Page 55 of Keeping Knight

Ruby swipes at her cheeks. “Okay.”

“First, none of this was your fault. Your dad died, and that’s horrible. But it could have happened anywhere. Anytime. Work. The gym. Home. He chose to go hiking, and it probably had nothing to do with his heart attack. Also, he was with you. The person he loved most. Doing something he loved. When I go, that’s all I could ask for. And you gave him that.”

“Micah.”

“As for his will? What she said was ridiculous. You’re his only child. Of course he’d leave most of his money to you. To think otherwise? It’s just crazy. And.” My jaw clenches. “If she’s guilty, I will make sure she’s punished. That’s a promise.”

As Ruby looks at me, I add, “I’m here for you, Rue. For whatever you want. Whatever you need. I’m not going anywhere. And I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

The tiniest smile tugs at her lips. “You know, my dad would really like you. He’d tell me you’re a keeper.”

I smile back at her. “Oh, really?”

She nods. “Yeah. He would.”

“I like that. A keeper.”

“Yeah.” She sags against me, resting her head on my shoulder. “And what you said. About making things better. You do. Having you here makes everything better.”

My heart rolls over. Instinctively, my arms tighten around her. “Good. Because I meant it. I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you tell me to.”

Chapter Thirteen

MICAH

The shrill blare of an alarm rips me from sleep.

At once fully alert, I sit up in bed and scan the room.

Everything looks normal. My workout clothes are still folded in a pile on the dresser, ready for my workout in the morning. The glass of water on my nightstand hasn’t moved. The level of liquid inside hasn’t changed. A narrow strip of light shines from the hallway through the partly-ajar door, just how I left it.

Grabbing my phone from its charger, I look at the screen. It’s one-twelve in the morning. In bright red text, my security app notifies me of motion at the front door.

My heart skips a beat.

Motion at the front door?

Was it caused by someone leaving? Or someone coming in?

I slide off the mattress, being careful not to make a sound. From the nightstand drawer, I remove my Sig and double-check to make sure it’s loaded.

As I head for the door, I glance around the room again. Sampson’s not in here, but that’s not a surprise. Ever since Ruby moved in, he’s been alternating between camping out in her room during the night or setting up guard in the hallway.

Still, if there was trouble, I’d expect to hear him. Either a whine, like he did the first time Ruby had a nightmare, or a sharp bark if he sensed actual trouble.

Maybe it was a false alarm, I consider. That happens. Even though the alarm system is hard-wired, that doesn’t mean a connection couldn’t fail. A mouse could be roaming inside the walls and nibble on a wire. Shit, smoke detectors can be triggered by a little dust on the sensor. There are countless ways the system could go off for no reason.

But when I peek into Ruby’s room only to find her bed empty, the brief hope that it’s only a false alarm falls flat.

It still could be, a small voice in the back of my head argues stubbornly. Ruby could be in the bathroom. The kitchen. Or she heard the alert on your phone and went to investigate. There’s no reason to assume the worst. Not yet.

But my gut knows it’s not a false alarm.

My gut knows something’s wrong.

Despite that, I hurry over to the attached bathroom, just to check. It’s dark. Empty. The sink is dry. Inside the toilet, the water is still.

Fear bands around my chest.