Hounded (Going to the Dogs) (2 page)

“Don’t get mushy on me. I won’t know how to react.”

“All right. Well, at least use my limo.”

“With your commando chauffer? That’s as bad as having a bodyguard.”

“Poe!”

“No!” she said, rejecting the possibility with her mind, with her body. She flung her hands out as if to push the idea away. “Stop coddling me. I can take care of myself, and have since…well, for a long time.”

“I care about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Doesn’t that mean anything? We’ve been friends for a full year. Don’t you trust me?”

“I get it. You want me safe. I’m safe. I live in a good building.”

Harper sniffed.

“Okay, it’s not the most secure, but I have the dogs, and they’ll alert me to any danger. Everything will be fine. It was just a mugging. I’ll be more careful. I promise.”

“I can see your mind is made up.”

“Ms. Sinclair,” the nurse said, eyeing the dogs. “Visiting hours are almost over.”

Harper nodded as Callie and Brooke bustled back into the room. “We got you a BLT. Thought you would love a bacon sandwich.”

Poe smiled at them, but then Callie gave Harper a sidelong glance, meaning questions would fly between them after they left. The tension in the room thickened.

When Harper picked up Edgar, he whined a little, but she held him firmly. Brooke scooped up Allan.

“I’ll be back tomorrow to give you a ride home,” Harper said. “At least give me that.”

“All right.”

After they left, Poe lay back on her pillows and unwrapped the BLT. It smelled heavenly. Then a thought niggled at her and she had to set down the sandwich, unable to enjoy it. Harper had asked her a straightforward question, but she had sidestepped answering. What did that mean? Didn’t she trust her three friends?

Poe had told Brooke last November she wasn’t a big fan of change. She didn’t usually fit in with many people. In fact, most people thought she was weird. But when she found Brooke, Harper and Callie, it clicked. She didn’t want to lose that. So, why couldn’t she say she trusted Harper? Didn’t she?

Maybe it was the mild concussion that was making her think these off-the-wall thoughts. She picked up the sandwich, hummed with pleasure at the first bite, and polished it off. Bacon was excellent healing therapy.

Her cell rang and she quickly answered it before one of the wardens—um, nurses—came in. “Hello?”

“Poe, it’s Miles.”

Miles Sawyer was her fabulous dance partner for The Fur Ball. She would be competing with her two boys. Her mother was in dire straits, and after all the help she’d given Poe, it was time to return the favor. She couldn’t let her mother lose her house. Not after she’d mortgaged it to help Poe pay for vet school.

“I hope you’ve been practicing, mister,” Poe smiled.

“I’ve got bad news. I broke my leg and can’t continue. I’m so sorry.”

The smile faded and her stomach dropped. “Oh, Miles. That’s so awful. Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” he said quickly. “I’ll be fine. I know someone who can fill in. He’s not as great as me, but I’m sure he can pick it up quickly. I’m really sorry, Poe.”

“Thanks, Miles. Feel better and rest.”

She disconnected the call. Experiencing a flutter of dread, she closed her eyes. This was a disaster. The partner he suggested better be damn good or her mother was going to lose everything. Her dread expanded like a balloon in her chest.

She snapped on the TV to distract her. But the first thing she saw was a report of her mugging on the eleven o’clock news, and she quickly turned it off.

She didn’t want to be reminded. The nurse came in and checked her vitals and gave her the nighttime meds the doctor had prescribed. Poe took them, willing herself to just sleep and get the rest she needed. But when she closed her eyes, she saw that masked face.

She pushed it away. She wasn’t weak, not anymore, or vulnerable. She’d built up protective armor the day she found out her father wasn’t infallible. She kept it in reserve until she needed it. This was one of those times.

Some tossing and turning later, the meds kicked in and she fell to sleep.

#

Bright and early on Monday morning, Jared Taylor studied a blueprint of a Long Island mansion. The owners had retained his firm to handle security for their daughter’s wedding since she was marrying a well-known actor.

When he looked up, he was greeted by the sight of Harper Sinclair gliding through his office directly towards him. No one stopped her, because unless he was with a client, Harper and her brother Aiden had free access to him at all times. Everyone on his staff knew that. And she looked totally put together, as usual. A cute sleeveless summer dress to battle the stifling June heat, long blond hair artlessly styled, no-nonsense, and confident. But there was something…
off
about her today. He was a master at recognizing a person’s mental state. He’d learned it in the Marines and honed it with his two tours in Afghanistan.

He rose to greet her. When she came through the door, she closed it behind her.

“Harper, this is a pleasant surprise.” He came around the desk and without preamble, she hugged him hard. Caught off-guard, he blushed.

“I wish it was just a social visit, but I’m afraid it’s not. It’s good to see you again. It was such a brief meeting last time. How has it been, getting reintroduced to life outside of the Marines?” She didn’t seem to notice his awkwardness. She smoothed over it with her easygoing manner.

Meeting Harper in person had been a revelation to him. She’d shown up just before he was getting released. He’d been shocked to see Aiden’s sister and she had just thanked him for saving her brother. He’d been confused by that comment, but hadn’t responded. After reading about her on the web, he’d assumed she was a stiff, high-society woman who wouldn’t know genuine warmth if it bit her on her expensive hindquarters. But he’d been dead wrong. And he should have known better, since the same was true of her brother.

“I spent some time in Texas helping my dad with the ranch. It’s funny. I wanted to get away from that quiet, bucolic life, but when I went back home, I realized I’d kinda missed it. Then I came to New York City since my brother is convinced I’ll make my mark here. I opened my firm. It’s grown really fast and keeps me busy.”

Harper smiled. “When we’re young we have these crazy notions and home is the last place we think we want to be. After some time spent out in the world, I think it’s easy to retreat back to a place that has meaning to us. It’s good you went home. Roots are important.”

He nodded, remembering how good it had been to see his dad again, and to explore the ranch. Even though it was flat and dry, and hot as Hades, it was a far cry from the bloodied sands of Afghanistan. “Why don’t you have a seat? Can I get you something to drink?”

She settled into the chair with her blue eyes worried.

“No, thank you. I just need your help.”

“Name it. And, just for the record, your money is no good here.”

She studied him for a moment, obviously thinking over his quick answer. Her shrewd eyes were assessing, her head tilted. “You realize you don’t owe us anything.”

He sighed. “Tell me what I can do.”

“You are a man of integrity, Jared. This isn’t an…ordinary request.”

“Is Aiden all right?” His chest tightened, his shoulders stiffening.

“Yes, he’s fine, and thank you for asking. You know, you should come see him. You’ve been out now for a year.”

“I keep meaning to, but…”

Her eyes softened to a warm, summery blue. “Aiden would love to see you.”

“I will in good time.”

She waved her hand. “Men! They say women are complicated.”

He chuckled. “Any man who doesn’t heed that philosophy is a dang fool. Women are complicated. Like pretty puzzle pieces.”

“You don’t like puzzles?”

He gave her a wicked grin. “Sure, I like a jigsaw now and again.”

“Well, I have an intricate one for you. It’s a friend of mine. Her name is Poe Madigan and she’s in trouble.”

He frowned, his protective instincts kicking in. “What kind of trouble?”

“She received a threatening letter that was slipped under her door. Yesterday, while walking her dogs, she was mugged and banged up.”

Anger hit Jared’s belly like a boot. “Is she all right?”

“She’s in the hospital. She got a mild concussion—” Her voice broke and she covered her mouth with her hand. Moisture gathered in her eyes. She squared her shoulders and blinked back the tears. “I’m sorry. I don’t normally lose my composure. It doesn’t help.”

He sat on the edge of the desk. Tears always made him uncomfortable. He pulled a tissue out of the box on his desk and handed it to her. “But it’s human, right? You care for your friend. I…know how that feels.”

She met his eyes and the compassion that flowed out of hers touched him. “I know you do. But I want to help Poe, not have a breakdown. That’s not going to help her.”

“Why don’t you explain the problem and we’ll see about a solution?”

“I need a bodyguard for her.”

He nodded. “That should be simple enough. It can be intrusive, but I can assign…”

She shook her head and gave him what he would now always think of as her socialite death stare. Unyielding, rock solid, and serious as a heart attack. “No. You don’t understand. I don’t want someone
assigned
. I want someone I can
trust
. I want
you
.”

Silence fell between them. He had to admit he was keen on taking this case. It would give him an opportunity to make a difference in Harper’s life. Whether she believed it or not, he did owe Aiden. He owed him everything. Besides, that death stare said she wasn’t taking no for an answer. “All right. I’ll assign my cases to someone else and clear my schedule.”

She relaxed with a satisfied look on her face. “I know this is an imposition, and I’m sure the people you have working for you are very good and discreet. But Poe is a special friend of mine. I met her at the dog park about a year ago. She’s a veterinarian, sweet, kind…and nerdy, but in the best sense. She and the other women I hang out with there are the sisters I never had and always wanted. They don’t see my money,” her voice broke and her mouth wobbled. “They never have. They only ever see me. Do you know how precious and amazing that is?”

“I can only sympathize, you know, not being a gazillionaire.”

She grinned. “You know what I mean. Aiden has already told me what kind of man you are.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he did.”
A screwup.

She was as good a people-reader as he. But she spared him the pep talk, and for that he was grateful.

“I came to you because I know you are the best person for the job,” she continued. “Poe is eccentric and needs someone like you. Strong, kind and gentle. She sees the world through—”

“Rose-colored glasses?”

“Nothing as mundane as that. No, Poe has a multitude of her own-colored glasses and is one of the most genuine souls I’ve ever met.”

“I can see that you’re fiercely protective. Maybe it would be a good idea to have Poe come in when she’s up to it and we can—”

“No, that won’t work.” She crossed her legs and smoothed out the skirt. “I already brought the subject up, and she won’t agree. She’s going all independent. I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“If she’s reluctant, how do you propose I carry out my bodyguard duties? I can’t do much if she refuses to have me around.”

“She’s not going to refuse to have you around. First of all, look at you. You’re a hunk. She thinks she likes these beta, nerdy guys, but I know differently. She’s crazy for muscles and you’ve got them in spades.”

“So, I got sex appeal going for me. Shoot, that’s at least something.”

“Also, I had to get creative.”

“Creative? This sounds as dangerous as a teddy bear cholla.”

“A what?”

“It’s a jumping cactus with little grabby spines…never mind.”

“Anyway, Poe is entering a competition and her partner is about to drop out.”

“How do you know that?”

“I paid him to,” she said slyly. “I don’t have a gazillion dollars for nothing. To give him credit, he refused the money. He said Poe’s safety was more important to him.”

He groaned. “Harper, maybe if I talk to Poe...”

Her lips compressed and she shook her head vehemently. “No. I can’t risk that. If she says no, I’ll have no recourse but to kidnap her and force her to stay at my penthouse.”

“I believe that’s a felony, so that’s out.” He ran his hands through his close-cropped hair. “What kind of competition? Sports. I’m really good at sports.”

“Ah, no. It’s not a sporting competition, but it does involve coordination and…ah…a sense of humor.”

“What kind of competition are we talking about?”

“It’s The Fur Ball.”

“The only thing I know about fur balls is cats yack them up, and that doesn’t sound like too much fun to me.”

“It’s where owners partner up with their dogs. In this case, though, it’s different, and Poe can explain it better than I can.”