Page 40 of Island Rescuer

Though she had traditional values, she was also an adult with plenty of common sense. She would understand and see the logic of his decision. Eventually she’d understand the value of a hot fling. Once this passion burned out, he would find a way to go on, alone, full of wonderful memories of her.

He poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down. It did little to cool his thoughts or his body.

“Found him.”

He whirled around at the sound of Harper’s voice.

“Your phone woke me up,” she said calmly as if they were talking about the weather. She pressed the device into his free hand while her hot gaze skated over his body. She licked her lips and he nearly tossed the phone aside.

“Knox? Hey…”

Jenna.Crap. A call at this hour meant there was a problem. “Jenna?” He put the phone to his ear while Harper walked away, those short sleep shorts tempting him. “What’s going on?”

“Am I on speaker?” she asked.

“No.”

“Good.”

That single syllable doused any amorous thoughts lingering in Knox’s head. “I’m listening.” He double-checked, making sure Harper was heading up the stairs.

“Bruce just called me,” she reported. “There’s a fire at the resort. It looks like it may have started in Harper’s apartment.”

Knox barely contained the outburst building in his chest. If he gave into the temper lashing him, Harper would be down here asking questions he didn’t want to answer. “Who else has been notified?”

“Are you asking if Bruce has reached out directly to Harper?”

“Yes.”

“He has not. I asked him to wait.”

A pulse of relief lifted some of the tension in his shoulders. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“More than one,” she muttered.

She wasn’t wrong, but he was distracted with the current crisis. There was no way Harper would let this wait until morning. She knew Jenna wouldn’t call at this hour without a good reason.

Unfortunately, he was equally confident he wouldn’t be able to lie to her about it. Somehow, he needed to stay a couple steps ahead of her. “Is there any other intel about the situation?”

“Not so far,” Jenna replied. “I’ve got educated guesses from the fire department and Bruce and that’s about it.”

“Email those to me.”

“Already done.” He heard the hesitation in her voice.

“Don’t hold back now,” he said. “What are you thinking?”

“She’ll want to go over there.”

“Yes,” Knox agreed.

“It’s not my place to step on your toes or tell you how to do your job…”

“Spit it out, Jenna. You’re the analyst. The research expert. It’s okay to give me your opinion on anything pertaining to the case. More than okay,” he added. “It’s essential because you can see this from a different angle.”

“The fire sucks, but I think this is an attempt to draw her out,” Jenna said. “Is there any way you can keep her in the safe house?”

Doubtful, but he’d sure as hell try. “We’re on the same page,” Knox assured her. “You think he’s there watching for her?”

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