Beyond the Edge (the Knight Series Book 3)

by Mari Brown

  “I’m worried about my brother” Cole admits to me finally.

  I get up and walk around my desk I lean down in front of Cole placing my hands on either side of his chair. “I am too. We’ll figure it out. Whatever it takes to help him.”

  I’m not sure what we can do right now. It’s obvious something has to be done though. The once happy go lucky young man is now a sullen drunk. He has to pull it together or things will look even worse for him when he goes to court.

  “It’s not looking good for him, Kat.”

  “I’m aware the evidence is stacked against him.” I eye my husband carefully. “Is there something I don’t know?”

  “No. Nothing new but with what the police already have and this supposed eye witness who puts Justin with the woman the night she died, Jackson has his work cut out for him.”

  I move my body around and place myself in Cole’s lap gently. I wrap my arms around his neck. I rest my forehead against his temple. His arms wrap around my waist holding me tight to him. We sit like this for a few minutes; neither of moves or speaks. We just accept the comfort one another is giving. It’s all we can do. This is one time we may not have the power to stop what’s coming.

  The Knights are going to face one of the toughest things they have ever encountered. Justin is going to trial for murder. I found myself having murderous thoughts towards anyone found with a connection to framing Justin. The secret witness was already in witness protection. I briefly wonder if Hunter can obtain that information for us. Nothing is ever impossible. It just may take some time.

  “Jackson said the way these things work we are looking at a year wait before Justin goes to trial and then however long it takes to try the case.” I finally say to Cole. “It gives us time Cole.”

  He nuzzles into my neck. It’s like he’s trying to bury himself in me, hiding from the world and the problems we are facing right now. Cole and I, both, hate feeling powerless and right now it’s exactly how we feel. Justin needs our help.

  Cole stands up, easily lifting me in his arms. I squeal softly. “Warn a girl next time.” I laugh. I maintain my hold around his neck.

  “Where’s the fun in that?” he says placing me on top of my desk. His mouth finds mine. It’s not a chaste kiss. It’s a kiss full of passion. He parts my legs as he stands between them. A hand slides up my dress. The way he makes me feel is unreal. I can’t even begin to put it into words how good it is. The feel of his skin against mine is like striking a match. It’s only a matter of time before a bright flame will burn.

  The heat between my legs grows with each kiss and touch. My hand cups the back of his head as I pull him in for another kiss; one that I instigate. I want the power now. Cole isn’t going to let that happen as our tongues duel for control and dominance.

  “Kitten, you know you won’t win…” he whispers huskily. He may be right but I’m not giving in that easy. I want to continue the power play. It’s fun to challenge Cole.

  I give over to Cole soon enough. His lips smile against mine as I let him have this moment of victory. Just as Cole moves his hand further up my leg, the door to my office is flung open as Gracie comes rushing in.

  “Kat! Cole! The police are here and they have a warrant.” in her excitement Gracie doesn’t even realize what she has interrupted. Cole withdraws his hand quickly as we both straighten up.

  “What’s going on?” Cole asks tersely, his face wrinkles in disgust.

  “They are here to search Justin’s office!”

  “Fuck!” Cole exclaims as his hand slams down on my desk with a loud thud. I cringe a bit at this anger. not because I’m scared of him but because he startled me with his outburst. My husband grimaces but heads toward the lobby. I follow closely behind him.I am shocked when I see about two dozen officers in our lobby, This is not good. They are here like this for a reason.

  “How can I help you?” Cole asks the room at large. His tone is much like his father’s, filled with power and all eyes turn toward us.

  “Mr. Knight, I have a warrant to search Justin Knight’s office on these premises and any other location where he might have an office.” Agent Lambert hands a document to Cole who looks it over with a disgust.

  “What the fuck is this?” Cole bellows

  I peek over his shoulder trying to see what he has read that has alarmed him so. “Cole. what’s going on?” I ask quietly as my eyes dart back and forth between Cole and Agent Lambert

  “Mrs. Knight, last night a witness was killed along with two of my agents.” He pauses taking in my reaction, “Justin Knight is our prime suspect.”

  Instinct is to deny it immediately but truth is Justin is capable of murder. I glance at my husband and see he is troubled. I’m sure like me, he knows his brother is capable of it but there is just something about this whole situation that’s off.

  “Do you know where your brother is now?” Agent Lambert continues. “We want him for questioning.”

  “Last time I saw him he was staggering in drunk from somewhere. I’m sure he’s passed out at home.” Cole answers the agents question.

  “Gracie!” I call out to my assistant “Get Jackson Turner on the phone.”

  Justin is in big trouble. His lawyer needs to be brought in now. It’s gone from one murder charge to four now. It was time to figure out what the hell is going on.

  “We found something in his office you should see.” An officer comes out of Justin’s office. Agent Lambert follows as do Cole and I. We wait just outside the office door as we watch the agents go around to the other side of Justin’s desk. I watch as they pull out a gun from a desk drawer.

  “Looks like we have our murder weapon.” Agent Lambert says while examining the gun. His eyes meet mine and I detect a smile in them; he’s happy to finally have something to pen on a Knight, It’s been something he’s been wanting to do for a long time. I’m not stupid. I know exactly who Agent Lambert is and his mission in life is to bring down the Knights.

  5 years later…

  “Kat, are you ready?” Cole asks his wife. Unlike other mornings this one is important. Justin is being released from prison after winning an appeal. His original trial was declared a mistrial because it came to light that one of the jurors in the original trial was related to one of the victims. It’s not often something like that happens. Jackson is the best defense attorney money could attain. Justin’s trial happened two years ago. It’s hard to believe he has been in prison these past couple of years.

  Life changed for the Knights after Justin’s arrest five years ago for four counts of murder. Security was tighter around the core family. People brought into the organization went under more scrutiny than any other time in history. No one took anything for granted.

  I am excited that my twin is getting out of jail. I hated only seeing him twice a week for the last two years and with a guard watching our every move. It was nerve wracking. Justin constantly told us to stop coming to see him. None of us listened to him though. My once fun loving brother was different now. He was hard, silent, serious and something else I didn’t quite understand. Prison had changed him no matter how you looked at it. I just hoped that once he was back home he would gain some semblance of his old self.

  “Cole, stop riding my ass. I’m making sure that Raley is going to be okay.” Kat replies to my brother as she walks into the foyer holding their precious three-year-old daughter in her arms. Raley has been the one joy in all of our lives the last few years.

  “Raley is going to be fine while we are gone. Her Grandpa Warren is going to spoil her rotten.”

  The doorbell chimes Cole crosses to open it and standing on the other side is Kat’s father, Warren, and her half-brother, Senator Landon Richmond.

  “There’s my favorite girl.” Landon exclaims while reaching for his niece who eagerly jumps into his arms.

  Kat and Cole both smile at their daughter. The two have turned out to be awesome parents; who knew! It’s just another thing they do like a boss. Even now a
t twenty-eight I’m slightly jealous of Kat. She’s always been a bad ass but now she is killing it as an adult. She always has her shit together. I hoped one day I too would be that put together.

  “Thank you for doing this.” Kat says while kissing her father on the cheek.

  “I’m always happy to spend time with the little princess.”

  My father enters the room beaming a smile in Raley’s direction. This little girl, like her mother, has an uncanny ability to get men to just hang on to her every word and move.

  “Are we ready?” my father asks of us. It was decided that he along with myself and Cole and Kat would be the ones to go pick Justin up and bring him home. I was glad that I didn’t have to stay home. It would have drove me crazy. The four of us say our goodbyes and then head out to the waiting SUV. Cole drives while my dad sits up front with him. Kat and I sit together in the back. The ride is fairly quiet with just a few words spoken here and there. Its seems there is a nervous thread in the air. Would Justin adjust to being home? Had prison changed him too much? I guess those questions would be answered once he was home and allowed freedom again.

  There was so much still hanging in the air. Would Justin be retried for the murder? Would Sal Martin ever leave our family alone? I was full of internal questions; things I was afraid to ask anyone. I think partly because I didn’t want to hear any negative answers and I was sure there would be one or two of those.

  The sun beats down on the SUV as Cole pulls into the parking lot. I take it as a positive sign that the sun is shining on the day Justin is released. This is a new day, a chance for my brother to start over and I really hope he finds his happiness in life, whatever it might be for him.