On the Scent

by Angela Campbell

  Instead of Brian’s deep voice, a familiar feminine one answered his call. “Zachary! Oh, thank goodness. I was trying to find you in his contacts,” Hannah said, and then in a calm voice informed him she was driving to the hospital with his partner passed out cold in the seat beside her. “Can you please check on his wife to make certain she’s taken care of? Her water broke about ten minutes ago, and this guy is in no condition to go get her.”

  When Zach reached the hospital, Brian was waiting—in a wheelchair, no less—in a room with his wife, Jenny. Their newest client was nowhere in sight.

  “The nurses told me Hannah left after they got me conscious,” Brian muttered. “Damn, I owe that woman. Bigtime.”

  Zach tried calling the number for her he’d programmed into his phone earlier. She sent him to voicemail. Shit. This wasn’t their day for retaining customers, was it?

  “Maybe you could head over and check on her,” Brian said. “Apologize for me.”

  Any other time, and he would have already been on his way. “No way, man. I’ve been looking forward to this. I want to be here when your kid is born. I’ll go see Hannah later.”

  “At least see if Kellan can go keep an eye on her place in the meantime. Tell him to be discreet.” Brian rubbed his forehead. “There was someone following her earlier. A black car. Tinted windows. Georgia license plate, but I didn’t make the numbers.”

  Zach swore beneath his breath and punched in Kellan’s number. His conversation with their next-in-charge was short and to the point. If Kellan didn’t want to be sued for breach of contract, he’d get to Hannah’s place pronto.

  “Park across the street. Keep an eye on her house. I’ll be there later. You see anything suspicious, call me. Got it?”

  Three hours later, Brian’s daughter was born, and damn if Zach didn’t feel a swell of pride, looking at the tiny infant for the first time.

  An unfamiliar emotion puffed out his chest when he peeked in on the nursery with Brian and saw little Jessica kicking her tiny feet against a pink blanket. He’d never been a kid kind of person, but he had a feeling that little squirt was gonna own his heart.

  “Now that I know Jenny’s fine and the baby’s here, I need to get back over to Hannah’s place,” Brian said as they stood there. “I didn’t tell her about the car following her.” Brian rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s not safe, and I owe her. I need to get back over there and —”

  “You’re not leaving this hospital.” Zach pulled out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts. Kellan was due to bodyguard his actress girlfriend at a charity event tonight. What freelancers did they know? Who was available? “I’ll put someone else on her.”

  “Who?” Brian held up his hands. “We’re stretched too damn thin as it is.” His glance strayed back to the crib that cradled his kid. “You should do it.” Before Zach could manage a response, Brian stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Look, man, it’s been six months. It’s time for you to get back in the game.”

  “Not a good idea.” Zach leaned in close. “Let’s face it. I’m a better actor than a P.I. We don’t need another screw up like what happened the last time I handled a job.”

  Brian scrunched his face in either disgust or disagreement. Maybe both. “You were an actor for fifteen minutes on some stupid reality show hardly anyone remembers. That’s behind you. What’s bringing this up now?”

  Fifteen minutes? That barb stung. The Psychic Detective had lasted three seasons before Zach’s conscience had gotten the best of him and he’d quit. The so-called psychic who’d replaced him hadn’t lasted more than a year before viewership had dropped and the show had been cancelled.

  People had liked him, dammit.

  Zach opened his mouth to argue that perhaps if they’d taken advantage of that fact a little more, the firm wouldn’t be in such a mess now, but he censored himself. The only time he and Brian had ever come to blows had been over Zach’s television con. Brian had beat the shit out of Zach when he’d finished his tour of duty, returned to the states, and discovered Zach had been pretending to be psychic by using his eerie ability to pick up on the details others missed. Never mind his reasons for doing it. Brian hadn’t cared.

  Zach clenched his jaw and said nothing. Just looked at his best friend.

  Brian lifted his chin and softened his tone. “Come on, man. You do have the background. You’d either be a Marine or a cop if it weren’t for your arm.” He flicked his fingers against Zach’s left elbow. Zach instinctively massaged his forearm, remembering his basic training exercise gone bad. He’d been lucky some nerve damage was the only injury he’d gotten from the overturned vehicle. He kept it in check with medicine and exercise.

  “Yeah, but I’m not a Marine, and I’m not a cop.” Thanks for rubbing it in, asshole. His injury had prevented him from qualifying for either title.

  “But you never gave up trying.” Brian held up his hands, in full-on pep-talk mode now. “When I was stationed in Afghanistan, you were working your ass off at one of the best P.I. firms in Los Angeles. You were so good, a client recommended you to that TV producer. Hell, you’ve been a P.I. longer than me. So what if something bad happened on one case? It was just one case.” When Zach stepped to move away, Brian grabbed his good arm and stilled him. He kept his voice low, but firm. “Point is, we need to help that woman, and you’re more than capable. I need you to help that woman. Do it for me.”

  “You don’t know what you’re asking.” Zach pulled his arm free. Brian hadn’t been the one Ellie Parham had hired years ago to do the background check on the young woman she’d employed as a nurse. He had no idea the things Zach had done to meddle in Hannah’s life after that. Zach would like to keep it that way.

  Everything inside him was screaming for him to walk away. He couldn’t say no to the only friend who’d stood by him.

  “Fine. I’ll do it.” Zach cast one last glance toward the newborn in the nursery. “Just remember that I said this was a bad idea.”

  Twenty minutes later, Zach took a deep breath as he parked his SUV in front of the white-sided traditional home on the edge of one of Atlanta’s nicer communities. He rarely came to Buckhead—too rich for his wallet—but he knew a woman who’d inherited ten million dollars could’ve picked a larger, newer, nicer house than this one-story ranch. He scanned the area, spotted an older woman walking her poodle along the sidewalk, watching him, and forced himself to get out of the car.

  Brian was right. They needed to help Hannah Dawson. Maybe it was even meant for Zach to do penance by handling this case. Heaven help them both, but maybe it was.

  He waved Kellan off and moved to press the doorbell. Sighing, he redirected his hand to push the hair away from his face instead.

  This was gonna be awkward.

  The echo of a dog’s barking grew louder until he knew that chubby little mutt was right on the other side of the door. Zach blew out a breath and pressed the doorbell.

  He heard movement on the other side followed by a quiet, “Hush, Costello.” The chain rattled as the door opened against it, and he barely recognized the woman who peeked out at him. He saw enough to know she was now dressed in a pair of sweatpants, baggy shirt and bare feet. Her hair was yanked back in a ponytail, making her look years younger, too.

  He felt his breath catch in his chest. He’d always enjoyed seeing her like this.

  “Mr. Collins. Can I help you?”

  The dog’s long snout poked out from the bottom of the cracked door as if it thought it could squeeze its entire body through the tiny space.

  Zach squared his shoulders and forced a smile. “Miss Dawson. May I come in?”

  She sighed, but nodded. “Just give me a second.” The door shut and the chain protested again as she unlatched it. The entrance cracked open. “Come in, and hurry.”

  She was bent over, holding the dog’s collar as he stepped through the door. Zach made sure the cat was still inside—there it was, perched on the back of the sofa—and shut
the door.

  “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting visitors.”

  The dog strained against her hold, and when she released him, he ran to Zach and jumped against his leg in greeting.

  Hannah clapped and pointed at the ground. “Down, Costello.” Her shoulders sank some. “I’m sorry. Ellie never had him trained. He’s horribly disobedient.” Seeing the dog sit, she walked toward the open kitchen, separated from the living room only by a large island. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  Zach squinted down at the dog sitting on his left foot and looking up at him with a smelly, open-mouthed, tongue-hanging-to-the-side smile. “No thanks. I wanted to come by and apologize.” He looked up to see her tugging a cookie sheet from the oven. The aroma of melted chocolate chips triggered his mouth to start watering. “And also to thank you for what you did today.”

  “How’s Brian?”

  “Holding up. His wife delivered a little girl. Seven pounds, eight ounces.”

  “No problems?”

  “None.”

  “That’s wonderful. What did they name her?”

  “Jessica Marie.”

  “Pretty name.” She checked the cookies to make sure they were done, and then she turned toward him and leaned against the counter. “I’m glad it ended well.”

  He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Brian reacted that way. I assure you he has never fainted before, especially while on the job. We’d like to offer you a discount on our services for a month. Half off. It’s the least we can do.”

  She looked away and her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. She was hesitating. Why was she hesitating?

  “Mr. Collins—”

  “Call me Zach.”

  That seemed to give her more reason to pause. “I’m not certain your firm is the right one for me. Truthfully, I’ve decided I probably overreacted in coming to you.”

  “But you signed a contract.”

  “Yes, beginning with a trial day.” She straightened. Her eyebrows pulled together, but her tone was polite when she told him, “I’m sure Brian would prefer to spend this time with his family anyway. Perhaps, in the future —”

  “Someone was following you today.”

  “W-what?”

  Ah, that had caught her attention. “Brian spotted the tail when you left our office.” He gave her the vehicle description. “Have you noticed that car before?”

  “I don’t know.” She sighed. “You know, maybe Brian was mistaken.” But the expression on her face told him she was worried.

  Why the hell was she being so stubborn? He blew a soft breath through his nose and said, “If it matters, I was also planning to take over your case personally.”

  “You were?”

  Oh, it mattered, alright. He could tell by the way her eyes had sparked with interest. Why? Because she thinks you’re psychic, dumbass.

  Dammit. He did not want to lie to this woman, but what choice had she given him? They needed this paycheck, but more than that, his gut twisted at the idea of her being alone with only God-knows-who targeting her. He liked this woman. Always had. Hell, he owed her.

  If he was careful with his wording, maybe that would excuse him from bending his ethics this one time. It was worth a shot. She might hate him when she discovered he’d twisted the truth, but at least she would be safe.

  “I’d like to take over your case.” He felt a heavy weight crush against his foot and realized the dog had decided to lie down against him. He gestured to the animal, swallowed, and prayed Brian wouldn’t find out about this part. “And I will try my best to communicate with your cat and dog.”

  She crossed her arms and leaned her head a tad to the right while she considered it.

  Give her a reason to say yes.

  What did those stupid Facebook memes always suggest cats and dogs were thinking? Food. Something about food would seem real.

  “Your cat would like a treat.” He nodded toward the feline sitting on the floor behind her.

  The cat perked up and shuffled its weight from paw to paw. As if Zach had said the magic word, the dog jumped to his feet and sat at attention.

  Bingo.

  Hannah uncrossed her arms. “You mentioned the T word. Doesn’t take a psychic to know that’ll get a reaction.”

  Good point.

  She turned and stretched up toward a cabinet. Zach used the opportunity to inspect his surroundings. Unopened boxes were strewn about the floor. Very few decorations were placed around the room. She wasn’t giving him much to work with here.

  A phone book was open on the sofa. He recognized the full-page ad of one the agency’s biggest competitors. She was hiring someone else? Like hell.

  What did he remember about her that he could use? His gaze landed on a familiar-looking DVD cover, half-buried beneath a few magazines on the coffee table behind him. He mentally snapped his fingers. When she faced him again, he gestured to the cat.

  “He also wants to know when you’re going to watch the short little man with the funny-looking hat and mustache again.”

  Her entire body froze as if he’d pressed a pause button on her. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked at him, wide-eyed. “What?”

  “I’m feeling laughter and seeing —” He scrunched his eyebrows. “Is it Charlie Chaplin?”

  The bag of treats fell from her fingers and hit the counter with a soft thud. She turned her attention to the cat, who was still staring at Zach—and swishing its tail like crazy.

  “Okay, that’s kinda creepy.” She lifted the cat onto the island and gave it a few treats while she stroked its back. “I’ve got a new alarm. The police said they’d try to have a car patrol the area for a few days. I’m sorry, but my mind is made up.” She rounded the island and stuck her hand out to him. “Thank you for your services, Mr. Collins.”

  A few minutes later, Zach stood on her doorstep, pissed at himself that he’d tried to con her with his psychic routine and angry at her because she hadn’t taken the bait. Had he weirded her out, the way he was looking at her or something? He found her attractive, but getting involved with a client was the ultimate no-no in his book.

  No, he knew he’d been careful not to give himself away on that front.

  So what had happened? How did he fix this?

  He scanned the neighborhood as he walked to his car, remembering Brian’s words from the hospital.

  “I didn’t tell Hannah, but there was someone following her today.”

  He’d promised Brian he’d keep her safe.

  And he’d blown it.

  “What the hell do I do now?” Zach shook his head as he lifted his hand to start the ignition, but something—a gut feeling—gave him pause. The hair on the back of his neck tickled as it lifted. Goosebumps rose on his arms.

  He felt like he was being watched.

  Chapter Three

  Why the blazes was there a SUV in her driveway?

  Hannah hesitated on the doorstep when she spotted the unfamiliar vehicle. She instinctively jerked Costello’s leash to rein him in, but he pulled ahead with the strength of a freight train.

  Never mind calling the cops, Costello. For all we know there’s a knife-wielding maniac waiting to jump out and grab us, but go on. Trudge ahead. I’m right behind you.

  She stumbled along after him as Costello yanked over to the grass and hiked his leg. She kept her gaze on the car, trying to decipher the huddled figure slumped behind the steering wheel and leaning against the truck’s window.

  Was that Zachary Collins?

  Surely he hadn’t stayed here all night. Why would he have?

  She led Costello closer. Yep, it was Zach alright. When she tapped on the driver’s side window, the man gave a start.

  “Shit,” he muttered, loud enough for her to hear through the glass.

  He blinked several times as he glanced around. He reached forward, toyed with the ignition and rolled the power window down.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, wondering if he had some weird h
ealth problem that had caused him to pass out in her driveway.

  “Fine.” He ran a hand over his face and nodded. “Good morning.”

  Costello jerked forward and almost tugged her down. She caught herself with one foot braced in front of the other. “Good morning.”

  “This probably seems kind of strange.” His lips curved up in a boyish grin. “I didn’t plan to fall asleep in your driveway. Sorry.” He took a look at his watch. “I must have nodded off a half hour ago.”

  Only a half hour ago?

  His eyes were blood-shot. Geez. Did the guy have a drinking problem? Drugs? Narcolepsy?

  She said nothing, just played tug of war with Costello’s leash and waited for Zach to either explain himself or leave.

  It had been hard enough sending him away last night. There was something about Zach that drew her to him the way Costello was drawn to human legs, and she’d been worried she was making the wrong decision again.

  Zach oozed charisma. She was attracted to him in a way she didn’t want to be, and she didn’t trust him for that reason alone. Smooth-talking, handsome men—especially those who’d been on TV—had a reputation for inflated egos. Only cared about themselves. Been there. Done that. Once was a mistake. Twice was a choice, and she’d be darned if she made the same one again.

  She took a deep breath and reminded herself she had a representative from another private security firm coming over this afternoon. Besides, she’d finally broken down and told Sarah everything, and her best friend was now hell-bent on coming over to assess the situation herself. And if Hannah knew Sarah, her friend would be bringing at least one of her very huge, very intimidating brothers with her as a precaution.

  Zach pulled the key from his ignition and opened the door. “Mind if I use your restroom?”

  She stepped back and shrugged. “Of course not.” She tilted her head toward the dog that was now munching on grass. She reached for the house key that was attached at her neck by a lanyard. “I’ve got to take him for our morning walk. Let yourself in. Please make sure Abbott doesn’t get out.”

  He looked at her hand, but he didn’t take the key. “How about I walk with you first? There’s something I’d like to discuss.”