Arden had been both relieved and disappointed when Max found nothing at the school. He was glad because maybe—just maybe—that meant his brother was wrong, and he could breathe easier. He was disappointed because that meant he was going to have the frustrating dog awhile longer.
As if the mutt in question knew he was thinking ill thoughts of him, Max stopped and sat, nearly making Arden trip as he continued walking while the leash suddenly went taut. Looking back at the dog, he could have sworn the damn thing wore a triumphant grin.
“Come on, Fido, it’s time to go,” Arden grumbled.
The dog’s eyes seemed to narrow. That made Arden smile for the first time since the night before, when he’d been roaming the halls of his school with his very sexy principal walking at his side.
“He’s a prestigious dog, not some mutt named Fido,” Declan told him.
“He’s a pain in the ass and didn’t prove very useful last night,” Arden pointed out.
“Give it some time. Something else has to be frustrating you more than the dog,” Declan said.
Arden could try to hide it, but what was the point? “The dang principal is driving me insane. I think she wears the same perfume daily, just to send me over the edge. Of course, considering she avoids me most of the time, that might be my ego speaking instead of my brain,” he admitted.
“So you got some alone time with her last night . . . in the dark hallways?” Declan asked with a smug turning of his lips.
Arden sighed. Brothers were a pain in the ass. “I might have been a bit aware of her with just the two of us walking down the abandoned hallways. But I decided long ago not to date complicated women. I have a fulfilling life, a great career, a family most envy, and I’m secure in myself.”
“So you don’t like women?” Declan asked.
“Hell no, that’s not what I’m saying. I like women, hell, love them. I just refuse to be one of those guys who fall into the dating games so many people like to play,” he said.
“What makes you think she likes to play games?” Declan asked.
“I figured out within the first ten minutes of meeting Keera Thompson that she was far too complicated for me. She’s guarded, has secrets, and is mysterious, and not necessarily in the good way. I’ve tried staying away from her, but I’m failing on that front.”
“Just avoid her when you’re not dealing with this investigation,” Declan suggested.
“That’s easier said than done. Just walking down the hallway, I can feel her before I even see her,” Arden admitted.
“Maybe you should just give up and find out if complicated is exactly what you need in your life,” Declan said.
“Keera is trouble with a big, fat capital T,” Arden said.
“Yeah, but hasn’t trouble always led to the best adventures in life?” Declan asked.
“Who are you? Aren’t you the suspicious one?” Arden asked.
“Yeah, but I also love seeing you so twitchy,” Declan said.
“I seem to recall most of my trouble involved you and my other siblings,” Arden said. “No matter what mess we got into, we had a hell of a good time while we did it.”
“That’s my point,” Declan told him.
“Yeah, following the rules can be a little boring if we get into too much of a rut,” Arden told him.
“You’ll figure it out,” Declan said. “Now, get your dog in line. Let’s go to my office.”
“Max, it’s time to move,” Arden commanded as he tugged on the leash. The dog still refused to move. He wanted to kick his brother’s ass for this brilliant idea of man’s best friend. What had Declan been thinking?
Taking a deep breath before speaking again, he calmed his voice. “Max, can we go?” Now he was asking the dog’s permission to leave? What in the hell was the world coming to?
The dog seemed to smirk at him again as he rose, aligning himself next to Arden. Seriously! The dog was now demanding respect? Arden had never been an animal lover, and now he knew why.
“Do you actually listen to my tone?” he asked the dog, not finding it foolish at all to be speaking to him. “You obviously know your name, and seem to not listen worth crap.”
The dog looked at him with that smug expression Arden was growing used to, and if he wouldn’t have been accused of going insane, he’d swear the dog nodded at him, as if not only understanding Arden’s tone, but the question he’d asked. Maybe Arden needed more sleep.
“Fine. But just know I’m not buying you any bones,” Arden grumbled.
A soft noise came from the dog’s throat, definitely sounding like a scoff. Arden knew he was starting off his day in a bad way when a dog was mocking him.
Declan moved to the back of the room and sat behind his massive desk, picking up a thick folder filled with notes and images. He looked up after a few seconds, not giving away what he was thinking about.
“Anything in those folders, since you seem to have all the answers?” Arden asked. Declan gave the closest thing he ever gave to a smile as he smirked at his brother.
“I know what goes on in this town, as should you,” Declan said.
“Yeah, you know way too much,” Arden said with a relaxed tone. “This chair is great. I might need to take it from you.”
“Get your own,” Declan told him.
“It’s more fun to take yours.”
“So you didn’t find anything last night?” Declan pushed, getting right back to business.
“You’re no fun anymore,” Arden told him. Declan just gazed at him with that no-nonsense look. With a sigh, Arden decided he’d ribbed his brother enough. “We don’t have a heck of a lot of info. There was a broken window in the back of the school, so we know a man got in and was in Keera’s office rifling around, but he didn’t seem to get away with anything. Max and I investigated the building for a couple of hours, finding nothing. I don’t know if you think this break-in and the suspected drugs have anything to do with each other, but the cops didn’t seem all that concerned.”
Declan sat back as he took his time processing what Arden had just told him. That was another thing about his brother—he wasn’t impulsive. Arden looked forward to the day when some tornado of a woman came into his brother’s life and swept Declan right off the ground. He’d pay money to watch that storm.
“I think the two are definitely connected. I’ve told you before I don’t believe in coincidence. I also don’t ever trust anyone,” he added.
“Including family?” Arden asked with a raised brow. He wasn’t worried.
“That’s a stupid question. I’d die for family,” Declan said as he waved his hand in the air. He was so nonchalant about it, but the reality was, they’d all take a bullet for each other. There was no doubt there was trust and love between them.
“And what do you really think of Keera, all kidding aside?” Arden asked.
Declan sat back as he studied his brother. Arden suddenly felt as if he were under a microscope, and he fought the urge to shift in his seat. That was just stupid.
“I’m just processing more what you think of the principal,” Declan said.
“What I think doesn’t really matter,” Arden told him. “You’ve always had a good instinct about people, so it matters more what you think.”
Arden was shocked by how much he wanted his brother to tell him there was nothing fishy going on with Keera. She couldn’t be a bad guy. She definitely had secrets, and she was complicated, but she wasn’t a villain—or at least he hoped not.
“I don’t trust anyone,” Declan said again, and Arden felt disappointment run through him.
“Do you know something I should know?” Arden asked.
Declan again gave nothing away. “Nothing I need to share,” his brother said noncommittally. Arden tensed. There was something his brother wasn’t telling him. He knew there was no way he’d get it out of Declan until his brother was ready to talk, which made it that much worse. Declan sighed and Arden waited. “I won’t rule Keera out . . . but I don’t necessarily think she’s involved.”
The relief flowing through Arden was a bit ridiculous. Just because his brother felt a certain way didn’t make it the truth. Maybe there were drugs in the school, and maybe Keera was involved. Most likely, that wasn’t the case, but Declan believing or not believing it to be the case shouldn’t influence what Arden felt about it. But of course, it did.
“How long do you think I’ll be keeping this mutt?” Arden asked. He didn’t want to talk about Keera or her possible role in the underworld of drugs anymore. It was too confusing for his muddled brain.
“As long as it takes,” Declan told him.
“He’s a pain in my ass,” Arden said, glancing at the dog out of the corner of his eye. He felt a little guilty talking bad about him while he was listening.
“Be a better pet owner,” Declan said.
“Max isn’t a pet. He’s a working animal,” Arden pointed out.
“He’s one hell of a worker, but he’s also a dog, who needs attention,” Declan said. Then his eyes narrowed. “And he’s definitely earned respect.”
“Like you’d give either attention or respect to an animal,” Arden grumbled. He couldn’t look at Max now, because he felt even more disloyal.
“Hell, I like animals a lot more than people,” Declan said.
“Yeah, I get your point,” Arden told him. “But I’m not getting attached to this dog. I don’t want any animals, much less this old thing.”
“Good luck with that,” Declan said with his version of a chuckle.
Arden’s phone rang, and he glanced down at the screen to see a blocked number. He thought about letting it go to voice mail, but somehow he was a little jumpy as he gazed at the ringing phone. He answered.
“Your principal’s at the school, and she’s in trouble,” the male voice said.
Arden’s eyes narrowed, and he didn’t miss how his brother tensed as he gazed at Arden, unable to hear the other person, but knowing from his brother’s reaction that the call wasn’t good.
“Explain,” Arden said in a crisp voice.
The phone call ended, and Arden looked over at his brother.
“What was that about?” Declan asked.
“I didn’t recognize the voice, but the caller said Keera was in trouble,” Arden told him. He was already on his feet and moving over to Max, who seemed to be on instant alert just from Arden’s body language.
“I’ll come with you,” Declan said, rising as he tucked a sidearm in his holster.
“No. It might be nothing,” Arden told him.
“What’s she doing at the school on a Saturday, anyway?” Declan asked. It was more than obvious how guilty this was making Keera look. She might just be the bad guy at the end of the day. Arden might have to face that.
“Like you don’t already know where she is and why she’s there,” Arden pointed out.
“Just seeing if you knew,” his brother commented.
“Yeah, most principals don’t come in on the weekends for the kids, but I like the program she’s running. Instead of detention, she has classes they can take, like art, music, woodworking, and community service. She’s gotten a lot of people from town to volunteer.”
“She doesn’t seem to be such a bad person,” Declan said.
“You confuse me,” Arden admitted.
“I told you, I don’t trust anyone, but I also follow the clues. Just . . .” Declan stopped as he looked down. “Just be aware,” he finished.
“Of what?” Arden asked, his voice rising loud enough to make Max tense.
“All in good time,” Declan said.
Arden wanted to punch a wall.
“Whatever,” he snapped. “She might be doing all of this as a show of smoke and mirrors, or she might be who she says she is, but you obviously know something, and since you won’t share it, I’m going to see if the caller was another distraction or if the woman is actually in trouble.”
“You aren’t moving very fast for a worried man,” Declan said.
“I’m going,” Arden told him, feeling guilty about his brother pointing that out.
“Let me know if you need me,” Declan said as Arden began walking from Declan’s office.
“You know I will,” Arden called back as he picked up his pace. Taking his time was no longer an option.
Though he tried telling himself there was nothing to worry about, that the call had most likely been someone’s idea of a joke, Arden couldn’t erase the sense of unease he felt.
Someone had broken into Keera’s office the night before, and his brother wasn’t a man to take rumors and run with them. There might be drugs going through Arden’s school, and if there were, and if the principal wasn’t involved, then she might be in the way of some very bad people.
It was time to get some answers.