Arden Read online

  “Just avoid her when you’re not dealing with this investigation,” Declan suggested.

  “That’s easier said than done. Just walking down the hallway, I can feel her before I even see her,” Arden admitted.

  “Maybe you should just give up and find out if complicated is exactly what you need in your life,” Declan said.

  “Keera is trouble with a big, fat capital T,” Arden said.

  “Yeah, but hasn’t trouble always led to the best adventures in life?” Declan asked.

  “Who are you? Aren’t you the suspicious one?” Arden asked.

  “Yeah, but I also love seeing you so twitchy,” Declan said.

  “I seem to recall most of my trouble involved you and my other siblings,” Arden said. “No matter what mess we got into, we had a hell of a good time while we did it.”

  “That’s my point,” Declan told him.

  “Yeah, following the rules can be a little boring if we get into too much of a rut,” Arden told him.

  “You’ll figure it out,” Declan said. “Now, get your dog in line. Let’s go to my office.”

  “Max, it’s time to move,” Arden commanded as he tugged on the leash. The dog still refused to move. He wanted to kick his brother’s ass for this brilliant idea of man’s best friend. What had Declan been thinking?

  Taking a deep breath before speaking again, he calmed his voice. “Max, can we go?” Now he was asking the dog’s permission to leave? What in the hell was the world coming to?

  The dog seemed to smirk at him again as he rose, aligning himself next to Arden. Seriously! The dog was now demanding respect? Arden had never been an animal lover, and now he knew why.

  “Do you actually listen to my tone?” he asked the dog, not finding it foolish at all to be speaking to him. “You obviously know your name, and seem to not listen worth crap.”

  The dog looked at him with that smug expression Arden was growing used to, and if he wouldn’t have been accused of going insane, he’d swear the dog nodded at him, as if not only understanding Arden’s tone, but the question he’d asked. Maybe Arden needed more sleep.

  “Fine. But just know I’m not buying you any bones,” Arden grumbled.

  A soft noise came from the dog’s throat, definitely sounding like a scoff. Arden knew he was starting off his day in a bad way when a dog was mocking him.

  Declan moved to the back of the room and sat behind his massive desk, picking up a thick folder filled with notes and images. He looked up after a few seconds, not giving away what he was thinking about.

  “Anything in those folders, since you seem to have all the answers?” Arden asked. Declan gave the closest thing he ever gave to a smile as he smirked at his brother.

  “I know what goes on in this town, as should you,” Declan said.

  “Yeah, you know way too much,” Arden said with a relaxed tone. “This chair is great. I might need to take it from you.”

  “Get your own,” Declan told him.

  “It’s more fun to take yours.”

  “So you didn’t find anything last night?” Declan pushed, getting right back to business.

  “You’re no fun anymore,” Arden told him. Declan just gazed at him with that no-nonsense look. With a sigh, Arden decided he’d ribbed his brother enough. “We don’t have a heck of a lot of info. There was a broken window in the back of the school, so we know a man got in and was in Keera’s office rifling around, but he didn’t seem to get away with anything. Max and I investigated the building for a couple of hours, finding nothing. I don’t know if you think this break-in and the suspected drugs have anything to do with each other, but the cops didn’t seem all that concerned.”

  Declan sat back as he took his time processing what Arden had just told him. That was another thing about his brother—he wasn’t impulsive. Arden looked forward to the day when some tornado of a woman came into his brother’s life and swept Declan right off the ground. He’d pay money to watch that storm.

  “I think the two are definitely connected. I’ve told you before I don’t believe in coincidence. I also don’t ever trust anyone,” he added.

  “Including family?” Arden asked with a raised brow. He wasn’t worried.

  “That’s a stupid question. I’d die for family,” Declan said as he waved his hand in the air. He was so nonchalant about it, but the reality was, they’d all take a bullet for each other. There was no doubt there was trust and love between them.

  “And what do you really think of Keera, all kidding aside?” Arden asked.

  Declan sat back as he studied his brother. Arden suddenly felt as if he were under a microscope, and he fought the urge to shift in his seat. That was just stupid.

  “I’m just processing more what you think of the principal,” Declan said.

  “What I think doesn’t really matter,” Arden told him. “You’ve always had a good instinct about people, so it matters more what you think.”

  Arden was shocked by how much he wanted his brother to tell him there was nothing fishy going on with Keera. She couldn’t be a bad guy. She definitely had secrets, and she was complicated, but she wasn’t a villain—or at least he hoped not.

  “I don’t trust anyone,” Declan said again, and Arden felt disappointment run through him.

  “Do you know something I should know?” Arden asked.

  Declan again gave nothing away. “Nothing I need to share,” his brother said noncommittally. Arden tensed. There was something his brother wasn’t telling him. He knew there was no way he’d get it out of Declan until his brother was ready to talk, which made it that much worse. Declan sighed and Arden waited. “I won’t rule Keera out . . . but I don’t necessarily think she’s involved.”

  The relief flowing through Arden was a bit ridiculous. Just because his brother felt a certain way didn’t make it the truth. Maybe there were drugs in the school, and maybe Keera was involved. Most likely, that wasn’t the case, but Declan believing or not believing it to be the case shouldn’t influence what Arden felt about it. But of course, it did.

  “How long do you think I’ll be keeping this mutt?” Arden asked. He didn’t want to talk about Keera or her possible role in the underworld of drugs anymore. It was too confusing for his muddled brain.

  “As long as it takes,” Declan told him.

  “He’s a pain in my ass,” Arden said, glancing at the dog out of the corner of his eye. He felt a little guilty talking bad about him while he was listening.

  “Be a better pet owner,” Declan said.

  “Max isn’t a pet. He’s a working animal,” Arden pointed out.

  “He’s one hell of a worker, but he’s also a dog, who needs attention,” Declan said. Then his eyes narrowed. “And he’s definitely earned respect.”

  “Like you’d give either attention or respect to an animal,” Arden grumbled. He couldn’t look at Max now, because he felt even more disloyal.

  “Hell, I like animals a lot more than people,” Declan said.

  “Yeah, I get your point,” Arden told him. “But I’m not getting attached to this dog. I don’t want any animals, much less this old thing.”

  “Good luck with that,” Declan said with his version of a chuckle.

  Arden’s phone rang, and he glanced down at the screen to see a blocked number. He thought about letting it go to voice mail, but somehow he was a little jumpy as he gazed at the ringing phone. He answered.

  “Your principal’s at the school, and she’s in trouble,” the male voice said.

  Arden’s eyes narrowed, and he didn’t miss how his brother tensed as he gazed at Arden, unable to hear the other person, but knowing from his brother’s reaction that the call wasn’t good.

  “Explain,” Arden said in a crisp voice.

  The phone call ended, and Arden looked over at his brother.

  “What was that about?” Declan asked.

  “I didn’t recognize the voice, but the caller said Keera was in trouble,” Arden told him. He was alre
ady on his feet and moving over to Max, who seemed to be on instant alert just from Arden’s body language.

  “I’ll come with you,” Declan said, rising as he tucked a sidearm in his holster.

  “No. It might be nothing,” Arden told him.

  “What’s she doing at the school on a Saturday, anyway?” Declan asked. It was more than obvious how guilty this was making Keera look. She might just be the bad guy at the end of the day. Arden might have to face that.

  “Like you don’t already know where she is and why she’s there,” Arden pointed out.

  “Just seeing if you knew,” his brother commented.

  “Yeah, most principals don’t come in on the weekends for the kids, but I like the program she’s running. Instead of detention, she has classes they can take, like art, music, woodworking, and community service. She’s gotten a lot of people from town to volunteer.”

  “She doesn’t seem to be such a bad person,” Declan said.

  “You confuse me,” Arden admitted.

  “I told you, I don’t trust anyone, but I also follow the clues. Just . . .” Declan stopped as he looked down. “Just be aware,” he finished.

  “Of what?” Arden asked, his voice rising loud enough to make Max tense.

  “All in good time,” Declan said.

  Arden wanted to punch a wall.

  “Whatever,” he snapped. “She might be doing all of this as a show of smoke and mirrors, or she might be who she says she is, but you obviously know something, and since you won’t share it, I’m going to see if the caller was another distraction or if the woman is actually in trouble.”

  “You aren’t moving very fast for a worried man,” Declan said.

  “I’m going,” Arden told him, feeling guilty about his brother pointing that out.

  “Let me know if you need me,” Declan said as Arden began walking from Declan’s office.

  “You know I will,” Arden called back as he picked up his pace. Taking his time was no longer an option.

  Though he tried telling himself there was nothing to worry about, that the call had most likely been someone’s idea of a joke, Arden couldn’t erase the sense of unease he felt.

  Someone had broken into Keera’s office the night before, and his brother wasn’t a man to take rumors and run with them. There might be drugs going through Arden’s school, and if there were, and if the principal wasn’t involved, then she might be in the way of some very bad people.

  It was time to get some answers.

  Chapter Four

  Arden climbed into his truck and hit the gas pedal as soon as the engine was running. He needed to get to Keera, see her with his own eyes, and know she was okay. Then he was sure he’d feel foolish about taking the bait from some kid who’d managed to disguise his voice and scare his teacher. Hell, Arden had pulled many pranks on his teachers in his youth.

  Of course, he’d never threatened any of them.

  There were several cars in the school parking lot when Arden pulled up. He climbed from the truck, Max at his side, as he held the leash and moved forward. He had his keys pulled out and was heading toward the front door when Max looked over at the side of the building, his body tense.

  Without a second thought, Arden changed direction, moving toward the employee entrance at the back of the school. Before he could turn the corner, he heard the sound of rising voices. Max let out a low growl that would, and should, scare anyone the sound was aimed at.

  “Let’s find out what’s happening,” Arden whispered to Max, whose gaze was focused ahead of them.

  “This isn’t funny and needs to stop now,” Keera said. There was determination in her tone, but he could hear the faint trace of fear underlining her words. The thought of whoever was scaring her, holding her hostage, truly pissed Arden off.

  He quickly moved forward as a male voice spoke words that made Arden want to shoot the guy.

  “Can’t we all just get along? We can have a nice chat and all be friends, can’t we?” The voice was anything other than friendly.

  Keera was in trouble, but not nearly the trouble this punk was in. Arden was going to do some major damage to the guy if he so much as laid one finger on her. He stepped around the corner, determined to be this woman’s white knight.

  There were three thugs, definitely not high school students. He had to adjust his approach, because dealing with kids was one thing, dealing with street thugs was another. He should’ve taken this a lot more seriously from the moment he’d gotten the call.

  “You absolutely don’t want to do this,” Keera said. She was one hell of a strong woman. It was obvious she was nervous, but he was impressed, and somewhat irritated, to find her shoulders stiff as she took a step closer to the one who seemed to be the ringleader of this rough-looking group. “Now get off my property.”

  Arden was in fight mode as soon as he noticed the knife the one confronting Keera was wielding. She might not realize the danger she was in, but Arden knew how quickly a situation like this could escalate.

  “I don’t feel like going anywhere,” the guy said. Arden didn’t want to startle the punk and have him grab Keera. He had to be smart.

  “I don’t care what you want,” Keera said. The guy’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer to her. The foolish woman didn’t try to run, just squared her shoulders. Arden knew it was time to announce himself.

  “You need to drop your weapon and step away from Ms. Thompson,” Arden said, his Glock in hand. He normally didn’t carry it at school, though he had his concealed carry license. He hadn’t felt the need to until yesterday. He was damn glad he had it on him now.

  Max growled at his side, assuring the men they were serious. The two punks who’d been hanging back, leering at Keera, whipped their heads around, their eyes going wide—most likely from Max’s snarling mouth, versus the gun aimed their way.

  They didn’t hesitate a moment longer before they turned and ran away. Max’s body trembled from his need to pursue them, but Arden was focused on the one with the knife and wanted Max by his side. The others would be found quickly enough.

  “I said, back away from Ms. Thompson,” Arden told the guy. His tone assured the punk he wasn’t going to repeat his words again.

  The man finally took a step back, but he didn’t release his blade. With Keera a little less in danger, Arden slowly moved forward. He didn’t want to shoot anyone, would much rather take the thug down and have his ass thrown in jail. Maybe Arden should’ve brought his brother. He should have called the cops the second he’d arrived. There was a lot he should’ve done.

  “You aren’t that different from your brother, you know,” the guy said, and Keera’s head whipped back to him.

  “What does that mean?” she demanded. “How do you know my brother? Is that why you’re here?” She stepped toward the thug, making Arden clench his teeth.

  “Yeah, I knew him, just like I know you. He wasn’t a good guy, and you aren’t any better. You can put on airs all day long, but there are some of us who know the truth about you,” the punk said as he backed away a few more steps, keeping Arden and his very irritated dog in his line of sight.

  “You need to drop the weapon and surrender,” Arden said as he drew closer to Keera.

  “Kiss my ass,” the guy said. Arden wanted to teach him a few things about manners.

  Keera stared at Arden with almost a death glare before facing the guy again, no longer looking frightened. She seemed more determined than ever before.

  “Are you the one who was in my office?” Keera demanded. “What do you want with me? And what does it have to do with my brother?”

  “Some of it you’ll find out,” the guy sneered. “The rest doesn’t matter ’cause your brother’s dead.”

  “If there’s anything you know, you damn well better tell me.” Keera took another step toward the punk, and Arden was ready to strangle her. She definitely had no regard for her safety.

  “Keera, back up,” Arden told her.


  She ignored Arden as she had a stare-down with the knife-wielding punk.

  “We’ll be in touch,” the guy said before he sent one more worried glance in Arden’s direction. Then he turned and sprinted away. Max tugged against his leash again, and Arden thought about releasing him. But the guy had a knife, and Arden didn’t want to take a chance on Max getting injured. Keera took a step in the kid’s direction as if she was planning on chasing him down. Arden stepped into her path.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he said, his voice a low growl. Max looked up and let out a warning sound, as if echoing Arden. He was liking the mutt a little bit more by the moment.

  “But . . .” Keera stopped trying to explain herself as she looked into Arden’s eyes. It was more than obvious he wasn’t going to allow this to happen. “You don’t understand,” she said, her shoulders sagging.

  He stepped closer to her. This woman was drawing him in; she was in danger, and everything within him wanted to protect her, keep the rest of the world away from her. It was an odd feeling for him. She was practically vibrating with raw emotion.

  “He might have been able to tell us something,” she said, her composure barely in place.

  “I have no doubt this isn’t finished. Right now, I just want you safe,” he said, stepping closer to her, feeling comforted by the heat emanating from her body, letting him know she was uninjured.

  “What does it have to do with my brother? How is this all connected?” she asked, looking at him with such vulnerability he couldn’t help but reach up and brush her hair away from her face.

  She was either lost in emotion, or maybe trusting him a little more, but either way, she didn’t push him away. And he didn’t press his luck. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but he knew it would take time.

  “I don’t want you to get yourself killed,” he told her, his voice quiet.

  “But if he knows something, it’s worth the risk,” she said.

  “Hold that thought.” Arden pulled out his phone and dialed the police, letting them know what was happening. He hung up, then focused on Keera again. “What do you think he could give you?”