25. Knox

"Ah, shit," Knox muttered.

"What? What happened? What time is it?"

Caro had fallen asleep in his arms, the little spoon to his big one. It was the first night they hadn't had sex, and it was…okay. Weird, but strangely comfortable. He was trying not to grow too attached to her, but she didn't make it easy.

"It's nine thirty, and Luna's stalker happened."

"Huh?"

"He sent another message."

Luna's agent's PA, who was holding the fort in Amethyst's absence, had notified Blackwood, and Blackwood had notified Knox and Ryder. Presumably, Ryder was still asleep in the other bunkhouse. Knox didn't think he'd risk sharing a bed with Luna while Jubilee was around, and as far as Knox knew, Ryder hadn't yet fessed up about his sexual preferences anyway.

"What does it say?"

Knox passed over his phone so Caro could read the note.

I missed you, my love. Did you enjoy your trip to the beach last night? It's been too long since I saw you in person, but you look good. Next time, leave the boyfriend behind and I'll show you a good time.

William S

She went rigid. "He was there last night? At the beach? Watching us?"

"That's the assumption we have to make. There's nothing mentioned about the egg-collecting trip online."

"Luna said Jubilee was going to make a video."

"If she did, it hasn't been posted yet. Caro, I have to ask—was Ryder doing his job last night?" Fuck, it hurt to say the words. Ryder was his brother, not through blood but by something deeper, but Knox wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't question what happened. "Was he paying attention to the surroundings or to Luna?"

"To the surroundings," Caro answered without hesitation. "He was using the night-vision goggles and everything. Luna was mostly with me, watching the turtles."

Thank fuck for that. But why hadn't Ryder noticed anyone? Blackwood's night-vision goggles were state of the art, and they also had a thermal mode. He should have spotted anything bigger than a bird. Unless…unless it was high in the air. Could Luna's stalker be using a drone? The more expensive models were equipped with thermal and night vision—what if someone was watching them from a distance? All the motion sensors in the world wouldn't help with that. The trees at the sanctuary would hide most of the daytime activity, but he could have been filming Luna and Ryder as they walked and swam and did whatever else at night. Oh hell.

"I need to wake the others."

* * *

They gathered in the dining room. Knox made coffee while everyone else got dressed, and luckily a couple of local volunteers had appeared today because nobody had the energy to clean out turtle pools as well. Knox showed the message to Ryder, and Jubilee must have received it too, because when she scrolled through her emails, she turned deathly white.

"I can't believe this," she muttered.

That made five of them. Ryder kept glancing out the window, checking for drones, and Luna was huddled against him. Until now, they'd studiously avoided physical contact in front of an audience, but things had changed, and she looked terrified.

"Did you see anyone while we were at the beach yesterday?" Ryder asked Jubilee. "Hear anything? Any buzzing sounds?"

"Uh, no? But the boat engine was turned on, and I was mostly sitting in the cabin."

Luna seemed close to tears. "I hate this. I hate it. The one place I was starting to feel safe, and he's ruined it."

She was acting human today. Vulnerable. "I need to ask—have you participated in any outdoor activities that could cause a scandal if pictures appeared?"

"No!"

Ryder was clearly pissed at the question. "Buddy, I told you I've just been teaching her to swim."

"I'm only double-checking."

But Caro had turned as pale as Luna, probably because she and Knox had been having a little alfresco fun. Mostly under the trees, thank fuck, and not in the past few days, but the idea that someone had been watching… Anger bubbled through Knox's veins, but how the hell were they meant to catch this guy? A signal jammer? Their own drone? He needed to speak with Nate. Nate Wood was a part-owner and director of Blackwood, a Navy SEAL turned geek who ran the tech department. His unofficial title was Head of Gadgets.

"This means I can't go outside anymore, doesn't it?" Luna asked.

"For now."

Jubilee tried to cheer her up. "We can work on the socials. I mean, we've barely started on TikTok yet."

Luna nodded, but she still looked miserable. "This sucks."

In that moment, Knox felt sorry for her. She'd become more bearable throughout the past two weeks, and even Caro had stopped complaining about her behaviour. Sitting with Ryder, chewing her lip, she was a far cry from the larger-than-life diva they'd met on Kory Balachandran's yacht.

Which could only be a good thing. If Knox found Aiden and explained—politely, of course—that Caro was off limits, then maybe she'd come to the US someday. Just to visit. And if she stayed with Knox, then Ryder would be there, and Ryder's obsession with Luna didn't look to be letting up anytime soon. It was possible she'd still be on the scene after the contract ended. If the two women could learn to get along, that sure would make life easier.

Ryder glanced at Knox as he tucked an arm around Luna's shoulders, and his expression said, "Dare you to say something." Knox kept his mouth shut.

"We'll fix this, moon."

But things would get worse before they got better.

Much worse.