The Renegade Hunter

Nicholas tore his gaze away from the road to glance to the German shepherd lying silent and still on the passenger seat. The dog's eyes were open, but he looked rather dazed. "What happened to him?"

"Bad-Breath Boy threw him a good ten or fifteen feet into a wall. At least I think he hit the wall, I'm not sure. All I know is he landed on a table with enough impact to smash it." Jo frowned and reached out to pat the dog reassuringly. "Charlie seemed unconscious when I first got to him, but then he opened his eyes. He couldn't stand up when he tried though."

"By Bad-Breath Boy I presume you mean Ernie?" Nicholas asked. "The blond who was shooting at us and whom Bricker and Anders were shooting at?"

"Is that his name?" she asked with disgust. "He has the name of a geek but is an utter jerk. I guess Shakespeare was right, a jerk by any name is still a jerk."

Nicholas smiled faintly at her mangling of Shakespeare, but then said, "Charlie could have a concussion."

Jo appeared surprised. "You think? I didn't know dogs could get concussions too?"

Nicholas shrugged. "They have brains, don't they?"

"Right," she muttered, and Nicholas glanced over again to see her peering worriedly at the dog. The German shepherd's eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping now. He wasn't surprised when she asked, "Should I let him sleep? It seems to me I remember hearing somewhere you aren't supposed to sleep with a head wound."

Nicholas hesitated, his eyes on the road ahead. He wasn't sure if that was true or not. Jo began to shift out of the cubbyhole in front of the seat, and Nicholas glanced over to see her scooping the dog into her arms and resettling herself in the passenger seat with him on her lap. He suspected she'd done it as an excuse to rouse the dog rather than for her own comfort. She was peering down at the beast like he was a baby who was deathly ill. She obviously loved the mutt.

Sighing, Nicholas cleared his throat and asked, "Where can we find a vet?"

Jo took a moment to glance at their surroundings. They weren't really far from her apartment, and relief filled her face as she took in that fact and said, "Charlie's vet is two blocks up and one block right."

Nicholas merely nodded. He'd take her and the dog to the vet, but this was a perfect example of why he couldn't claim her. Stops like this were dangerous, especially so close to the apartment. Ernie and the others would be looking for them now, cruising the neighborhood and watching for the van. He hoped there was somewhere to park that would make it less noticeable.

"Thank you," Jo murmured the minute he took the turn onto the street the clinic was on.

"For what?" he asked with surprise.

"Everything," she said dryly. "You got us out of there and now you're taking us to the vet's. Thank you."

Nicholas didn't say anything, but suspected Jo wouldn't have needed saving if it weren't for him. He should never have kissed her with a rogue lying nearby. He should have at least made sure the man was down for the count first... and admitting that he couldn't read her had been a stupid slip that Ernie had no doubt heard. It was probably the only reason the rogue was now after Jo.

Aside from that, Nicholas had been foolish enough to count on Bricker and Anders to keep her safe when he'd first seen Ernie leave his vehicle and creep up on the house. It wasn't until the rogue had climbed through the building's ground floor window and disappeared while the two enforcers had stayed in their SUV talking that he'd realized they hadn't noticed the man.

Nicholas had wanted to race his van right up to the front door and charge in after the rogue, but had feared it might bring the two enforcers running... after him. He'd worried that by the time he'd convinced them that Jo was in peril, it would be too late. So he'd wasted time driving around to the back of the building and climbing up onto the flat garage roof that doubled as a balcony to get inside. Then he'd had to be sure they saw him in case he wasn't enough to keep Jo out of Ernie's clutches and had run to the front of the garage balcony to be sure he was spotted. That was how he'd ended up going to the right apartment, he'd heard the banging coming from inside her apartment as he'd run across the garage roof.

"You shouldn't have come," Jo said suddenly, drawing his startled gaze.

"Why?"

"Because Bricker and Anders were sitting outside," she said quietly. "Lucian said you wouldn't be able to stay away and they were sent to watch for you."

"I figured," he admitted on a sigh. "But I was following Ernie and he followed you guys from the house."

"So much for you not being able to stay away from me," Jo muttered, and then added, "I don't know what took them so long. I expected them to come running the minute Gina ran outside screaming."

Nicholas glanced at her uncertainly. "Gina?"

Her eyebrows rose at his confusion, and she prompted, "Blond... half naked... no doubt screaming her head off?"

Nicholas shook his head. "There was nothing like that. I knew Ernie was in there because I saw him go in, and the only reason Bricker and Anders came running was because I made sure they saw me climb up onto the garage roof to get to your door."

Jo frowned. "I wonder where the hell Gina went then."

"If she was half naked, she probably went to one of the other apartments rather than outside," he suggested quietly. "Her first instinct would be to get somewhere safe and probably call the police."

"Probably," Jo agreed with a sigh. "It should have been my first suggestion to her too."

Nicholas merely grunted. The mortal police wouldn't have been of much use against Ernie. He would have been long gone, taking Jo with him before they could even get there. Still, he asked curiously, "Why didn't you call the police?"

Jo was silent for a minute and then rather than answer, said, "It was pretty impressive the way you jumped over the balcony rail to the truck like you did."

"I used to be a high-jump champ in high school," Nicholas lied blandly.

"And I suppose Ernie, Bricker, and Anders were as well?"

Nicholas grimaced but merely said, "I wouldn't know."

"Right," she drawled dryly. "And Ernie managed to get through both of my apartment doors with little enough effort. No one I know could have done that."

"It's an old building," Nicholas said with a shrug.

"Yes it is," she agreed, but then added, "However, those weren't old or flimsy doors. I made sure they were solid oak doors and had the locks put on myself when I moved in. Ernie shouldn't have been able to break through as he did, and he certainly shouldn't have been able to send the deck chair flying either. It was heavy as hell and you jammed it in good, yet it hardly slowed him down."

Nicholas's mouth tightened, but he didn't comment. He'd pulled into the veterinary clinic parking lot and now sandwiched the van in a spot marked "reserved" between two clinic vans, hoping it would be enough to hide their vehicle. Turning off the engine, he opened his door, saying, "Sit tight. I'll come around and get Charlie."

He caught the startled way Jo glanced around and the suspicion that immediately lit her face when she saw where they were.

"How did you know where the clinic was?" she asked the moment he opened her door, and he noted the way her grip tightened on her dog when he reached for Charlie.

Nicholas raised one eyebrow and pointed out, "You said it was on this road."

"Yes, but-"

"And the big sign on the front lawn that says Hillsdale Veterinary Clinic was a help," he interrupted dryly. "I presume this is the right one and there isn't another clinic further up the road?"

"No," she admitted on a sigh and relaxed.

Nicholas leaned in to scoop up the dog and this time she let him. He then waited just long enough for her to slip out of the van and close the door before heading toward the clinic entrance. He walked at a good clip, just enough to keep her jogging to keep up with him so that she didn't have the time or breath to ask further questions. When he reached the door, he shifted the dog to open it himself and stepped inside, only to pause at the sight of the packed waiting room.

The cacophony of barking dogs, mewling cats, squawking birds, and yipping people that rolled over them as they entered seemed to put some life back in Charlie. He barked with excitement, body twisting and legs kicking in a demand to be set down, but Nicholas ignored him, ground his teeth, and walked straight up to the counter, his eyes zeroing in on the older of the two women behind it. By the time Jo caught up with him, the woman's face was blank and she was moving around the counter to meet them.

"What did you tell her?" Jo asked in an amazed whisper as they followed the woman to an examination room.

Nicholas caught the guilty look she was casting to those waiting with their pets, but wasn't sorry he'd taken control of the woman to speed the process along. They had a rogue and two enforcers after them, and the longer they were here, the more chance there was they'd be trailed and caught. He'd done what he had to do. Rather than answer her question, he set Charlie on the examination table, and then said, "I need to make a phone call," before slipping out of the room.

From the concern she'd shown over her pet, Nicholas had expected Jo would stay with the mutt. It would have been convenient. He had hoped to call the enforcer house and tell them to have Bricker and Anders pick her up here, and then watch the building from a safe distance to be sure Ernie didn't get to her first. Unfortunately, Jo was a smart cookie. She chased after him, catching him by the elbow at the exit.

"You're dumping us here," Jo said accusingly.

Nicholas avoided her gaze and lied, "No. Of course not. I told you, I need to make a phone call."

Her eyes narrowed, but she held out her hand. "Then give me the van keys."

"What?" he asked with amazement.

"If you're just making a call, you don't need the keys," Jo said with inarguable logic. "So give me the keys and go make your call or I start yelling rape and tell everyone here that you are the one who hurt Charlie, and while you're trying to fight off this animal-loving mob, I run out and slash your tires and neither of us goes anywhere."

"Jesus, woman," Nicholas muttered with amazement.

"I'll do it," she warned.

Nicholas opened his mouth, closed it, and then sighed and said, "Jo, I'm just calling Bricker and Anders to have them come get you. I wouldn't take off until I knew you were safe. You're better off with them. At the house Mortimer and the others can keep you safe."

"Oh yeah, because they've done such a bang-up job already, at the house last night and then just now at my apartment," she said dryly.

"That was..." Nicholas paused when she arched one eyebrow. Actually they hadn't done such a hot job of keeping her safe so far, he acknowledged. Still...

"I want answers, Argeneau," she said grimly. "I'm worried sick about what my sister has got herself into. My dog has been hurt, and some crazy guy is after me, and I want to know what the hell is going on."

"Mortimer-" he began.

"Mortimer and those guys won't give me answers," Jo snapped impatiently. "From everything you've said they're more likely to wipe my memories instead, and then-what? Keep me an unwilling 'guest' at the house until this-whatever this is-all blows over?"

Nicholas grimaced guiltily; that was exactly what they would do. Sighing, he ran one hand through his hair agitatedly, and then asked, "What makes you think you'd get any answers from me?"

"Because I'm going to pester the hell out of you until I get them," she said bluntly. "Now, do I get the keys or should I start screaming my head off?"

Nicholas stared at her silently, a reluctant smile curving his lips. It was inconvenient as hell that he couldn't read or control her... but it certainly made life interesting, he decided. Pulling his keys from his pocket, he handed them over. "There. Now get back to Charlie."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you going to do?"

"I told you, I have a phone call to make," he said solemnly. "If you're done before I come back in, I'll be in the parking lot."

Jo hesitated, obviously suspecting a trick, but then she apparently decided to trust him and turned to walk back into the examination room.

Nicholas watched her go with admiration. He didn't doubt for a minute that she would have started screaming if he'd tried to leave, but that wasn't why he'd given her his keys. He had done so because Josephine Willan was one interesting woman: plucky, caring, strong, determined, and sexy as hell. He didn't want to leave her there and couldn't resist the temptation of keeping her with him for at least a little longer.

It might just have been the stupidest decision he'd ever made in his life, of course. But then Nicholas had made a lot of those in his five hundred and sixty years, and if he'd learned anything in that time it was that regret was a waste of time... and he'd wasted fifty years on that emotion already.

The examination door closed, cutting off his view of Jo. Nicholas sighed and started to exit the building, but paused when one of the other examination room doors opened. An older gentleman appeared, his face not dissimilar to that of the bulldog he was leading on a leash. As the man led the dog to the counter, Nicholas quickly slid into the fellow's thoughts. After finding out the man had a cell phone and where he was headed on leaving there, Nicholas went outside to wait for him. He'd use the fellow's phone to call the enforcer house and find out if Ernie was caught without risking the call being traced or the phone being tracked to him.

Jo stepped out of the clinic and paused to quickly scan the parking lot. The van was still there of course, she had the keys. But she'd still worried that Nicholas would either hot-wire the van, had another set of keys, or would leave on foot. That wasn't the case, however, the van was there, and so was Nicholas, just visible inside the van. The moment she spotted him, however, he was opening the door and slipping out to hurry toward them.

"If you tell me which vehicle it is, miss, I'll take Charlie to it."

"Oh, sorry." Jo turned to offer the vet's assistant an apologetic smile. He was struggling to hold Charlie. She hadn't wanted to walk the German shepherd through the waiting room without a leash. Fortunately, the vet hadn't liked the idea either and had sent for one of his assistants to carry him out for her. The German shepherd was heavy, though, and also wasn't happy being carried anymore. The moment the vet had shown up, Charlie had suddenly regained his spirit. All through the examination, he'd wagged his tail happily, barked, and tried to lick the doctor in hello, basically acting like there wasn't a thing wrong with him.

Jo hadn't been at all surprised when the vet finally announced that it was no doubt a mild concussion as she'd feared, but that Charlie should recover quickly and be fine. He said to keep an eye out, and if Charlie started to vomit or demonstrate any other unusual behavior, she was to bring him directly back in, but he could go home for now.

"You can put him down now, thanks," Jo said. "Charlie won't run. I just didn't want him to be loose in the waiting room with the other animals."

"Oh, that's all right, Miss Willan," the assistant said, smiling despite the squirming dog. "I'm happy to help. I'll carry him to your car for you. We wouldn't want one of the other owners coming out with an animal and-"

He broke off with surprise as Nicholas reached them and plucked Charlie from his arms.

Jo's eyebrows rose, not at the peremptory way he took her dog from the young man, but at the scowl he sent the assistant as he growled, "She doesn't need your help. She has me."

The assistant swallowed. "Right. Well... I'll just..."

"Thank you," Jo called as the young man turned and hurried back into the building. The moment the door closed behind him, she turned a glare on Nicholas. "That was rude. He was just trying to help."

"You wouldn't think I was the rude one if you'd heard his lascivious thoughts," Nicholas said, striding toward the van.

"Lascivious?" Jo hurried after Nicholas. "What do you mean, if I'd heard his lascivious thoughts? You can't hear his thoughts... can you?"

"Open the door," Nicholas ordered rather than answer.

Jo frowned, but opened the back door he'd stopped beside.

"There's a blanket in that box there, on top. Spread it out for him."

Jo peered at the half a dozen boxes in the back of the van, spotting a plaid blanket on top of the nearest one. She grabbed it, surprised to find that it was incredibly soft rather than the prickly wool she'd expected. It felt nice, and she leaned into the van to lay it out for Charlie. The moment she finished and stepped aside, Nicholas leaned in and set Charlie on it. Jo then offered him the doggie bone the nurse had given her. He accepted it and began to chew on it at once.

"He's got an appetite, that's a good sign," Nicholas murmured, straightening. "What did the vet say?"

"Mild concussion. Bring him back if he starts vomiting or anything," Jo admitted on a sigh. "Of course, Charlie was all perky and happy to see the vet the minute he entered the room. Dr. Hillsdale probably thought I was a panicky idiot."

"Or a caring pet owner," Nicholas said, sliding the door closed. He then opened the front passenger door for her before moving around to the driver's side.

Jo climbed in and pulled the door closed. She was doing her seat belt up when Nicholas climbed in on the other side and held out his hand. "Keys?"

She automatically reached for the keys, but then paused and peered at him. "I want to know-"

"When we get somewhere safe," Nicholas interrupted firmly. "We can't stay here. It's too close to your apartment. They'll be cruising the streets looking for us. We have to get out of this area altogether."

Jo sighed and gave up the keys. She then sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, a small cyclone of thoughts rolling through her head. Memories of last night and today were flowing together making the oddities of what had happened obvious... All of it was odd, of course. Her life had been relatively normal until that party at Sam and Mortimer's last night, and now her life appeared to have exploded. She'd been attacked twice, her dog had been injured, and she was surrounded by men who seemed just a little different from the average male.

Jo didn't think anyone else she knew could have leaped that balcony rail with the ease Nicholas, Bricker, Anders, and even Ernie had. And certainly Mortimer was the only person she knew who had a trio of prison cells in his garage, not to mention a refrigerator full of bagged blood.

And then there was the passion of Nicholas's kisses. Perhaps it was the long dry spell she'd had. Jo hadn't dated in a couple of months, but the man had curled her toes and set her hair on fire with his kisses. She didn't doubt for a minute that, if they hadn't been interrupted, she would have had sex with the man right there in the garage and would now have bar imprints on her back.

The sudden silence of the engine caught Jo's attention and she let her thoughts slip away to peer around. They were in a parking garage.

"Where are we?" she asked, glancing to Nicholas.

"A hotel," he said quietly, opening his door to get out. "We can talk here and I need some sleep."

Jo glanced to Charlie. The German shepherd had remained quiet and still during the ride, but now he stood up, tail wagging and eyes bright. Happy to see him looking so much better, Jo smiled and patted his head, glancing around when the back door opened. Nicholas was leaning in to get a duffel bag. She watched briefly, but then reached for her door handle and got out. Charlie immediately followed and Jo murmured, "Good dog" as she closed the door, but then frowned as she recalled Nicholas saying they were at a hotel.

"Do they take dogs here?" she asked, walking to the back of the van.

"They'll take Charlie," he assured her, straightening and slamming the back door closed. "Come on."

Nicholas took her arm to lead her across the garage toward the hotel entrance.

Jo patted her leg, a silent order for Charlie to follow, though she needn't have bothered. He never left her side when they were out of the apartment. He rarely left it in the apartment. Charlie was definitely a one-woman dog.

It was mid-afternoon and the hotel lobby was busy as they entered, but most of the people were coming and going. There was only one person ahead of them at the check-in desk, a man in a business suit who finished his business and moved off as they approached.

"I'm Mr. Smith and we need a room," Nicholas announced, releasing her arm. "I'm paying cash."

"We need a credit card to secure a room, sir, and we don't allow dog-Very good, sir," the man interrupted himself to say suddenly, and Jo's eyes sharpened on the clerk. His voice had gone from polite disinterest to an empty wooden tone in a heartbeat, and his face was just as empty as he passed over a packet of card keys.

"Thank you." Nicholas took the cards, dropped several bills on the counter, and then urged Jo away.

"What did you do to him?" she asked with a frown.

"Nothing," he said at once. "You were there."

"Yes, I was, and he was politely refusing us a room when he suddenly changed his tune and, I suspect, not all on his own. Somehow you made him-"

"Sir, I'm afraid dogs aren't allowed in this hotel."

Nicholas slowed, and Jo glanced around to see a man in the hotel's golden jacket approaching.

"The check-in clerk should have told you that, I'm sorry," the man continued, and then suddenly paused just a foot from them, smiled woodenly, and offered, "Enjoy your stay, sir,"

Nicholas grunted and urged Jo forward again, hurrying her to the elevators with Charlie padding along at her side. The dog's head was turning this way and that as he examined this new environment, but he stayed close enough to her that his shoulder kept bumping her leg. They reached the bank of elevators just as one arrived, and followed another couple on board.

They all smiled politely at one another, but the woman's smile was a bit nervous as she glanced at Charlie.

"He doesn't bite," Jo assured her quietly, and the woman's smile widened a little, but she still eyed Charlie like he might leap up and muddy her skirt or chomp his teeth into her arm at any moment. It was a relief when the elevator stopped and the other couple got off. The elevator continued up then, and Jo watched the numbers light up. They rode all the way to the top floor.

Nicholas led the way off the elevator and paused briefly before turning right. He led her up the long corridor, past a maid's cart. Jo glanced in the room as they passed, catching a glimpse of a maid making the bed, and immediately picked up speed to get Charlie past the door before the woman turned and noted his presence.

Nicholas led her all the way to the second last door before he paused and inserted one of the card keys. When the light on the door blinked green, he pushed the wooden panel open, and then held it wide for Jo and Charlie to precede him.

Jo stepped past him, glancing appreciatively at the comfortable room as they went... and doing her best to ignore the fact that there was only one king-sized bed.

"Sorry," Nicholas muttered, glancing around as he entered behind her. "I should have asked for two beds. I can go down and-"

"It's all right," Jo interrupted. "The bed is huge. You could practically swim in it."

Nodding, he tossed his duffel bag on the bed and turned back to the door. "I need to go get something to eat. Make yourself comfortable, I won't be long."

Jo turned in surprise to find the door already closing behind him. Cursing, she crossed the room at a quick clip and tugged the door open, but when she stepped into the hall he was gone. The only thing out there was the maid's cart they'd passed earlier, otherwise the hall was empty. Jo stared up toward the elevators in amazement. It was as if he'd just disappeared.

Feeling a nudge at her leg, she glanced down to see Charlie peering up at her worriedly. The dog always got that look when she was upset. He seemed to pick up on the emotion and it stressed him out. Jo forced herself to relax and bent to pet him even as she urged him away from the open door. "Come on, buddy. I suspect we'll be evicted if you're seen without Nicholas around; back in the room."

Charlie turned in the doorway and moved back into the room, and Jo followed, letting the door close behind her. She then peered around the room again. A small single-cup coffeepot sat on a table beside a large armoire that she suspected held a television. Jo opened the front double doors to find she was right. She grabbed the remote and hit the button to turn on the television as she dropped onto the bed. It was that or pace, Jo thought, glancing to Charlie, who was sitting on the floor beside the bed, eyeing her hopefully. She patted the mattress beside her. "Come on, you can keep me company. You've had a rough day."

Charlie was on the bed in a heartbeat, settling beside her. Jo petted him absently as she flipped through the channels and discovered there was very little on at four-thirty. When the Sunday afternoon Disney movie flashed on the screen, she stopped. It would do. Jo set the remote on the bedside table, rearranged her pillows, and settled in to watch the show, realizing just how tense she'd been when her muscles all slowly began to relax.

Charlie wasn't the only one who'd had a rough day, Jo acknowledged, stifling a yawn.