Branded (20 page)

Her aunt was already outside with two grocery
store bags at her feet when Xander pulled in the drive.  She was short in
stature, frail in frame with wispy gray hair.  She limped slightly as she
walked forward to greet them, her gaze zeroing in on him as fierce as a trained
interrogator’s. 

Nicole made the introductions, and Xander shook
her hand, her aunt’s discerning gaze barely softening.

“Did you have a nice weekend?” she asked Nicole.

“The best.”

“I’ll just put these in the car for you,” he said
to Nicole, picking up the bags and walking away still feeling her eagle eyes
lasering him in the back.  Sure enough, when he returned, she watched his every
move.

“I was telling Aunt Claire about you adopting
Apollo.”

“You like dogs?” her aunt questioned.

“Yes, ma’am.”  He didn’t think she’d be able to
narrow her gaze any farther, but she did.

She folded her arms.  “Where do you work?”

“I’m a financial analyst for a firm in the city.”

“How did you meet?”

“Aunt Claire.  You don’t need to give him the
third degree.”  Nicole blushed, obviously uncomfortable with her aunt’s
interrogation, even though he felt he was doing a pretty good job holding his
own.

“I want to know how you met,” she insisted to
Nicole before turning back to him.

“We met at a coffee shop near her house.”

“How did—”

“Enough.”  Nicole held up a hand.  “We’re going to
go now before you completely scare him away.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Camden,” he said as Nicole
tugged him toward the vehicle.

“Let me know when you’re home,” she called to
Nicole.

Nicole waved and climbed into the car.  “Please
don’t say anything else to her.  Just get in the car and let’s go.”

Xander did as she asked, but he did send a parting
wave to her aunt, which surprisingly, she returned.

“Oh my God.”  Nicole slumped in her seat as he
backed out of the driveway.  “I’m so sorry.  She’s never acted like that
before.”

“She’s only looking out for you.  Nothing wrong
with that.”

“No, that’s not like her.  She’s usually a very
pleasant person.”

“Have you gone away for the weekend with a man
before?”

“No.”

“There you go, then.  She’s worried I’m going to
steal you away in the night.  Normal mother behavior.”

Nicole glanced at him, twisting her lips as though
she wasn’t quite sure she should believe him.  “If you say so.”

*        *        *

          Xander called
Sam the moment he dropped off Nicole, letting him know he’d be stopping by with
important information.  His buddy wasn’t too happy about having to wait until
Xander arrived to hear what he had to say, but it was too important to tell
over the phone.  Sam would insist on seeing the visual proof anyway.

          He tucked the
surveillance video inside his jacket before heading up to Sam’s door.  That was
one rule their group never broke.  They never, ever discussed evidence Sam had
given them or had it in visual sight if there was the chance someone might see
it or overhear them.  Out of all of them, Sam would receive the harshest
punishment if the authorities caught wind of their illegal activities.

He knocked on Sam’s door, and his friend opened it
immediately.

“Geez, dude.  You staking out the front door?”

“You broke her, didn’t you?”  Sam said as he shut
the door behind Xander.  Excitement etched his features, and he looked as
though he’d cornered some long-awaited prey.  “What did she say?  What did she
do?”

“No.”  He shook his head.  “She’s innocent, man.”

A dumbfounded look crossed his friend’s face, and
he took a moment to respond.  “You slept with her, didn’t you?”

That pissed him off, and he got in Sam’s face.  “Would
you just listen to me?”

Sam didn’t back down.  “Did you or did you not
fuck her?”

Never before had he wanted to punch a person
more.  Instead, he pulled the disc from his pocket and shoved it at Sam’s
chest.  “There’s someone else on the goddamn video.  She wasn’t the only one on
the floor.”

Sam widened his eyes in surprise, his posturing a
thing of the past.  “What?”  He took the video and headed into the room that
housed his TV.  He put the disc in his player, effectively shutting off Sunday
afternoon football.

Xander stood next to him, anxious for his friend
to see the shadow person.  “Fast forward to right before she gets back on the
elevator.”

Sam did as Xander asked.

“Watch on the right-hand side.”

Just as Nicole appeared on screen, a portion of
someone’s head was visible moving along the top of the cubicles.

“Holy shit.”  His friend haphazardly sat on his
coffee table and replayed the video.  “I can’t believe we missed this.”

“Nicole and I had watched it a few times before we
saw it, too.  Probably missed it because it happens at almost the exact time as
Nicole reappears on screen, and she steals the attention.”  In more ways than
one.

“I’m going to have Clark’s
ass
for this.” 
His friend was seriously pissed.  “Could you imagine if we’d presented this at
trial without noticing the other person?  Fuck.  Her attorney would have gotten
her off easily.”

Wait.  “What?”

“Yeah, man.  We need to find out who this person
is.  He or she could very well be an accomplice.  If not that, then a witness
who could strengthen our case.”

“You’re not hearing me, Sam.  Nicole is innocent.”

Their gazes dueled for several seconds.

“You’re pussy-whipped.  You’ve lost all
objectivity.  Come on, you know her past.  Her father was convicted for the
same damn thing.  How can you believe things are not tied together?  It’s too
perfect.”

“Because it is too perfect.  Because I’ve gotten
to know her.  She’d die before she’d hurt anyone.  Hell, she’s afraid to do
something that might be questionable, let alone illegal.”

Sam shook his head.  “My gut’s telling me
different, man.  And it’s never wrong.”

“It is this time.”  How would he get his friend to
see things clearly?  “Damn it, Sam.  Why can’t you listen to me?  She’s
innocent.”

Sam stared at his friend, then sighed.  “I’ll tell
you what, we’ll look at this as though it’s a new piece of evidence.  I’ll chew
out Clark, have him review what you found and see if we can identify the person
in the video.  We’ll go from there.  But if she’s guilty…”  He shook his head. 
“I’m going to press to have her prosecuted to the full extent.”

“Make sure Hunter gets a copy with the updated
info,” Xander said, tucking his copy of the video in his jacket.  Maybe Hunter
could talk some sense into Sam.  “Have Clark check to see if that’s a TriMet
pass in her hand when she walks out.”

“You know I will.  I’ll get back to you with
whatever we find out if you can promise me right now you haven’t been
compromised.”

Xander gave his friend a hard look.  “Compromised? 
You forget what her father did to mine.  I want to see the thief behind bars
more than any of you.”

Sam nodded, satisfied.

Compromised?  Xander exhaled a sardonic laugh as
he made his way to his car.  He was beyond compromised.  Screwed was more like
it.  He needed to start considering plans to get Nicole in hiding if things
went south.

There was no way he could let her go to prison.

*        *        *

Nicole stepped off the bus and extended her
umbrella to protect her from the drizzling rain.  Droplets splashed onto her
calves as she hurried down 3
^rd
Avenue, looking for the Irish pub
named Caora Dubh.  The exterior didn’t seem too impressive with several neon
signs in the windows and a Celtic symbol for friendship hanging over the door.

She pulled on one of the intricately carved metal
handles that looked like it might have come from an old castle and opened the
door.  Her nerves were two-fold.  First, she sucked at interviewing, and
second, Christian Monroe was the first of Xander’s friends or family that she’d
meet.

She took a deep breath, closed her umbrella and
stepped inside.

The dim interior was the first to greet her, and
it took a moment for her eyes to adjust.

“You must be Nicole.”  The voice came from near the
bar, and she squinted, trying better to see.

“I am.”  She stepped forward, her heels clicking
on the wooden floor, as the man’s silhouette and finally his face came into
focus.  She first noticed his warm, brown eyes that seemed to smile even when
he wasn’t.  His hair was longer, pushed away from his face in a sexy, beach
kind of look.  She held out a hand.  “Nicole Camden.”

He took her offering, his handshake firm and
warm.  “Christian Monroe.”  He studied her for a moment, making her
uncomfortable.  “Xander says you need a job.”

“I do.”  She released a breath full of anxiety,
her gaze traveling over the rows of bottles stacked behind the bar.  This was
harder than she’d expected.  “I was unfairly fired from my previous job, and I’m
grateful to you for considering me.”

“I’ve heard the story.”  But he didn’t seem as
understanding about it as Xander had.  “Did you do it?”

She swallowed, unprepared for his scrutiny.  She
met his questioning gaze with a firm one of her own.  “No, Mr. Monroe.  I did
not.”

He watched her for another second, then nodded.  “Call
me Chris.”  His stance seemed to relax, and so did she.  “I need someone to
waitress from six to midnight on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.  If you
could come in at say four on those days, I could use some help with keeping
stock and ordering.”

She hadn’t worked anything other than
eight-to-five since college, but she was more than grateful for the job.  “I
would love to.”  She reached out to shake his hand again.  “Thank you, Chris,
for believing in me and giving me a chance.”

He shrugged.  “I trust Xander’s judgment, and
everyone needs a second chance.  See you tomorrow?”

“Yes.”  She nodded happily and left, walking
straight into the rain before she realized she hadn’t opened her umbrella.  She
quickly remedied her mistake and glanced at her watch.  It was barely eleven,
and she had nothing else on her agenda for the day.

She had plenty of time to pop in to Xander’s
office and surprise him with a thank you.  Now that she’d have a job, she could
even splurge for lunch.

His building was a few blocks away, but she could
easily catch the streetcar and be there in a few minutes.  Right before she
reached the streetcar stop, a short white dress in a cute boutique caught her
eyes.

She glanced at the no-nonsense skirt and white
blouse she wore, and then thought of Xander’s reaction if she showed up wearing
something a little sexier.  She could keep her overcoat buttoned so the staff
in his building wouldn’t see what she had on underneath.  She needed this,
needed a bit of extravagance to counter the emotional cloud hanging over her.

The more she thought about it, the more determined
she became.  She ducked into the store and was greeted by a woman near her age
with blond hair and pink tips.

“May I help you?”  The woman seemed friendly and
quite possibly unaware of Nicole’s recent notoriety.

“I’m interested in the white dress in the window. 
How much is it?”

The woman’s smile brightened.  “Actually, it’s
leftover from our summer stock, and we’re having a clearance to make room for
our holiday items.  Would you care to try it on?”

The soft, silky material floated over her head and
down her body.  The thin straps didn’t allow her to wear a bra, and the dress
was certainly more suited for a cocktail party, but she didn’t care.  It fit
her like a dream, leaving her feeling like a princess.  She and this dress were
destined to be together.

She walked out of the dressing room, allowing the
salesclerk to help her with the ties in the back.  When she finished, Nicole
turned, the salesclerk giving her an approving nod.  “Very nice.”

Nicole surveyed herself in the mirror.  It was
perfect.  “I’ll take it.  Can you cut off the tags?  I’d like to wear it now.”

The woman lifted her brows, obviously wondering
about Nicole’s choice of clothing for a rainy, Monday morning.

“I’m headed to my boyfriend’s office, and I’d like
to surprise him.”

An intrigued grin spread across the salesclerk’s
face.  “I would dare say he’ll think it’s a nice surprise.”

Nicole paid for her purchase and slipped into her
coat, her previous clothes tucked safely in her bag. 

As she waited in the rain for the streetcar to
arrive, she realized his stop would only be a block away from First Freedom’s
building.  She glanced around her.  The last thing she needed was to run into
someone from work.  As she got on the streetcar, she kept her head low,
avoiding connecting gazes with fellow riders.  She found a spot near a window
and set down her bag in order to hold onto the safety rail.

It only took the streetcar a few minutes to reach
the stop close to Xander’s building.  Nicole stepped off the streetcar only to
realize she’d forgotten her bag.  She turned and bumped into a woman wearing a
dark blue rain jacket with the hood up.  She was about to apologize when she
recognized the woman from the computer department at First Freedom.  “Mary?”

Mary widened her eyes as though surprised to see
her.  Then her expression lowered to a frown.  “I thought you’d be in jail by
now.  Excuse me.”  She pushed past her and continued down the sidewalk, leaving
Nicole to stare after her, the all-too-familiar waves of pain and humiliation
flaring inside. 

“I forgot my bag,” she said to the driver before
she hurried and snatched her sack and exited the streetcar, praying no one else
would recognize her.  For the past couple of weeks, she hadn’t had any
incidents like this, and she’d begun to feel as though maybe her nightmare was
in the past.  But it was obvious she’d never escape the scars from her
unfortunate incident.