He laughed. “Not exactly.”
I shrugged. “Well, if he manages what I think is impossible, I’m sure you’re capable of chasing after him.”
“Are you saying you think I have a nice body?” Kiernan asked and grinned. With blond hair, golden skin, and a toned body, he looked at home underneath the sun.
I grinned and shook my head, not answering his question. I turned my back to him and approached the next owner and dog to ask how they were doing.
“I may not be able to make my dog sit, but I did get you to smile at me. I’ll call that a win for the day,” he called to my retreating back.
11 Kiernan
With a few swift strokes of the keyboard, I had it—the Perryville High School senior yearbook. I hadn’t been able to find the yearbook in the boxes in my attic, so next I’d gone online. I was thankful that school had been digitizing their past. Caroline had been on my mind since she came looking for help. And in more than just a client type of way.
Tracking down her hacker had been a bust. They must’ve been ready and waiting when I opened the laptop. Within a couple of seconds, all the evidence disappeared in front of me. I hit a wall with every trace I tried. I knew these types though; he would come back and, when he did, I would have him. And he wouldn’t find Caroline next time; he’d find me, waiting for him. And for her. I’d be his worst fucking nightmare. I smirked, thinking of the ways I could end the son of a bitch, whoever he was.
I flipped through the digital pages of the yearbook until I found the Cs. I scanned down the page, through the sea of faces, most of which I hadn’t seen since graduation. I’d been popular, had a large circle of friends, but none of them had actually known me. And when I left for the army, I left it all behind and started a new life. Her face didn’t pop out at me, so I searched through the column of names until I found her—Caroline Conroy. My gaze flicked to her picture. I was surprised when I recognized her, but barely. We’d had a class together. There was only a slight smile on her face, her chin tilted down, and a curtain of dark hair hovered next to her as if she was resisting the urge to hide behind it. Her dark eyes stared into the camera, and even in the tiny picture on my screen, I could see her loneliness. This picture was nothing like the woman I’d seen in charge of the training classes. She was feisty, confident, and captivating.
I wanted to know everything about her. I could press some keys and find out more about Caroline, but I wanted the words from her lips. And I wanted them to be spoken only for me.
I shook my head, batting away those thoughts. She was a client and Pepper Jack’s vet. That’s all. Yes, she was gorgeous beyond all belief, and I imagined stripping her bare. Yes, her attitude excited me. But it couldn’t go past simply being each other’s client.
My office door popped open. I hit escape and locked my screen, shooting a glare at the person opening the door without knocking. The glare slid from my face when Harper peeked around the door with her hand covering her eyes but a small slit between her fingers so she could see me. A smile played at her lips. “You aren’t doing anything gross in here, right? You never close your door.”
“I see you peeking. Hoping to catch a show, gorgeous?”
Harper laughed. Roman growled and barged into my office, gently setting Harper out of the way. “Fuck off. She’s my wife.”
“Hey, she was the one looking through her fingers and opening my door without knocking.” I stood up, rolling my shoulders back, and popped my neck. I strode across the office, passing Roman, and bent to kiss Harper on the cheek. “How’s my next godchild?”
She rubbed her belly. “Sitting on my bladder every second of the day, but she’s good. I’m ready for her to be here. But not tonight. This may be my last night out before she comes.”
“Come on then.” I led her out of my office and toward the lobby of MarxMen with Roman following behind us. He reached forward, grabbing Harper’s hand. After locking up and walking across the street toward the parking garage, we got in our cars. I followed Roman to The Cellar, swung into the spot next to his, and slid out of my truck. I swung open the large oak door and waited for them to walk in before following them inside.
The rest of the group was already seated in our usual area and Owen, our server for the past few years, was leaning against the table, smiling down at Tate and Iris. James and Callan were sipping from their glasses of whiskey. I pulled out the chair between Maddox and Callan, clapping each of them on the back before turning to Owen and placing my order.
Callan swept a hand through his hair and released a breath as Owen strode away from the table. He leaned across the table toward James and lowered his voice. “Have you heard from him lately?”
James shook his head. “No. I know he’s settled somewhere, but I don’t really expect to hear from him.”
Callan nodded. I knew they were talking about Luca, a guy they both knew in Chicago. They would never be completely severed from their past there. And Luca would never be a friend, but it was damn better than being his enemy. Knowing where he was and keeping tabs on him was in their best interests.
Maddox’s phone went off and he sighed, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. “Maddox.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose as he listened to the person
