His expression relaxed and he gave her a slow, sweet smile. "It's okay. I just wanted to make sure you weren't one of those murder groupies."
"I don't even know what that is."
"I get the fascination but for the most part my job is pretty routine."
"Except that you catch the bad guys."
"I try."
"No matter who they are." He frowned at her reply so she rushed forward. "For example, if the killer were a billionaire you would still arrest them, right?"
"Absolutely."
"Or a famous actor."
"Yes."
She was beginning to sweat on the back of her neck. "Or...a family member."
He looked puzzled again but he nodded in agreement. "Yes, if someone is guilty of murder it wouldn't matter who they were."
"I'm glad you feel that way."
Sweat trickled down her back and the room spun for a moment and then righted itself. She wasn't going to let him put her off again. She had to come clean. She had to tell the truth. She couldn't go on this way; it was tearing her apart bit by bit. She was falling for this man and he didn't have a clue...
"I would hope most people feel that way, Jenna."
Curling her fingers into a fist, the nails cut into the palms creating a small hurt to distract from the gigantic hurt in her heart. Her chest had closed up, squeezing her ribs against each painful thump.
"There's something we need to talk about."
"Jenna–"
He started to move away but she grabbed his hand. "No. Stop. I mean it this time. We need to talk."
There was panic in his expression as if he wanted to run.
"Listen, I really like you, Jenna. A lot. Can't we just take our time and see where the relationship goes? Do we need to define it right now? I'm not seeing anyone else if that's what you're asking."
At first, she was confused by his words. They didn't make any sense. Then when she'd had a moment to wrap her addled brain around them, she realized that they were having two quite different conversations.
Christ on a unicycle, he thought she wanted to discuss their relationship?
Really, Knox? I mean, you're hot and everything. But it isn't all about you.
"That isn't what I want to talk about. I don't want to discuss where our relationship is going."
Because it was about to crash and burn. In full pyrotechnic gory glory.
Frowning, he shook his head, seemingly perplexed. "Then what do you want to talk about?"
"My sister."
"Your sister?" he echoed. "What about her? I didn't even know you had a sister. You've never mentioned her before."
"She's not my real sister," Jenna explained. "Her family sort of took me in and adopted me. She's my best friend in the whole world and I don't know where she is. I haven't heard from her in almost six months."
"Six months? How come? Did you argue?"
Jenna shook her head, her throat growing tight with emotion. Tears burned the back of her eyes.
"No, we didn't argue. She was going out for a date with her ex-boyfriend. To have coffee. She said she would call me the next day. She never called and I never saw her again. She's disappeared and no one knows where she is."
Knox didn't reply, his brows still pinched together as if he was trying to make sense of what she was saying.
"She'd been dating her boyfriend for several months," Jenna went on. "No one really liked him, but she'd make excuses for him. We all thought he was bad for her."
Still silence, although Knox had pulled away from her, his expression turned wary.
"His name was Callum. Lori was dating your brother, Knox."
Levering to his feet, Knox walked over to the front window that overlooked the small patch of yard outside her condo. He looked outside and then back at her.
"She was dating my brother?"
"When she disappeared," Jenna confirmed. "So you probably know where I'm going with this."
Her voice was shaky and she had to hold her hands together to keep them from shaking.
"Let's pretend that I don't. Where are we going here?"
He hadn't budged from his spot by the window. If it was awkward before on the couch, now it was downright frosty between them.
He hated her. She'd expected this but she hadn't figured on how much it would hurt. Like a knife slitting open the flesh to the elements.
I really liked you, Knox. For real.
"I need your help," she finally replied. "I need you to help me find Lori."
"You want me to help you find your sister?"
His tone gave nothing away, although that ice wall was still firmly between them.
"Yes, and I think your brother was responsible."
In for a penny...
This time he took a step forward, his eyes narrowed. "Say that again, please."
She could feel the tears beginning to spill over, her fear, sadness, and despair all coming to the fore at once. It was all too much.
Didn't he realize just how desperate she had to be to come here? To him?
"I think your brother is responsible for my sister's disappearance and I want you to help me prove it."
3
The universe had to be playing a dirty trick on Knox. Some sort of not-very-funny prank and some game show host-type of guy was going to jump out of a closet or from behind the couch and yell, "Gotcha!" any second.
Except that didn't happen.
Jenna simply sat on the couch crying, her shoulders shaking with the strength of the sobs. His first instinct was to go to her side and comfort her, but then he remembered that the reason she was crying was that she thought his brother Callum had killed her sister.
What in the ever-loving fuck
