Page 10 of Island Rescuer

Bruce nodded without volunteering any names. He had to know Knox needed the information. His reluctance worried Knox. “It’s not my family is it?”

Bruce laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Hell, no, kid. Your daddy screwed over my brother one time. That’s all it took to burn the bridge.”

“Good.”

Knox meant it. The Ellingtons were good people and the fewer entanglements they had with his parents and their associates, the better. He wondered if Harper knew anything about that story. He told himself it didn’t matter. The seedy business history and the lack of ethics were the primary reasons Knox preferred avoiding Harper.

He didn’t want to give his parents any opportunity to get their hooks into her. Then again, he never went home anymore…and they rarely reached out. Maybe they’d accepted his exit from their lives.

Or maybe they hadn’t noticed at all. That was way more believable.

Bruce gave him a hard look. “Don’t you know you’re the only Moore who’ll ever be invited to Christmas?”

Knox veered away from the kind sentiment, far more comfortable sticking with business. “You don’t think we have any cause for concern tomorrow?”

“No, you can relax,” Bruce insisted. “No one will bother her out on the water. I’ve vetted everyone who will be on board. The crew is solid. If something goes wrong, they’ll handle it. They adore her.”

Of course they did. But would they know what to watch for? Knox swallowed the question.

He wanted to relax and trust Bruce. The man had an uncanny talent for assessing people. This unshakable anxiety was only an unfortunate byproduct of his insecurity about protecting a woman who meant the world to so many people.

Including him.

Protesting wouldn’t get him any closer to that fishing boat tomorrow. He said good night and went to make a backup plan. Then he could get a few hours of rest before morning.

He watched the parking lot for another hour, and just as Bruce promised, security did a regular walkthrough. In between their rounds he went over to Harper’s car and did a quick sweep for any GPS trackers, coming up empty.

Counting that as a win, he headed out to his hotel room a few blocks away.

Staying at the resort was out of the question. Everyone had agreed it was better for Harper if he could resolve this without being noticed.

ChapterThree

Knox was up againbefore the sun. His short night had been interrupted by a text message from headquarters about the bridge incident.

The owner of the vehicle involved reported it stolen two days ago. Thanks to Knox and the research team, local police recovered the sporty crossover a few miles away from the bridge, parked on the street in an older neighborhood.

Rookie mistake or an intentional choice? The jury was still out.

The collective assumption was that the driver had abandoned the vehicle as soon as the attempt to rattle—or harm—Harper failed.

None of this made sense to Knox.

Who in her orbit would have the guts to steal a car? Much less the skill. And why would any of her associates choose that kind of scare tactic? The actions didn’t line up with anyone she regularly interacted with. Though they continued digging, they had yet to find a single friend or business connection with ties to known criminals.

There was a first time for everything, of course. Hiring someone to do the unsavory task was logical, but where was the motive? Who could possibly bethatpissed off with her?

With still more questions than answers, Knox called in a favor and borrowed a boat so he could be out on the water, as close to Harper as possible. If all went well, no one would know he was here.

But if things went to hell, he’d be close enough to help. It was the only way he could reconcile his concerns and fulfill his obligation to the job.

With the sun a hopeful glow on the eastern horizon, there was plenty of traffic moving away from the docks. Enough to make him relatively anonymous. This would’ve been easier still if he had the GPS for the boat, but he wouldn’t have that intel until he watched her board.

From a distance. Through binoculars. Like a stalker.

No. He was here as her protector looking for the bastard who’d been harassing her.

He trailed after the fleet of fishing boats until Harper’s charter found their spot and settled in, baiting hooks and dropping the lines. She seemed to be having a good time. Relaxed, she chatted with the crew and guests, even pouring what he assumed were mimosas at this hour.

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