Phoenix: Book One of The Stardust Series (14 page)

Knox’s room had two
interior doors; I discovered that one led to a bathroom, the other to a closet.
I stuck my head in the closet, turning on the light. His clothes hung neatly
and the floor was clean. Although the space was smaller than Theo’s closet, it
still felt somewhat spartan in comparison. I gently flipped through the hanging
items.
Knox owns a suit?
I had only ever seen him wear jeans and
T-shirts.

The rest of the room
was much like the closet; there were few items beyond the essentials. On the
brick wall to the left of the bed was a simple wooden desk, no drawers or
shelves. A laptop, notepad, and a cup of pens sat on top. I flipped through the
notepad; it was mostly mechanical drawings of gears or rough sketches of rooms
with dimensions.
Private security, huh?

I heard a car door shut
and my heart lurched. I turned my head and eyed the door to the room feeling
momentary panic.
Is someone coming?
Feeling jumpy, and not wanting to
press my luck any further, I returned to the kitchen. There were dishes from
breakfast that needed to be washed anyway.

Standing at the sink,
my back was to the rest of the loft as I looked out a window. My hands were
covered in soapy water, the smell of the lemon-scented soap clean and pleasant.
I washed the dishes, mesmerized by the bubbles and the repetitive motion.

When I heard the front
door open, I figured it must be Theo or Knox returning. I finished washing the
remaining dish, rinsed off my hands, and dried them on the kitchen towel. I
turned, expecting to see a familiar face; instead, I practically jumped out of
my skin.

Hartfelt
Apologies

I yelped in surprise at
the sight of the tall stranger standing in front of me. I probably should have
been worried that he was an intruder, but I was too busy speculating whether he
just stepped off the pages of a Ralph Lauren ad. With his sun-kissed skin, pale
blue polo, and white shorts, I could easily envision him on the deck of a
sailboat, staring off into the distance.

His shirt was just snug
enough to display the outline of his muscular chest and biceps. His glossy
raven-colored hair was curly but cut short enough to lay in perfect waves. Dark
brows hovered over piercing blue eyes that seemed to bore into me with
intelligence and purpose. His chiseled face was softened only by stubble that
simultaneously looked rough and groomed.

When he spoke, his tone
was formal but friendly. “I apologize for startling you, Haley. My name is
Jackson Hart.”
Jackson? This must be the guy Knox mentioned the other night.
He held out his arm, initiating a handshake. I hesitantly placed my hand in
his, hoping that he didn’t feel my tremor at his touch.

I stepped back, trying
to get a handle on my nerves.
“Is there something I can help you with?”

His stance was casual,
but somehow his demeanor betrayed an overall sense of authority. “Yes. I need
to speak with you about a few things.” Gesturing to the dining table, he said,
“Would you mind taking a seat?”

Too intimidated to even
consider arguing, I sat in the chair he indicated. I twisted my hands in my
lap, uncertain why Jackson wanted to talk to me.

After sliding into the
seat diagonal from mine, he got right down to business. “First of all, I would
like you to know that my team has fully briefed me on the circumstances of the
past week.”
His
team? While I had assumed Knox was in charge based on my
previous observations, obviously I was wrong. Amazingly, I could imagine Knox
following orders given by Jackson. While Knox was the epitome of raw strength,
Jackson personified calm and control.

“On behalf of the
entire team, I would like to apologize for the method that was employed to
bring you to Santa Cruz. I hope you know that it was done with your best
interests in mind.”

Taken aback by his
impromptu apology, I remained quiet, weighing his words. I couldn’t help but
wonder how they could possibly know what was best for me when, at that moment,
I had no clue.

Seemingly unperturbed
by my silence, he continued. “It is my understanding that Knox and Theo have
offered to let you stay here at the loft for the time being. Is that acceptable
to you?”

It hadn’t occurred to
me that I had a choice in the matter. But, even without asking about other
options, I knew I wanted to stay at the loft. I felt comfortable here, and it
just seemed like the right fit. Plus, after spending the day with Theo
yesterday, I was looking forward to more time with him. Somehow I could imagine
us becoming really great friends.

“As long as it’s not
too much of an inconvenience, yes, I would like to stay here for now.”

Jackson’s deep blue
eyes drilled into mine, searching. I wondered what he was thinking but didn’t
dare ask. “Good.” He scrolled through his phone, as if consulting a list, and
then continued.

“Next, I want to
emphasize that you need to stay with one of the guys on the team at all times.
They have been instructed to follow a rotation system based on their
availability. Obviously since Knox and Theo live here, they’ll be around more
than the other guys.”

At this news, I gasped
in dismay. “I don’t need a babysitter! I’ve been here by myself all morning,
and I’m fine.” I couldn’t believe the gall of him to demand that I remain with
one of the guys all the time. Maybe I was a prisoner here after all.

As I was stewing over
Jackson’s news, another thought hit me. “Wait, are you saying that Theo is a
part of the team? He’s in security?” Considering Theo’s engaging personality,
it never even occurred to me that he had the same job as Knox and the others.

Jackson leaned back in
his chair and draped one arm along the top of the chair next to him. His
relaxed posture seemed at odds with the serious topic of conversation. “Yes,
Theo works part time since he’s still in school. And actually, Knox has been in
the garage the whole time, so you haven’t been alone. The loft has a
sophisticated security system, so he would know if you attempted to leave.”
Oh
crap. Did that mean they had security cameras around the loft? What if Knox
caught me snooping?

Unaware of my internal
dilemma, Jackson proceeded. “And while I can appreciate your position, I must
insist. Our constant presence is for the benefit of your safety, I assure you.”

As difficult as it was
to argue with him, I spoke up. “I don’t understand. Why is my safety an issue
here in Santa Cruz?” It didn’t make sense. The guys had supposedly taken me
away from the Coleville area for my safety. No one else should even know I was
here.

“Yesterday, we
discovered that two men visited the home of your neighbor, Mrs. Martinez,
asking questions.”
Jessica’s mom? Oh, no.

Concerned, I
interrupted. “Is she okay? They didn’t hurt her, did they?”

For the first time,
Jackson’s voice warmed, losing its cool, professional tone. “She is perfectly
fine. There is no reason to believe that she is in physical danger. But, we are
concerned that she may have provided the men with information about you. So,
you need to be extra cautious while we are still investigating this situation.”

As much as I despised
the thought of the guys being forced to babysit me, his reasoning was sound. I
was sure Mrs. Martinez would never intentionally hurt me, but she may not have
realized why the men were asking questions. And it was probably too much to
hope that the men had been unable to understand anything she said due to the
language barrier.

Giving in seemed to
have become my default these days. But, knowing I didn’t have room to argue, I
consented. “Okay, I will stay with the guys as directed. But don’t think I’m
happy about it.” I gave him a small smile, hoping he would realize that I was
joking . . . sort of.

Jackson’s lips lifted
slightly in response, and I relaxed a little. “Thank you, Haley. Finally, I
wanted to let you know that I have found a potential part-time job for you at
our office. The official title is a temporary office assistant, but you will
basically be doing administrative work. Does that sound like something you
would be interested in?”

My heart raced in
excitement, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. “I don’t have any work
experience, but I would be happy to do administrative work. Also, I don’t
actually have a formal high school diploma or identification, and I would
prefer to stay off the radar as much as possible. Is that going to be a
problem?”

He didn’t appear at all
disturbed by my admissions. “Don’t worry about any of that. Based on what the
guys have shared about you, I’m sure you will have no trouble with the tasks
required for the job. And, since it is a temporary position, it will be simple to
keep you off the books.”

For not the first time,
I found myself curious about the private security company.
Why were they so
willing to give me a job when I didn’t even have proper identification? That’s
not normal, right?
I started picturing a dinky office in a strip mall with
stained carpet and the smell of burnt coffee permeating the air.

Jackson stood up,
clearly ready to leave now that his business was complete. “I will move forward
with getting things set up. The office is in San Jose, and you will be riding
to and from work with one of the guys. Since your position is part-time, we
will work your schedule around the team’s availability.”

He gave me a polite
smile, “Haley, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again
soon.” And with that, he walked out the door.

I remained at the
table, stunned by what had just transpired. It didn’t help that Jackson Hart
was so good-looking. As attractive as my other new acquaintances were, Jackson
was in a completely different league. He had tall, dark, and mysterious down to
an art. And at this point, I couldn’t tell if I was intrigued or disconcerted.

*  *  *

Considering I was going
to be staying here a little longer, in Knox’s home, I figured it was time to
clear the air.
How could he be here and I didn’t know it?
I thought
through the layout of the loft and wondered where he was hiding. I hadn’t yet
been behind the opaque glass door on the first floor hallway; maybe the answer
lay behind it.

I got up from the table
and grabbed my crutches. Once I reached the end of the hallway, I hesitated.
Was
I supposed to go in there?
I knocked, but when I received no response, I
gingerly opened the door. I peeked my head around, unsure what I was going to
find.

A wooden table with
metal legs and metal chairs sat in front of a garage door made of glass
overlooking a delightful patio and garden. The glass door was a design feature
I’d never seen before but immediately loved; it was an industrial loft’s
equivalent of extravagant French doors. The garden was small and intimate,
surrounded by the brick walls of other buildings.

I entered the room,
noticing the potted plants on the stained concrete floor. A large chalkboard
hung on the brick wall to my left, covered in stunning chalk art. To the right
was a spiral staircase made of iron. My eyes followed the staircase to the
second floor where about thirty or forty glass jars covering exposed lightbulbs
hung from the ceiling. Imagining them lit at night, I smiled; they would
probably look like giant fireflies.

I debated whether to
head upstairs or outside, but the matter was settled when I heard noises coming
from my left. Previously distracted by my new surroundings, I had failed to
notice a door to the left of the chalkboard. Although the door was thick, I
could make out a radio playing, scarcely covering the sounds of metal
occasionally clanging on concrete. Considering Theo’s comment yesterday about
Knox and cars, it seemed likely Knox was behind the door working in a garage.

I knocked on the door
but wasn’t surprised at the lack of a response. With some effort, I pushed the
door open as it squeaked on its hinges. The radio and sounds of the garage grew
louder, and the smell of damp concrete, motor oil, and metal mingled in the
cooler air.

The space was large with
several bays, some with cars; dark metal tool boxes lined almost an entire
wall. Glancing around, I didn’t immediately see Knox, so I continued walking.
With no windows, the space was lit by fluorescent lights and the natural light
streaming in through several large skylights. Peg boards hung above the tool
boxes, covered in meticulously organized tools of all shapes and sizes. I was
amazed by the number of items one could need for working on cars.

Finally, I spotted a
pair of jeans with leather boots attached to them sticking out from beneath a
car. Now faced with the prospect of actually talking with Knox, I wanted to
turn and run. Before I could, Knox rolled out from under the car and spotted
me.
Crap.

I froze, unsure what to
do. Since I was the one intruding, it seemed like I should be the one to speak.
“Sorry. I knocked, but there was no answer, and I guessed you were in here
since I could hear noises.”

He stood up and grabbed
a white towel stained with black streaks. His muscles flexed as he wiped his
hands on it, and I noticed smudges across his forearms and face. His skin
glistened from exertion, and his dark T-shirt clung gently to his chest. It was
a good look on him.

“Did you need
something?” His voice was gruff as usual.

I looked down at the
floor. “I met Jackson. It sounds like I’m going to be staying at the loft a
little longer, which I assume you already knew. I was hoping we could talk more
about why you felt the need to kidnap me.”

He sighed, stuffing a
hand in his pocket. “Look, Haley. My hands were tied, and I wasn’t going to
waste time dealing with your stubbornness. I knew you needed to get out of
there.” He spoke in an even tone.

I gripped my crutches.
“That’s it? So did you have anything to go on other than a hunch that I wasn’t
safe?” Unlike our earlier confrontation, my voice was more controlled this
time.

He scratched his chin
with his free hand. “At first, no. But on our last night at the cabin, there
was a break in at your dad's office. His file was taken.”

I frowned. “Why
couldn’t you have just told me that?”

“Because even if I had
told you, I wasn’t sure you would agree to come with us. And I didn’t want to
take that risk.”

Knox brushed his hair
back from his face, his green eyes staring into my own. I could easily picture
him giving Theo a similar look, and suddenly everything clicked.
He was
trying to protect me.

I may not know why he
cared, but I knew that he did. Whether he and the other guys were responsible
for everything that had happened or not, he had gone above and beyond to make
things right.