Page 9 of Guarded Knight

Naturally, Gabriel can’t resist turning even a fridge into a survival kit. He’s always been quiet, competent, and infuriatingly thoughtful.

I love cheese more than sunshine.

I guess he didn’t change much behind the wall I built, but I should have known that. At my niece’s last birthday, hesomehow showed up with the exact Lilo and Stitch Lego she wanted. He wrapped the gift with too much tape, and she loved that just as much, giggling in fits of joyful frustration as she tried to open it.

Freya’s gasp pulls me back to the kitchen. “Oh! It’s those cookies you love!”

Freya takes up plastic wrap and sees a sugar hit. I see Gabriel’s fingerprints.

I wonder if G actually baked those from his mother’s recipe. My chest fills with all that damn emotion the distance used to make easier. How will I protect my heart if we have to be close enough to swap cookies?

Freya bites into one. “These are your favorite ones you got from the Mexican grocery store sometimes. What are they called again?”

“Espejo.”

My favorite dessert since I was nine, when Gabriel’s mom made them for my birthday and continued to make me a batch every birthday and when I was sick until she died.

The nostalgia hits me hard, not just for him, but for everything we were. Damn it. My heart is already being tenderized.

But his loyalty is to Xander, not me. He’s doing this all because Xander asked him to take care of me. I’m a job. A task.

But I eye theespejoand want to eat one. Badly. This man knows all my weaknesses.

I’m not here to reminisce. I have one job: to let Gabriel trap Cameron, get him arrested, and then move on with my life. Mybrother is ruthless, and when I suggested a restraining order, it wasn’t enough.

That’s the only reason we need the big guns and why I agreed to work with Gabriel. My brother has his girls and is now living thousands of miles away. My parents are not made for this task. Gabriel, for better or worse, will move heaven and earth to keep me safe.

I hate that I still believe that.

I saunter over to the kitchen to grab a cookie when I see the square of white, folded paper. My name is written in bold, all-caps letters.

It’s been years since I’ve seen Gabriel’s handwriting, and it almost knocks the air out of me. I used to love his birthday cards. He never wrote much, but they were always perfectly selected for that time of my life.

Behind me, Freya opens a cupboard, and the soft clink of glasses grounds me in the room, but I can’t turn away. She runs the faucet and takes a long, much-needed drink of water.

The note calls to me again. For a long time, I’ve kept him at a safe distance. Group settings. Quick non-verbal greetings.

But those days are over.

There’s no Xander, no nieces, no crowd between us now. He’s not a ghost in the corner of my past anymore. He’s cookies and kindness and memories I can’t outrun. They flood in and hit me straight in the gut.

“Ooh. Mystery fan mail?” Freya eyes the fruit bowl then snatches a tangerine.

I hesitate before picking it up, like touching it might summon him. His handwriting is unmistakable—no wasted flourishes. Direct. Steady. Like him.

Freya watches me carefully, and even in my peripheral vision, I see her lining up questions.

I pick up the note. It might as well be made of lead; it’s so heavy in my fingers. I pocket it. “That book club will start soon. Though I’d better call my mom and Xander first or they’ll panic.”

“We can be fashionably late.” She tosses a slice of fruit into her mouth and quirks an eyebrow. “He might be down there, you know.”

“Who?” I reek of casual avoidance.

She points to my pocket where the note burns a hole in my ass cheek. “Your secret admirer.”

I press my fingers to the edge of the paper and the weight of him is in the room, even though he isn’t here.

Freya leans against the counter. “If you don’t open it, I will.”