Page 66 of Unmasked

Her mother stepped out of the room, and Zane moved to her side. “Ma'am, is there anything I can help with?”

“I'm just headed to the cafeteria.” He tossed a quick look Everleigh's way, and she waved him off. “Go ahead. I'll be fine.”

With a curt nod, he fell into step with her mother and guided her toward the elevators. Everleigh took a seat and closed her eyes, a strange combination of relief and sadness swirling in her stomach. She studied her father where he slept peacefully just a few feet away. She was so incredibly glad he was on the mend; she just hoped that he didn't have any long-term complications.

Everleigh pushed to her feet, suddenly restless. Zane and her mother wouldn't be back for at least a few minutes yet, and she needed a quick break. Pulling her purse over her shoulder, she strode toward the bank of elevators and hit the button for the ground floor. It was a sunny, beautiful day, and she just needed a moment to herself.

Several other people filled the elevator on its descent, and she allowed herself to be swept along with them as they disembarked. She knew there was a back door that led to a grassy area, but she wasn't entirely sure how to get there. She followed along as a middle-aged couple headed for the parking garage. Right now, that sounded good enough to her. Anywhere she wasn't cooped up inside.

All of a sudden, the events of the past few days caught up to Everleigh. She broke through the door at a fast clip and gasped in a deep breath of humid afternoon air. Her lungs were tight, and she struggled to draw in the necessary oxygen as her heart spasmed, tears burning her eyes. Her vision blurred, and she was so caught up that she didn't even register the hand on her shoulder at first.

“Everleigh?”

She blinked away the moisture clinging to her lashes and blinked at the man in front of her. “Fletcher? What are you doing here?”

“Shh...” She didn't fight as her ex-husband eased her into his arms. “I heard about your father and came as quickly as I could.”

It was so familiar that she allowed herself to be swept away for a second as she rested her head against his chest. Fletcher gently rocked her side to side, his cologne filling her nostrils. “I’ve got you now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

Something nagged at Knox the whole way back to Vantage, and it killed him that he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Something was going on, something he was missing—he could feel it.

Cade was going to forward the video on to a specialist to see if anyone would be able to run facial recognition and narrow it down. But that would only work if the man was already in the system. If not… Then they’d be back at square one all over again.

So far, they’d been able to rule out David Tate and the members of the country club. Cade had shown a photo to the manager, who’d denied recognizing the man. Not surprising. It was a fairly close-knit community where the elite moved in the same circle, and everyone knew everyone else. Except this man, it seemed. Who was he, and where had he come from? And how was he tied to the Beaumonts?

The question spun in his brain as he parked and made his way inside. Vivi was seated behind the reception desk, and she rose as soon as she saw him, a concerned look on her face. “How’d everything go?”

“No news.” He shook his head. “They don’t have any leads.”

“Oh.” Her face fell, and she chewed on her lower lip. “I hope they find him.”

“Me, too.” They were silent for a moment before he tipped his head toward the doorway. “I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

“Okay. Want me to hold your calls?”

He started to say no, then changed his mind. He knew he should let the police do their job, but this was Everleigh; this was far more personal than anything he’d ever worked, and he couldn’t just turn it off. He needed to take a look for himself and see if anything jumped out at him. “Yeah, please. Take their info and tell them I’ll touch base soon.”

“Sure thing.” Vivi shot him a tight smile. “Have you talked to Everleigh? How’s she doing?”

He sighed and leaned his arms on the counter. “I’ve been trying not to bother her. I know she’s got a lot going on, and I’m trying to walk the line between being supportive and interfering.”

“You know she doesn’t feel that way,” his sister said softly.

Deep down he knew it, too. But he also knew Everleigh, and he knew she and her mother needed this time together. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be there for her; it killed him to think that she was all alone. Logically, he knew that wasn’t the case, but he wanted to be by her side. He wanted to be the person she turned to when she needed anything. He’d never force his presence on her, but the second she called and asked him to come, he’d drop everything to be with her. “I know. As much as I despise Beaumont…”

Vivi shrugged. “He’s her father. I can’t begin to imagine how she’s feeling right now.”

“Me, either.” Though Vivi and he had lost their parents when they were young, she didn’t remember them. Even the few memories he had had faded over time. They’d never been particularly close, and he remembered them with fondness instead of a sharp remorse.

“Anyway.” He tapped his fingers on the counter. “I may as well get some work done until I go pick her up.”

“I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

“Thanks.” He pushed away from the counter and headed to his office. Inside, he closed the door then sprawled in the plush leather chair behind his desk and closed his eyes.