CH.55

There was no warmth in Knox’s tone, no hint of the respect and almost filial affection he had once held for this man who had been a mentor and father figure to him through the years. Only an undercurrent of steely menace and a promise of violence should his demands for answers go unmet tonight.

The other set of glowing amber eyes seemed to narrow almost imperceptibly, as if their owner could sense the dangerous undercurrents swirling just beneath Knox's stoic exterior, churning like a riptide beneath a deceptively calm surface. Then, after a moment's tense silence that stretched between them like a taut bowstring, a low chuckle drifted through the darkness - rich and indulgent, laced with a hint of sardonic amusement.

"So it seems, my boy," a deep, cultured voice responded at last, the words seeming to caress the shadows cloaking the room.

As if on cue, the bedroom was abruptly flooded with light, causing Knox to narrow his eyes against the harsh glare.

There, seated in a high-b