Page 22 of Armed ’N’ Ready

“Do you have another place to stay tonight?” he asked.

“Yes.” She walked back to where her suitcase lay on the floor. “The plumbing work on my house is done, so I can move back in. The only reason I came here was to collect my things.” She knelt and reached out to right the suitcase and start dumping her clothes back into it when strong fingers clamped gently over her hand.

Nick knelt beside her, so close that their thighs touched, and she could feel the muscular strength of his. “Don’t touch anything. The evidence team has to photograph everything and dust for prints. They’ll need a set of your fingerprints to compare to any others left behind.”

Warmth emanating from his large body washed over her in gentle waves, and every place his long, strong fingers touched hers tingled with awareness. Of what, she didn’t know.

Their gazes locked, and his hand still covered hers, curling her fingers beneath his own. As she stared into his eyes, her heart slammed against her ribs. While she understood Nick’s touch was purely for professional reasons—to preserve evidence—it was disconcerting.

Footsteps sounded outside the bedroom, and she yanked her hand from beneath his as they both rose to their feet. Cox and two uniformed officers entered the room.

“You good, Nick?” Cox stood in the open doorway, a quizzical expression on his face that made her realize he must have misinterpreted what he’d seen as her and Nick holding hands.

As. If.

“We are, but there’s something you should know.” He succinctly explained to Cox and the uniforms about the missing framed photograph.

Cox nodded. “All the more reason to move forward with things as planned.”

“What things?” She crossed her arms as a now-familiar sense of foreboding spread through her.

One of the local officers interrupted. “Ma’am, I’d like to ask you some questions.”

Rolling her eyes, she groaned. “What is this, a cop thing? My name is Andi. Andi Hardt, not ma’am.”

“Sorry, ma’am.” The cop winced. “Ms. Hardt.”

Beside her, Nick chuckled.

It was nearly midnight when Andi fell into bed. Her entire body was exhausted, yet her mind couldn’t stop buzzing. Just when she’d thought the day couldn’t get any worse, it had, culminating with getting fingerprinted for elimination purposes. She’d completely missed the evening shift at the DPC, but Tuesdays were slow, and Tess had closed up early. She really was counting on that musician to beef up business. If that didn’t bring in more customers, her dream café might die a horrible death.

Nails clicked on the bedroom’s hardwood floors as Stray walked in. The dog nuzzled her arm before lying down beside the bed with a contented huff. Normally, Stray overnighted in the garage, happy to sleep in the comfy doghouse Andi had purchased for the occasional wayward dog. Tonight, she’d needed canine companionship.

Cox had followed her home, insisting on checking out every room in her house before allowing her to enter. He’d explained that until they deduced why the photo of her and Joe had been taken by the burglars, she should exercise additional caution.

Flipping onto her belly, she snuggled against the fluffy down pillow and reached out to run her fingers over Stray’s soft coat. In response, the dog touched her wet nose to Andi’s hand, as if giving her a good night kiss.

In the darkness, she smiled, but it was fleeting. The only reason she’d worked in the financial world was because she’d seen her parents struggling for money and wanted to help them. They’d been scientists, living from grant to grant, and when one grant after the next dried up, things were rough. But they’d loved doing what they did, so when she quit her job in New York, she decided to emulate them and follow her dream.

At least her parents had each other. She, on the other hand, was destined to wind up alone. Dogs were the most wonderful creatures on the planet, but they could never be a substitute for a family of her own.

Time to face facts.

Life had thrown her a cruel curve ball. For her, a family wasn’t in the cards.

With quick, angry motions she swiped at her tears, wishing she could wipe away her pain and worries that easily.

She’d been relieved that it had been Cox inside her home, rather than Nick. Around him, she felt compelled to stay extra sharp, and it was exhausting. Sparring with him left her body and mind totally energized, but afterward, it was as if all remaining life had been sucked from her.

Before she nodded off, his melodic voice sounded in her head as surely as if he were standing in her bedroom. Just how far are you willing to go to prove your cooperation?

Her eyelids closed, and she began falling into an uneasy sleep, unable to shake the worry that she really was being herded into a trap. What trap remained to be seen.

Chapter Six

The only times Nick had been inside what was now the Dog Park Café were when it had been a shabby, rundown bar in serious need of renovation. Located thirty minutes outside Springfield in Wilbraham, the place was a little remote, and he’d only been there to break up a few drunken brawls and haul some of the locals to jail. Ironically, this was one of the city’s few suburbs that miraculously hadn’t been touched by the rash of shootings plaguing the city.

As he parked his Tahoe in the lot facing the fenced-in dog run, he noted Andi’s white pickup. You gotta love a woman who drives a truck.