Who Knows the Dark

Readers love
Who Knows the Storm

by
T
ERE
M
ICHAELS

“
Who Knows the Storm
is a great, fast-paced action/thriller with a strong focus on family.”

—Boys in Our Books

“A whole lot of suspense, an element of danger and a well woven storyline made this book a must read…”

—MM Good Book Reviews

“…this book IS sexy!
Who Knows the Storm
IS definitely worth checking out!!”

—The Blogger Girls

“This is a story that I will enjoy reading again and again.”

—Prism Book Alliance

“This was the appetizer round… I am ready and waiting for the next course.”

—It’s About The Book

By
T
ERE
M
ICHAELS

Groomzilla

One Holiday Ever After (Multiple Author Anthology)

One Night Ever After (Multiple Author Anthology)

F
AITH
, L
OVE
,
AND
D
EVOTION

Faith & Fidelity

Love & Loyalty

Duty & Devotion

Cherish & Blessed

Truth & Tenderness

T
HE
V
IGILANTE

Who Knows the Storm

Who Knows the Dark

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Published by

D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886  USA

www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Who Knows the Dark

© 2015 Tere Michaels.

Cover Art

© 2015 AngstyG.

www.angstyg.com

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.

ISBN: 978-1-63216-708-8

Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-709-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015944003

First Edition October 2015

Printed in the United States of America

This paper meets the requirements of

ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

―Gautama Buddha

True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice.

―Sadhu Vaswani

There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.

―Jean-Paul Sartre

T
HE
YACHT
sailed under the skeleton of the Verrazano Bridge, around the rusted pylons, and headed south. The captain and crew moved in perfect tandem, all armed, with two of the men patrolling the dock with eagle-eyed attention. Nox leaned against the port railing, welcoming the sun on his face and shoulders after being in that dark restaurant for so long. He watched the horizon, not the disappearing skyline behind him. He would rather think about the future.

Except….

A noise alerted him to the presence of someone else on the deck. He turned his head to find Rachel, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, coming to stand next to him. They hadn’t seen her for dinner, or the quick head count Nox insisted on.

His back stiffened; despite her seeming change of heart, Nox still couldn’t relax around Jenny.

Rachel.

“I meant what I said.” Nox let his gaze briefly rest on the choppy water below.

Rachel turned slowly to face him; in the scant light, he saw one eyebrow raised and a smirk of amusement on her face. “My word wasn’t good enough the first time?”

“I don’t trust you,” he murmured, low and urgent. Sam slept belowdecks, with Mason keeping watch. The crew, sleeping in shifts, was nowhere near. Cade had been in the shower when Nox had said he needed some air.

“You should learn to let go of the past, Nox. It was a long time ago, and we’re all different people,” she said, steely and calm.

“You’re still a murderer.”

Rachel laughed. “So are you, my darling.”

They stood in silence as the boat streamed through the water and out to sea.

“I’m curious—is Mr. White dead?” Rachel asked, breaking the quiet as the sun set completely in the distance.

Nox tightened his grip on the railing. “Yes.”

“You know, then?”

“Yes.”

“Mmm.” Rachel pulled the blanket around her shoulders to shield her neck and jaw. “Another thing to keep from young Sam.”

“He’s never going to know,” he responded calmly, finality in every syllable.

“About Mr. White? About your shared lineage?” Rachel tipped her head to one side, that smirk still dancing around her mouth. Behind them, a light went on, bathing them both.

“None of it.” He reached out, grabbed her upper arm, and squeezed it. “They’re all dead—my mother and father, that piece-of-shit rapist.” Nox paused. “Jenny.”

Rachel stared at him long and hard, then smiled. “True,” she said softly. “And Rachel is just some nice woman who helped you and Sam in your time of need. A friend of Cade’s. You’re his devoted father, who would do anything to protect him. All is right in his world.”

Nox’s stomach knotted. Every instinct reminded him Rachel could not be trusted. He didn’t answer her, just kept their gazes locked until she looked away, and then he dropped his hand from her arm.

“Change of subject?” Rachel asked.

He was just about to turn away, eager to check on Sam. Eager to crawl into bed with Cade. He paused a moment, though, his muscles tense as he waited. “What?”

“We got away pretty easily,” she said, head tilted to one side. “No one’s after us so far.”

Nox frowned. “I made sure….”

“Someone knew you were at the restaurant. They sent Damian and I there, but not the cops,” she mused. “Damian got a boat, found the only trustworthy crew in the city, apparently. Got an injured teenager, a cop, and several people with warrants out for their arrest all the way here without even a tail. For suspect number one, you sure didn’t attract attention.” At the end of her little speech, she paused. “Ever wonder—why didn’t they just kill you?”

Her words took him aback, moving him a literal step back; then he turned on his heel and let his conflict over Rachel’s question fuel him down belowdecks. His emotions focused his physical movement, even as his mind bounced around.

Sam being let out of jail.

The warning when they could have easily put a bullet in his head. Getting out of the Iron Butterfly in enough time to save their lives.

In the master stateroom, Sam lay curled up under the blankets, Mason’s upper body spooned around him, one leg on the floor, his sidearm visible. Protecting Sam.

Nox felt gratitude and a pang of sadness at the same time, anger whooshing out of him like a pricked balloon. He’d done his best, getting them away from the city, away from the people trying to hurt them. Wanting answers took a backseat—at least for a moment.

He closed the door quietly and made his way to the smaller bedroom on the opposite side of the deck.

Nox moved in the darkness, making his way around the tiny stateroom. Their gear was stashed on top of a dresser in the corner, moonlight creating patterns as it shone through the round window over the bed. He stripped down to his underwear, silent and stealthy, his gun tucked under the mattress for the best access.