One Chance (Hogan Brothers 1)

“What can you confirm?” His joyful attitude from earlier had fled the moment he saw Braxton at the door.

“Not much.”

He felt like they were going around in circles with the lack of answers he was getting. “What’s the plan then? To wait? Let something happen?” Nox expected some type of reaction from her father about the possibility that harm might befall his daughter, the lack of one was troubling. “That’s what you’re going to do, isn’t it?”

A look was shared between the two men before her father answered, “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re doing everything we can.”

Like hell they were.

“Who do you think is doing this?” He didn’t think he’d get an answer, but the pained look in her father’s eyes led him to believe the man knew who he suspected on a personal level.

“I won’t say until I know for sure,” was his only answer before leaving the room, a look of regret on his face. Braxton followed before Nox could ask any more questions.

With as man

y secrets as the Kardashian’s, he wasn’t sure he would get a straight answer from either man, even if they did know.

Sophia’s sleep had been restless and full of monsters that went bump in the night. No one to save her. No one to hear her cries for help.

Until his warmth.

She was surrounded by musk and man.

His strength could be felt in her nightmares as he held her through her own personal storm. When she’d heard voices, it was hard to remain quiet. Hearing Braxton confirm she had a stalker was astonishing.

She had to be one of the most boring people in town. It wasn’t as though she went out of her way for attention. She was always quiet when she went anywhere. The only real friend she had was Lorraine, and she highly doubted the older woman was stalking her.

When her father hesitated to answer Lennox’s question, she suspected he did know who was behind the sudden threat, but probably wanted it to go away like any other problem.

She often wondered if he felt the same way about her. Was she more of a burden now that she was older? Feeling insecure where her father was concerned was new. His distance the past few years had hurt. Burying it deep inside only made it worse.

“Soph?” Lennox whispered in her ear, breaking her free of her thoughts.

Opening her eyes, she looked into the pools of his midnight blues. Concern lit them as he searched her own.

“You doin’ okay?” He obviously knew she’d been awake, or at least suspected.

“Tired.” Her voice cracked from lack of moisture.

Slipping free of the bed, he held out a hand for her. “Come on, let’s get you some fresh air and food.”

“But what about…?” She couldn’t say it out loud, it would make the whole scenario all too real.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” His vow was comforting.

Taking his hand, she squeezed lightly as she walked past his tall frame to her en suite. Splashing water on her face to get some color back in her cheeks, she prayed everyone was wrong. That she didn’t have a stalker, that she wasn’t possibly in any danger. Her gut said otherwise, but her mind was all too delighted to believe it was possible.

Shaking off any and all thoughts of bad things to come, Sophia wanted to enjoy her time with Lennox. She didn’t want the stress of a threat. She didn’t want the condemning tone of her mother in her head. She wanted, for once, to go on a date. She wanted to not be the weird rich girl in town.

She wanted simply to be known as Sophia. The shy, sweet girl, the girl who would give a stranger the shirt off her back if they needed it more than her.

In all honesty, she didn’t even want to be Sophia anymore. People pitied that girl.

“Soph?” Lennox’s strong voice gave her tingles in places she’d never thought about before.

Opening the door, she smiled shyly at him. “I’m ready.” Though she hadn’t done anything other than splash her face with water and run a brush through her hair.

If her mother could only see her now. She’d have a coronary for sure.