by Lena Gregory
Hunt stopped writing and glanced up at her.
“I called the police.” She left out the heart-wrenching fear that had all but consumed her while she’d waited for them to arrive. Tears leaked out and rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t help it. That had been her breaking moment, the instant she’d known she couldn’t take any more, had to get out of there and start over. The moment she’d fled. “They couldn’t find any sign of forced entry, at either the apartment or the deli, yet someone had managed to get into both places without leaving as much as a single clue. So, technically, I guess no one broke in, but someone did get in. Somehow.”
Savannah leaned against the counter beside her and wrapped an arm around Gia’s waist.
As much as she wanted to lean on her friend, she stood straighter. Everyone she’d known in New York had abandoned her, but Savannah had stood by her side, refusing to give up on their friendship, refusing to give up on her. And now she was in danger just because she was close to Gia. Her tears flowed heavier. “As soon as the detectives left, I threw the rest of my stuff in a bag and went straight to the airport. I sat there the rest of the night. Thankfully, there was an open seat on the first flight out that morning, so I took it.”
“Come sit down, honey.” Savannah took her elbow and tried to lead her toward the table.
Gia yanked her arm away. “Don’t you get it, Savannah? You’re in danger now. Because of me. You have to get out of here. Stay far away from me.”
Tears shimmered in Savannah’s eyes. “I’m your friend, Gia. I’m not leaving you.”
“You have to. I couldn’t take it if anything happened to you. You are my best friend. I’m so sorry. I thought if I left New York, everyone I cared about would be safe. I never in a million years thought someone would follow me here,” she finished on a sob.
A strong arm encircled her shoulders, and Hunt held out a paper towel. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?” She whirled on him. “How can I calm down when my whole life is in shambles?”
He stepped back. “We’ll figure this out. I’ll talk to the detectives in New York and see what, if anything, they know about the suspect, but it would help if we knew what he was after.”
Gia shook her head, grabbed the paper towel he still held, and dropped onto her chair. After wiping her face, she gulped her cool coffee, the bitter taste turning her stomach. “That’s just it, I have no idea what he could possibly want. I already told you, there is no money.”
“As far as you know.”
“What do you mean?”
He sat down next to her. “You said you didn’t know what Remington was involved in—”
“I already told you—”
He held up his hands. “I know, I know. I’m just saying, if you didn’t know what he was involved in, which I completely believe, maybe he stashed money away that you don’t know about.”
Everything inside her stilled. She hadn’t thought of that. “Is that possible? I mean, with all the investigating they did, I guess I just assumed they found everything he had.”
Apparently satisfied her meltdown was over, Hunt leaned back in the chair. “Anything is possible. Did your ex leave any papers lying around?”
“Yes, boxes and boxes full.”
“Where are they now?”
She looked around the cluttered kitchen. She hadn’t taken the time to sort through anything while in New York. She’d just wanted to be out of there, so she’d packed up everything and shipped it all down to Florida. She figured she could sort it out when she got there. “Somewhere in this mess. I put all his belongings in a storage unit when I packed up the apartment, but all our papers were together in his home office, so I just shoved everything into boxes. But the detectives went through everything and took whatever paperwork was related to his…scheme, so I doubt there’s anything to find.”
Savannah laid a hand on Gia’s. “Your hands are ice cold.”
She squeezed Savannah’s hand, then pulled hers away and dropped it into her lap. She had to distance herself from her if she was going to keep her safe, no matter how much she needed a friend just then.
“Do me a favor, Savannah?” Hunt tucked his notepad into his pocket.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I need a few minutes alone with Gia.”
She frowned at him.
“Please.”
After a moment of some sort of silent communication Gia didn’t understand, Savannah slid her chair back and headed for the door.
“Don’t leave the house,” Hunt called after her.
She waved over her shoulder as she walked out.
Great. Just throw me to the wolf. Some friend…
Chapter 7
With Savannah gone, the room seemed even colder, and Gia clasped her hands together and slid them between her knees for warmth.
“You know, Savannah and I have always been close. She was closer to me than she was with any of her five brothers, since we didn’t bicker the way they did,” Hunt started.
“I know. I remember her mentioning her cousin a few times, but I didn’t realize you were that cousin. She said you gave her a really hard time when she wanted to move to New York.”
When he grinned, a small dimple creased his cheek, erasing some of the hard edges his expression usually held. “Yeah, I guess you could say I wasn’t too happy about it.”
She tilted her head and lifted a brow.
His laughter filled the kitchen. “All right, all right. But Savannah was the only girl in a big family full of boys, and we might have been a little over protective. But in my defense, Savannah was…delicate. I don’t know what she’s told you about her past…”
“To be honest, not much.” Surprisingly little considering they’d lived together for five years.
“Well, that’s her story to tell, but I will say, Savannah was sensitive, and kind, and…naïve. I wanted to keep her here, where I could look out for her.” He leaned forward, folding his arms and resting them on the table. His genuine affection for his cousin softened his features.
“That’s understandable.”
“But Savannah is also stubborn and determined. She was dead set on trying to make it on Broadway before she settled down and started a family.”
Gia did know that much. Savannah had set a five-year limit. If she couldn’t reach her goals within five years, she’d return home and move on. “She’s also smart, and she knows what she wants and she sets goals and strives to achieve them. That’s a good thing.”
“Sometimes,” he conceded. “But when she first moved up there, she was staying in an apartment with a bunch of dancers. They all worked other jobs in addition to their shows, and some partied, a lot, so they came and went at all hours of the night. She was always nervous something would happen and no one would notice she was missing, so I used to make her text me when she got home at night, just so I could make sure she was safe.”
“She never told me that.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Then one night, she didn’t text me. Do you have any idea how frantic I was?”
She shook her head. She could only imagine the panic he must have felt more than a thousand miles away and unable to even look for her.
“By the time she called me the next morning, her brothers and I already had a flight booked.”
Gia laughed. Somehow, that didn’t surprise her.
“After she apologized up and down, she told me she was no longer living in that place. She had moved in with another woman who worked in a deli. That night, she’d gotten in late and had been exhausted. She fell asleep on the couch before she’d remembered to text me.”
Savannah and Gia used to do that a lot, curl up in blankets on the couch with a bucket of popcorn between them and an old movie, and they often fell asleep before it ended.
“She said
you waited up for her at night, even though you had to be up at four o’clock every morning for work.” He studied her for a long moment, but she couldn’t read anything in his expression, so she just waited. “She stopped texting me every night then, because she felt safe. You made her feel safe. That’s what family does. They take care of each other.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she used the crumpled paper towel to wipe them away.
“I don’t know if you even realize how much you did for her, or if you know how much it meant to her. Because of you, she was able to do what she wanted to do. You are family, Gia. Savannah is not going to back off.” He huffed out a breath and sat back. “So the only way to keep her safe is to find out what’s going on and end it. Now. But to do that, you have to cooperate with me. You have to trust me.”
She’d never given much thought to how scary it must have been for Savannah, going somewhere new, where she didn’t know anyone. At least, when Gia had agreed to move to Florida, she already knew Savannah, already had a friend. Her respect for her friend’s courage and determination increased, but she still didn’t know if she could let down her guard enough to trust Hunt, or anyone else for that matter. But she would try. For Savannah. Unable to speak without the tear-fest starting again, she simply nodded.
“Good. Now, go get dressed. You are making it almost impossible for me to concentrate.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Gia looked down at her robe, the silk fabric clinging to her. How could she have forgotten she wasn’t dressed? Her cheeks flamed hot as she pulled the robe closed tighter.
Hunt only laughed as he slid his chair back and stood. “Savannah said she’s taking you to the shelter this morning to pick out a dog. Let me know when you’re ready, and Leo will follow you both over there while I see what I can find out from the detectives in New York.”
* * * *
After throwing on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt, since her shorts were still buried in a box somewhere, Gia pulled her hair into a knot at the back of her head and headed for the shelter with Savannah.
Savannah hadn’t asked what Hunt wanted to talk to her about, so Gia hadn’t mentioned anything about their conversation.
She checked the passenger side mirror, again. Yup. Leo was still back there, following right on their bumper.
“So, how do you like it out here?” Savannah asked.
Gia hadn’t had much time to appreciate the scenery, but she took a moment to look around before answering. The Rolling Pines development she now called home, at least for the time being, consisted of almost a thousand one acre lots, only about half of which had been built on. That left a lot of undeveloped land.
Huge evergreen trees towered over shorter palm trees. Smaller, fan-shaped palm bushes and what looked to Gia like cactuses—though she was no expert on plants, having grown up in the heart of New York City—crowded the lots. Silence, but for the soft hum of their tires against the pavement, surrounded them.
“I’m not sure. It’s gorgeous, for sure, but I have to admit, the quiet is a bit unnerving.”
Savannah laughed. “Imagine how it felt for me moving to New York. Horns blaring at all hours of the day and night, people yelling, sirens, music, the constant, steady stream of traffic. I don’t think I slept for the first few months I was there. Too much noise. But I got used to it.”
Point made. “I’m sure I will too. I do love it. I just wish my past hadn’t followed me.”
“Don’t worry. Hunt will figure it out. He’s nothing if not persistent.”
That I can believe.
“Here we are.” She pointed toward a hand-painted sign nailed to a stake in the ground that read: Give a pet a home. Even though there wasn’t a car around for miles, except for Leo, who knew exactly where they were going, Savannah hit the turn signal, then turned onto a narrow dirt road.
Sweat slicked Gia’s hands. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I’ve never owned a pet before. Not even a fish.”
“Well, a fish isn’t going to scare off an intruder, so you’ll have to settle for a dog.” Laughter danced in Savannah’s eyes.
“You’re enjoying this a little too much,” Gia muttered as they pulled into the gravel parking lot.
Savannah laughed out loud. “Oh, come on. I love looking at puppies. Sometimes I come out here and just play with them for a little while. I always feel so bad leaving them here.”
“So, why don’t you get a dog?”
“Because we already have four, and if I come home with another one, my dad just might throw me out to make room.” She scrunched her nose. “Of course, if I could get him to throw Joey out instead…”
Ignoring her, Gia got out of the car and looked around at the sprawling white ranch. Four dogs? What on earth would anyone do with four dogs? The thought of one dog was making her heart race a little too fast for comfort.
Savannah came up beside her and hooked her arm through Gia’s. “It’s gonna be fine. I promise. You’re going to pick out the perfect dog, and before you know it, he’ll be your best friend.”
“We’ll see about that.” The instant she stepped through the front door, the air conditioning raised goose bumps on her arms.
“Hi, Debby.” Savannah greeted the woman behind the counter with a big smile.
“Hey there, Savannah. Did y’all come in to play with the puppies? We got a bunch of new ones in from that puppy mill they shut down last week.”
“I brought my friend, Gia, in to pick out a puppy. She just moved into the area.”
“Oh, yeah? Where to?”
“Rolling Pines.”
“Beautiful up there. And some of my best customers.” She turned to Gia. “How many pups you looking for?”
“Uh…” Was she serious?
Good thing Savannah was there to answer for her. “Just one for now.”
For now?
“Come on back and take a look. See if anything tickles your fancy.” She held open a swinging half-door for them, then gestured toward another door behind the counter.
The tinkle of a bell stopped Debby short as the front door swung open and a delivery man walked in.
“You go on ahead, Savannah. I’ll be back as soon as I take care of this.” She held the door for them. “Just make sure you sanitize your hands before handling any of the pups.”
Handling? Fat chance. Sweat broke out on Gia’s forehead. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for dog ownership.
Gia stayed close to Savannah as she walked through the door and into the kennel.
Several rows of baby cribs filled the large space, more than half of them filled with bouncing, barking puppies.
A tiny ball of fluff, no bigger than a football, chirped as he jumped up and down against the crib bars.
“Aww! How cute is he!” Gia reached in, tentative at first, but then the little pup curled against her hand, and she scooped him up and petted his tiny head with her finger.
Savannah’s eyes widened. “You can’t possibly be serious.”
“What?” Gia feigned innocence.
“He’s adorable, but what in the world is he going to do if someone breaks in?”
“Weell…”
“If you decide you want a second dog, he’s perfect. For now, look for something bigger.”
Gia played with him a few more minutes, then returned him to his crib and wandered through the room, randomly petting dogs that poked their heads up to study her.
Savannah picked up pup after pup, squealing each time they squirmed around to lick her face. She was definitely a natural when it came to puppies.
Gia was sure she’d never be quite that comfortable in a roomful of barking, nipping puppies. Although, the idea of picking out her own puppy and taking him home with her had begun to appeal. The more she weaved between the cribs, looking into big hopeful eyes, the more sh
e wanted. Uh oh. Winding up with more than one of these sweet creatures suddenly made perfect sense. Time to pick something out and get out of there before she ended up with a houseful.
A big pup flopped his head over the side rail of the crib next to her, startling her from thoughts better left untouched. A mane of black fur surrounded his head, and his paws looked too big for his body. The fat ball of fur looked more like a bear than a dog.
She slid her fingers into his soft mane. “How about this one?”
Savannah ran over and checked a card at the bottom of the crib. “A Tibetan Mastiff.” She caught his face between her hands and rubbed his ears with her fingers. “Oh, he’s adorable.”
“How big do you think he’ll get?”
“I don’t know, but we can check. There’s a computer in the corner.” She headed toward the far corner, where an ancient desktop sat atop a scarred wooden desk.
Gia started to follow, still carrying the dog, but he squirmed and twisted, then launched himself from her arms and landed on the floor. After a moment of scrambling for purchase on the slick tile, he darted for the door.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Debby blocked his path before he could get free. She scooped him up and carried him back to the pen with an ease Gia envied, then plopped him back into the crib.
“Sorry.” Maybe she needed something a little smaller.
Debby laughed. “Don’t worry about it. They escape all the time. That’s why we have the half-door. Keeps ’em from going too far. Lawd knows I ain’t chasing these things all over creation.”
“So, do you know how big he’ll get?”
They started toward Savannah. “That boy’ll reach a hundred fifty pounds easy.”
“A hundred fifty pounds? That’s more than I weigh.” Give or take.
Savannah clicked images, and rows of Tibetan Mastiffs popped up. The first showed a full grown dog, mid-lunge, dagger-like fangs bared, a long line of drool hanging from his mouth.
“Oh!” Gia jumped back. That pudgy little fur ball would turn into a demon. “No. Oh, no, no. That is not going to work.”
