Chapter 3
Despite the knowledge that Nichele and Kane were probably perfectly safe, my heart thudded faster than it should have while I fidgeted in the elevator up to Nichele’s highrise floor. When I charged into the reception area, the heavy glass entrance door rebounded on its hinges with a crack of protest.
The receptionist twitched behind her polished granite desk, snatching her wide-eyed gaze off Kane to face me.
“Hi,” I said anticlimactically. “I’m Aydan Kelly, here to see Nichele Brown.”
“Oh…” She patted her chest with trembling fingers. “My, you startled me. Please have a seat. She’s with a client now, but she’ll be with you in a few minutes.”
With a client? Dammit, I’d told her to cancel. And what the hell was Kane doing sitting in the reception area instead of guarding her?
“Thanks,” I muttered, and strode across to confront Kane.
He rose from one of the sumptuous leather chairs as I approached, and my feet stumbled involuntarily to a halt while I fought to keep my jaw from sagging.
Holy… shit!
He had always been delicious eye-candy; but where he had been magnificently muscled before, now he was spectacularly ripped. His black T-shirt strained across his chest and mountainous shoulders, sleeves stretched to their limits around biceps carved from stone. Before I could prevent it, my gaze travelled greedily down his body, taking in the ripples of his abs and the iron thighs filling his jeans to perfection.
And speaking of filling jeans to perfection…
I jerked my gaze up from his crotch.
“Hi,” I croaked. “Wow, you look…” I swallowed and tried again, but my brain hadn’t re-engaged yet. “Wow,” I repeated stupidly. “Have you been working out extra-hard lately?”
My voice trembled on ‘extra-hard’ and I was pretty sure my eyes had glazed over with X-rated memories.
Dammit, get it together…
He grinned, a wicked spark kindling in his grey eyes. “Nice to see you, too.”
He held out his arms and I stepped into them, managing with a supreme effort to keep the hug short and G-rated instead of sinking my teeth into that luscious ridge of shoulder muscle and humping his leg.
Pulling away, I dropped into the nearest chair to put some distance between us and kept my gaze firmly fastened on his face. Changes were visible there, too, his square jaw even more defined and…
“You dyed your hair,” I blurted.
He flushed and ran his fingers self-consciously through the short dark hair at his temples where the silver used to be. “Yes…” His gaze wavered before meeting my eyes again. “I’ve been volunteering at Daniel’s school, and the other parents of six-year-olds are so… young. I’m old enough to be their father, for God’s sake.”
“Well, you look amazing either way,” I said. “And you could run circles around all of them. You don’t have anything to prove.”
His face softened into a smile. “Thank you.” His smile faded and he sank into the chair beside me. Dropping his voice, he murmured, “Nichele has cancelled the rest of her appointments for the day but she said she needed to keep this one since it’s a new client. I have a direct sightline to her door, and she has my number on speed-dial so she only has to press one button on her cell phone to alert me if there’s anything wrong.”
I sagged back in my chair, following his gaze down the hallway to Nichele’s door. “That’s great. Thanks. And thank you for dropping everything to come here. I didn’t want to involve you but…”
“I really don’t mind,” he insisted. A rueful smile twisted his lips. “I’m finding civilian life a little… tame.”
“I can imagine. I hope…” I began, only to break off when Nichele’s door opened. A shock of adrenaline blazed into my veins at the sight of the pleasant-faced ponytailed-and-business-suited man with her.
I lunged forward, seizing Kane by the back of the neck and dragging him into a kiss.
He reacted instantly, pulling me into his lap to devour my mouth.
I heard Nichele bidding her client good day, and when the door hinges gave their distinctive crack I pulled away from Kane far enough to peek over his shoulder.
Shit!
The ponytailed man was standing in the lobby waiting for the elevator, watching us with interest through the glass door.
Shit, shit, shit!
I dove back into Kane’s enthusiastic embrace.
A few seconds later Nichele’s amused voice came from beside us. “I like my clients to get excited about their investments, but you two are carrying it a bit too far.”
“Is your client gone?” I mumbled against Kane’s lips.
“Yes.” Her voice sharpened with worry. “Why?”
I pulled away from Kane and rose, smoothing my hair and trying to look nonchalant under the receptionist’s scandalized and distinctly envious gaze. “Um, I know him, that’s all. Blind date a while ago. It sucked, so I didn’t want him to notice me.”
Nichele laughed. “Girl, you were making out like a teenager, in the middle of a brokerage office. Trust me, he noticed. But you must’ve mistaken him for somebody else. He’s from Montreal and he’s only been here a couple of days.”
Shit, of course he would have had to give her his home address if he was pretending to hire her as his stockbroker. I should have thought of a better lie, but now I was committed, dammit…
Willing the heat out of my face, I tried again. “I know, but I dated him last year when he was here visiting. I thought he’d go back to Montreal and I’d never see him again.” I attempted a chuckle. “Stupid small world, right? Anyhow, I didn’t want him to recognize me.”
Nichele plopped down in my vacated chair, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “You’re such a goofball. How many women have long red hair like yours? If you dated him, of course he recognized you. But…” Her salacious grin widened as she waggled her eyebrows at us. “…if you wanted to make him jealous, you probably nailed it.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Well…” Nichele bounced to her feet. “I need a new dress for my business retreat tonight, and I’m starving! Let’s go to the mall for lunch and some retail therapy!” Her act was almost convincing, but her gaiety rang false and her hands were trembling.
“Um, I don’t know…” I objected, but Kane caught my eye and rose to herd us toward the door.
“That’s a good idea,” he said firmly. “It’s a public place with video surveillance, and James wouldn’t expect you to be there on a workday. Take Aydan’s car and leave yours in the underground parking.”
An afternoon at the mall was approximately as attractive as a colonoscopy, but Kane’s logic was sound. And the sooner I got Nichele out of here, the better. My nerves still sizzled with adrenaline and my fingers itched to draw my Glock.
“Text me when you get there,” Kane added with a significant look at me as he pressed the call button for the elevator. “I’m due at the school in half an hour to volunteer during lunch period, but I’m free after one o’clock if you need me.”
“You could come shopping with us.” Nichele batted her eyes up at him mischievously. “We could use a big strong guy to carry all our shopping bags.”
Kane had obviously caught my tiny nod. He swept her a gallant bow as the elevator doors opened. “As milady commands.”
She flushed and giggled, eyeing him appreciatively as I said, “We’ll be at Chinook Centre. We’ll meet you by the Dairy Queen in the food court. Would one-thirty work?”
He nodded, and we watched the illuminated numbers counting down in silence while I tried to get my heart rate under control.
When the elevator doors opened in the underground parkade, I kept my tone casual as I halted in the lobby. “Sorry, I just need to make a quick call before we go.”
Kane responded with a nod and engaged Nichele in a conversation about stocks while I drifted a few paces away and dialled Frederick Labelle, my heart in my mouth.
When his unctuous tones rolled out of my phone, I said, “This is Arlene. Have you heard anything from our client yet?”
“No, he hasn’t arrived. I’ll be sure to contact you as soon as he does.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I disconnected, turning away so Nichele couldn’t see me extracting a secured phone from my waist pouch. At the sound of Stemp’s crisp greeting, I muttered, “I just saw Riel in Nichele Brown’s office. Labelle says he hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m positive it was him. Is our wiretap working?”
“Not yet. I’ll inform you as soon as it’s active.”
I disconnected and rejoined the other two. Kane walked us to my car, where he stood watching until we had navigated the exit ramp.
Nichele giggled again from the passenger’s seat. “So… you and Hot John! You’ve been holding out on me!” She poked a teasing knuckle into my ribs. “Girl, he’s got it bad for you! Why didn’t you tell me you two were together?”
“We’re not.” I signalled and made the turn to take us out of downtown, watching to be sure we weren’t followed.
Nichele snorted. “Yeah, I can tell you can’t stand each other by the way you were polishing each other’s tonsils. Seriously, girl, you’re crazy if you don’t hit that! And don’t give me any excuses. You know you want to, or he wouldn’t have been the first person you called for help.”
“He wasn’t.” I concentrated on driving and watching my mirrors. “I called Arnie first, but he was out of town.”
“You…” Words apparently failed her for a moment before she sighed and spoke with resignation. “Seriously, girl, I don’t know what to do with you. That’s like eating broccoli when you could have chocolate-dipped strawberries. I know you keep saying Arnie’s great in bed, but sooner or later you need to find the right guy and settle down…”
My bark of laughter interrupted her. “Says the woman with every eligible male over thirty in her booty-call speed dial.”
She tossed her head. “Not anymore. When you find the right guy…”
“Yeah, yeah,” I groused. “You settle down after all these years and then right away you try to convert everybody else. And anyway, Arnie isn’t broccoli. Far from it. He’s more like…”
I checked the vehicles around us yet again. Damn that white SUV. Was it following us?
“…lobster,” I finished absently, eyeing the rearview mirror.
“Yeah, the cockroach of the sea,” Nichele gibed with a theatrical shudder. “So hideous you don’t even want to touch it. Brrr!”
“Be nice, you jerk. I’m not talking about appearance.” The SUV in question turned off down a side street and I relaxed and returned my attention to Nichele. “I’m just saying there’s great stuff inside the shell.”
“Nuh-uh.” She shook her head. “Too much effort to get past all that ugly. Especially when you’ve got Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Delicious waiting in the wings.”
Even though I knew she liked Hellhound and was only teasing, I had to fight down irritation. Pasting on a smile, I closed the discussion with our time-worn but affectionate taunt. “You’re so shallow.”
She grinned and settled back in her seat with her stock reply. “You have no standards, girl.”
I changed the subject. “So tell me about your business retreat.”
“Oh, it’ll be…” She considered for a moment. “Either a blast or a total snorefest; I don’t know which. But all the high-rollers are going to be there, so it’s a great opportunity to schmooze. I was just lucky I got the last ticket! It’s at a swanky resort spa and there’s a champagne reception tonight at eight for ticket-holders. The public panels and seminars run all day tomorrow, and then there’s a private windup dinner. And we can stay at the spa for the weekend, too, if we want. How decadent is that? So…” She grinned. “I need a new dress. Or two. And shoes, and a matching handbag. And maybe a bit of new bling to go with it. And a new swimsuit, and…”
“Shopaholic.” I shook my head in mock reproof before adding, “But better you than me, ‘cause my idea of hell would be a never-ending business networking event. And at least James won’t be able to find you in your posh hideaway.”
We were halfway through lunch when Nichele’s phone belted out the chorus of “I’m a Road Hammer”. My heart warmed at the sight of her eager flush as she hastened to accept the call.
“Hi, honey,” she purred. After a short pause, she added, “Yes, I’m fine. Aydan and I are at the mall where there are lots of people… No; no sign of James… Yes, we’re being careful…”
She fell silent, listening while her expression faded from pleasure to a dubious frown.
“Okay…” she said slowly at last. Then she nodded and adopted a smile and a cheery tone. “Of course I am, it’ll be fun! Just like an early honeymoon… Okay, I’ll be packed and ready. See you soon, honey… I love you, too. ‘Bye.”
She hit the disconnect button and her hand drifted down to her lap, still clutching the phone as if she’d forgotten she was holding it.
I eyed her troubled face with rising worry. “What’s wrong?”
“N… Nothing…”
“Bullshit.”
She sighed. “Nothing. Really. It’s just…” She sighed again and stirred her coffee, watching the stick swirl through the liquid as if it required her full attention.
I waited.
“That was Dave,” she said.
“I figured. Unless you’ve got another honey I don’t know about,” I teased.
“No,” she mumbled as though my words hadn’t registered. After a moment she added, “He changed his schedule. He was supposed to be in the Maritimes until the middle of next week, but he’s coming straight home now. He’ll be here by Monday, and then he has a quick turnaround out to Ontario where he’s got a bunch of short hauls lined up. And he wants me to come with him. We could be on the road for two or three weeks, depending on how his loads work out.”
“Perfect,” I said with relief. “You’ll be safe when you’re out of town. James doesn’t know Dave so you’ll be impossible to find.”
“Well… that’s true…” She frowned and stirred her coffee harder.
“But…” I prompted.
She blew out a breath. “But I feel like such a coward running away. And it won’t solve anything. James will still be around when I get back and I can’t hide forever. And…”
From the way her fingertips whitened on the stir stick, I knew she was about to divulge the true reason for her reluctance.
“And…” She gave me an imploring look. “This means Dave and I will be together 24/7. For weeks.”
I failed to suppress a smile. “Well, yeah. Is this a bad time to point out that you’re marrying him in less than two months and you’ll be together ‘til death do you part?”
“I know… Together… but not together-together.” She fiddled nervously with the stirrer, bending it back and forth. “I mean… we get along great as long as he’s on the road most of the time. But what if…” The stick snapped between her fingers, splattering coffee over the tabletop, and she grabbed a handful of napkins and scrubbed up the droplets with far more vigour than necessary.
“What if we can’t stand each other when we’re together all the time?” she burst out. “What if this is all a big terrible mistake and we hate each other after three weeks and he just dumps me and drives away forever?”
My heart squeezed at her tragic expression. “He won’t, Nichele. Trust me, Dave’s crazy about you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and you’re going to love being together.” I hesitated, reluctant to dilute my pep-talk with inconvenient facts. “Um… what about your work?”
“No big deal.” She waved a dismissing hand. “I’ve got my laptop and phone. I can easily work in the truck. But… but what if…”
Her voice faded from my attention as I glimpsed a ponytailed man leaving the food court. My blood chilled.
He was wearing jeans instead of a business suit, and I couldn’t see his face. Was it Riel?
A moment later he vanished around the corner.
I turned back to Nichele, who was eyeing me with a supplicating expression. Damn. I hadn’t heard a word she’d said.
I blew out a breath. “Look, you know I’m the queen of fucked-up relationships so I’m not qualified to give anybody advice, but I will tell you this for absolutely certain. Dave loves you, and you love him. Together you can figure out anything.” Desperate, I invoked the only magic spell at my disposal. “Come on, you need your stuff for this weekend as well as a whole new wardrobe for your road trip with Dave. We need to start shopping.”