Page 49 of Intangible
Knox could almost feel the goose bumps rise on the back of his neck. He hadn’t seen anything when he had walked around the building with Murphy, but he had learned long ago to trust his instincts. Right now, they were screaming that someone had been watching him.
He quickly punched in the seven-digit code, pulling the dog through the door behind him. They didn’t need to stand there like sitting ducks while he looked around at the darkness. Unhooking Murphy’s leash, he bounded up the stairs two at a time, the dog on his heels.
Punching in the next code to access the apartment, he tossed the leash at the hook before crossing to the windows. He had shut off all the lights in the apartment, except for the small light over the stove, so he didn’t have to worry about being seen by whoever was down there.
Knox watched for a while, expecting to see movement or, at the very least, taillights. Instead, he saw nothing but darkness. Still, he knew someone was out there. The showdown he had both wanted and feared had been set in motion.
Knox listened to the silence encase him in the apartment. He could hear Memphis snore slightly from the other bedroom, only interrupted when someone rolled over in the bed. Murphy sat patiently at his feet, looking up at him. He took one last look outside before turning with a sigh toward the bedroom.
“Come on, dog. We can’t be of any use if we’re sleep deprived.”
By the time he came out of the bathroom, Murphy was spread out on the bed with his head resting on the other pillow. He had slept in Knox’s apartment the same way for weeks.
“And that’s why my love life has been so lacking lately. Do you know how hard it is to convince a woman to spread her legs lying next to a dog?” Murphy let out a small huff as if he had a ready rebuttal.
Shoving the dog farther onto his side of the bed, Knox lay on his back listening to the snoring from the next room until he finally felt his eyes close.
Chapter 20
Memphis was sittingat the bar in the kitchen watching Knox cook the next morning when Thayer came dragging into the kitchen. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, she was as tired as they were. If the men hunting for her didn’t kill them soon, the stress of waiting might just do it for them. That easy comfort they had both felt back at his cabin was now gone.
“Are you okay?” he asked. Knox turned around, studying her face, his eyebrows knit in concern.
“I’m fine, just tired I guess.” Looping his foot under the bar chair she had slid into, Memphis pulled her closer to him. Wrapping his good arm around her, he felt her melt against him as he placed a kiss on her head.
Knox set a plate mounded with eggs, bacon, and potatoes in front of her. Picking up her fork, she took a halfhearted bite.
“We’re going to find him, Thayer. Wewillend this,” Knox said, sliding his own breakfast on his plate. Standing with the empty pan in one hand, clutching the spatula in the other tight enough to turn his knuckles white, Memphis worried he would break it in two. “Actually, I think he’s already here.”
Memphis and Thayer put their forks down, staring up at him.
“How? Did you see or hear something?” Memphis asked.
“It was a feeling I got taking Murphy for his walk last night. I’m pretty sure there was someone watching us, but I never saw him,” Knox said. “I think we might need reinforcements.”
“I can contact my foster brothers. Maybe with their help, we can finally end this. They know this town better than anyone.” Knox nodded once in consent before digging into his breakfast. The two men had already discussed this possibility with Jay earlier. He hated to get them even more involved, but Memphis couldn’t see any other way.
* * *
An hour later, they had all gathered around the dining table.
Memphis had introduced Knox to the newest face at the table, a large man named Randall. Shaun had explained that Randall was Miss Beulah’s biological son, who left for college the year she decided to take in foster kids.
It was his apartment they were currently staying in. He had finished his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt before receiving his MBA from Harvard. Returning to Tennessee, he now ran a successful real estate development firm in Nashville, specializing in rehabilitating old warehouses into modern lofts.
Knox had learned that Randall was the enforcer in the foster home. If you caused too much trouble for Miss Beulah to handle you, Randall would mysteriously appear.
While everyone was getting drinks before finding their seats, Memphis quietly told him about the time Randall straightened him out. He had been driving the car of his current girlfriend’s father when she decided to give him a hand job. Memphis crashed it into a tree in front of a cop. They had both been drinking, but since the cop was a friend of Miss Beulah’s, he hadn’t been hauled to the station.
The cops called the girl’s dad, then took him back to the foster house. When Miss Beulah answered the door, they explained the next time Memphis did something like that, they would haul him into juvenile detention. They would overlook it this time, though, as a favor to her. Randall showed up two days later to “explain” to Memphis how his behavior needed to be altered.
Memphis told Knox he would never forget the beating Randall gave him, but he didn’t do anything like that again. Looking at the man, who was only a little smaller than he was, Knox could see where he would intimidate the hell out of some kid, but none of the men sitting around the table seemed scared of him, only respectful.
“How do you know they’re here?” Randall asked, narrowing his eyes on Knox.
“I just do. Call it a hunch. Regardless of whether you believe in hunches or not, I think we need to proceed like they’re in town.” Knox couldn’t explain it without sounding like an idiot, so he decided his best recourse was to say as little as possible. It threw him completely when Randall just nodded before continuing.
“Okay, let’s assume they are here. How do we protect Memphis’ woman?” he asked. Knox had to stifle a laugh, watching Thayer puff up.
