The last thing Spencer wanted was the flicker of attraction warming his chest, but he wasn’t sure how to douse the ember. Still, he needed to put out that flame, because after his disastrous marriage and acrimonious divorce, he’d vowed to stay away from women. Especially ones that made his heart beat faster. He’d been fooled before and would never be as trusting again.
He winced as he recalled the whirlwind affair that had led to him marrying a woman he barely knew. Because he’d trusted her and foolishly thought that she wanted a home and to start a family as he did, he’d put her name on everything. Six years later, he was still trying to untangle their lives, not to mention recover financially from her duplicity. It would be a long, long time before he was ready to try a relationship again, so any attraction to Ivy’s friend was a moot point.
Shoving away any lingering temptation, Spencer stood, held out his hand, and said, “Spencer Drake. You must be Danielle Sloan.”
As if coming out of a daze, she sucked in a shaky breath, then said, “Nice to meet you.” Her expression held a strange mixture of strength and vulnerability as she added, “Call me Dani.”
“Well, Dani.” Spencer reluctantly let go of her soft fingers. “I understand you had an unwelcome visitor. Ivy’s told me what happened, but I’d like to hear your version of the incident.”
“Why is that?” Dani’s demeanor changed and her sweet voice became guarded.
“Because I’m going to check into the detective that interviewed you, and I’d like to have all the facts before doing so.”
“The thin blue line, right?” Dani shoulders tensed. “Ivy mentioned that you’re a retired police officer.” She looked him up and down. “Although you seem a little young to be collecting a pension.”
“True. I recently left my position in law enforcement,” Spencer said carefully. “But as you pointed out, I wasn’t old enough to retire. And while I support my fellow officers and the good work they do, I would never cover up for one who has gone rogue.”
The only person who knew exactly who Spencer had worked for or the nature of his previous job was his boss, the university vice president. And even she only knew a part of the truth. He had helped put away too many outlaw bikers to be safe. If it ever became common knowledge that he had been the Tin Man, a member of the infamous Satan’s Posse, the gang would descend on Normalton like an invading army. And they wouldn’t leave until he was dead.
When he’d come out from undercover, the story had been circulated that the Tin Man had been shanked in prison and died. There was even a small marker on an empty grave in the penitentiary cemetery to prove he was six feet under. And it was best for everyone concerned that Tin Man was never resurrected.
“I see.” Dani crossed her arms, clearly not really believing that he wouldn’t take a cop’s side against hers. “Would you care for something to drink? I could sure use some caffeine.”
“You have to try Dani’s special blend of tea, Uncle Spence.” Ivy pulled him back into the chair next to her. “It’s absolutely scrumptious.”
Starr grinned, her teeth gleaming whitely against her light-brown skin. “Especially with her homemade honey-roasted peanut butter sandwich cookies.”
“Or her special mocha cupcakes,” Tippi added, bringing her small, pink-tipped fingers to her mouth and kissing them. “They’re to die for.”
“Tea would be great.” Spencer smiled at his niece and her friends, then glanced over at Dani, who was putting a kettle on the stove. “But I still want you to walk me through the detective’s visit.”
“If you feel it’s really necessary.” Dani’s lips thinned, but she nodded her head.
Once they all were settled at the table munching on treats, Dani recounted her experience with the detective. Then after taking a sip of tea, she said, “That’s when you arrived and he stormed out the back door.”
Spencer looked around at the faces of his niece and her friends and prodded, “He didn’t say anything else? Any reason he might be targeting Ivy or Dani?”
“I’m definitely an afterthought,” Ivy said thoughtfully. “I think he sees me as more of a way to control Dani than a serious suspect.”
“Why do you say that?” Spencer asked. Was his niece in denial?
Ivy finished her cupcake, licked her fingers, and said, “He shouted something at Dani like, ‘This time, you’ll pay for your sins.’”
“That’s right.” Tippi snapped her fingers. “I forgot that he also said to Dani, ‘You may have had all the power before, but now, I’m in control.’”
“Do you know what the detective meant by that?” Spencer stared at his niece’s landlord.
“I…” Dani didn’t meet his eyes. “No. I don’t really know anything.”
“I remember something,” Ivy yelped. “Detective Dickhead seemed real mad about something that happened when Dani was working for the insurance company.”
“Yeah.” Starr tapped her chin. “He said that Dani ruined someone’s life, and he accused her of getting rewarded under the table to do it.”
“Did he have his facts straight?” Spencer asked trapping Dani’s gaze with his.
“Not entirely,” Dani stammered. “I never received a penny beyond my normal salary.” She looked away, sweeping cookie crumbs into a pile and crushing them under her thumb. “But I was involved in many hiring and firing decisions which could conceivably be construed as ruining someone’s life.”
“Tell me about that,” Spencer ordered, touching her wrist to stop her fidgeting. “Does any one person or incident stand out?”
“Not really.” When Dani shook her head, making her curls bounce, Spencer was barely able to stop himself from brushing a butterscotch-colored ringlet off her cheek. “And I signed a nondisclosure agreement, so everything I did at my job is considered confidential.”
“Why would the detective care what you did at your old job in the insurance company?” Spencer reluctantly released her wrist. “Was Mikeloff ever
