Page 7 of Nora
She didn’t think it possible, but his eyes narrowed even more, and his expression darkened. She studied him as she waited for him to make the next move. His work boots were well-worn, and the dark brown leather was scuffed to a lighter color at the toes. His jeans were frayed at the cuffs but looked soft and durable as they wrapped around his thighs. The hunter-green vest he wore over an off-white button-down would be enough to keep him warm while inside. She wondered if he had the right kind of coat for winter in Massachusetts.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” he bit out as he ran a hand over his more-than-a-five-o’clock shadow.
She frowned. “Actually, I don’t know what you mean, Lucian. I don’t know why you’re angry, and I don’t know why it’s directed at me. I haven’t seen you in three years. And even when I did see you, we had a friendly evening with your aunt and uncle. I can’t imagine I did anything to warrant this.”
He scowled. “You’re here because they sent you to look after me,” he said, stalking toward her. He was an imposing man, but Nora wasn’t afraid of him. Curious, yes; afraid, no.
“You’re sounding a bit paranoid, Lucian. Who is thistheyyou’re talking about?” She remained seated but tipped her head up to look at him as he approached.
He paused, looming over her, his arms crossed. Dark eyes searched hers, and she fought the urge to scoot her chair back. She didn’t feel the need to move away from him, but craning her neck to hold his gaze was getting uncomfortable.
“Honestly, Lucian, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said. And it wasn’t a lie.
“How did you end up here?” It was worded as a question but came out as a demand.
“Why don’t you try that again and see if you can be less growly about it?” she countered. Among her friends, she was the one they all considered the caregiver. And she was definitely more of a nurturer than a fighter. But that didn’t mean she was a pushover. She’d done nothing to deserve his ire, and it wasn’t that hard to be polite. Especially to someone you knew.
His jaw ticked.
“Bears growl, Nora. I ask. And again, how did you end up here?”
She shot him a look of mild disbelief. “Sounded more like a demand to me. But seeing as it seems important to you, I’m here because I was asked.”
Was that his teeth grinding she heard?
“Who asked you?” he asked through his clenched jaw.
She took a deep breath and let it out. Worried for his dental health, she cut to the chase. “I don’t know who you think sent me here, let alone why that might set you off. I assure you, though, I’m only here because the other vet had a family thing come up. Not only do I have experience with working dogs, but I’m local. I guess it seemed like a win-win to the organizers since they didn’t have to pay for any travel.” Not entirely the truth, of course. But her real purpose for being there had nothing to do with whatever Lucian seemed to think was going on, so she didn’t feel too bad about the white lie.
He glared down at her. She held his gaze. Seconds ticked by and as they did, she started to notice tiny things about him. A small scar just below the hairline on the left side of his forehead. A spot of dark brown in his right eye. Seated as she was, she also happened to be eye level with his groin. She never dropped her eyes, but in her peripheral vision, it wasn’t hard to see that his height wasn’t the only large part of his body. They’d had that one night together, but a young man of twenty-two was a very different thing from a man of forty-two.
“My family sent you,” he said, dragging the words out.
Her mind flew out of the gutter it had been headed into, and she drew back. “Your family?” she asked, frowning. “Why would your family send me here? And even if they wanted to, for whatever reason, how would they even do that?” His eyes bored into hers. She was genuinely confused and hoped he’d see that.
“Violetta knows you’re here?”
She nodded. “Of course she knows. I’m here for three weeks. I could hardly leave without telling my friends where I was going.”
“She didn’t send you?”
More and more questions were popping into her head. “Again, why would she do that? Not to mention the fact that even if she wanted to, how would she accomplish it? I love Six like a sister, but she isnotan animal person. The veterinary needs of working dogs aren’t on her radar, let alone something she would orchestrate.”
He glowered down at her for another beat, then spun on his heel and left. She remained silent as he marched out. When the door swung shut behind him, her gaze lingered. Had something happened recently that would have his family concerned? And concerned to the extent that they felt the need to have someone watch over him?
Those questions gave her pause. Maybe Franklin had been right. She still didn’t think Lucian was the type to hold a grudge and take revenge by killing innocent people. But that didn’t mean something else hadn’t happened that might make him snap.
Her gaze dropped to the darkened computer screen and slowly, she raised her hand and restarted it. Her view of Lucian was influenced by the week they’d spent in Capri all those years ago. And the one night she’d never been able to forget. That one night when they’d laughed and danced and swum in the sea. That one night when they’d come together in the way that only young people—and their hormones—did.
She took a bracing breath. It was time to take the blinders off and see who Lucian Salvitto really was.
CHAPTERFOUR
An hour later,Nora mulled over Lucian’s file as she meandered toward the clinic. The more she’d read, the more concerned for him she’d become. Not because of what was in the file, but because of what wasn’t. His life had been quiet since Alessandra’s murder and his departure from AISE. He lived in the house in Umbria he and Alessandra had bought after they’d married. He continued to breed and train dogs. He traveled occasionally for gigs like the one he was currently on. But mostly, he was a homebody.
Nothing in the file gave her cause to think his family had a particular reason to be concerned. Which meant that whatever was going on was more likely emotional or mental, something that wouldn’t be in his files unless he visited a mental health professional. Which he hadn’t.
As her boots landed quietly on the paved walkway, her heart went out to him. Six’s family was close. If they were worried about him, then there must be cause. She considered calling her friend and asking. But Six and Gavin had left that morning for a week in the Caribbean, and she had no wish to interrupt their time together.
