Page 57 of Island Rescuer

She followed his gaze to see Uncle Bruce standing near the wall of windows that overlooked the gardens behind the Inn. “I’m coming with you.”

Knox smiled and held out a hand. “Works for me.”

She was so grateful he hadn’t tried to keep her out of it. She needed the facts and she wanted to be kept in the loop when it came to catching Walker. The man had put her through enough. She couldn’t allow him to continue to trash her reputation or her family properties.

They reached Bruce just in time to hear him say thank you and tuck his phone away.

“Good news!” He beamed at both of them and paused to kiss Harper on the cheek. “We got the arsonist.”

“Seriously?” Knox pumped his fist.

“Seriously,” Bruce confirmed. “Police picked him up a couple hours ago and he’s already talking. Apparently, Walker paid him half up front and stiffed him for the balance owed when the resort caught fire.”

Knox whistled. “So, he’s giving up Walker for a plea deal.”

“Exactly.” Bruce turned to Harper. “You don’t have anything to fear from the arsonist. He’s just a hired hand. No beef with you.”

“Well, color me lucky,” she murmured. How had such a lovely day turned so sour?

“You are,” Bruce insisted. “I know we still need to find Walker but thisisgood news. We’re on the right track, honey. You just need to hang in there.” He patted her shoulder.

“That is great news,” she managed. But she wasn’t feeling it.

Yes, she wanted Walker caught, wanted him to pay for his crimes. She just didn’t want that success to mean the end of her time with Knox.

ChapterTwelve

Knox wasn’t happy.He didn’t like having her here in the Charleston hotel. It felt too exposed even with extra security cruising through the building per Bruce’s continuing orders.

He felt like they were at a standstill with Walker. And the man hadn’t made a threat or a move in a couple of days now. Harper wanted to believe that meant he’d given up or gone into hiding after the arrest of the arsonist he’d hired.

Knox knew better. A person didn’t go from hunting to disinterest unless something happened to alter or derail the plan.

Jenna and a growing team of researchers were looking for that event, combing arrest logs and incident reports for any sign of Walker. In the meantime, Knox reluctantly agreed to let her take this meeting in person.

In his opinion, hotels were generally safe. But when protecting one specific person, limited access was everything. There was too much access here.

By design of course. The Ellington was meant to be a welcoming and friendly experience. Blending luxury with charming Southern hospitality in perfect harmony.

At the moment, it made his job harder. Sure, up in the executive offices she was removed from most of the action and the folks meeting with her had been vetted. But he couldn’t vet everyone coming and going from the building.

He waited in the hallway, standing guard like the protector he was, while she took the meeting.

He wasn’t happy. And he wouldn’t be until this outing was over. Everywhere he looked he saw risk and danger. Since they still hadn’t located Walker—the man had fallen off the radar after the fire—they had to assume he was still in the area. It was a dumb idea to stick around, but Knox’s gut told him this guy wasn’t done. For whatever reason, he couldn’t seem to walk away. That sort of hyper-focus only enhanced self-destructive behavior. Walkerwouldmake a mistake.

But how long would they have to wait?

Knox would gladly take a lifetime assignment to protect Harper. He enjoyed her company, in bed and out of it. But it wasn’t practical. Not for her. She wasn’t meant for the shadows. She loved living boldly, building ties with her customers as well as her staff. Not to mention her family. The freedom so many people took for granted, she was being denied right now.

It was temporary, but he wanted it over. Day by day, he felt the pressure to know that she wanted to be with him just because of who he was and who they were together.

“And this is why we don’t get involved with clients,” he muttered to himself.

Sleeping with Harper wasn’t just breaking the rules or his own code. Professionally, it was just plain dumb. It complicated everything. Yet he wouldn’t trade a minute of the passion and desire they shared. It was a problem they’d have to address once the threat to her was over.

The radio he’d picked up at security when they arrived crackled. Knox listened to the report of smoke in the parking garage. Knox wanted to go investigate. Walker enjoyed fires.

He listened attentively as the security team worked the problem. Within minutes the fire department was on the scene. From the exchange over the radio, everything was soon under control.

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