Seductive Knight (10 page)

“Did you learn anything from Baskerville?”

“Nanni, the woman who took Molly and Alex in, told Baskerville in her letter that Molly ran away because she killed someone.”

“Fuck.”

“Inside their house, bro.”

“Wait, what? How come we never heard about it?”

“That’s the strange part, man. I’m itching to have a chat with her. Find out what the fuck that story was about.”

“You should talk to her. And the sooner the better.”

“Oh? Did she say anything?”

Gawain rubbed the back of his neck. “Not really. Just that society condemns people in a hurry. She said something about a promise to Molly. I think she’s not just here to solve a murder case. She could be putting herself in the line of trouble.”

Chapter Six

It had been six hours since he left Alex in his room. Still, he couldn’t believe what had just happened. When he walked into the house, he was expecting to find another woman with bruises, drunk, or one who wouldn’t look at him but at the floor. Definitely not Alex.

Alex Rose.

Damn.

He remembered her well as a girl pampered and spoiled. Her parents catered to her whim and never ever had he seen her wear old frayed clothes and droopy hats. Still, she looked wonderful.

Alex had puffed out one night with her mother just as the words could easily disappear on a Magnadoodle pad Lucan always used to draw pictures. All he had to do was slide the long and thin magnet behind the screen, then everything, every little line he made would disappear. Exactly what happened with Molly and Alex.

Now she’s back!

Even after his momentary madness of pulling her and kissing her—which he did not regret doing at all—still he couldn’t believe she was alive, breathing fire, warm, and could kiss like an angel.

She was real. And damn it to hell, so fucking beautiful. Even when she was a young girl with bony knees and twigs for arms, signs of her becoming a beautiful creature were evident.

After the initial shock of finding her, a scarecrow, standing in front of the fireplace, he’d finally noticed how her skin glowed. The sun coming through the windows, filtered by the cedar branches that stood outside, made her an ethereal vision. She might have been wearing a dress two sizes too big, but it failed to conceal the woman behind it. The upper portion of her skirt hugged her hips, and its length indicated she had long legs. Fuckin’ eh! The imp changed! He wouldn’t doubt if she’d had numerous suitors. She could have had a boyfriend back home.

And her eyes, those green saucer eyes, had haunted him for a long time. When Alex disappeared, he missed her. Much more than what he thought he would feel, though probably not as bad as her father, Clayton, who’d walked in their house like an artificial plant still standing, but with no life in his eyes, looking but not seeing, moving but to no direction. The man’s heart had shattered like glass. And he most likely died that way.

Alex came back to meet with Baskerville.

His dad always believed there was more to Molly’s story than running away with a man. He was right. The Roses loved each other. Gawain bet his balls someone put an axe on their tight circle and succeeded. Alex could be coming back to a trap.

She said she’d return to the Philippines. He would miss her again when that time came, but this time, the physical aspect would be involved. Just a few minutes in her presence and he was already attracted to her.
What the fuck am I going to do about that?

He never should have kissed her.

The sound of crunching gravel and a truck engine cut through his thoughts. His brother, Bors, arrived. Like him, his brother couldn’t sit still. They were full of questions that led to another and another.

Gawain went into the kitchen, grabbed a can of
Coors
, then went back to the living room only to find his dad there as well.

His dad, Judge Arthur Knight, towered in his over six feet height just like his sons. He maintained his weight and still could make a woman’s head turn. Unfortunately for those women, his dad had eyes only for his mom.

“Hey, son.”

“Dad. Didn’t know you’d be here, too. Let me grab you a can.”

“No, thank you. I won’t stay long. Mom’s cooking dinner.”

“What’s up, snot,” Bors began. “You look grim. Been exercising your brain but nothing came up?”

Gawain tossed the can to Bors. “You could say that.”

“How’s Alex?”

“Still asleep. I don’t think it’s right to wake her up.” He glanced at his dad.

“No. You shouldn’t. I just thought to tag along with your brother, son. This new story about Molly murdering someone had me pacing the room. Your mom told me to get some fresh air.”

Bors sat on the couch, his arms spread wide on the back, his booted feet resting on the coffee table. His dad took the chair. “Can’t believe she’s back.”

“I know.” Gawain pulled the tab on his can and took a long swig. “Like you, I’m on the edge of my seat here. I want to know what happened.”

“Baskerville knew very little,” Bors started. “One thing’s for sure, though. We’ve got to keep Alex close. We can’t trust anyone who knew the Roses. Including her grandma and aunt.”

“From what Baskerville said, Nanni is stingy with words. However, her explanation that Molly fled because she was afraid that no one would believe her except for Clayton gave us a clue that she did something.”

Gawain looked at his dad. “Like murdering someone,”

“Yes, son. Clayton was gone on a business meeting that night. Without Clayton there, I’m assuming Molly panicked. So she took off.”

“Why did she think no one would believe her, Dad? Justice is right. Baskerville is a good lawyer. Clayton has money. We don’t live in the dark ages. There will be an investigation, of course.” Gawain looked at Bors and his dad.

“Son, Molly was a prostitute and a cocaine addict. Clayton tried to keep that part about Molly a secret. But you know how it is about secrets. One way or another it’ll come out.”

Alex said her mom had an unsavory past. She knew Molly was a prostitute, but came home to defend her memory. Gawain pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn.

“She’d been in jail many times,” Arthur continued. “For using, assault, fighting with police officers. Her last stint was when she’d been accused of stealing from a client whom she refused to service. No one believed Molly when she denied everything. She was tossed in jail. Who knows what happened while she was in there. She’d been through hell and back. She was a mess when Clayton met her. But Clayton fell in love with her. He believed in her. That was why Molly wanted to talk to Clayton. Unfortunately, my friend didn’t get a chance to hear her.” Arthur sighed, shaking his head. “I understand why someone like Molly would think it was necessary to run away. It would be her word against whatever it was she committed. Seen it many times.”

“What about Clayton’s family? Stepmom and stepsister? Do they know anything, Dad?” Gawain’s mind focused on the woman sleeping upstairs.
Poor, baby.

“Lucrezia and Frieda are a different story. They saw Molly as someone beneath them and there could be jealousy there, too. I would say this, Lucrezia seemed happy that Molly left. However, she isn’t happy that Clayton’s family jewels disappeared the same day Molly and Alex left.”

“Any information on that?” Gawain asked.

“Lucrezia is one hundred percent sure Molly took them. They blamed Molly for Clayton’s death. They want to find Alex, though.”

Bors leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “Bro, we need to talk to Alex. Jewels were the only missing items at the Rose’s house when Molly left. Molly didn’t touch their money. No transactions on the credit and debit cards, and checks. Alex’s clothes were still in the closet and dressers. Evidence showed that Alex and Molly left in a hurry. It could be that she really killed a man. Question. Who? And if it happened in the Rose mansion, Clayton didn’t know anything about it.”

“He would have mentioned it to me or Ben,” Arthur added.

“Right.” Bors speared Gawain with his gaze. “Until Nanni’s letter, we never heard of a murder. I find that fucking weird.”

“Dad, what do you think?”

“The Roses had stay-in help. They were questioned. None heard or saw anything.” Arthur shook his head. “Was there really a murder? Don’t know. But I have an idea. Molly left because she didn’t have a choice.”

Chapter Seven

With a towel wrapped around her, Alex stood by the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She winced at the image that stared back at her. Her eyes were sunken and had dark rims underneath. Even after a long nap, she still looked tired. Maybe when this was all over, she’d be able to find a dreamless sleep. For now, she must take the first step to clear her mother’s name. Lord, she could hardly wait.

She picked up a hairbrush. While looking at her reflection in the mirror, she brushed her hair. Aftershave, shampoo, and some masculine scent still lingered in the room. Must be Gawain’s cologne. She loved it.

Earlier, she’d heard the sound of a car outside. Whoever arrived were still in the house. She wondered who they were. Gawain’s friends maybe. She’d take a peek.

Quickly, she left the bathroom. She picked up her bag, placed it on the chest at the bottom of the bed, then unzipped it. She preferred wearing a dress or shorts. Nanni, though, said wear shorts only on a right occasion. Right now was not it. The only dress she’d brought was for a special occasion, so this meant she’d be wearing pants. She pulled out her pair of jeans and stared at it. They’d do. She put on a white blouse with a scallop neck. It was a bit tight on the chest, but it was one of only two nice blouses she owned.

Facing the mirror, she scrunched her nose. Why couldn’t she have breasts like her Filipino friends? Just the right size. Hers were too big. They were a nuisance, especially during the festivities. She couldn’t join the sack races or speed running on the beach because her breasts bounced like water balloons when she ran. Not to mention she often attracted attention from boys and men.

Foregoing the shoes, she left the room barefoot.

Fingers on the railing, she quietly walked along the upstairs balcony. Three men sat on the chairs downstairs. She could see the tops of their heads. Gawain sat on the loveseat with his arms spread on the back. The other, with a handsome beard, had his boots on the table. Another leaned forward with his fingers steepled. She moved closer to the stair’s landing to get a better look. Almost at once, the men looked up and stared at her. Alex stopped moving, embarrassed at being caught snooping. She wanted to run back to her room and hide, but it was too late.

Oh, dear. Why didn’t I wear shoes?

Suddenly, she felt so self-conscious and nervous. She couldn’t tell who the other two men were, but one thing was for sure, they were all related Gawain. If Gawain possessed a breathtaking look, the other two could make any woman sigh.

All three stood up. The oldest one looked at her with so much tenderness, he made her feel like crying on his shoulders. She had a feeling the man was Gawain’s dad, Arthur Knight. No one said a word. She began to feel uncomfortable. Forcing a smile, Alex waved. “I’m sorry to disturb you, gentleman. I’ll go back to my room, I mean, Gawain’s bedroom.” The one with short beard and long hair with his bangs practically covering his eyes raised his brows. His grin, Alex thought, had an underlying naughtiness in it.

“Gawain let me use his room,” she felt compelled to explain. “We are not sharing it. It would be improper. Just, just so you know. Uhm, I’ll leave you all now.” Quickly, she turned around to leave.

“Alex.”

“Yes, Gawain?”

“Come down here, please.”

Forcing a smile, she faced them again. “Do I have to?”

The three men looked at each other. All were smiling.

Oh, dear. Why did I say that? I sounded so rude.
Sighing, she went downstairs.

“Alex.” The older man took a step forward. “You probably don’t remember me. I’m Arthur. Your father’s friend.”

“Uncle Arthur.” Alex practically ran down the steps. She slowed down when she reached the last step and reminded herself to act proper.

“Uncle?” Bors and Gawain said simultaneously.

Alex ignored the brothers and paid attention to Arthur. “I had an idea who you were, but I didn’t dare make an assumption.”

“I’m so happy to see you again. When I first heard from Baskerville that you were back, I could hardly believe it. So I came here.”

“You look great, Uncle.”

“And you, you left as a girl and came back a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you. I’m still the same person, though.”

“An imp,” Gawain teased.

“Hi, Alex. Remember me? I’m Bors. The best looking Knight. Well, next to my dad.”

Bors’s smile could reach the moon. Indeed, he was what he claimed him to be. Handsome—if you like a rugged, longhaired, bearded man. He oozed with lethal charm and at the same time, looked dangerous. She bet he could scare anyone to death. Then he winked. Oh, yeah. She remembered him. “Brownies. You shared your brownies with me. I remember that. You gave me the softest part of the batch and you ate the hard edges.”

“Yup. That was me. So, how are you?”

“I’m good. I think my arms got bigger like you said they would if I ate brownies.”

Bors laughed. “I can see that. You’re no longer a twig, like Gawain used to say.”

“A twig?”

“Yeah, he compared you to a twig, you know.”

Gawain shot Bors a sharp look, but his brother just laughed.

“Welcome back, Alex. I heard you’ve been living in the Philippines all these years, eh?”

“Thank you, Bors. And yes, I’ve been in the Philippines since Mom and I left here.” She felt like bursting inside. She wanted to tell them everything that had happened and at the same time ask them questions—about what happened while she was gone, about her father’s death, Who was living in their house, and so on. She was dying to hear about Aunt and Grandma. But she tried her best to control herself.