and rifling through my friend’s car.” He rattled off his address and thanked them.
Baloo’s head slid underneath her hand. He always seemed to sense her emotions and track her down when she most needed comfort. Victoria patted his head in appreciation. Baloo’s giant tail smacked the wooden lamp off the end table just as Jeff hung up.
Victoria picked up the lamp, thankful it was still in one piece, and gave Jeff a sheepish grin. “If you could help me grab that evidence, I’ll give my story to the FBI, and be out of your hair.”
Jeff stared at the dog. “That simple, huh?” He held up the phone. “They’re on their way. If you’re right—if Wagner’s involved—we need to get to the office now. He’s usually there by 6:00 a.m. Since your car is being ransacked at the moment, let’s take mine.”
Victoria warred between embarrassment and anger at his reaction. Hadn’t she been trying to hurry him to the office? She followed Jeff downstairs, past a small room that held no furniture. Snowshoes, skis, fishing equipment and camping gear lined the walls. Baloo seemed to sense her anxiety as he trotted behind her.
Jeff frowned. “I’m sorry. There are only two seats.”
Her mouth dropped open at the sight of his car. He drove a two-seater silver Honda S2000 convertible—a beautiful sports car but without any room for a massive dog. “I’m afraid Nana will have to stay here.”
“Baloo,” she corrected. Her dog sniffed, as if indignant. “And it’s a he,” she added.
“Sorry. He looks like the dog from Peter Pan.”
She nodded. “He’s the same breed as Nana.”
He grinned. “You must like Disney movies.” He leaned down and patted Baloo’s head. “As long as you trust him here, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Victoria looked back hesitantly. Her dog’s concerned face mimicked her own. Baloo’s ears pressed backward, and he lifted his nose up in the air. She stared back into the dog’s eyes, racking her brain for another solution. She really didn’t have a choice, though.
Without waiting for her answer, Jeff walked back to the basement with Victoria and Baloo following and picked up a bowl from the camping dinnerware. He walked through another door to his right and emerged with a clean bowl of water. She stood, frozen in place, as she watched him care for Baloo. The kindness may have been directed at the dog, but the gesture took her off guard. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
He glanced her way and nodded. She’d only seen him dress casually once before—at the department Christmas party he’d hosted at his place. And now, wearing dark jeans, a checkered navy-and-brown flannel button-down shirt and brown hiking shoes, he looked more like Baloo’s owner than she did. She caught sight of his mountain bike leaning up against the wall. He must be a true outdoorsman. No wonder all the ladies at work flirted openly with him.
But not Victoria.
She’d never fall for a man like that, no matter how nice a guy he might be. She’d been burned before. And now she knew how to weigh men like numbers. She could identify a risk or a safe investment within minutes of conversing. She didn’t need conversation to peg Jeff. A ruggedly handsome and charming man was high risk, pure and simple. Beg for his help, though? Well, that was an entirely different matter.
After she buckled her seat belt a few moments later, Jeff turned off the lights to the garage, kept the car’s headlights off and slowly backed out of the town house driveway and onto the street.
“Shouldn’t the police be here by now?” Victoria whispered.
Jeff shrugged. “I certainly would’ve thought so.” He pressed the brakes. “I’m tempted to drive over there.”
“Please, don’t.” Her hand jutted out and touched his shoulder. “I don’t want him to see us together. I can’t stand the thought of him targeting you because of me. He torched my house. For all we know, he might be armed and start targeting you. Let’s hurry. This is our chance while he’s busy.”
Jeff considered her for the briefest of moments and then glanced down at her hand, still on his shoulder. She jerked her hand back and stared out the window. If only she could crawl underneath the seat and hide. Less than an hour alone together and she was already sending him the wrong message. She had meant what she’d said, but there was no need to put her hand on his shoulder...his very strong shoulder.
Jeff swung the car in the opposite direction, and a minute later, flipped on his headlights. “So, how do we gather evidence if someone’s already changed the reports?”
Victoria rifled through her purse and pulled out her security badge. “I saved a separate copy on the office server underneath a miscellaneous receipts file. I’m hoping no one’s found it yet.”
They rode in silence the short distance to the office. Jeff parked the car at the far end of the company lot. “Do you want to wait here and send me in for it?”
Victoria examined herself. Her neighbor’s clothes were not only big on her, but also outdated in style, and not very flattering. She wore a pink cardigan with pearl buttons, brown dress pants and black loafers. “I’d be lying if I said no, but I also think it’d be more efficient if we just get it done together. Do you have a flash drive we can use in your office?”
“No, but I can email it somewhere.”
Victoria shook her head. “You can’t email a file like that. It’ll get filtered. Anything over twenty-five megabytes gets blocked.” She flicked her hand in the air. “Believe me, I already tried.”
“Then I’ll burn it onto a disk. I’m hoping to get you somewhere safe and still have time to go back home and change before the official workday starts.” He leaned over and pulled his office badge out of the glove compartment.
She pressed herself back into the leather seat at his sudden close proximity. He even smelled good. She inhaled deeply and caught a whiff of pine trees and cedar.
Victoria bit her lip. If she couldn’t find the evidence, then this would effectively prove to Jeff that she was a crazy flake. She’d been there, done that. She couldn’t afford to lose her reputation and, most likely, her job. How would she ever get hired again? This was her last chance.
Victoria slung her purse over her shoulder and walked to the office entrance, her head held high. They stepped inside the glass lobby and strode to the automatic sliding glass door.
A security guard at the oval station gave Jeff a nod. Jeff touched her shoulder. “Go on up. I know this guard. He might have seen the Range Rover yesterday. I’ll catch up in a minute.”
Victoria wanted to object but followed his gaze. She recognized the guard but doubted he remembered her. She gave a thumbs-up and held up her badge to the keypad that opened the elevators. It made a high-pitched sound, followed by an off-pitch buzz. Her face heated, and she could feel the guard’s eye on her. “That’s weird,” she said nonchalantly. She held up her badge again, only to produce the same horrible sound.
“Maybe we’re not allowed until our shift?” Victoria asked, realizing how silly her question sounded.
Jeff shook his head. “No. I’ve been here before on a Saturday to catch up on work after I had the flu. I’ve never
