Branded Page 17

  Heartbreak filled his eyes. “You’re not going to tell me?”

  “Xander.” She put a hand over her mouth. “You have to listen to me. I know nothing about that account nor the money. There is something seriously wrong here.”

  He shook his head, his expression shredding her heart. “You are what’s seriously wrong. I knew what you were going in. I never should have trusted you. You’re just like your father.”

  “Going in? My father?” The illusion that she’d had some sort of control over her world evaporated. “What do you know about my father?”

  Defiance leapt into his expression. “I know he swindled my dad out of millions. And it looks like you’re following in his footsteps.”

  Her stomach threatened to heave. “No.”

  “I know he wasn’t the only one to be pulled into your father’s scams. I know that the day he was killed in prison, I celebrated.”

  “You knew this before I met you? This has all been a lie?” Her dinner lurched in her stomach, and she ran for the bathroom.

  She continued to purge until long after there was nothing in her but air. When she finally regained control of her spastic stomach muscles, she rinsed her mouth and wiped the running mascara from beneath her eyes.

  She turned to the doorway and found Xander watching her with a heavy-lidded gaze. His face was void of expression, a hardness glinting in his eyes. “You’re quite the actress.”

  A tremor began deep inside her, radiating outward until she was a shaking mass. “I would like you to leave.” She grasped for anything that would keep her from falling apart.

  “Because you can’t face the truth?”

  She pushed past him, walking to the front door and opening it. He followed her to the doorway, stopping inches from her.

  “I should have known better, but I fell in love with you, Nicole.”

  Her heart crumbled. “I love you, Xander. I wish you’d believe me when I say I’m telling the truth. But you won’t. I’m sorry about your dad.” Her voice cracked. “My father was a bastard.” She looked away, her throat tightening, and waited for him to leave.

  He stood there a moment longer and then called Apollo. She watched his dog leave through watery eyes and then shut the door behind them.

  If she’d had anything left in her stomach, it would have revolted. Instead, her heart ached as though the world had come to an end. She took a few shaky breaths and then sought out her phone from her purse in the bedroom.

  When her aunt answered it, she could barely speak beyond her grief.

  “Oh my God. Are you okay?” Concern came in waves across the phone line, sending sustenance to Nicole.

  “Xander accused me of stealing the money.” She sat on her bed, no longer sure her legs would hold her up.

  “What? Why on earth would he do that?”

  “He had a paper.” She took another breath, trying to stave off the tears. “It had information about a bank account in Singapore. There’s a lot of money in that account, and it has our names on it. Yours and mine!”

  Dead silence was her aunt’s answer for several merciless seconds. “Let me explain.”

  “No. Tell me it’s not true, Aunt Claire.” The muscles in her chest contracted as she grasped for power over her emotions, but her efforts were as futile as swimming in quicksand.

  “It’s not what you think, Nicole.”

  “But the money is there, isn’t it?” Cold, gray emotion settled over her, encapsulating her heart. Xander had been right, and of course, he wouldn’t trust her after learning about the money.

  “It has been for a while. A couple of years. Your father opened the account, and there wasn’t much I could do about it afterward. How did you find out?”

  “Xander told me. You were right about him. He wasn’t being honest with me. He knew about my dad.”

  “Who was he working for?”

  “I don’t know if he was working for anyone. He said dad stole money from his father.” She couldn’t repeat the fact that he’d been instrumental in his dad’s suicide. “I think he just wanted…revenge. Our whole relationship had been nothing but a lie.” She took a breath. “Sound familiar?”

  “I was trying to protect you, Nicole. You have to believe me. I haven’t touched much of the money. I was afraid it would bring danger to our doorstep.”

  “It’s already here.” She choked on her last words. “You were the one I could trust. The one who wouldn’t lie to me.”

  “Nicole. Please listen.”

  She couldn’t stand it anymore. There would never be a good enough reason for her aunt to withhold something like that from her. “I can’t talk to you now.” She heard her aunt telling her to wait as she hung up the phone and sank to the floor next to Stormy, burying her tears in her dog’s soft fur.

  She cried until she was dry and then picked up her phone again, dialing Janie’s number.

  “Are you home,” she asked when her friend answered, her voice sounding nasally.

  “I’m not off for another half-hour. Are you okay?”

  “No.” She started to cry again.

  “Oh God, Nic. What happened?”

  “Just…can you stop by on your way home?”

  “Of course. I’ll see if I can get off early.”

  Her phone rang seconds later, and she glanced at the caller ID. Aunt Claire. She tossed the phone on the bed. Talking to her would be pointless. There was nothing her aunt could say to her at the moment to make things better.

  * * *

  Xander was sure he would explode. He knew if he got behind the wheel he would be a liability, so instead, he threw on a jacket, leashed up Apollo and headed for the park near Nicole’s house.

  He was so fucking pissed he couldn’t get her to tell the truth. Why couldn’t she just say it? He knew she cared for him. Why couldn’t she care more about them than she did herself?

  His shoes pounded as they ate up the pavement. He sucked in a breath, but the crisp autumn air didn’t clear the anguish from his soul. If Apollo sensed his agony, he didn’t show it. He seemed quite content to race across the sidewalk, having no idea that Xander hoped he could outrun his pain.

  He was certain they would arrest her soon. Sam wouldn’t sit on it if he’d been assured the rest of the evidence would be available before long. The trial would ensue, but thankfully, he wouldn’t be called to testify. Their group always tried to bring their target to justice without shedding any light on their vigilante activities.

  The less the cops knew about them, the better.

  But they knew about Nicole, and there was no going back for her. If only she would have trusted him. Confided in him.

  Then what?

  Would he have seriously tried to escape with her?

  He was afraid he might have. Then what kind of fool did that make him?

  * * *

  Nicole pulled herself to her feet when the knock sounded on her door. Twenty minutes had barely passed since she’d called Janie. Her boss must have agreed to let her leave early. Gratitude swelled in her heart. She and Janie had always been good friends, but had never taken it to the best friend level.

  Yet here she was rushing to her aid.

  It was funny how hard times could show a person who she could count on.

  She opened the door, surprised to find Riley standing in the hall and not Janie.

  “Hey Nicole.” He took a step forward, but she didn’t move aside.

  Stormy growled behind her, and she turned and shushed her. “I’m sorry, but this really isn’t a good time, Riley.” How had he gotten inside the building? Come to think of it, how had Xander?

  He searched her face, concern evident in his eyes. “Are you okay? Anything I can help with?”

  She wiped her nose with a tissue. “No, I’m just not in the mood for company.”

  “I could make you a cup of tea or something.” He advanced forward again, putting his hand on the door jam and his foot on her carpet.

  His perseverance
annoyed her. “I’d really like to be alone now. Can I call you later?”

  “I know you’re upset, but I’m afraid I must insist.”

  Before she realized it, he’d shoved her inside and shut the door. She opened her mouth, but the words died on her lips when she spied the gun hidden beneath his jacket.

  “Oh my God! Riley?”

  Stormy must have sensed her fear and began growling and barking.

  “Make her stop.”

  Nicole grabbed Stormy’s collar to keep her from attacking and getting shot. “What are you doing? I thought we were friends.” There was no rhyme or reason why he’d show up on her doorstep like this…unless he’d snapped.

  “Put the dog in a room. We’re going to talk, and I don’t want it in the way.”

  She dragged Stormy to the bedroom with Riley following behind. She eyed her phone sitting on the bed and knew there was no way to get it without Riley noticing. As soon as she shut the door, Stormy began scratching at it and barking.

  She walked back into the living room with him following closely behind. “If you want to talk, we can talk. You don’t need a gun.”

  “I call it my insurance policy,” he said with a laugh. “But I don’t think I’ll need it, do you?”

  She didn’t dare comment.

  He nodded toward the couch, and she sat, her mind racing for a way to extricate herself.

  Another knock sounded on her door, and she froze. Janie? Someone else?

  “Who is it?” he whispered, circling around in front of her, pulling his gun from his jacket.

  “I’m not sure.” At least he wasn’t expecting any cohorts that would make things worse for her.

  The knock sounded again, followed by Janie’s voice. “Nicole? Are you there?”

  She shifted her frantic gaze to the door and back to Riley. “My neighbor. I’m afraid she’ll keep knocking until I answer.”

  He waved the gun. “Get rid of her.”

  With her heart pounding in her chest, she walked to the door and opened it only a few inches.

  “Sorry, it took me so long.” Janie frowned when she didn’t allow her entrance.

  “It’s okay. Things are actually better now.” She twisted her features into the most frightened expression she could.

  Her friend narrowed her eyes, a puzzled look on her face. “Are you sure? I thought I heard a man’s voice.”

  “That’s just Jack. He’s back from Brazil.” She scrambled for anything that wouldn’t make sense, praying her friend would pick up on her clues.

  Janie drew her brows together. “I didn’t know Jack was back,” she said in a friendly voice even though her face was a mask of questioning concern. “Tell him I said hello.”

  “I will.” She mouthed the word “help”, and Janie nodded. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” She shut the door, certain Janie had understood her, and now fearful of how everything would play out.

  “Sit down,” he said.

  She did as he commanded, fighting the debilitating fear that threatened to reduce her to a whimpering puddle.

  “I know about the money.”

  She jerked her gaze to his eyes. If he was looking for a reaction, she’d given it to him.

  He nodded. “Your aunt told me pretty much everything.” He sat on the couch, lounging as though they were two friends having a conversation.

  It sickened her to think what he might have done to her. She glanced at his hand, his shirt, looking for traces of blood. “Is she all right?”

  He wrinkled his brow. “Sure. Why wouldn’t she be?”

  She prayed he wasn’t lying. “You didn’t hurt her?”

  He straightened. “Why would I? She’s the one paying me.”

  She was certain he’d lost his mind. “I don’t understand.”

  “I thought she told you. She was calling as I walked out the door, though she did warn me you might not be too happy when I got here.”

  Nicole stared at him dumbfounded. Her aunt had called, but she hadn’t answered.

  “After she found out we were friends at work, she contacted me and asked if I would keep an eye on you, make sure you got on the bus okay. Stuff like that. You almost caught me following you the day you went back for your bus pass, and I wish you would have. I would have gone inside with you, and they wouldn’t have been able to pin that theft on you.”

  “Or they would have blamed both of us.”

  He tilted his head as though considering her point. “True.”

  “Did my aunt say who was after me?” She’d feared she been a target all along.

  “She didn’t know who specifically. But she wanted to pay me, and I kind of liked the idea of being a bodyguard. I bought me a gun to be more legit.” His light blue eyes flashed with excitement. “Now, your aunt’s worried that word has gotten out about the special account as she calls it, and she’s more afraid someone might come after you like they did her last February.”

  “Last February?”

  “The car accident. She was pretty suspicious of the hit-and-run, but then nothing else came of it.” He frowned. “And then you got fired which made my job a lot harder. I wanted to tell you what was going on, thought it would make things easier, but she said no.”

  Anguish and fear ripped through her. “Why wouldn’t she tell me? God, they could have killed her.”

  “I don’t know. Her call, I guess.” He shrugged. “As soon as you get a few things packed, I’m moving you to a hotel. Then we’ll find somewhere else safe.”

  “You want me to pack up and leave?” She wanted to add “everything” to her question, but really, what would she be leaving? Xander was already gone. She was pretty sure the job with his friend was, too. That left her apartment and Janie. “I’m not leaving Stormy.”

  “Of course not.”

  She stood, and then her heart nearly dropped to the floor. “Oh, no. Janie’s going to call the police.”

  “What?” He jumped to his feet.

  “My neighbor who was just here. She could tell something was wrong, and I think she’s going to call the police.”

  “Shit!” He glanced about the room. “We gotta get out of here. Now. Grab your purse. Get your dog.”

  He headed for the door as she scrambled to retrieve Stormy’s leash from the closet. “You want me to run from the police?” she asked as he opened the door. The only answer she received was a muffled shot echoing from the hall.

  She jerked around and found Riley at the feet of a short woman dressed in a blue button down shirt and tan pants. Her mousy brown hair that normally hung limp above her shoulders had been pulled into a ponytail, but there was no mistaking her identity. “Mary?” The quiet girl from IT had shot poor Riley with no remorse in her expression. Only a cold, deadly stare.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Xander shrugged off his soaked jacket and tossed it behind the passenger seat as a wet Apollo jumped in the car panting. Xander had run them both until they were beyond exhausted. He glanced up at Nicole’s apartment building, sending another piercing pain through him. He ached to go up there and give her another piece of his mind, but it was pointless. She’d made her choice, and it hadn’t been him. For all he knew, she was currently stuffing her bags, planning to make a run for it.

  He had to get out of there, and God knew, he’d avoid this end of town for the rest of his life.

  He started the ignition, his engine roaring to life. His tires squealed on the wet pavement as he pulled into traffic.

  He made it two blocks when his phone rang. He wrestled his cell out of his pocket, the sick part of him wishing it was Nicole. It wasn’t. Sam’s number glowed on the screen, and he dropped the phone into the console not wishing to hear anything from his friend right now.

  Whatever would happen, would happen.

  He turned the corner and headed toward the bridge that would take him to his side of the river.

  His phone rang again, and he glanced at it. Sam. “Fuck.” He ground his teeth together as he r
eached for his phone and answered.

  “Where are you?”

  “On my way home.” He should use a nicer tone. It wasn’t Sam’s fault he’d been such an idiot.

  “There’s something going down at Nicole’s apartment.”

  “She making a run for it?” It would be his fault if she did.

  “No. A neighbor called, said she thinks there’s someone in Nicole’s apartment who might be threatening her. Maybe a deal gone bad or something. I have units heading there now. I’m not far behind.”

  “Shit.” He slammed on the brakes and made a swift U-turn on a one-way street. Blaring horns screeched about his illegal activity, but he didn’t care. He cruised down the gutter a hundred yards before turning onto the street that would take him back toward Nicole’s house. “I’m a couple of blocks away.”

  “Don’t interfere. Let my men handle it.”

  His frustration got the better of him. “Then why the hell did you even tell me?”

  Sam paused. “I don’t know. I thought you’d want to know.”

  “I’ll see you there.” He ended the call, fishing his gun out of the glove box before stepping on the accelerator. He hated the part of him that insisted on running to her defense. She didn’t deserve it, but damn it, love was a hard thing to kill.

  * * *

  Nicole couldn’t form a sentence. Her brain didn’t have a clue how to piece together the madness unfolding in front of her. She and Mary stood outside her apartment, Riley bleeding out at their feet.

  “Where’s the money?” Mary lifted the gun, pointing it at Nicole’s forehead.

  Fear iced her veins. “I didn’t take the money from First Freedom.”

  “I know you didn’t.” She leaned forward and whispered, “We did.” The strong odor of stale tobacco on her breath nearly gagged Nicole. She had no idea Mary smoked. She’d always been this quiet thing that never made waves.

  “I don’t understand. If you have the money, why are you here?”

  She moved forward until the barrel hit her between the brows. “The other money,” she whispered. “The offshore account.”