Retribution Boxed Set (Books One and Two) (9 page)

Xander parked the car at the pet store and turned
to Nicole. “Last chance to change your mind.”

She smiled. “If you’re getting cold feet and want
to go home, don’t blame it on me.”

“I’m getting a dog,” he repeated for the
millionth time. He snorted, and then his gaze grew serious. “You’re sure you’re
okay?”

“Positive.”

He exited and headed for her side of the car. She
took his hand as they walked to the front doors, feeling lighter than she had
in forever, despite the accusations looming over her head. She’d revealed the
secret about her parentage she didn’t want anyone to know and nothing bad had
happened. Xander hadn’t judged her, hadn’t held her family relations against
her. Granted, she hadn’t told him her father had been a big time thief who’d
died in prison, but she sensed that wouldn’t change his feelings about her,
either.

That whole saying about one door opening when
another door shut must be true. Life had certainly slammed the door in her face
when she’d been accused of stealing millions, but the fates had sent her
someone to fortify her and keep her from failing in the face of despair while
she battled to clear her name.

As they entered the area where the adoptable dogs
were held, Nicole’s gaze immediately went to the cute Border Collie sitting at
the feet of a dark-haired male employee while he talked to an older lady with
short gray hair. The dog looked as though someone had taken a paintbrush and
had swiped black and a beautiful golden brown color over the white canvas of
its fur.

Nicole squeezed Xander’s hand. “There he is,” she
whispered. As they approached, the dog jumped to his feet and began wagging his
tail. It was as though he knew they’d come for him. Xander released her hand
and walked forward, crouching in front of the excited pup. The dog didn’t
bother with sniffing Xander and licked his face instead.

“So sorry,” the employee said when he realized
what had happened. “Technically, he’s still a puppy and gets easily excited
when he likes someone.”

“I can see that,” Xander said with a laugh as he
lifted the dog’s chin, looking him in the face. “Hello, Apollo.”

The dog’s tail thumped harder.

“You’re the people from Portland?”

“Yep.” Xander stood and addressed the man. “I’ve
come for my dog.”

Definitely a man who’s used to getting what he
wants, Nicole thought as she watched Xander interact with Apollo and the
employee. She liked that about him.

The employee laughed. “Love at first sight?”

Xander looked over his shoulder at Nicole. “It
happens.”

She gave him an amused smile, pretending she
hadn’t wondered his true intent when he’d said that directly to her. “They
don’t call it puppy love for nothing.”

He stared at her for an unsettling moment and
then grinned. “How much?” he asked the employee.

The man took that moment to make his sales pitch.
“A hundred and fifty. That includes the cost of neutering him and his current
shots. We send him home with the collar he’s wearing, but he’ll also need dog
food and a leash if you don’t already have them.”

Xander cocked a brow at her, and she stepped
forward. “I told you.” She turned to the employee. “Do you happen to know what
kind of dog food he was eating at the shelter? We don’t want to upset his tummy
with new food.”

“I do, actually. We supply the shelter with food
at cost. If you want to follow me, I can help you get everything you need.” He
handed Apollo’s temporary leash to Xander, officially transferring ownership.

“I’m sure you can,” Xander mumbled under his
breath, but Nicole could tell he was genuinely happy with his new dog. Apollo
was equally excited with his new owner.

The happy mood quickly turned frantic once they
reached the car. Xander opened Nicole’s door, and Apollo leapt in.

Xander glanced to Nicole. “I should have thought
about how we’d get him home.”

“It’s all right.” She grinned. “I’m fine if he
wants to ride on my lap. It’s not like Stormy hasn’t done the same.”

“Are you sure? I feel kind of bad.”

“You know I love dogs. It will give us a chance
to get to know each other, and he’s not
that
big.” Although he certainly
wasn’t much of a puppy anymore.

“If I’m going to have a dog, I guess I’d better
think about getting a different car. It’s not going to be much fun if only
Apollo and I can fit.”

Xander called his dog out of the car, and he
immediately responded.

“Looks like he knows who’s in charge,” Nicole
said as she sat in the space he’d currently vacated.

“We’ll see about that.” Xander bent over and
scooped up Apollo, placing him on her lap. The dog greeted her with a slobbery
lick across her face. She groaned and wiped off her mouth as Xander laughed and
shut the door before walking around to the other side. Before he could get his
door open, Apollo hopped off her lap and claimed the driver’s seat.

Xander opened his door and gave an exasperated
huff. “What? Now you think you’re going to drive?”

Apollo responded with a bark.

“I don’t think so. Get over there.”

Nicole patted her lap. “Come on, boy.”

He paused for a moment, gazing up at Xander as
though begging to keep his current position. “Go on.” Xander pointed to the
passenger seat. Slowly, Apollo stood and crossed the console to Nicole’s lap.

She laughed. “You broke his poor, little doggie
heart.”

Xander rolled his eyes as he sat in the car. “I
see how it’ll be. He’ll pout, and you’re going to give in to him.”

She giggled and wrapped her arms around Apollo’s
soft body, holding him to her. “You poor baby. He shouldn’t be so mean to you,
should he?”

Before she could shield herself, Apollo gave her
face another swipe with his long tongue. She wiped her cheeks and lips with an
open palm, groaning as she did.

Xander laughed. “Is that how you get the girls to
kiss you? You jump right in and don’t give them an option? I’ll have to give it
a try.”

She shifted a sideways glance at him, giving him
a playful warning. “Don’t even think about it.”

“No? What would you do if I did?”

“I…” She couldn’t very well tell him she didn’t
want him to kiss her because she’d been thinking about it nearly every second
since their encounter last night. “Just drive.”

A cocky grin appeared on his sexy lips, and
Nicole turned her head to hide her own smile.

“Could I convince you to spend a couple of hours
at my place helping me get the little guy settled?”

“Afraid to be alone with the beast?”

“You’ve seen what that tongue can do.” Even as
Xander spoke, Apollo had his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as though
it was too much for him to contain. “I’ll make you lunch.”

“Like you made me dinner?”

“Hey, you enjoyed it. What difference does it
make how it came to be on your plate?”

She narrowed her eyes, pretending to weigh his
arguments, when all along she knew she couldn’t say no. “Fine. But only because
I can’t resist a cute puppy.”

*        *        *

Several days later, Nicole woke to the ringing of
her cell phone. She glanced at the bedside clock as she picked up her phone,
mentally reprimanding herself for sleeping in until nine. With no job, she’d
had a hard time forcing herself to go to bed at a decent time, and then it was
hard not to sleep in.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Camden? Cecil Barton here. Do you have a
moment to talk?”

Nicole sat upright in bed, the sound of her
attorney’s voice jerking her into a wide-awake state. “Of course. Is something
wrong?”

“I’m not entirely certain.” He paused long enough
to set her heart racing. “I received a call today from the police asking if
we’d retained a private investigator. Apparently, someone has been poking
around and asking questions. I checked with the person I recommended to you,
but he said you hadn’t called.”

“Uh, no, I didn’t call him. I do have a friend
who said he might have someone look into things for me.”

Another long pause. “Do you know the name of this
friend
?”

“I do not.” Xander hadn’t mentioned him again or
whether or not he’d agreed to help. “As far as I know, my friend may not have
contacted him yet.”

An extended sigh came across the phone line, and
she knew she’d displeased him. “So, you don’t know whether or not he’s
licensed?”

She frowned. The way Mr. Barton spoke made her
feel like an idiot. “I don’t.”

“Ms. Camden, I know you’re hesitant to spend
money, but if you’re going to hire an investigator, I highly suggest you call
the person I recommended.”

“It’s not that I’m hesitant to spend money. I
just don’t have it to spend.” And every day that passed without her having a
job, left her in worse financial shape.

“I’m going to have my associate call and discuss
options with you. He may be able to come up with a viable solution that’s
agreeable to you both.”

“Okay.” Although Mr. Barton made a ton of sense,
she wasn’t ready to agree with him before she talked to Xander. “Have the
police finished going through my computer? I’d really like to have my stuff
back.”

“I’ll call for a progress report today.”

“Thank you, Mr. Barton.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll be in touch. In the
meantime,
please
, do yourself a favor and don’t hire an amateur.”

Nicole hung up feeling like she’d been schooled. She
stared at her phone for a minute, and then cursed because she’d forgotten to
ask about the surveillance video. She’d been so busy defending her choices, it
had escaped her mind.

She’d wait until she’d decided what to do about
an investigator before she called back, and instead, she dialed Xander’s
number.

“Good morning, Nicole.” His deep voice rumbled
across the line.

She paused in her thoughts, as a smile spread
across her lips and a lovely warmth tingled through her body. “Good morning.” She
forced her brain back in control over her emotions. He sounded wide awake, and
more than likely, he’d been at work for several hours.

How did she put this? “I just got a call from my
attorney. The police called him, wondering if I’d hired a private investigator.”

“That’s interesting.” A hard edge overlaid his
smooth, sexy voice.

“Did you contact your friend?
Has
he been
poking around?”

“I did, and there’s a good chance he’s been
asking questions, although he’s usually more discreet.”

Uneasiness crept up inside her. “I don’t want
this to come out wrong. My attorney thinks I need to hire someone he knows and
not use your friend.”

“Why?”

“He implied he’s an amateur and that he may
somehow make things worse for me? She ended her sentence on a question, not
really sure what to believe anymore.

“Who is your attorney? Xander sounded pissed.

“Cecil Barton.”

He didn’t respond right away, and she wished she
could see his expression.

“Look Xander, I appreciate your friend trying to
help, but maybe it would be better for the police to handle this.”

“And you think they are?”

She sighed, her frustration coaxing her emotions
to the surface. “I don’t know. I really don’t know what to think right now.”

“Listen, I’m going to talk to my friend. See
what’s gone down. Are you free tonight? Maybe Apollo and I could come by, and
I’ll let you know what I’ve found out.”

“Sure. I can cook dinner for
you
this
time.” If nothing else, seeing Xander would do wonders to lift her spirits. Spending
time with him had been the only bright spot in her increasingly dark days, and
she wanted more.

Much more.

*        *        *

As soon as Xander ended his call with Nicole, he
took a moment to close his office door. Without hesitating, he punched in Sam’s
personal cell number. His friend answered on the second ring.

“I thought I was the one handling the Camden
case.” He stood next to the window, glancing down at the winding river.

“You are.”

He turned from the scenic view and sat back in
his chair. “Then why are you interfering?”

“What are you talking about? Yes, I’m working it
in an official capacity, but you’re doing all the behind the scenes stuff.”

“Nicole just phoned. It seems her attorney
received a call from the police department wondering if she’d hired an
investigator.”

“
What
? He sounded incredulous. “I haven’t
called her attorney, although I did receive a note that he’d like me to call
him regarding the personal property that had been removed from her apartment.”

“What about your guys? Would any of them have
called?”

“I doubt it. I’m the lead investigator on this
case. I can’t imagine they would without provocation, and I don’t believe any
of my men are aware of your involvement. You haven’t been making waves, have
you?”

“Hardly. My main focus has been cracking Nicole. I
did briefly talk to a few people in First Freedom’s building, but I didn’t
identify myself as an investigator. More like a nosey client.”

Sam snorted. “Did you ever stop to think maybe
this was her way of getting
you
to back down? Maybe she’s afraid she’ll
draw attention to herself if she flat out refuses your help. But, hey, blame it
on the lawyer, and she has the perfect excuse.”

“Shit.” He couldn’t believe it. He’d been subtly
conned by the con. Damn, she was good.

His friend laughed. “Now you understand why we’re
having such a hard time with her. She’s a master. She’s got this innocent
routine down pat. She’s very careful and doesn’t mess up. Must have learned it
from her papa.”

Xander’s pride stung from her deception. It only
made it worse that he felt like he needed to defend her to Sam and explain she
hadn’t really had much of a relationship with her father. But there it was. “I
guess that means I’m going to have to bust my ass a little more. Think you can
get me a copy of that video showing her in the building? I’m supposed to be
working with a friend to help find clues about the real culprit. Maybe if I
review it with her, it will nudge her, or she’ll say something she shouldn’t.”