“Uh oh. Do I even want to know?” And she finally released a full smile before it disappeared and she frowned, studying my face. She pointed a finger at me. “Wait, if you are about to confess that you dropped poor Pepper Jack off at a shelter because you couldn’t handle him, I won’t accept that. A dog is a commitment for its entire life. You and I will leave here right now and go get him if that’s your confession, Kiernan Brooks.”
I laughed. “No. Not even close. Pepper Jack may end up without a home one day, but I’ll be with him, and the only reason we won’t have that home is because he ate it. Destroyed it. Or whatever else he’s going to think of next.”
She chuckled and took a sip of the wine Owen had set down in front of her. “Good.” She took a deep breath. “Alright, lay it on me. What’s this confession?”
“Found a copy of our senior yearbook.”
She groaned, covering her face with her hands. “I figured you’d do that. Did my picture ring any bells?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We had chemistry together. We were even lab partners once. Wish I would’ve recognized you right away. Your features are the same, but you are different.”
“You remembered that?” She fiddled with her necklace again.
I nodded.
“I’m shocked.”
“Why?”
“You were always the center of attention, the life of the party, living life like you didn’t have a care in the world and all of it was easy for you.”
“We’re not all what we seem, Caroline.”
“Hey.” I glanced over my shoulder at the new voice. A woman stood next to my stool watching Caroline and me.
“Hey, Daphne. This is Kiernan. He’s helping me with that…” Caroline trailed off, glancing around the bar. “Computer issue.”
I stuck out my hand. “Nice to meet you. Kiernan Brooks.”
“Daphne,” she said and smiled. “Thanks for taking care of my girl. Are you sure you sit behind a computer though? Anyone ever tell you that you should be a model?”
Caroline shook her head. “Nope. Don’t even think about it, Daphne.”
Daphne pouted. “Fine, but only because he’s helping you.”
“Have a good night, ladies. Enjoy your drinks.” I winked at Caroline before turning away and heading back toward my table. Roman stopped me halfway there with his arms crossed over his chest.
“We have rules,” he said and glanced over my shoulder. I knew he was referring to Caroline.
“I know the rules, Roman. And I know that you trampled all over them to get what you wanted.”
He shook his head. “That was different.”
“Maybe this is too.”
12 Caroline
My shoulders sagged as I leaned back in my office chair and took a long sip of my coffee, which was now room temperature. I’d already reheated it three times that morning, but I hadn’t been able to drink more than a few sips while it was still warm. I fought the urge to close my eyes; if I did that, I would be asleep in seconds. A lack of sleep due to feeling unsafe in my home, even without the laptop there, and due to the insane schedule here. I was running on fumes. I glanced at the couch in the corner of my office and frowned. I sighed. A nap sounded like the best idea in the world, but I didn’t have the time.
I took another sip of the coffee, hoping the caffeine would kick in, but this type of tiredness—I wasn’t sure there was anything that could fix it. The chair creaked softly as I spun around and faced the computer sitting on my desk. My gaze flicked up, making sure the bit of opaque tape covering the camera was still there. I didn’t want to take any chances. The local news site loaded, and I skimmed the headlines looking for details about the missing vet, Leah Velasquez. In the days since her disappearance, there hadn’t been a lot of information shared. Only videos of her family begging for her safe return. The media and public had been pointing fingers at the ex-boyfriend.
I’d met her a few times through conferences and local jobs. Leah had recommended my dog training class to a few of her clients. She was the only doctor in her practice so, now that she was missing, her patients had been split among three other vets in the area. I was one of them. I wanted to help her in any way possible, but with this new workload and thoughts of what if something happens to me?... Hell, even if I were sick for a day—there would be no one to cover me. I needed to truly start thinking about hiring another vet.
Alicia burst through my office door. Her chest was heaving with every breath she took. I rose from my chair. “What’s happening? What’s going on?”
“He is out of control,” Alicia whisper screamed. She glanced into the hallway and shut my office door, and she crossed the space in two strides. Her hands curled on the back of the Kelly-green chairs in front of my desk. I was still standing, ready to run out of here with whatever news she brought.
“Who’s out of control? An animal? Is it in a room already or still in the waiting room? If it’s in the waiting room and all rooms are full, we may have to kennel it until something frees up. With how busy it is, we can’t have an animal hurting others in the waiting room.”
“I’d love to kennel him.” Alicia huffed. She wiped her forehead, brushing aside some of her tight curls. “That was inappropriate.”
“I’m confused.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“All the animals are fine. It’s Dean. I can’t brush his behavior aside anymore.”
“Oh,” I said. Dean Stevens, another veterinary technician, had been a thorn in my side. It had been all too easy to brush
