Page 20 of Keeping Knight

Shaking his head, Micah smiles. Then he gives me a quick smile. “He hid something. We’ll have to hold a search later.”

Warmth fills my chest. I like how he says we. Like we’re a team. Even if our mission is as simple as finding whatever condiment Micah thinks Jester hid from him. “Okay,” I say. “Sounds like a plan.”

Micah squeezes my shoulder again. “Do you want⁠—”

But he’s interrupted by melodic notes of the doorbell chiming. At the same time, his phone buzzes from his pocket. A moment later, a series of quick knocks sounds at the front door. Micah pulls out his phone and glances at the screen, presumably to check the security camera outside the front door, just as he did when Jester arrived.

“It’s Rogue, Wraith, and Houdini,” he says in explanation. “I’ll let them in. Be right back.”

As Micah turns to leave, he glances back at me. “Will you be okay?”

He doesn’t say more. But I know what he’s asking. Will I be okay alone in a room with a man I just met, without Micah there as a buffer?

Maybe if Jester were just a random stranger, and I were meeting him in a public place, I’d be anxious about it. But knowing that Jester is one of Micah’s closest and most trusted friends? I’m not worried at all.

Well, maybe there’s an eensie sliver of worry. But I think that stems from an overall feeling of unease, and not from who Jester is, specifically.

“I’m fine,” I reply. “Go ahead.”

Once Micah leaves the room, Jester rests his arms on the glossy wooden table and smiles at me. In a low, conspiratorial tone, he says, “I didn’t hide anything. Sometimes it’s more fun not to, knowing that Knight will search anyway. But don’t tell him that.”

“Okay.” I can’t say I mind the idea of spending time in the kitchen with Micah, laughing together as we search for whatever Micah thinks Jester hid. “I won’t say anything. Not right away, at least.”

He nods approvingly. “I knew I’d like you. With you staying here, I bet we could come up with a great prank to play on Knight. He’ll never suspect you.”

“I’m not sure about playing a prank,” I begin.

“Are you trying to drag Ruby into your ridiculous pranks?” Rogue asks as he comes into the room. Micah and two other dark-haired men follow behind him. Without giving Jester a chance to answer, Rogue lifts his chin at me and adds, “Hey, Ruby. How are you doing?”

I know Rogue from last night, since he showed up at my apartment and was the one guarding my room at the hospital. Not only is he the founder slash owner of Fox & Falcon Securities, but he’s also Micah’s best friend.

“Hi,” I reply. “I’m doing pretty well. Thanks for last night, by the way. I didn’t get a chance to thank you before. For coming to my apartment, and the hospital…” Belatedly, I remember that Micah said Jester had been at the hospital, too, even though I never saw him.

“Jester,” I add, turning to him. “I’m sorry. You were there last night, too. I should have thanked you right away.”

Jester waves his hand dismissively. “It was nothing. I was up anyway.” He smirks at the larger of the dark-haired men, who’s a head taller than the others and broad with obvious muscle. “Not like Houdini here. I’m sure he was busy getting his beauty sleep.”

“Hardly,” Houdini retorts. He shoots Jester a wry look. “If you recall, I was flying back from Baltimore last night. Sitting behind a baby with colic, I’ll add. No earplugs are prepared to deal with that.”

He walks over to my chair and crouches down before me, which is both a relief, since he’s not towering over me, but also intimidating, because he’s just so darn big. But as soon as Houdini smiles, his entire demeanor changes. He looks gentler. Kinder. “Hi, Ruby,” he says. “I’m Houdini. Or you can call me Val. It’s nice to meet you.”

As I’m shaking his hand, the other dark-haired man approaches. I’m guessing he must be Wraith, since he’s the only one I haven’t been introduced to yet. He’s good-looking in that tall, dark, and handsome way, with strands of silver at his temples and a piercing gaze. He doesn’t come out and smile, but the corners of his lips lift slightly. “Ruby,” he says in an accent I can’t quite place. “I’m Diego. These guys call me Wraith. Sorry to hear about everything that happened. But we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Thanks,” I reply, feeling a little overwhelmed at being the focus of so much attention. “I told Micah I could just let the police handle things⁠—”

“Hardly,” Rogue interrupts. He takes a seat at the head of the table and pulls out his phone. “Not that I have anything against the police. They’re fine. But we can do things they can’t.”

Micah slides into the seat beside me. His proximity eases some of the tension binding my chest. “Rogue is right,” he says. “The police are bound by certain rules. Bureaucracy, you know? And they’re often stretched thin. So they can’t give the amount of attention to a case that a private company like ours can.”

“What do you mean?” I ask. “Not that I don’t believe you.”

“We can spend more time on investigations,” Rogue answers, “because we don’t take on more cases than we can handle. The police don’t have the same luxury. Also, without all the red tape they have to deal with, we can work more expediently.”

“And,” Micah adds, “we can be more creative with our methods. Nothing illegal,” he adds quickly, though the lightning-fast glance he shares with Rogue makes me wonder. “But we have contacts. Specialized skills. Things that help solve investigations sooner.”

“And when it comes to the issue of your safety,” Wraith says solemnly, “the faster the threat can be neutralized, the better.”

“Oh. Okay.” I swallow to moisten my throat. “So… what can you do? And what do you need to know?”