Page 41 of Trap ’N’ Trace

“Maybe it’s finally time for some changes,” she muttered.

Angus lifted his head to watch her from the foot of her bed. He cocked his head, first one way then the other, looking totally adorable. Aside from that one bout of laughter with Dayne, Angus and Remy were the only ones who elicited any smiles from her lately. Not even Colin made her smile anymore. It hurt to acknowledge it, but he was no longer the boy she’d once known.

As a child, he’d been fun to play with. As a teenager, he’d been her constant companion. After he graduated from law school, she began noticing changes. At first, they were subtle. Once he started working for his family’s law firm, his disrespect and rudeness toward those outside his social and financial stratosphere became more obvious. Lately, it had been snowballing.

“Angus, what do you think of Colin?” The puppy gave a quick shake of his head.

“I know what you mean.” Added to his growing list of negatives, she’d never felt that special tug for him in her heart. That was probably why she could never consider marrying him and why it never occurred to her to call him after being attacked.

She fingered the thin strand of pearls around her neck, examining the black jacket and skirt suit she’d dug from the back of her closet. Black clothing was something she hated. This was an outfit she only wore for one type of occasion. Funerals.

Her heart felt as heavy as a ten-pound brick. Today, hers and Dayne’s schedules held nothing but grief.

Rebecca Garman’s wake was in the morning, followed by Amy’s in the afternoon. Even if Dayne hadn’t insisted she accompany him to Rebecca Garman’s wake, she would have gone anyway. To support Dayne and because of an oddly morbid connection she felt to the woman.

She took Angus’s soft little face in her hands, staring into his dark eyes. “Were you there when it happened?” she whispered. “Did you see who killed her?”

Angus’s eyes were sad, as if he, too, understood the solemnity of what was happening today. She was also quite certain he missed Remy. Dayne and his K-9 had left an hour ago so he could drop by the police station then his house to pick up a suit. Kade was downstairs covering for him while he was gone.

She slipped into a pair of shiny black Dolce & Gabbana pumps. Over the last couple of days, Dayne was always there, watching over her, but he’d done it coldly, efficiently. It was almost as if he were distancing himself, doing his duty to protect her but with as little human or personal interaction as possible.

They’d shared meals Francine left for them on the stove, but no sooner did he clear his plate than he’d go outside to walk the property with Remy and one of the guards, or busy himself on his laptop reading emails or whatever reports Detective Paulson sent him. He always stayed up until she went to bed. They’d been coexisting, nothing more.

Once, she’d tiptoed down the stairs, stopping just short of the one stair she knew creaked and would give her away, to find him in the kitchen, watching a Yankees game on the tiny countertop TV. Aside from their mutual distaste for nosy reporters, that might very well be the only thing they had in common. Baseball.

Her parents had been huge Yankees fans, sharing their love of the sport with their only child. To this day, she made a point of watching as many games as possible to keep track of the team’s standing throughout the season.

A bell chimed on the new white intercom by her bedroom door, indicating the front door had opened. Dayne was home. Her home, anyway.

Angus jumped off the bed and scampered out the door, barking the entire way down the stairs. The puppy’s excitement over Remy returning was infectious. She liked seeing the two dogs so happy together.

Taking one last look in the mirror, she smoothed down the lapels of her jacket and grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand. Halfway down the stairs, low voices drifted to her. Dayne and Kade’s. When they caught sight of her, the conversation immediately ceased.

Her throat went dry. Words didn’t come because Dayne was no longer wearing the black polo shirt and cargo pants she was accustomed to seeing. The black suit he wore made him look taller and more powerful, accentuating what she already knew was a sculpted chest and abs, and thickly muscled arms. A crisp white dress shirt with a blue silk tie gleamed beneath his suit jacket. And he was freshly shaven. The man looked good. Really good. No, make that amazingly handsome. In a way that would have women staring at him while he walked toward them and watching his perfect backside as he walked away.

She heard pounding, felt pounding. Was someone at the door? Nope. It was her own stupid, completely irrational heart thumping faster in her chest.

His green gaze dipped briefly down her body like a gentle caress. She cleared her throat. “Good morning, gentlemen.”

“Morning.” Kade’s dimples deepened as he glanced from her to Dayne. Vaguely, she noted Kade also wore a suit, a dark gray one. “Well, then, I guess I’ll be going. We’ll meet you at the wake.”

“Thanks, man.” Dayne clapped him on the back then watched his friend leave.

Something vibrated, and Dayne tugged out his phone. “Andrews,” he said. “Yeah.”

While Dayne took his call, she checked her own cell phone, knowing there were several messages she’d been ignoring for days. Several were from Colin. One was from Penny, announcing that if she didn’t hear back from her by this evening, she and “the girls” were coming over. “Shit.” That was the absolute last thing she needed after what was sure to be a sad, depressing day.

She shook her head in disbelief. Never in her entire life had she thought—let alone spoken—so many curse words, and for once in her life she didn’t care. Didn’t give a shit, more like it.

Life had just thrown her so many curve balls she couldn’t keep up. Changes were happening whether she wanted them or not.

“We should go,” Dayne said. “Will anyone else be here today? Francine or Emily?”

“No.” She went to the closet and slipped on a light, three-quarter length black coat over her suit. Remy joined her by the door, waiting for Dayne. “I give everyone the weekends off.”

“What do you want to do with Angus?” The puppy dropped his rubber squeaky toy at Dayne’s feet and began sniffing his dress shoes. “The fringe on all those living room pillows looks mighty tasty.”

“Good point. That, and there’d be yellow puddles everywhere.” She picked up the puppy, cradling him in her arms and wincing slightly when he squirmed and whacked his head against her injured shoulder. “We can drop him off at the Haven for the day. Would you mind grabbing that?” She pointed to the toy.