Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (20 page)

“Pierce Sanders?”

“Yes.”

Camden introduced himself.

“Please, come in.”

An Australian Shepherd trotted over and sat down at Sanders’s feet after he and Camden had sat down on a black leather sofa.

“Nice dog.”

Sanders reached out to pet him. “He’s Brian’s, actually. Brian’s father wasn’t able to take him.”

“Did Brian leave any more of his things here?”

“Most, actually. My new roommate was recently divorced and didn’t have any furniture, so he’s using what Brian had.”

“How long did you and Brian room together?”

As the men spoke, the dog’s head swung back and forth between Camden and Sanders, as if it were following the conversation.

“Four years.”

“Would it be all right if I took a look in his old room?”

“Go ahead. I don’t think Tom would mind.” Sanders gestured toward an open bedroom door. “It’s that one there. I think there’s still a box of Brian’s inside the closet.”

Camden walked into the guest bedroom and switched on the light. The room was sparsely furnished with only an unmade bed, an oak dresser, and a nightstand.

Stepping inside the walk-in closet, he turned on the light. The banker’s box Sanders had mentioned was sitting on the top shelf, the name B
RIAN
written on one end in capital letters. He brought it down.

The dog wandered into the room and sat down on the floor beside Camden, nudging at his arm to be petted.

Absentmindedly, he reached out and stroked the dog’s back as he glanced at documents from the box. When he pulled away, strands of dog hair were visible on the sleeve of his jacket. It was no wonder—the dog had ten times as much fur as Roman.

Camden blinked hard as he stared down at his sleeve, recalling something from the report he’d read the night before.

His mind whirling, he forced his gaze back to the banker’s box and finished looking through it. Mostly it contained tax documents. He closed the lid and set the box back on the shelf.

Sanders was still seated in the living room.

“Was Brian’s car sold?” Camden asked.

“No. It’s here too. I can give you the keys if you want to take a look.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Sanders walked into the kitchen, muttering, “Keys, keys.” After turning in a full circle, he spotted a basket on top of the refrigerator and brought it down. “I think they’re in here.”

The basket looked to be the equivalent of a junk drawer, filled with pens, rubber bands, paper clips. The usual odds and ends. Rummaging through it, Sanders fished out a set of keys.

“I’ll bring them right back,” Camden said.

Outside, he popped the locks of a Jeep Cherokee. It was just as he suspected—the car was littered with dog hair.

The coroner’s report had stated that only carpet fibers from Brian’s car had been on the victim. There hadn’t been a single strand of dog hair found. It was a significant finding; he could feel it.

He returned the keys to Brian’s roommate and thanked him before heading back to the hotel.

“Were you able to find anything?” Autumn asked.

Camden explained the dog hair. “It’s important, I think, but not exactly a smoking gun.”

“But it’s suspicious to you.”

“Very. It’s not hard proof, but it’s another thing that points to Brian having been framed.”

His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. The call was from a Philadelphia number.

“Mr. Taylor?”

“Yes.”

“It’s Andrea Graham. I’m wondering if you’re still in Philadelphia?”

“I’m nearby, in Allentown. Did you need to see me?”

“No. I . . . I was just wondering how everything is going.”

Given Andrea’s relationship to Solomon, Camden wasn’t about to disclose anything. But there was something in her tone that sounded like regret.

An idea came to him. Maybe Andrea wanted to visit Brian but was afraid to.

“My friend Autumn and I are going to visit Brian at the prison this afternoon. Would you like to join us? You’d need to drive separately since we won’t be coming back here, but we could go in together.”

“It’s eleven now,” she said slowly, as if thinking it over. “I’d have to take the rest of the day off, and I’d miss having lunch with my fiancé. I don’t know what I’d tell Josh.”

Camden paused a moment, tamping down his disappointment. He’d bet Brian would love to see Andrea. “Is there anything you’d like me to tell Brian?”

The line was silent for a moment, and when she spoke, Andrea’s voice was soft. “I’ll go.”

Camden met Autumn’s gaze and gave her a small smile. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate seeing you. We can meet you there at three.”

As he hung up, Autumn asked, “Has she seen Brian since he went to prison?”

“No.”

She nodded, looking thoughtful, and Camden eyed her packed bag. “I’m going to pack up too. I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.”

Edgewater Prison

Thanks to the warden’s intervention, Camden, Autumn, and Andrea were allowed to meet with Brian in a private interview room rather than the public visiting room. Considering the fact that Camden had recently been an “inmate” there, it seemed wise.

They were seated at a metal table when Brian was led in. Andrea gasped as she caught sight of him. The skin around Brian’s cheek and left eye was bruised. He hobbled forward wearing the prison’s orange uniform, his hands and feet shackled.

After the guard removed the shackles, Brian stood rubbing his wrists as he stared warily at Andrea. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you,” she whispered.

When Brian’s gaze went to her hand, she quickly pulled it off the table. “Were you in a fight?”

Brian raised a hand to his cheek. “It’s nothing,” he said, still studying her as if he couldn’t quite believe she was there.

To combat the uncomfortable silence that followed, Camden cleared his throat. “What job are you doing now?”

Brian broke his gaze with Andrea. “How did you know I changed jobs?”

When Camden didn’t answer, Brian grinned. “I had a feeling you were behind it. I’m working in the computer room now.”

“Is it better?”

“Much.”

“So, why the fight?”

But Brian didn’t answer, and Camden decided not to probe. Instead, he filled Brian in on what he’d discovered. As he talked to Brian, he noticed emotions flitting over Andrea’s face . . . confusion, shame, and then what looked like regret.

“All of this should up your chances of getting an appeal,” he told Brian once he’d finished.

Brian didn’t seem very excited by the news. Based on the glances he kept stealing at Andrea, all he seemed to care about was her presence.

“I didn’t do it,” he told her.

Tears sprang to Andrea’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Despite being engaged to someone else, her feelings for Brian clearly hadn’t died.

Autumn shifted in her seat, twisting her hands together as she always seemed to do when she was uncomfortable. Understanding how she felt, Camden reached over and gave her hands a light squeeze. Watching this was brutal.

“I got back together with Josh a few months ago,” Andrea said, her voice wavering, “but now I’m not so sure. Just the thought of you being in here for something you didn’t do . . . My God, Brian.”

Camden released Autumn’s hands and then stood. “Autumn and I will wait outside. Take as long as you need together.”

As they sat close to each other on a bench in the hallway, Autumn stared at her hands clasped in her lap. “She still loves him,” she said thoughtfully.

Camden nodded. “That’s what I think too.”

• • •

The emotion Autumn had just witnessed had her stomach tied in knots. How excruciating it must be to sit inside a jail cell when you were innocent of a crime. And Andrea—all that guilt she must be feeling for abandoning Brian when he’d apparently been innocent was clearly tearing her apart.

Autumn cleared her throat and glanced at Camden, sitting next to her on the bench. “Camden, how long does an appeal take?”

“A long time. And assuming that appeal’s successful, he’ll still have to wait for another trial.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I just wish I could do more for him.”

“You’ve done a lot already.” When he just shrugged, she said, “He’s getting to see Andrea. That’s also because of you.”

Camden studied her.

“What?” she asked.

“It’s nothing.”

But there was a tender look in his eyes that stirred her. He looked the same way he had the night before when he kissed her.

Uncomfortable, she looked away. Whatever there was between them wasn’t something that could be explored. Camden had said as much himself.

Several minutes later, Andrea had the guard call them back into the interview room.

Brian stood up as they entered. “Thank you for everything you’re doing.”

Camden reached out to shake his outstretched hand. “As soon as I’m home, I’ll check in with your lawyer. If he needs help with the appeal, we’ll get it.”

The guard unlocked the door and stuck his head in. “Ready?”

Brian let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

Andrea stood staring as the guard shackled him again. As he was led away, Brian gave her a long look.

“’Bye,” Andrea whispered.

The poor girl looked wrecked by the time she reached the parking lot with them, and Camden didn’t look much better. Despite all he’d done, he seemed to feel as if it hadn’t been enough.

When they reached Andrea’s car, Autumn broke the silence. “It was nice of you to visit him.”

Andrea shook her head. “I should have done it sooner.” She choked on the last word, put her hands over her face, and began to sob.

Camden exchanged a glance with Autumn. “I’m going to do everything I can, Andrea. I promise.”

Andrea nodded. She dug a tissue and her keys from her purse, and wiped her nose before she unlocked her car. Her expression seemed more hopeful as she gave Camden a wan smile. “I know you will.”

Autumn hid her smile as she gave Andrea a quick hug.
You can’t help but feel better when Camden gets involved. I should know.

They watched Andrea drive away before heading to Camden’s SUV. He was quieter than usual as he drove her back to his house. Sensing he didn’t want to talk, Autumn stared out her window, thinking about how sad Andrea and Brian’s situation was.

Life is short, and it would be a shame to waste it.
Glancing at Camden, she thought about the question he’d asked her a couple of days ago.
So, what do I want to do with mine?

It was Camden who finally broke the silence as they were nearing Shavertown a half hour later.

“That was heavy, huh?”

“It was.”

He took the exit for downtown. “Let’s get something to eat.”

After they’d been seated inside the diner, Camden picked up a menu. “Bet you can read a lot of this now.”

Autumn studied the print on her menu. Between the words she’d learned and those Camden had pointed out the last time they’d been here, she was able to make out a great deal.

Over dinner, she and Camden talked about her classes and the software project Camden had just agreed to take on. He didn’t bring up Brian’s case and neither did she, knowing he probably needed a break from the emotion.

Throughout dinner Autumn bided her time, hoping he would bring up the kiss he’d given her the night before, but he didn’t say a word about it. Had Camden been able to put it all behind him?

She hadn’t. It was going to be hard to move past the attraction she felt, especially living in the same house with him.

Shavertown, Pennsylvania

When Autumn and Camden arrived back at his home, he carried their luggage upstairs.

“Good night, Autumn.”

Don’t let him get away! Say something!

“Camden, wait.”

When he turned around, she asked, “Can we talk about last night?”

He blinked a few times. “What about it?”

“I . . . liked it when you kissed me.”

When Camden’s eyes closed for a moment, she dropped her gaze to the floor, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. He had opened his eyes and was studying her by the time she raised her gaze. Knowing she was seconds away from losing her nerve, she took a hesitant step forward.

Do it
.
Life’s short, remember?

She bridged the rest of the distance between them, pressed up onto her toes, and gently kissed his lips.

When she pulled away, the look on his face was one of complete shock. He looked so startled that she quickly sucked in a breath.

“I-I’m sorry.” Shame filled her and she turned away.

Why in the world did I do that? It’s not like me at all. But I have to know how he feels.

Tears stung her eyes. And now she did know—she had her answer. Through blurred vision, she saw Camden reach out for her hand.

Not wanting his pity, she stepped back and tried hard to compose herself. “It’s okay. I understand. Excuse me.”

But Camden wouldn’t let her leave. He turned her around and drew her against him. Autumn’s knees felt weak as he gently tilted her chin up.

“Autumn,” he whispered.

His lips came down over hers, but the kiss ended before she was even able to respond. She sucked in a surprised breath as he laid his forehead against hers.

“God help me, Autumn . . . I want you so much.”

He kissed her again and this time she responded. Moving onto her tiptoes, she linked her hands behind his neck. His hands pressed against her back, pulling her closer, and his erection pulsed between them as if to prove what he’d just said.

“You’re sure you want this?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

If he didn’t make love to her soon, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Go crazy, probably. She wanted this more than she’d wanted anything before. With Camden, this would be beautiful; she knew it with every fiber of her being. He was so kind, so caring. He’d never treat her roughly like Butch had.

Camden hesitated for only another second, and then his powerful arms lifted her up. He moved down the hallway, heading for his room.