Kevin's grin could have powered half of Lyons. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled fifty-dollar bill and tried to give it to Shane.
"For your retainer," he said solemnly. “You can keep the whole thing.”
Shane looked down at the money, then back at Kevin. With one smooth motion, he folded Kevin's palm and wrapped the boy's fingers around the bill.
"Pro bono, remember? But I appreciate the vote of confidence."
As Kevin beamed and launched into questions about bodyguard protocol, April felt something she hadn't experienced in years: the dangerous, terrifying sensation of inviting Shane back into her life.
Shane caught her eye over Kevin's head, and his small smile promised everything she was afraid to hope for.
Don't get used to this, she warned herself.Remember how he ran out on you when you needed him the most.
“Better take Pete outside before he starts doing the pee-pee dance,” April warned.
“Okay, Mom.” He threw himself at her and hugged her around the waist, almost knocking her over. “Thanks.” Then he dashed out the door with Pete more than happy to run at his side.
Kevin came back a minute later and they all walked back into the main shop together. Kevin ran up to Sonny and launched into a complex negotiation that involved giving Pete the other half of his sandwich. It sounded like an elaborate international trade agreement.
"April." Shane's voice was soft beside her. "Whatever happens next, you're not handling this alone. You won't ever have to run again. I promise."
Looking into his eyes, April tried to believe him.
EIGHT
Shane drove backto Watchdog with his hands steady on the wheel and his mind spinning like a slot machine.
That bastard.
The thoughts kept cycling through. He felt a wave of something that felt too much like jealousy and not enough like the detached protectiveness he wanted it to be. Oh hell—there was no way he could be detached when it came to April. Or Kevin. That little boy had found his way into Shane’s heart years ago. But his jealousy surged—some other man had touched April, held her, made promises to her. Made her believe in love again after Shane had destroyed that for her the first time.
Then he'd tried to use her. He’d given her a son he wanted no part of. He'd hurt her deeply.
Shane's knuckles went white on the steering wheel.Vincent Romano. The name had burned itself into his brain, right next to a mental list of everything he wanted to do to the son of a bitch if he ever showed his face in Colorado.
Focus, Elk. She's safe. He's been on parole for a year and hasn't made a move.
Shane parked in front of the kennels and killed the engine. The building was quiet when he and Pete walked in. Jodie hadalready gone home for the day, but Kyle's office light was on. Shane headed straight for it.
"Boss?" Shane knocked on the doorframe.
“Come on in,” Kyle said as he looked up from his computer. Camo, Kyle’s half-gold, half-black Lab stood and wagged his tail. Flint was already there, sitting across from Kyle with his laptop. He worked in Watchdog’s IT department officially. Unofficially, he could hack into almost anything. He’d been trained by a woman named Elissa who ran Watchdog HQ in Los Angeles and was a legend.
Shane nodded at Flint who gave him a chin lift before going back to his laptop. Shane settled into the other chair across from Kyle's desk, organizing his thoughts. This was about April's safety, not about Shane's tangled-up feelings. Pete laid himself down beside Camo. The two were old friends.
"So who is this Vincent Romano you want us to check out?” Kyle asked. “What's his connection to us?"
"He’s April's ex-fiancé. Kevin’s father."
Flint’s typing stopped. He looked up with raised eyebrows that matched Kyle’s.
“No shit?” Kyle asked.
“He's the reason Kevin played hooky and came here earlier." Shane rubbed the back of his neck. "He’d overheard April talking about going on the run if someone found her. Romano was arrested for casino fraud almost ten years ago. Fake chips, past-posting. April had been living under a fake identity in Vegas—she was using the name April Meyer. She left the day he was arrested. Same day she found out she was pregnant. She testified against him, and when the drive-by happened, the family thought he might have found her."
Flint was typing again, faster now. "So as far as he knows, his ex is April Meyer, not April Taylor?"
"Right. The question is whether he's been looking for April Meyer and coming up empty, or if he's figured out who she really is, then what are the chances he might come looking for her."
