by Emma Renshaw
Avery frowned and stared at him hard. “Does that mean I won’t be your best girl anymore?”
He scoffed. “You’ll always be my best girl. She’s my woman. Get it?”
“No,” Avery said.
I laughed and she swung her gaze to me, watching me intently. “Guess what Caroline’s job is?”
“What?” Avery asked.
“She works with puppies all day,” he said and opened his eyes really wide. Avery gasped and turned back to me, but this time with a wide smile on her face.
“Puppies?”
I nodded. “Sure do.”
“Can I have one?”
Savannah swooped in, taking Avery from Kiernan’s arms, and set her on the ground. Savannah kneeled in front of her. “The puppies she works with belong to other people, so you can’t have one of those.”
“Can I get my own puppy?”
“Me too,” Caden shouted.
“Well, that backfired,” Kiernan muttered and I chuckled, stepping to his side. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.
“No puppies,” Roman said as he came into the living room with a trail of men behind him. I didn’t know what kind of water this group was drinking, but each of them was gorgeous. The men matched the women.
Savannah stepped back up to my side. “Ready for some more?”
I nodded and smiled at her. “Yes.”
“That’s Liam, he’s mine. The huge guy in the back is James, that’s Tate’s husband. Roman belongs to Harper. The one with the gorgeous eyes is Callan. I think you’ve met Maddox?”
I nodded. “Yes, briefly. Hi. It’s nice to meet y’all.”
By the time the night was wrapping up, I was blown away by Kiernan’s group of friends. They were funny and sweet. The women had embraced me openly, and we made plans to go to a self-defense class at James’s gym. Each person there was worried for me and offered to help in whatever way they could.
I blew out a breath when I was inside Kiernan’s truck. My heart was filled with warmth. “Not so bad, huh?” Kiernan asked as he slid behind the wheel.
“You’re really lucky,” I said. “They’re all wonderful.”
He nodded. “You’re lucky now too.” He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on the inside of my wrist. Every moment I was spending with him, I was falling deeper and deeper.
35
Caroline
“I think he’s worked out well today,” I said. Dr. Asher Townsend was my top candidate for a second vet. He’d been working throughout the day on a working interview. We’d seen each patient together, but I was probably going to let him take the last one of the day by himself.
“That’s great, Caroline,” Kiernan said. He smiled at me. “I’m glad that you’ll finally have some help around here. You’ve been completely slammed, and I don’t know how you’ve managed this schedule for this long without some help.”
I sighed. “It’s been really hard, but I’m ready for the extra hands. I can even work on some paperwork before the end of the day and might not have to take it home.”
“Have any idea what to do with your newfound freedom?” Kiernan asked, his lips tugging up at the corners. I tapped the side of my cheek in thought.
“Hm,” I mumbled. “Assist Daphne at some photoshoots. I think I have a knack for rubbing baby oil on muscles so they’ll really pop in photos.”
Kiernan growled and I grinned wickedly. I shot him a wink. “What do you think? I think Daphne could for sure use some help.”
“Sweetness, unless it’s me she’s photographing…you aren’t rubbing your hands on anyone else’s muscles but mine. You feel like rubbing some muscles?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“I’m right here, baby,” he said, gesturing to himself, and patted his stomach, laughing. I snickered and shook my head.
“Maybe I’ll teach Pepper Jack to go five houses on a walk in the neighborhood. Have a girls’ night with Savannah and the girls. Babysit for Harper, Savannah, Iris, or Ava. Hang out with Daphne.” I shrugged. My options were endless.
Kiernan arched a brow. “Think you’ll have any time in that busy schedule for me?”
“I might,” I said.
“What if I whisked you off to an island vacation. Would you have time for me then?”
“Most definitely,” I said.
He shook his head and tried to smother his grin. “So I’ll have to bribe you to be with me?”
“Maybe sometimes,” I said, winking. He shot me a wink back. He knew he’d never have to entice me with anything to spend even a second with him. But I definitely wouldn’t mind being on a beach with him and forgetting all our troubles.
Kiernan closed his laptop. He was still working at my office every day, still convinced he needed to be my twenty-four-seven bodyguard. It had been quiet for three weeks, without a peep from the person targeting me. There was a part of me hoping Kiernan and Maddox were wrong and I wasn’t the next target for this guy. That the person who was harassing me was not the serial murderer taking brunette female doctors in Austin.
I wasn’t sure how much longer Kiernan would be able to work at my office. He insisted he could work everywhere, but he’d officially bought into MarxMen and probably needed to put in some face time with his teams there.
Pepper Jack groaned and stood to stretch. He’d been cooped up with Kiernan in my office all day, and he was starting to become antsy. Even though he’d slept through most of the day, he didn’t like being contained to this small space.
“I’m done for the day,” Kiernan said. “I’ll take Pepper Jack on a walk. You can work on paperwork, and try to let Dr. Townsend handle the last patient by himself without you peeking in.”
I pursed my lips. I had planned to peep inside the exam room while Dr. Townsend was alone for the first time today. I’d let him take lead all day while I’d monitored him, but how did I know for sure he was the person I wanted to hire if I didn’t know how he acted when I wasn’t around? I still had some anxiety about trusting someone else with a portion of my practice. I’d worked my ass off to earn the reputation I had and was worried that could crumble if I made the wrong decision.
So far, it didn’t seem like it. Dr. Townsend had been my number one choice after the interviews, though I had two other candidates that I thought could also do well. I’d brought each in for a working interview. While the others were good, Asher had a special knack for this type of work. He was clearly born to do this.
“I won’t peek,” I said. Kiernan stood up, raising his arms above his head in a stretch. His shirt rode up, teasing me with a view of his abs.
He strode around the desk and bent to kiss me. “I’ll be back in a few.”
Kiernan grabbed Pepper Jack’s leash. There was a small park around the corner where they would walk. As long as it wasn’t past houses, Pepper Jack enjoyed walks. He trotted over to Kiernan, wagging his tail frantically. He was picking up each paw and putting it down like he was dancing. I rubbed one of my hands down the side of his body. “Have fun, boys,” I said before stepping to the sinks to wash my hands.
I glanced to my side. Toby was in the server room running monthly maintenance and a manual backup in case the automatic servers failed. I waved at him with a soapy hand. He smiled and lifted his chin before turning back to work, and I rinsed my hands.
I found Dr. Townsend around the corner, outside the patient rooms, reading a chart on the tablet. He was in navy-blue scrubs and had some scruff along his jaw. He was young, but he seemed to fit in well with the clients and with my staff.
“Dr. Townsend,” I said.
“Call me Asher, please,” he said.
“Okay, Asher. How’d you enjoy the day?”
He smiled and leaned against the wall, crossing one foot over the other and bringing the tablet down to his waist, giving me his full attention. “Your practice is great. The clients love you, the staff is excellent. Efficient, hard workers, but also relaxed and easy to talk
to. I’d truly love to work here.”
“That’s really wonderful to hear,” I said. I mentally added drafting up a hiring proposal for Asher to my to-do list; I’d do it while he was with the last patient. Most of the staff had already cleared out for the day. There were only a couple of us left, and as soon as the last patient left, I would too. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t staying after everyone else was gone, and I was leaving work behind at work.
“I thought you could take this last patient by yourself and meet me in my office afterwards to discuss.” Asher was the first working interviewee that I was leaving to their own devices. The others I hadn’t even left alone with one patient; I’d shadowed them all day. That may not seem huge, but for me, it was.
“That would be great. Thank you for trusting me,” he said. He brought up the chart. “It’s Mitzy Evans. Anything I need to know that’s not in the chart?”
I shook my head. “It’s all there, and besides, I want you to get a feel for working without my interpretation or influence. This one is all you, Asher.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure whether I’m excited or nervous, but this is what I’ve been hoping for.”
“Good luck,” I said. “See you soon.”
I strolled back down the hallway toward my office, straightening up some of the workplace areas as I went. I stopped at the kennels housing the pups that were staying with us. Alicia and a couple of other vet techs would trade off nights coming to check on them. I gave each animal a treat before heading to my office to write up a proposal for Asher and get in some paperwork.
I sat in my office chair, opened my computer, and brought up the local comparisons I’d been looking into when considering how much to offer Asher. I typed up the offer and hit print, feeling excited. I was ready to have some more free time. Time to spend with Kiernan, Daphne, and my new group of friends.
Toby knocked on the doorframe. “Yours is the last computer to back up. Are you ready?”
“Sure,” I said. I was about to stand up when I remembered that I wanted to ask about the scheduling features on the software. “I have a quick question though.”
Toby walked into my office and around my desk to see what I was pointing out. I opened my mouth to explain, but I froze as I felt a sharp pinch in the side of my neck. I looked up at Toby. He was smiling.
“Toby?”
He was starting to become blurry and, only a moment later, everything faded.
36
Kiernan
I’d been joking when I’d talked about whisking Caroline away on a beach vacation, but now I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Caroline in a bikini, a getaway with just the two of us. I knew I was in love with her and was waiting for the right time to tell her. A beach could be the perfect spot. I wasn’t sure how I could convince her to take some time off work, but even a quick weekend trip would be perfect.
Pepper Jack tugged on the leash, veering off the path and toward the trash can. I redirected him back to the path, away from whatever food he was smelling in the trash that he wanted to go digging for.
We walked a few laps on the trail. I glanced at my phone. The last appointment should be wrapping up soon, and it was about time to close up the office. I led Pepper Jack back toward Caroline’s clinic, pushed open the back door, and went straight into Caroline’s office.
I laughed when I walked in. She wasn’t in there. Either she couldn’t resist peeking in on Dr. Townsend to see how he did when he was alone with a patient or he’d needed her help with something. I figured it was the former, and I should’ve known she wouldn’t be able to hold out.
I unleashed Pepper Jack, and he drank water from his bowl before plopping down on his bed for another nap. I shook my head and sat in front of my laptop, opening it and bringing up a travel site. I’d never told a woman I loved her. I hoped Caroline would be the only person I ever shared that with, so I wanted this to be perfect. And once the idea had been planted in my head that I should do it on a beach, there was no other option.
I heard a door open and shoes squeaking against the tile, closer and closer to Caroline’s office. I exited the website I was researching vacations on and smiled, waiting for Caroline to appear. The smile slid off my face when Dr. Townsend knocked on the doorframe.
“Is Dr. Conroy in here?” he asked. “She told me to meet with her when I was done with the patient.”
“She wasn’t with you?” I asked, slowly rising from my chair.
Dr. Townsend’s brow furrowed and he frowned. “No, she let me handle the last patient by myself and told me to meet her in her office.”
I stalked past him and looked up and down the hall. “Caroline?” I called out. I took a left, heading toward the front of the office. “Caroline?” I called again.
There was no answer from her. Each door I passed, I opened. All the examination rooms were empty with the lights off. The break room was empty. “Caroline?” I called again, a little louder this time.
My heart started to pound and I jogged to the lobby. The receptionist was closing out of computer programs and shutting down for the day. “Have you seen Caroline?” I asked.
She turned toward me, smiling. “Nope. Last time I saw her, she was in her office, and Toby was making his way over there. Hers was the last computer to back up. Have you checked in her office?”
I didn’t answer her and ran back to the office. Dr. Townsend was still standing there, waiting for Caroline to show, but I was scared that she wouldn’t. I opened her computer and brought up the security cameras going back to the time that I’d left the office. I watched myself walk out with Pepper Jack at my side, and Caroline spoke to Dr. Townsend in the hallway outside of one of the examination rooms.
“Is everything alright?” Dr. Townsend asked. His tone was worried and unsure.
“Caroline isn’t here,” I said.
“Did she leave?” he asked.
I didn’t answer him. I was watching the footage closely. Caroline went back into her office, Toby left the server room, and then nothing. There was no activity in the hallways, in the lobby, or in either parking lot. Everything was empty and still.
I rewound the footage and watched it again.
And again.
And again.
On the fourth time watching the footage, I noticed a tiny glitch appear and reappear every few seconds. It wasn’t static or missing pixels. A fly landed on the rear parking lot camera, in same spot, every few seconds.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered. “They’re fucking looped.”
“What?” Dr. Townsend asked. Again, I ignored him. I didn’t fucking have time to answer his questions. Caroline was missing. Someone had taken her, and I was going to find out who. I stood and grabbed my laptop. Pepper Jack left his bed and crossed the room to me. He was standing still, and his tail was sticking straight out. He looked like he was ready to pounce.
I connected my laptop to Caroline’s computer and brought up the security footage’s memory, finding where it had been rewritten and someone had tried to erase data, but it wasn’t fully done with the code that was running.
“Got you, motherfucker,” I whispered as I pulled up the footage that hadn’t yet been erased. It wasn’t much, but it had to have some type of answer. I played it, scanning each room until I spotted her.
Toby carried an unconscious Caroline through the back door and loaded her into a car. Then the screen went black. “Fuck,” I yelled, slamming my fist down on the desk.
I grabbed my phone, dialing Maddox as I stood to leave. I shot Dr. Townsend a look. His face was pale. He’d seen Caroline being taken as I watched it. “I need you to take Pepper Jack.” I rattled off my number and told him to message me his contact info. I rubbed a hand over Pepper Jack’s head quickly. “I’ll get her, I swear.”
I ran out of the office, listening to the line ring as I waited for Maddox to answer. I hopped up into my truck just as he picked up. “Toby Spear. He is Caroline’s IT guy, and he just fucking kidnapp
ed her from the office, while we were there. He’s getting more reckless, which means he’s getting more dangerous.”
“I’ll work on getting a warrant for his place,” Maddox responded, and I heard typing in the background.
“Get me his address,” I said. I was sitting in my truck, ready to pull out of the parking lot as soon as I knew whether to turn left or right.. “His fucking address,” I yelled into the phone and took it away from my ear, conferencing in Roman.
“I can’t do that until there’s a warrant,” Maddox said. I heard his chair creak.
Roman picked up. “Kiernan.”
“Caroline was taken. Give me that fucking address, Maddox.”
“I’m already working on the warrant, Kiernan. It’s in the works, when it’s done I will give you his address. We don’t even know if she’s there. We don’t know where he takes these women, but we will search his home and see if we can find answers. A judge is working on it.”
“Maddox,” Roman growled.
“We don’t even know where he takes the women when he kidnaps them. I will give you the address when we get the warrant,” Maddox repeated. I opened my mouth to argue, but his tone of voice changed. He was speaking low and quickly. “This is number three. The other vet was taken on the eighth.” He was giving me the address. My heart pounded as I typed it in. I knew Roman would have it too. “We can’t let there be a number four. Both bodies were found on a hill near a crest.”
“Roman,” I said.
“Got your back,” he responded. I hung up the phone and turned right toward Toby’s house, 384 Hill Crest. He was a technical mastermind, but he didn’t strike me as a guy who would be able to have multiple venues. I was betting that he took his victims to his house. I don’t know if it was the rational and logical part of me that had drawn that conclusion or just the fucking hope that I was right. I needed to be right.
I swerved in and out of traffic, laying on the horn, desperate to get to Caroline. I took the gun out of the holster as I whipped my truck onto his street. I parked a few houses down, hopped out, and ran toward his front door, just as Roman was getting out of his car. I heard another car pull to a stop and knew that it was Maddox.
