Page 94 of Guarded Knight

Everyone turns.

“Is the timeline of the stalking incidents aligned with when you first thought something was off at Scarlet Hope?”

Lara blinks, meets Freya’s eyes for a moment. “Possibly.”

Rio’s tone isn’t judgmental, just sharp and intuitive. “You didn’t use incognito browsers or anything to hide the fact that you were poking around?”

She hesitates. “I asked a few questions directly to Kevin in the early days before looking on my own,” she admits. “When I first found things, I thought he’d want to know about it. I assumed he was innocent, of course.”

Rio’s attention is that of a hunter, alert but quiet at the same time. “You poked the bear.”

My veins are filled with ice. “And were the occasions aligned with the threats at your house? Lara, it would have been good to have told us this.”

She’s stunned. “Excuse me? How could I have ever thought any of this was related? Anyway, it might not be. It’s just another hypothesis.”

“But a lot adds up.” I try to dial back my tone. I don’t mean to accuse her of withholding, but fuck, I want to nail someone’s coffin. “Scarlet Hope would know your new address.”

She shrugs. “And that means a number of other people, too. Anyone in human resources could look it up.”

I want to punch the couch. This is one lead and many at the same time.

Rio, as usual, doesn’t ignite. He’s the simmering type, where little bubbles are hardly visible beneath the surface, but he will burn you if you touch him. “G, I know what you’re thinking…”

I highly doubt that.I’m thinking I want to take Lara upstairs right now, make love to her, and then keep her there until this is over.

“…The only person at Scarlet Hope with an interest in going this far is Kevin. Start there.” He deadpans, “Save getting pissed off for later.”

Lara puts her hand on Freya’s knee. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Freya darts her eyes to the ceiling. “I just feel so stupid.”

“Freya… do not under any circumstances feel stupid. That guy is a manipulator. He’s used an entire staff of, what, fifty people at Scarlet Hope? Not to mention all these other places he’s worked. He’s a conman, and he fooled us all. Me, too.”

Freya meets Lara’s gaze. “We’ll take him down together, and let me buy the champagne.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

And Lara knows it. So instead of one of her humorous quips, she hugs her friend and whispers in her ear, “I’m here with you.”

When they finish embracing, Freya doesn’t answer; she simply stands, eyes glassy. “I need some sleep. Thanks for letting me stay here, guys. See you tomorrow.”

She heads off and we’re all silent for a moment.

“I feel like crap,” Lara says. “I think I’d better hit the hay, too. What’s the game plan tomorrow?”

Rio stands and grabs his jacket off the back of the chair. Clearly, the entertainment is over. “Why don’t you all come to the family office? Ava and Enzo are on vacation, but I’ll dust myself off and see how well I can still use our tools. Investigate relations between Belinda and Kevin.”

Lara asks, “You must be so busy?”

He smirks. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead, honey.”

I stand and put my hand on her arm. “And Anton and I will look deeper into Kevin, especially where he was the nights of the Santa Fe incidents and the smoke bomb. We have a lot of people on this now. We’ll sort it.”

And, of course, continue looking into any other avenue.Shit. We were wrong about Cameron. I hope to God we’re right about Kevin.

She nods, her posture telling me she’s exhausted to the bone. Her shoulders curl inward, blanket slipping off one side. I reach to fix it. Just a small gesture. But she stills under my hand.

“I’ll be just outside the room,” I murmur.

Before either of us can say more, Dad claps a hand on my shoulder as he passes. “Don’t let her out of your sight,mijo.”