“A girl never knows when the love of her life’s going to walk in the front door.” Chuckling, she kicked her shoes off next to the door. “Always be prepared is my motto.”

  Charlie nudged his way between them. Barking, his back end wagged so hard he wobbled. Sheryl squatted next to him, hugging him around the neck, as the dog swiped at her face with his sloppy tongue. “Hold on there, guy,” she said, laughing and blocking the soaking with one hand.

  Taking Charlie by the collar, Nicole tugged him back. “Okay, big boy, that’s enough.”

  Sheryl plucked the bottle of Asti from Nicole’s hand, and headed into the kitchen. “I’ll pop this in the fridge to stay cool until dinner.”

  Nicole followed her over and retrieved a bowl from the cupboard, filling it with potato chips. Sheryl placed the bubbly in the refrigerator for later, grabbing an opened bottle of cabernet sauvignon from the door and popping the decorative cork to pour each of them a tall glass.

  Charlie crowded into the narrow space, knocking into them and making maneuvering difficult. Laughing now, Nicole patted the dog’s head, and told him to go lie down. Which he promptly ignored, following them both into the living room, his back end still in rapid motion with his wagging tail.

  “He’s so cute, Nicole. I can’t believe you found him at the pound.”

  “I know, right? Who wouldn’t want him?” She cast a fond glance at Charlie, giving him a scratch behind the ear. “Their loss is my gain.”

  They each took a seat and Nicole held up her glass in a salute. “Here’s to best friends and good times.”

  Sheryl lifted her glass up for a toast. “You know it, BFF.”

  Laughing, they both took a sip, and Nicole sighed with contentment, as her mind drifted to Kyle. He’d stopped by a few hours earlier and stocked her cupboards with food, refusing to let her chip in, saying if he had to go out for breakfast every day it’d cost him twice as much. He’d insisted her cooking was so much better than a restaurant’s, and worth every penny spent. He was right, of course, because she was a really good cook, with breakfast anyway. So, she’d gracefully agreed, secretly looking forward to cooking for him again.

  Forcing all thoughts of the good-looking guy from her backyard out of her head, she smiled at Sheryl. “So, how’d it go at the shop today?”

  “Busy. I booked a children’s birthday party for next Friday. If you can’t make it in, we’ll need to hire some temporary help for the day.”

  “No, not a problem. I can make it.”

  Her friend studied the fading bruise on her cheek. “You sure?”

  Nicole nodded. “I’m sure. My hearing is improving every day.”

  “Awesome!”

  They lifted their glasses in a toast.

  After Sheryl filled her in on the rest of the day’s events, Nicole stood, taking her now empty wine glass with her as she made her way into the kitchen to retrieve the steaks.

  Sheryl followed her over. Lifting the lid off the glass jar holding Charlie’s dog treats, she tossed him a milk bone. He gulped it down, seemingly without swallowing, and begged for another. She laughed and tossed him a second one, which he caught in his mouth.

  “Okay, Mister Charlie,” Nicole said, wagging her finger at the dog, “that’s enough.” She shooed him toward the dog bed near the fireplace. “Go lay down.”

  Charlie thumped his butt against the island counter a couple times as he attempted to wag his short tail. Turning around, he ignored his dog bed and jumped back onto her couch to plop down and chew on his treat.

  “Oh my God,” Sheryl said, refilling their wine glasses, “he’s so darn cute. I want one.”

  “Sorry, he was the only Boxer at the pound. Besides, I don’t think there’s another one out there as cute as Charlie.”

  Sheryl grinned. “Probably not.”

  Nicole pulled some spices out of the cupboard to rub on the steaks. “If we were outside, he’d be burying his treat under the tree right now. I don’t know if it’s because he’s a rescue dog, or what, but he hordes food.”

  “I don’t know if that’s funny or sad.”

  “I know. Sorta breaks your heart.” They watched as Charlie finished off the dog treat, then closed his eyes for a nap.

  Sheryl walked around the kitchen island. “Anything I can do?”

  “Sure, why don’t you fix us a salad? Everything you need is in the fridge.”

  While Sheryl got out all the salad fixings and began tossing them together in a bowl, Nicole filled her in on everything the doctor had said.

  “Did he say how long before your hearing is back to normal?”

  “Not really. Could be tomorrow, next week, or months from now.” She shrugged. “I guess there’s no way to know for sure. Although my hearing’s better, everything sounds muffled. Like I’m in a deep tunnel or something. It’s quite annoying.”

  “I bet.” Sheryl picked up the bottle of wine and topped off their glasses. “Well, you’re getting better and that’s what counts. I think we need to toast to your full recovery.”

  Finished with the meat preparation, Nicole washed her hands. Lifting her wineglass up in a salute, she grinned. “Hear, hear.” Already feeling a little tipsy, she needed to get some food into her stomach.

  “Hear, hear,” Sheryl repeated. They clinked glasses before taking long sips. “Did you invite Kyle over?”

  Nicole’s eyebrows rose. “No. This is a girls’ night, not a girls’ and guy’s night.”

  Sheryl opened her mouth as if to respond, then paused. Glancing toward the front picture window, Nicole spotted lights heading up her long drive. Her first thought was of the two attacks in her home, and her heart jumped in her chest, her hand tightening around the stem of her wine glass as fear crawled through her.

  When Sheryl placed a hand on her shoulder, Nicole startled and gave a little squeal. “Hey, relax,” her friend said, giving her a reassuring smile. “Charlie’s here, and you’ve got a guy who’s hot for you right in your backyard. You’re perfectly safe.”

  Sheryl winked at her, and Nicole’s tension eased. She was being silly. Of course she was safe. Sheryl’s words finally sank in and her mouth fell open with a gasp. “What? Kyle is not hot for me.”

  Is he? Her heart raced again, but not from fear this time.

  Sheryl wiggled her brows, smirking. “You’re sure about that?”

  Nicole laughed, then flat-out lied. “Yes, I’m sure.” But she wasn’t sure about anything, her thoughts centering on the way he’d kissed her, practically in this very spot.

  Sheryl took her glass of wine and walked over to the window, tugging back the drapes enough to peek outside. She whistled. “Well, make that two really hot guys in your backyard.”

  “Huh?” Nicole hurried over and peeked out the other side of the drapes, and saw a really good-looking blond guy heading toward the cottage with a briefcase. It was getting late, and the sun was nearly set, but it was still bright enough outside to enjoy the view. And he was a really nice view.

  Then the view got even better when Kyle opened the door and came out onto the porch. He’d changed clothes since she’d seen him at breakfast, or at least taken off the dark button-up shirt he’d had tucked into his jeans. He still wore the pair of black jeans that hugged his slim hips, but now had on a plain white T-shirt stretching across his broad chest. He was definitely drool-worthy, and she lifted her hand to her mouth to make sure it was still dry. She gulped as her eyes drank him in. Nicole glanced over and met her friend’s amused look.

  Sheryl snorted, a grin covering her face. “Good God, Nicole. You’ve got the best backyard ever.”

  Nicole peeked back out the window and giggled. “Yeah, right?”

  Kyle let Rob inside, amusement still tickling through him at the women’s cute chatter, although it was tempered with the guilt of eavesdropping on their private conversation.

  He was glad to hear Nicole’s hearing was getting better, but was bothered by the fact she hadn’t confided in him about the improvement. He thought they’d grown closer over the last week. Evidently he still didn’t have her complete trust. That knowledge didn’t sit well with him, because he’d come to care for her . . . more than he should.

  Why should she trust you, asshole? his conscience whispered. You’re lying to her, spying on her, possibly putting her life in danger. She didn’t know it, but being extra cautious with her safety, he’d followed her to her doctor’s appointment and back.

  “Hey, Kyle,” Rob said, stepping inside as Kyle shut the door.

  Sheryl’s voice sounded in the room, as though she were standing next to them. “Do you know who that good-looking blond is? And when do I get to meet him?” Her words were followed by both women laughing, then Nicole said, “Not a clue.”

  Rob stared at him with a ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ look. Kyle shrugged, waving him into the living room, and ordering his conscience to shut up. “I need to know she’s safe.”

  Sheryl’s voice carried into the room as the girl’s continued their conversation. “Well, find out, because I want an introduction.”

  Nicole chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Rob walked over to the couch, while Kyle headed into the kitchen to get them a beer. “Corona work for you?”

  “Yeah. Whatever.”

  The sound of footsteps moving across a room was soon followed by rustling and cabinet doors opening and closing, which Kyle assumed meant the girls were back in the kitchen.

  Rob’s expression was disapproving as the women continued their conversation, discussing the pottery shop. He eyed the video and sound equipment Kyle had set up in the living room. The video feed displayed the four corners of Nicole’s home on one wide-screen monitor. “Is this all really necessary?”

  “Yes.” Kyle stopped at the refrigerator, opening it to retrieve two bottles of Corona. He tossed one toward Rob, who easily caught it. “Need a lime with that?”

  “Sure. If you’ve got it.”

  Grabbing a couple slices from the dish in his fridge, he took a seat across from Rob and handed him one. Rob already had his bottle open, and Kyle grabbed the opener up off the coffee table and popped off the top of his own bottle. He forced a lime slice into the opening using his thumb before taking a long draw of the cold brew.

  He tried to ignore how much it bothered him to have Nicole under surveillance. But it was better than having her hurt again, and he was convinced Barber would be back for her. He eyed the briefcase Rob had placed on the coffee table. “So, tell me what you’ve got.”

  Rob tipped his beer for a drink, then frowning, he plunked it down on the coffee table between them. “I’m not really sure yet. But I think you’re right, and we’ve got a cover-up.”

  Kyle leaned forward as excitement licked through him. “What makes you think that?”

  Rob’s gaze hardened. “I did a search for abductions and missing cases matching the Clove Hitch Killer’s M.O., not already tagged. At first nothing came up, which made me suspicious, because I was aware, personally, of at least two other disappearances that matched C.H.K.’s victims. So, I kept digging.”

  “And?” Kyle asked impatiently.

  “I found an online record that’d been tampered with, just enough to keep it from linking with any searches on C.H.K.’s known victims.”

  “No shit . . .” Kyle leaned forward. His hand tightened around his longneck bottle as anger and hope raced through him. “What else?” He knew there had to be more to bring Rob all the way to Port Huron. He could have told him that on the phone.

  The women’s laughter filled the room, and even though he felt guilty at the invasion of their privacy, the sound calmed him, knowing Nicole was safely tucked into her home for the night. Where he could keep an eye on her.

  Rob flipped the briefcase open and retrieved a handful of papers. “During the time period of the murder, some fourteen years ago, Barber worked as a beat cop in the same district.”

  Filled with nervous energy, Kyle took the papers and stood, spinning around to pace across the room as he scanned the photocopied documents. As he shuffled through the pages, he noted an entry stating Allan Barber was the police officer who’d found the woman’s body in a ditch a short distance outside of town. He turned back to Rob, filled with frustration. “Why would he place himself at the scene? That makes no sense.”

  Could I be wrong about the man?

  “Keep reading,” Rob said grimly.

  Kyle flipped to the next page, and froze. Barber had been in a civilian car, and another cop patrolling the area found him standing along the road next to his car. He’d initially thought Barber was someone having car trouble, before he’d recognized him as a cop from his own precinct. Barber told him he was preparing to call in the crime, having discovered the body in the ditch on his way out of town.

  Kyle read the next paragraph out loud. “While Officer Peterson called it in, Officer Barber returned to the body, securing the crime scene.” He strode back to Rob. “So, what do you think?” He flipped to the next page. “There’s nothing here about bondage material, although her wrists and ankles had rope burns.”

  “Right,” Rob said. “I think Barber returned to the body and removed the ropes and ball gag, ditching them somewhere before the cops arrived.”

  Kyle kept reading, and noticed a discrepancy in the woman’s description, with C.H.K.’s victims. “He altered the report,” he murmured to himself.

  “Looks like it. Changed her hair color from red to blond, her eyes from brown to blue.”

  Kyle’s mouth tightened for an instant as it all came together. “Just enough to keep it from being flagged in a search.”

  “Right. Bet he became a cop so he could cover his ass while he kept on killing.”

  “Sonofabitch.” Kyle tossed the pages onto the coffee table. “We need to know everywhere Barber worked. Every murder or disappearance in the area while he was there.”

  “I’ve got someone on it.” Rob leaned back and tipped his beer for another drink. “And I’m not going anywhere until we figure this out.”

  “You took a leave?”

  His partner shook his head. “Didn’t have to. When I went to the captain with this new information, he caved. I’m here officially to help.” He tossed Kyle his badge. “We have a month to gather substantial evidence against Barber. After that, he’s shutting you down.”

  “Not until I get this prick.” He studied his badge, and hoped he’d be able to hang on to it when this was over, because no way was he giving up. Not in a month, not in a year, not ever. Knowing Rob had his back, eased some of the tension tightening his chest for Nicole’s safety.

  The subject of the women’s conversation penetrated both of their brains at once. Two pairs of eyebrows rose as they stared at each other. Rob choked on his beer and Kyle snorted.

  “Nicole,” Sheryl said, with a note of exasperation. “Although good in a pinch, a vibrator is no substitute for a man.”

  Both women giggled, and the image of Nicole with a vibrator blasted across Kyle’s mind, making him instantly hard. He shifted and hoped Rob hadn’t noticed his predicament.

  His friend’s chuckle indicated otherwise.

  “Well,” Nicole said, primly, and Kyle visualized her lifting that cute chin of hers and staring her friend in the eye. “I’m done with men for a while, so Mr. Happy will have to do. At least for now.”

  Rob was laughing now, and Kyle shot him a glare, not liking the idea of his partner visualizing Nicole with a vibrator.

  “Where’s your sense of adventure?” Sheryl said teasingly. “You’ve got two hunky guys in your backyard right now, and I say we march on over there and invite them over to dinner. I know I’d like to get to know that hot blond, better. A lot better.” This statement was followed by more laughter, before Sheryl pleaded, “Come on, do it for me.”

  “You know, bro, we probably shouldn’t be listening to this,” Rob said, laughter still in his voice.

  With the picture of Nicole and Mr. Happy still in his mind, Kyle strode over to the monitoring system and cranked down the volume, his gaze meeting Rob’s. Kyle grinned. “Well, fuck me.”

  Glancing at the video feed, he saw Nicole step into the backyard with a plate of meat. The outdoor light was on, and he could clearly make out her features. She nervously bit her bottom lip. Sheryl followed her out and laughingly took the platter from her hand, then gave her a small shove toward the cottage. Nicole gave her friend a dirty look, but took a tentative step toward them.

  “Oh, shit,” he said, glancing around at all the surveillance equipment crowding the living room of the cottage. He couldn’t let Nicole come in here.

  Rob got to his feet, openly laughing now. “Let me guess, they’re coming over?”

  “Nicole is.”

  Kyle sprinted to his refrigerator, grabbed the chicken breast he had thawing for dinner, and entwined two unopened bottles of beer between his fingers. “Let’s go,” he snapped, racing toward the door.

  Still grinning, Rob opened it for him and followed him outside as Nicole neared the front porch. Kyle screeched to a halt, and tried to appear natural, and not like the jackass he was. If she came inside, this night would end very badly.

  “Hi, Nicole.” He was pleased at how normal he sounded. “We were heading over to see if we could share your grill.”

  “That’s great.” She waved toward her house. “We bought way too much food, and need someone to help us eat it.” She held out her hand toward Rob. “Hi, I’m Nicole.”

 

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