needed with the board. She tapped her fist against her forehead. Being locked in this room had her thinking in circles. She had no idea how long she’d been here, either. There were no clocks, and she wasn’t wearing a watch. And God, she was thirsty. And hungry. Those were the least of her concerns, though. She’d avoided thinking about her biggest concern because it would drive her to insanity, and there was nothing she could do about it right now. Knox. Where was he? Was he okay? Did they circle back around for him? Was he going to come for her? She had mixed feelings about that. She didn’t want him in danger, but if he were here they could work through this mess together, just like they’d been working together since they’d met. She had no doubt they could figure it out. More importantly, though, she wanted to see that he was okay. He’d crumpled to the ground beside her and had to watch while they took her. That worried her most of all. He never would have let them take her if there had been any way he could have stopped it. What the hell had they given him? His pained expression as he’d fallen to his knees flashed in her mind. Worry swelled within her, causing her throat to tighten. She sucked in air, trying to breathe. She couldn’t do this. It wouldn’t do any of them any good for her to make herself paralyzed with worry, so she forced herself to turn it off. Right now, she needed to focus on getting out. That’s what Knox would want her to do. He would be okay. He had to be. And if he wasn’t? She wouldn’t rest until she made those responsible pay, and pay dearly. She sank down on the cot. Might as well not waste energy. Then came the sound she’d been simultaneously looking forward to and dreading: someone was at the other side of the door. “This is close enough.” The warehouse where Knox suspected X had taken Natalie was three blocks ahead. Tony glanced over at Knox. “Are you sure?” Knox nodded. “Just remember what I told you—if you don’t hear from me or Natalie in an hour, call the cops.”

Tony shook his head. “I don’t like this. X is probably waiting for you.” Knox worked his jaw. Tony was right. By now, X had to have figured out that Knox wasn’t going to let Natalie go without a fight. He had to know Knox would come for her. And he was right. Knox knew the deck was stacked against him, but he had no choice. Natalie had already been in their hands too long. “It doesn’t matter,” Knox said. “I have to get her back. Now stop the car.” Tony pulled onto a side street and put the car in park. “I can go with you.” Knox shook his head. People were going to get hurt. Chances are he’d be one of them. Tony didn’t need to take that risk—it wasn’t his fight. Plus, it might be easier to slip in undetected by himself. Knox gave a final nod to Tony, then stepped out of the car. He crossed the street, which actually took him farther away from the warehouse but gave him a better vantage point. It was bigger than the building that housed the arena. Judging from the exterior, he figured there was a large open warehouse on the bottom floor and five levels above that. Probably office space. Though he wanted to charge in there with guns blazing, he forced himself to wait and observe the building for a few more minutes. He used that time to make a quick phone call, keeping his eyes trained on the warehouse. On the second floor, there were dim lights shining from several of the windows. All the levels but one were dark, so that’s probably where she was. If this was even the right damn building. There were too many damn ifs and probablys. Fuck. This had to be it. He couldn’t handle it if he wasted this time while Natalie was somewhere else. He walked farther up the street so he could see around the building. There was a metal fire escape attached to the west side, so that’s where he headed. Entering directly onto the second floor would cut down on the time he would spend wandering around the building with fuck knows how many of X’s men on the prowl. The fire escape was the kind where the ladder had to be lowered from above. He looked around for something he could use to pull it down or something he could stand on to reach it but came up with nothing. When he inspected it a second time, though, he discovered the damn ladder was missing. Shit. The fire department didn’t give a shit about this part of town, especially an abandoned building. Knox circled around the building, looking for a rear entrance. He found one, and the double doors were fastened together with a thick metal chain. He jiggled the doors and they gave as much as the heavy links would allow, so that was good. The chain was the only thing keeping them secure. That and a big-ass lock. The lock was rusted, so it had probably been there for a while. Knox picked up a brick and slammed it against the rusty metal. Clang! Fuck, that was loud. But he didn’t have Natalie’s lock-picking skills, and there was no other way in aside from the front door. He slammed the brick into the lock several more times, and pieces of mortar went flying.

On the fifth hit, the lock gave way. He swiftly removed the heavy chain and tossed it aside. While he was waiting to see if anyone came running to check out the noise, he put his hand on the gun tucked in his waistband, just to reassure himself that it was there. He didn’t plan to use it, though. X and his men might not notice or pay attention to a banging noise, but gunshots wouldn’t go unnoticed or ignored. After about a minute, he felt confident enough to enter the building. The door opened into what looked like a break room. There were restrooms, a long counter with a sink, an empty space where a refrigerator should go, and a broken soda machine. There were footprints in the grime on the floor and the dust around the sink had been disturbed. He crept to the door and peeked into the hall where an overhead fluorescent light flickered, creating a strobe-light effect. The hall went about fifteen feet in either direction, then turned. Unlike when they’d broken into the arena, he didn’t know where these hallways led. He listened carefully, trying to hear any sign of inhabitants, but came up with nothing. He’d just have to guess. He hung right, keeping his back flat against the wall and moving slowly. At the end of the hall, he had to bite his tongue to keep from cursing out loud. The hall ended at a locked door. Probably an office or janitor’s closet. The door handle was covered in dust. He’d chosen wrong. He started to retreat, but he only got halfway back to the break room when a door at the other end of the hallway opened and footsteps sounded. There was no time to hide. Two men dressed in black with weapons strapped to their sides turned a corner. They looked vaguely familiar, and as soon as they saw Knox, recognition dawned in their eyes. Well, at least he had confirmation that he was in the right place. “Gentlemen.” Knox cocked his head, giving the men a once-over to evaluate them for weaknesses. Then he charged. Natalie stood, her muscles tensing in a fight response. Flight wasn’t an option. She could hear deep voices on the other side of the door. What was taking them so long? They’d been there several minutes already. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the muted sounds. There were at least two of them out there. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for anything she might have overlooked that could be used as a weapon. Nothing. She was on her own. Finally, the door opened to reveal two men she’d never seen before. She didn’t know if that was better or worse for her. Or if it mattered at all. X’s men were more or less interchangeable, anyway. Always dressed in black with menacing expressions. The first one entered the room while the second one lingered in the hallway. He roughly grabbed her upper arm and pulled her toward the doorway. She tried to yank her arm away, and his response was to tighten his grip to bruiseinducing firmness. “Where are we going?” she asked.

Neither one of them acknowledged her question or even looked her in the eye. In fact, they seemed to be going out of their way to avoid looking at her. Interesting. “How do you like manhandling women who are half your size?” she said. The man still didn’t look at her, but he did loosen his grip on her arm. “I’m innocent, you know. I haven’t done anything to deserve any of this.” She got nothing from them. So much for appealing to their humanity. They took her down the hall and around the corner to stop at another door. She tensed, and her heart rate skyrocketed in the seconds it took for them to open the door. This is it. The door swung open to reveal another sparsely furnished room. Instead of a cot, this one had a metal desk and a chair. But no one was there. They deposited her in the room and left, locking the door behind them. Now she really wanted to scream. Another filthy holding cell. That’s all this was. But they wouldn’t have moved her without a reason, right? It was maddening. All of it. She opened the desk drawers, looking for anything that might be useful. She came up with a dried-up pen, a few paper clips, and an old eraser. She tossed the eraser aside, but pocketed the other items. Then she sat on the desk to wait. The minutes ticked by, and anxiety crept in. She wished they would get a move on with whatever it was she was waiting for. The waiting was killing her. And maybe that was the point. Maybe making her wait was another form of a power play. When the door finally opened, she knew her theory was correct. Because in walked her father.

Chapter 25

Her father looked the same as he always did: tailored suit, dark hair with a touch of gray at the temples, and a smirk that reeked of self-importance. As he walked farther into the room toward her, Natalie instinctively backed up. Then she squared her shoulders and stood her ground. She was done being afraid of him. He waited until the door was closed behind him to speak. “That hair color is hideous. Although it does complement your lovely black eye.” She hated that he was seeing her like this—injured. It probably made him feel even more superior, if that was even possible. She curled her lip. “I’d like to say I’m sorry you disapprove, but the truth is I don’t give a shit what you think.” He arched one brow and reached into his inside jacket pocket for a thick envelope. “Harsh words, my dear. Harsh words.” She didn’t respond and narrowed her eyes at him. Her words may be harsh, but they were true. It had taken her years—way too long—to see her father for who he truly was. He was nothing but a fancy suit and an expensive haircut. He had no soul. And now, staring at him in these filthy surroundings, she didn’t see how she ever could have missed it. His heart may beat, but it was dead inside. He had no feelings for her, and she wondered if he had ever felt the affection he used to display or if she’d always been just a pawn to him. And her poor mother. She’d been taken in by his charm. Had any of it ever been real? She felt a mix of grief and anger. Grief for the false memory of the good father he’d been, and anger in knowing what a coldhearted bastard he was. He took some papers out of the envelope and laid them on the desk, then tossed a pen on top. “Sign these.” “I’m not signing anything.” Part of her didn’t even want to look at them, while the other part was dying to know what was in those documents. “You will sign these, or you can kiss your boyfriend good-bye.” His lips stretched into a lazy, self-satisfied smile. “Actually, on second thought, he’ll be dead before you ever see him again. So no kiss, after all.” Her hands shook—the only outward sign that his words affected her—and she worked to hold her father’s gaze, not wanting to give him the upper hand. She made no move toward the papers. Her father rested a hip on the edge of the desk. “You see, I bet you didn’t know this— actually, I know you didn’t know this, but X and I are already acquaintances. More than acquaintances. Business partners. And he’s willing to spare Knox’s life in exchange for your signature on those papers. It’s really kind of funny how all this worked out.” She lowered her gaze to the papers, finally snatching them off the table. “You don’t have to read them,” he commented. “Just sign.” She ignored him and scanned the first page, then flipped through the rest of them. From

what she could tell, her signature on these papers would make her father the permanent custodian of the Farrington fortune, even after she turned thirty. So while the money would legally be hers, she would have no access to it. She didn’t know if this was legal, but the documents looked pretty official. Only a lawyer would be able to tell her for sure. She tossed the papers onto the desk. “You have no right to this money.” He sighed and ran his finger along the edge of the desk, frowning when it came away covered in dust. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket to clean his finger. “Might I remind you that your mother’s name was still Kent when she died? I’d say that entitles me to it.” “Did you ever love us?” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but looking into his cold, calculating eyes caused it to slip out. Although she’d moved past caring what he thought of her, she still wanted to know the truth about her life. “I gave your mother a daughter, the thing she wanted most in the world. What greater sign of love is there than that?” “But you never wanted me.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t care less. But it made her happy, so what’s a doting husband to do?” “You’re a bastard.” “Yes, actually, I am. My parents were never married, so technically, that’s true. But I’ve come a long way since then.” He held the pen out. “Sign. Think about what’s at stake for you. Sign, and you and your thug boyfriend can disappear and live happily ever after.” “No,” she said slowly. “That will never happen. X will never let Knox go.” “You’d be surprised what several million can convince people to do.” She shook her head. “You don’t know X.” “And you do?” he countered. “I know enough not to trust him. Even if I sign this, he won’t leave us alone.” She believed that X would take her father’s money and agree to the terms, but he had no integrity. X couldn’t be trusted to keep up his end of the deal. And though she argued for her father to listen to reason, she knew he wouldn’t. His arrogance blinded him to the fact that X was only out for himself. She was stalling, trying to give herself time to figure out what to do. Her father was relatively fit for a man of his age, but with the new skills she’d learned from Knox, she bet she could get past him to get through the door. But then what? X’s men were probably still out there standing guard. She was no match for them. And who knows how many others were in the building? She’d be right back where she started. Probably worse off. “Besides,” she continued. “X hasn’t found Knox yet.” Her father chuckled, and the sound turned her blood to ice. “He doesn’t have to find him.” He leaned forward so that he was inches from her face. “You’re the perfect bait.” Knox went straight for the first man’s jugular, literally. He wrapped his hand around the guy’s windpipe, using the force of his advance to slam him to the ground and onto his back. The second guy wrapped his arm around Knox’s throat while Knox knelt over the downed

man and dragged him away. Knox threw his elbows into the man’s ribs, then slammed the back of his head into the guy’s nose. He heard a crunch and the thick smell of coppery blood filled the narrow hallway. Knox spun quickly and followed with two more jabs. The first man had recovered by then and advanced on Knox. Knox quickly swept out the legs of the second guy, who was nursing his nose, to lay him out on the ground and take him out of the equation. The first guy approached cautiously, and Knox noticed the gun strapped to his side. Why hadn’t he pulled it out? Though Knox also had a gun, both opponents having guns gave them the upper hand. They could’ve ended the fight before it even started. He didn’t have time to consider it deeply. He faked a right hook, then ducked and delivered a fierce series of uppercuts with his left hand. The guy tried to push Knox away, but Knox gripped his shoulder with his right hand and continued to pummel his kidneys. The man hunched over and twisted, but there was no avoiding Knox’s blows. Knox stepped back to deliver a few finishing hits with his dominant right hand. The guy slumped to the ground. Then suddenly, Knox was kicked from behind and sent sprawling into the wall. He quickly rolled and hopped up to his feet. Fuck. There were two new guys. Though the first guy was incapacitated, the second guy was back on his feet. Knox didn’t like these odds. Instead of taking the offensive, Knox hung back, wanting to size up the situation before striking. He had been hoping to take out the first two guys without alerting anyone else to his presence, but that objective had failed. His new objective was not getting captured. These two new men were more formidable than the first two he’d encountered. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the narrow hallway, taking up the entire width. Knox enjoyed a fair fight, but he was going to have to fight dirty to get past these two. He snaked his hand around to the gun in this waistband and held it by the barrel. Then he lunged to his right and swung the butt of the gun right at the man’s temple. He dropped to his knees, stunned. Damn. Knox had been sure that would put him out. The other man grabbed his wrist, causing him to drop the gun. Knox swept his leg into the guy’s knees. He stumbled, letting go of Knox’s wrist. Knox slammed him up against the wall and pummeled his face. His fists were soon covered in blood. That was the second nose he’d broken today. Then someone pulled at his arms. No, two someones. Two more guys had arrived and they were pulling him back. Several possible scenarios quickly ran through Knox’s head, and he evaluated each one. Things weren’t looking good for him now that he was completely outnumbered, but he wasn’t giving up. As long as Natalie was still in X’s possession, he would never give up. He was about to head butt the guy to his right when he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. He turned his head slightly to find yet another man, who had the gun trained on his head. “What the fuck is taking so long?” the man said in annoyance. “He’s just one man. It shouldn’t take six of you to take him down.” “X said—”

“X said to bring him to the warehouse alive. There’s lots of different levels of being alive, gentlemen.” Knox studied this man. He was dressed in black, like the others, but he also wore an air of authority. He wasn’t just another of X’s lackeys. “Now, hurry the fuck up.” Knox instinctively pulled against the men who held his arms. He got his right arm free, and he used the space it opened up between him and the guy to kick him in his side. “For fuck’s sake.” The authoritative man stepped forward and swung the butt of his gun against Knox’s temple. Knox slumped, stunned. He could feel the trickle of blood running down the side of his face. The last thing he saw was a fist coming at his face. Then everything went dark.

Chapter 26

“Bait?” Natalie’s heart seized in her chest. “I was worried about this,” her father explained. “That promising your safety wouldn’t be enough. That perhaps we’d need another way to persuade you. Given his devotion to you, your beloved Knox should be showing up any minute now. X and I are counting on it.” “No,” she whispered. This was the piece she hadn’t figured out. X’s taking her was part of a trap to lure Knox to him. She should have known. For X this was never about the money. This had always been personal. “Once he arrives, we’ll arrange a show for you. A preview of what can happen if you don’t cooperate with us. It’s really quite simple.” She closed her eyes. Knox, Knox, Knox, where are you? God, she hoped he was nowhere near here. But her father was right about one thing—Knox would come for her, even if he figured out it was a trap. He’d once again risk his life for her without hesitation. And she’d never told him she loved him. But it was the love she shared with him that made her strong. They didn’t need to say the words for her to know it was there. It gave her the strength she needed. She’d never give in to X and her father. Her hands shook, but this time it was from rage. She opened her eyes and snatched the documents off the desk. Then she held them up and tore them in half. “This is what I think of your papers. You can rot in hell.” She threw the pieces at him, and they bounced off his chest to land on the floor. He let out a breath and worked his jaw. “You’re going to regret that.” Out in the hall, several sets of footsteps could be heard running by. “He’s here!” someone yelled, and there were more scuffling sounds and doors slamming, then silence. The blood drained from Natalie’s face, and she swayed, clutching the desk for support. Her father grinned. “Oh, look. Your boyfriend’s right on time.” Oh God, oh God, oh God. What were they going to do to him? This place was crawling with X’s men. Knox could hold his own, but even he couldn’t fight off everyone. He was sorely outnumbered. Even when he realized that, she knew he wouldn’t run. He wouldn’t leave without her. She took several deep breaths. Knox needed her. So she swallowed her fear, and channeled all of her anger. Then she opened her eyes and sprang into action. She rushed at her father, catching him by surprise. She shoved the heel of her hand up into the bottom of his chin, snapping his head back. While he was reeling from the shock, she brought her knee up to his groin with all the force she could muster. First rule: fight dirty. He keeled over and she shoved him from behind, slamming his head into the metal desk.

He fell to the ground. She opened the door, which hadn’t even been locked, and quickly evaluated her surroundings. Damn! Why hadn’t she paid more attention when the two men brought her to this room? She went left, in the opposite direction of the other room they’d kept her in. Dead end. She turned and ran in the other direction, and as she passed the room she’d just left, she saw her father pulling himself up off the floor. Fuck! He didn’t stay down long. She ran to the end of the hall and threw open a doorway that had stairs leading up. But where were the ones going down? That’s what she wanted—down. She’d bet anything Knox was on the ground floor. The sound of her father’s footsteps in the hallway left her little choice, so she followed Knox’s real first rule. Run away. She took the stairs two at a time, going up two flights before pausing to check the door handle leading out of the enclosed stairwell. Locked. The next two doors were locked as well, so she went up another flight. Locked. Goddammit! She’d gotten herself trapped. She could hear her father’s footsteps several flights below her. Think! Think! The paper clips. She pulled one out of her pocket and straightened it, then jammed it into the lock. “Come on,” she muttered, forcing herself to calm down enough to concentrate on what she was doing. As soon as she heard the telltale click of the lock giving, she twisted the doorknob and bolted through the door. Her father was only steps behind her. She slammed the door, but he stuck his arm through to stop it from closing. He yelled obscenities as it smashed against his arm. She leaned against the door with all her weight, but her father outweighed her by at least sixty pounds. She couldn’t hold it, so she jumped back and darted away as fast as she could. It was only then that she looked around and realized where she was—the freaking roof. The door flung open, and her father burst through. His eyes were murderous. He staggered toward her, favoring his arm that had gotten caught in the door. It gave her a small piece of satisfaction to know she’d hurt him. “Is that how you treat dear old Dad?” he taunted. “I have to admit that I’m impressed with your moves. I never would have thought you had it in you. Your boyfriend must be rubbing off on you. Pity. You were always such a nice, obedient daughter.” How ironic that the first real compliment he’d given her in years made her want to spit in his face. She backed up until she was dangerously close to the edge. There was nowhere she could go. She bit down on her lip to keep from screaming and wrapped her arms around herself. In doing so, she felt a small bulge in her pocket. The recorder. She’d forgotten all about it. She slipped her hand into her pocket to turn it on. “What did you mean when you said you and X were business partners?” she asked. Her father grinned sadistically. “What’s this? Finally taking interest in the family business? Let’s just say X and I go way back. I’m sure you didn’t realize this, but we grew up

on the same street.” She shook her head and tried to act afraid, which wasn’t hard. Her father loved to talk about himself. She just needed to keep him talking. “When X was getting his start, who do you think loaned him the money? He was the first recipient of Anna Farrington Foundation funds. And it’s so ironic how everything has come full circle, don’t you think?” She forced herself to laugh despite the rage that was rising within her. “It is ironic. I think . . .” She paused and took a shaky breath, making a point to look over her shoulder at the fall to the ground below. “Maybe I should reconsider signing those papers.” “That would be very wise.” “But you have to promise you won’t send any more guards after me. Especially like the one who was killed that first night I left.” Her father cocked his head. “Did you kill him? Or was it your boyfriend?” So he’d caught on to her evasive language. She took a deep breath. “It was me. He was hurting me. He would have raped me.” He frowned. “That wasn’t part of the deal. But that doesn’t surprise me about Craig. He had an unfortunate history, but his size and willingness to do whatever I asked of him made him an excellent employee. And I did say your condition didn’t matter as long as you were breathing. So perhaps that little misunderstanding was my fault.” He smiled, and she noticed some blood on his lip. That must have happened when she rammed her hand into his chin. She’d hurt him. More than once now. Knowing that gave her the confidence she needed. “And my mother? What about her?” “What about her?” “Did you have her killed?” “Accidents happen all the time, Natalie. With and without my help.” It was as good as a confession. Her bastard of a father had murdered her mother. Deep down, she’d figured that was true, but hearing him talk about it made her heart feel like it was being torn to shreds. She’d been living with and obeying her mother’s murderer all these years. But no more. This ended now. She pulled the recorder out of her pocket and held it up, using her hand to cover most of it. “I recorded everything you just said. And with one push of a button, I’ll send it out to everyone in my contacts lists.” Please don’t let him look too closely. Please don’t let him realize it’s not a phone. The menacing expression fell off her father’s face and was replaced by an uncertain one. It was like he couldn’t believe his meek, mild daughter had outwitted him. But she’d left meek and mild behind when she’d left him behind. “I want you to call down to X and tell them to release Knox.” “And if I don’t?” She could practically see the wheels turning in his head. Despite his talk of being business partners with X, she knew he was remembering exactly what she’d told him earlier: X couldn’t be trusted. Even if he called X, there was no guarantee X would care enough about her father to let Knox go. Not when X wanted vengeance against Knox so badly. “This recording goes out. You have five seconds to make a decision. Five . . . four . . . three . . .” She could tell from the way his eyes darted from her to the edge of the building behind

her what he planned to do a split second before he acted. He lunged for her, and she dove out of the way, skidding across the gravel rooftop with the recorder clutched tightly in her hand. Her father teetered on the edge of the building for a split second, his arms windmilling, and then he was gone. His strangled scream only lasted a second before there was a terrible crunching splat sound, following by silence. Natalie pulled herself to her knees, then stood, but she didn’t even feel the pain of where her knees and elbows had skidded on gravel and left gashes in her skin. She crept over to the edge of the building and peered down, her vision blurred both by tears and the wind blowing her hair into her face. She blinked, and then she saw him—her father lying facedown in a slowly widening pool of his own blood. She put her hand over her mouth and choked back a sob. But that was all she would allow herself. She had to get to Knox. Cold water was flung across his face, and Knox opened his eyes. He was in a warehouse, surrounded by X’s men—the ones he’d fought in the hall and a handful of others. His hands were tied behind his back. Someone kicked the chair out from under him, and his knees smacked hard on the concrete floor as he fell. He swayed, still dizzy from the earlier blow to his head. He blinked several times, and his vision cleared. Then he closed his eyes momentarily and brought up a picture of Natalie in his mind. That centered him. Natalie was in this building somewhere, but all of X’s men were here. She was smart. Perhaps she didn’t need him to rescue her. She could use this opportunity to escape. He clung to that knowledge. He had to, because it was all he had left. When he opened his eyes, X was standing right in front of him. X backhanded Knox across the face, causing Knox’s neck to snap to the side. He tasted blood. He spat the blood onto the floor and turned to look X in his one good eye. Whatever happened, he would not cower in front of this man. God, he’d imagined being face-to-face again with X, but he’d pictured it much differently. He wanted to rip out X’s sole remaining eye. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go down. Knox smiled because he knew it would piss X off. “The only way you can take me is with my arms tied behind my back.” “I have people to do my dirty work for me, but I’m making an exception for you. I want to cause you pain using my own two hands.” X held his hand out, and one of the guys placed a piece of chain in it. X swung the chain, and it struck Knox’s side, wrapping around to his back. It hurt like a motherfucker, but Knox didn’t flinch. He wouldn’t give X the satisfaction. “Or maybe not my actual hands, per se.” X chuckled. “After everything, you’re still proud. You were too proud to take a fall, and now that pride is going to be the end of you.” It wasn’t pride. It was integrity. And goddammit, that was one thing X couldn’t take from him. The man didn’t know the meaning of the word.

“Where’s Natalie?” Knox asked. He kept his eyes trained on X, not acknowledging the men circling them, watching the show. “With her father.” Fuck. Knox didn’t trust Kent any more than he trusted X. Less, actually. At least he knew what to expect from X. Kent was more of a wild card. “He’d better not hurt her.” “You’re not in much of a position to be making demands. Besides, he’s her father. He can do whatever he wants to her.” X paused. “She’s pretty. I can see why you like her. Maybe once you’re dead, I’ll take pity on her and let her serve me rather than have her rot in captivity. I bet she’s a good fuck.” Knox strained against the bindings on his wrists and tried to stand. Someone behind him pushed him back to the ground. He bared his teeth. “Stay the fuck away from her.” He hadn’t wanted to react—he knew it would do no good and it was giving X what he wanted—but he couldn’t stop himself when X talked about Natalie like that. X laughed. “Now that’s the last thing I’m going to do. You brought this on her, Knox. If she’d just been a runaway heiress, I’d turn her over to Kent and be done with it. But now you’ve piqued my interest in the little rich girl. And that’s the thing—Kent tells me we need her alive. So she might as well be useful.” Rage ran through every cell in Knox’s body. He pulled against the ties on his wrists, the muscles in his arms fully flexed in exertion. But the fucking things would not budge. “You know, I had planned to just kill you first, but now that I see how invested you are in the woman, I think I’ll keep you alive for a while, just long enough for you to see her one more time after I’ve fucked her.” With his hands bound and someone holding him down on his knees, all Knox could do was roar in anger. X swung the chain, hitting Knox’s other side this time. He slashed it across Knox three more times, and Knox felt it slice his skin. The chain came away bloody. “Natalie has nothing to do with this,” Knox said. “This is between you and me.” “I made you. I own you. You were my son and I gave you everything. Everything!” X yelled, pacing in front of him. “And now I’ve taken it away. She’s the only thing you have left.” “I’ll kill you.” X clocked Knox in the jaw, and his teeth rattled. The hit was harder than Knox would have thought X was capable of. Then again, it was powered by rage and revenge. Then X kicked Knox’s ribs, and Knox felt the cracks as several of them broke. With every inhale, they screamed at him until he was reduced to shallow pants. “How’s Grandma Fran doing these days?” Knox asked. X backhanded him, striking his left eye. Knox turned his head to look at X again, but there was now blood running through his eye, making it hard to see. And God, it fucking hurt to talk. But Knox pressed on. He couldn’t wait any longer or he wouldn’t be able to see this through. He could only hope that wherever Natalie was, she’d taken advantage of the lack of guards and escaped. Surely she could get past her father. “Do you still visit her every other Sunday?”

X laughed. “You’re stupider than I thought. You don’t have it in you to hurt an old woman.” Knox struggled to suck in air and stay conscious. “No, I don’t. But your enemies would love to know exactly where you are twice a month unarmed and without protection.” X’s complexion paled ever so slightly, much to Knox’s satisfaction. Knox was the only one X had ever trusted with his mother, and now that trust was being used as a weapon against him. X would never move his mother out of the home. He’d tried it once, and the woman had almost had a mental breakdown. Knox hated to use the sweet old woman as leverage, but Knox knew X would never put her in jeopardy. So X would buy Knox’s bluff. He’d be a fool to risk it. X kicked Knox, breaking a few more ribs. Knox slumped over, unable to stay on his knees. He fought against the unconsciousness that threatened to take over. “You’re lying,” X said. “Then kill me.” Knox panted, every breath a battle. “And see what happens. As long as I’m alive, your secret stays safe.” X paced, rubbing his chin with his hand. He didn’t respond for a few seconds, which was long enough for his men to start shifting nervously. “X, what’s he talking about?” one of the men asked, stepping forward from the circle. “Nothing,” X barked. “He doesn’t have shit.” Knox watched a bevy of emotions cross over X’s normally controlled expression. He was battling with himself, but this was one fight he wouldn’t win. A low murmuring spread through X’s men as they watched their leader relent to Knox, the man X had just claimed he owned. The sound made Knox’s lips curve in a smile. X’s empire was unraveling around him. “If he doesn’t have shit, then why is he still alive?” the man demanded. “Are you questioning me?” X got in the man’s face, and for a few seconds it looked like he would stand his ground, but he backed down. “That’s what I thought,” X muttered. Then he kicked Knox again. Knox grunted, no longer caring about showing weakness. He was past that point. X pulled his gun out of his holster. “I should kill you now. You’re nothing.” He pointed the gun at Knox’s head. “No!” Natalie’s voice came through loud and clear, and for a moment Knox thought he was hallucinating. Then she broke through the crowd of men and crouched in front of Knox, putting herself between him and the gun. She put a hand on Knox’s shoulder, then faced X. “You’ll have to kill me first.”

Chapter 27

God, what had they done to Knox? He was covered in blood, and his eye was almost swollen shut. She wanted to inspect his injuries to see how badly hurt he was, but she kept her gaze trained on X. Knox struggled to get to his knees, but she held her hand firmly on his shoulder to keep him in place. “Natalie, no,” he said hoarsely. “Get out. Leave me.” “You should listen to him,” X sneered, still holding the gun, only now it was pointed directly at her. This was the first time she’d been close enough to the man to get a good look at him. This was the man who had raised Knox from late childhood, then proceeded to make his life hell through coercion and manipulation. She wanted to claw his eye out. But for now, she’d settle for safe passage out of here for both her and Knox. “I’m not going without him.” “Knox belongs to me,” X said. “I own him. I made him. He owes me. But you? I’ll let you leave, although Kent won’t be happy about that. Consider it a favor from me to you.” “My father is dead,” Natalie said bluntly, trying hard to keep her voice even. X cocked his head. “Now that’s a shame. Poor Gerald finally got in over his head. Dumb prick.” “And I’ve called the police. They’ll be here any moment.” It was a bluff, and she hoped it was a convincing one. She’d paused only momentarily to check some of the open rooms for phones but came up empty. “You don’t have a phone.” “My father did.” Too bad she’d thought of that too late. The phone had taken the fall with him. The men shifted uneasily, and a few of them started retreating toward the exit. “She’s lying! You can’t believe anything that comes out of this rich bitch’s mouth.” X fired his gun into the air. “This isn’t over until I say!” His men continued to murmur amongst themselves and gape at their leader, who was coming more unglued every minute. X was distracted. For a split second, Natalie considering charging him to try to get control of the gun, but that would leave Knox exposed. And though the men were fleeing, that didn’t mean they weren’t still loyal to X. They might come to his rescue if he was attacked. “It’s over,” Natalie said quietly to X. “Just let him go.” In the distance, sirens wailed softly, slowly getting louder. Natalie tried hard not to seem unnerved by the sound. She hadn’t called the police, and X would call her bluff when the cop cars passed them by. The gun in X’s hand shook slightly, the result of his trembling hand. Was he nervous or angry? His expression wasn’t giving anything away.

Then he tucked the gun back in its holster and spat on the ground in front of Natalie. He ran his hands over his hair to slick it back, like he was composing himself. “You’re not worth it,” he sneered. “You’re dead to me.” He walked swiftly to the exit and motioned with his hand for his men to follow. “Let’s move,” he ordered. As soon as they were gone, Natalie turned to Knox. “Are you okay?” What a stupid question. He was unconscious, which was probably a good thing given the extent of his injuries. Blood was everywhere—seeping out from gashes in his back and sides, his temple, and his nose. And he couldn’t answer her, anyway. Except what if he had a concussion? Were you supposed to stay awake with those? “Oh, God.” She didn’t know what to do. Her first-aid training was limited. She put her fingers up to his throat, and let out a breath when his pulse was steady. The sirens grew louder, until they sounded like they were right outside the building, and then they ceased. She looked around for something to cut the bindings on his hands, but there was nothing in the huge warehouse except a handful of folding metal chairs. The door X had just exited burst open, and uniformed police officers flooded the warehouse. They had been evading the police for weeks, but now they were a welcome sight. “We need an ambulance!” Natalie called out. “Hurry!” One officer ran over to her while the others spread out, some inspecting the warehouse and others moving upstairs. “Are you hurt?” the officer asked. “No, it’s not me. It’s him.” The officer took one look at Knox and spoke into his shoulder mic. “Dispatch, send medics immediately.” “Can you unbind his hands?” Natalie asked. He pulled out a pocket knife and sliced through the ties. When he looked back up at her, he narrowed his eyes, then widened them in disbelief. “Hey, are you Natalie Kent?” She nodded, and the officer looked down at Knox, putting the pieces together. His lips spread into a grim line. “We’ve been looking for you.” Knox’s body was jostled, and he groaned. He opened his eyes just a sliver and was greeted with bright light. He closed them immediately. Then he felt Natalie’s hand in his. He didn’t need to see her to know she was there. He’d know her touch anywhere. “Your eye,” he croaked. She put a hand on his chest. “Shh . . . don’t try to talk. You’re in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.” He tried lifting his hand, and she gently lowered it back to the gurney. “Don’t move. We don’t know what’s broken. And you don’t want to disturb the IV.” “But your eye,” he said again. She’d been hurt. He couldn’t open his eyes to look at her now, but before when she’d thrown herself between him and X, her eye was purple and swollen. Someone had hurt her. He hoped she’d hurt them back.

His thoughts were all jumbled. What happened to X? She chuckled softly, music to his ears. “You’ve been beaten within an inch of your life, and you’re worried about my stupid little black eye?” “I love you.” The words tumbled out of his mouth, and once they were out, he couldn’t stop. Why had it taken him so long to tell her? He’d almost lost his chance. Never again. “Natalie, I love you. You’re everything.” She pulled his other hand up to her mouth to kiss it. His lips curved into a small smile as his world went black, with the feel of her lips on his skin. When Knox awoke, it was to the sound of softly beeping machines and the sterile smell of antiseptic. Oh fuck. He was in the hospital. And that meant authorities. Not good. What the hell had happened? Pieces of it came back to him, including a vision of Natalie’s face. He opened his eyes and struggled to sit up. She was hurt. Where was she? “Knox.” He turned toward the sound of her voice. There she was. There. Coming toward him. She’d just been out in the hall. “Don’t try to sit up too fast,” she said. “You have five broken ribs.” “Is that all?” But he settled back as she’d asked. There was very little pain. Whatever was dripping down the IV line was some good shit. “Probably a concussion as well.” He nodded. It wouldn’t be his first time. “What happened?” “X and his men left. Then the police arrived.” She frowned. “I didn’t call them, though. How did they know?” “Tony,” Knox said. “I told him to call in an hour.” “Tony? How did he end up involved in this?” “He picked me up after I was drugged. What happened with your father?” She looked away, a stricken expression on her face. “He’s dead. He . . . he fell off the roof.” For a moment, he wondered if she’d pushed him. But he didn’t think so. And for her sake, he hoped not. Despite Kent being a worthless bastard, he was still her father. She shouldn’t have to live with his blood on her hands, even if he deserved it. “I still can’t believe X left,” she said. “If the police sirens hadn’t come when they did . . .” She trailed off. “He won’t bother us anymore,” Knox said, then explained about the phone call he’d made to Amelia just before he broke into the warehouse. He’d given her strict instructions to leak information to the rival mob if either he or Natalie were killed. Though Amelia had no ties to the mob, when she’d said she could handle it, he believed her. Amelia was one of the greatest people he knew. “Wow,” Natalie said. “Grandma Fran is her name?” “Yes,” Knox said. “X would never risk her. He’s the stereotypical Italian son. But honestly, it doesn’t matter. When I called Amelia I also told her to share the names of X’s cops with her

second cousin who’s a detective. The shit in the city is about to hit the fan.” She lowered her voice. “The police had a lot of questions, and I tried to answer them as honestly as I could with just a few omissions. Less tricky that way. I assured them that you didn’t kidnap me, so there are no charges against you. They’ll want to talk to you, too, though. But I told them about almost everything else that happened. Including killing the guard.” Her voice hitched on that last part. “Come here.” Knox opened his arms, and Natalie gently climbed into bed beside him, careful not to put pressure on his ribs. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m a murderer,” she whispered. He stroked her hair with his hand. Now that they were out of danger, it seemed her guilt was going into overdrive. “It’s not your fault,” he said. “What did the police say?” “They’re still investigating, but my lawyer is convinced he can get me cleared citing selfdefense. Some witnesses have come forward saying they saw the guard pursuing me. Some of my father’s employees are also providing evidence. And he already had a record.” “Where were those witnesses when you needed help?” He shook his head. “Wait? You already called a lawyer? How long have I been here?” “Overnight,” she said. Damn. He’d lost an entire night because of X. But he’d almost lost so much more. The feel of Natalie’s body close to his was like heaven. “You risked your life for me. You threw yourself in front of a gun. Why didn’t you leave?” He had to ask the question even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. But he needed to hear her say it. She propped herself up to look in his eyes. “I love you, Knox. My world wouldn’t be right without you in it.” He closed his eyes, letting her words soak in. He didn’t deserve her, but he was going to work every day to make himself worthy of her. Because he needed her in his life.

Epilogue

Eight weeks later Natalie glanced over at Knox as he fidgeted in her Mercedes. She hadn’t told him where she was taking him, and while he tried to be a good sport, he was failing miserably. She laughed. “This not knowing is killing you, isn’t it? We’ll be there soon.” He smiled at her. “I trust you.” She knew his words to be true, though. He’d trust her with his life and vice versa. Knox watched out the window as they passed X’s gym, which had been boarded up recently. Amelia had done her job in passing along the names of X’s cops to her cousin, who in turn passed them to Detective Carmichael, who had been investigating X. A veritable shit storm was taking place in both the police department and X’s organization. People were talking and heads were rolling. Luckily, Detective Carmichael didn’t seem too interested in the fighting ring, so the guys he’d spent years training and fighting beside were safe. In the grand scheme of things, X had done much worse things. Some of the guys had joined other fighting groups, but a lot of them had gotten out of the game altogether. Knox was one of those. He said he didn’t miss it, but Natalie knew he did. Or at least parts of it. He’d been restless the last two months. She hoped to change that. She pulled into the parking lot of a building not too far from the warehouse where they’d been held captive. Knox frowned. “What’s this?” She smiled and opened her car door. “You’ll see.” He followed her to the front door of the building, and she handed him a key. “Open it.” He frowned but did as she commanded. They walked into a big open space. “What is this?” he asked. “The Anna Farrington Foundation is shifting its focus a little. Instead of only focusing on women and children, it’s now including at-risk teens.” She walked to the center of the room. “A ring would fit nicely here. And over there?” She pointed. “Weights and treadmills. Upstairs there’s space to make several classrooms. And we’ll hire tutors.” She turned to look at him. His feet were rooted to the floor near the entrance, and his expression was disbelieving as he looked around the place wide-eyed, taking it all in. “I figure we can take kids as young as twelve,” she continued. “That’s when they start middle school. You were fourteen when X took you in, right? I did some research. In the south side of town, the dropout rate is twenty percent for females and twenty-eight percent for males. The city isn’t doing anything about it, but someone has to.” She nodded in his direction. “Me?” He shook his head. “I didn’t even graduate high school.”

“That’s what makes you perfect. You understand where these teens are coming from. Think about how different your life might have been if this center had been open when you were a teenager. Teens will have somewhere to go to learn martial arts, to get their frustrations out in a physical way that isn’t harmful. And while they’re at it, they can get help with school.” “I don’t know . . .” He walked around the perimeter of the room, his eyes calculating, sizing up the area. Natalie wanted to give him a few minutes to himself in the space to let him warm up to the idea. “I’m going to look upstairs.” She climbed the stairs, taking note of the holes in the drywall on the way up. This building needed more than a little TLC, but it was within walking distance of both the local high school and middle school, which made it ideal. Kids wouldn’t have to depend on deadbeat parents for rides. She’d barely gotten upstairs when Knox came up behind her and quickly turned her around, pressing her back to the wall. He smoothed back her now-blond hair and looked into her eyes in that intense way he had. The way that made her knees go weak and made her forget who and where she was. He crushed his mouth to hers in unrelenting need. But the kiss was a give and take, and she gave as much as she got. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his. His touch still sent powerful zings through her body every time. She didn’t see that ever changing. He pulled her blouse out of her skirt and ran his hands along her torso, feeling her skin. As his mouth trailed to her neck, she closed her eyes and smiled. He was always doing that— rumpling her clothing—but she didn’t mind. He just didn’t want anything—even swatches of fabric—separating them. And she agreed. “Hello?” a strong, loud voice called from downstairs. Knox tensed immediately and shifted so that his body blocked hers from the stairwell. “It’s Amelia,” Natalie said, catching her breath. His body relaxed. “What’s she doing here?” “She agreed to run the tutoring part of the center, at least temporarily.” At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, he groaned. “What bad fucking timing.” Then there was the tap-tap-tap of dog paws on the floor, and his face brightened, though he immediately tried to hide it with a scowl. They’d become frequent visitors at Amelia’s since she’d come back to town, and Knox loved her and those dogs, and he didn’t even mind admitting it anymore. Knox pulled Natalie against him again. “What I was saying before we were interrupted was I love you. And thank you. This is a great idea. It’s about damn time someone gave a shit. The center can do some good in this part of town.” “I love you, too.” Natalie brought her mouth to his, taking advantage of the few seconds they had left before Amelia joined them. Their lives were crazy and hectic and still filled with legal complications stemming from their ordeal, but everything that had happened was what had brought her to Knox, and they were slowly picking up the pieces and building a life together.

And Natalie wouldn’t have it any other way.

Acknowledgments First I’d like to thank my fabulous agent, Sarah Younger, for believing in me and helping me stretch my writer’s wings with this project. I’m so thankful to have you in my corner. To my editor, Alex Sehulster, thank you for trusting me with this story. I only hope I’ve done it justice. And last, but certainly not least, I can’t say enough about my biggest supporter and cheerleader: my husband, Chris. Thanks for lending your expertise for the fight scenes. But most of all, thanks for being you. I couldn’t do any of this without you. You and our boys will always be my happily-ever-after.

About the Author

AU THO R PHO TO G R APH © J C PE N N E Y PO R TR AI T STU DI O

Jessica lives in Virginia with her college-sweetheart husband, two rambunctious sons, and two rowdy but lovable rescue dogs. Since her house is overflowing with testosterone, it’s a good thing she has a healthy appreciation for Marvel movies, Nerf guns, and football. You can sign up for email updates here.

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Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Notice Dedication Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright Page

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. FIG HT FOR ME. Copyright © 2016 by Jessica Linden. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth

Avenue, New Y ork, NY 10010. www.stmartins.com Cover photographs © Shutterstock ISBN 978-1-250-11915-5 (e-book) Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected]. First Edition: August 2016 Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].