"And fell. Last night."
Nell blushed.
"Nell?" Margie said, and Nell's blush deepened while Riley grinned at her.
My God, she slept with him, Suze thought. Hallelujah. "I'm liking you more," she told Riley. "But we're still going to rescue that dog."
"I don't want Nell to lose her job," Margie said, looking at Riley with heightened curiosity. "It's doing such good things for her."
Riley smiled at Margie, and Suze caught the crackle in his eyes and thought, Whoa. No wonder Nell fell. I would have, too. Then she remembered she was happily married.
"There's no reason Gabe has to know," Nell was saying. "It has nothing to do with him."
"He turned down the job," Riley said. "You're part of the firm, so he turned it down for you, too."
"No," Nell said. "If I was part of the firm, you'd have new business cards."
"Don't start with the business cards," Riley said. "This is about the dog you will not be stealing."
He sounded very sure, which was very irritating. Suze cleared her throat, and he turned to look at her, frowning again. "I don't think you understand the situation," she said. There was no crackle in his eyes at all as he tried to stare her down, none of the warmth she was used to when men looked at her, and it threw her off a little. "You can stop us tonight, but we'll do it sooner or later. So you might as well help us tonight and get it over with so you can go back to whatever it is you usually do with your evenings." She looked at Nell to see if she'd blush again, but she was nodding at Riley.
"This is true," she told him. "I'm going to get that dog."
"How long are you going to be insane?" Riley said to her. "Not that I don't appreciate aspects of it, but you're going to get burned here pretty soon if you don't cool your jets. Your luck can't hold forever."
"I am not insane," Nell said. "I am reclaiming my life."
"And somebody else's dog," Riley said. "Yes."
Riley looked around the table. "And this is your gang." He shook his head. "Three women dressed in black on a residential cul-de-sac in New Albany. What were you going to tell the cops when they picked you up? You're theater majors?"
"The cops were not going to come into it," Suze said. "We were going to move unseen through the night."
"In a yellow Beetle," Riley said. "That thing glows in the dark. What were you thinking of when you bought it?"
"I didn't know I was going into a life of crime," Suze said. "You got a better idea?"
"Yeah," Riley said. "Unfortunately, I do." He signaled to the waitress, who came over immediately and took his order for a hamburger to go.
Somebody should give this guy some grief, Suze decided. Women were making it entirely too easy for him.
Nell was smiling at him, compounding the problem, although it was lovely to see Nell smile again. "I knew you'd help," she said to him.
"It's a good thing you're cute," he told Nell and her smile widened, and Suze forgave him everything. "I like you," Margie said.
"That's good," Riley said. "Because you're staying with me."
Margie beamed at him, and Suze felt annoyed again. Nell was cute and Margie got invited to stay, so what was she, chopped liver?
"We'll use my car," Riley said.
"That's a really boring car," Suze said. "Only a guy with no imagination would buy a gray car."
Riley sighed. "Think it through. It'll come to you." He turned back to Nell. "We'll drop you and the mouth one block from the address. If you're nabbed, you'll call my cell phone, and I will come and rescue you if I can. If I can't, I'll bail you out."
"Thank you," Nell said. "Why can't Margie come?"
"Too many people," Riley said. "It should be just you, but I'm not going to be yapped at for the next half hour, so the mouth goes, too."
"I do not yap," Suze said.
The waitress brought the hamburger, and Riley handed it to Nell. "Use that to lure the mutt. Make sure you take its collar off before you leave the yard. All these places have those invisible fences, and you don't want the dog yelping as you
Nell blushed.
"Nell?" Margie said, and Nell's blush deepened while Riley grinned at her.
My God, she slept with him, Suze thought. Hallelujah. "I'm liking you more," she told Riley. "But we're still going to rescue that dog."
"I don't want Nell to lose her job," Margie said, looking at Riley with heightened curiosity. "It's doing such good things for her."
Riley smiled at Margie, and Suze caught the crackle in his eyes and thought, Whoa. No wonder Nell fell. I would have, too. Then she remembered she was happily married.
"There's no reason Gabe has to know," Nell was saying. "It has nothing to do with him."
"He turned down the job," Riley said. "You're part of the firm, so he turned it down for you, too."
"No," Nell said. "If I was part of the firm, you'd have new business cards."
"Don't start with the business cards," Riley said. "This is about the dog you will not be stealing."
He sounded very sure, which was very irritating. Suze cleared her throat, and he turned to look at her, frowning again. "I don't think you understand the situation," she said. There was no crackle in his eyes at all as he tried to stare her down, none of the warmth she was used to when men looked at her, and it threw her off a little. "You can stop us tonight, but we'll do it sooner or later. So you might as well help us tonight and get it over with so you can go back to whatever it is you usually do with your evenings." She looked at Nell to see if she'd blush again, but she was nodding at Riley.
"This is true," she told him. "I'm going to get that dog."
"How long are you going to be insane?" Riley said to her. "Not that I don't appreciate aspects of it, but you're going to get burned here pretty soon if you don't cool your jets. Your luck can't hold forever."
"I am not insane," Nell said. "I am reclaiming my life."
"And somebody else's dog," Riley said. "Yes."
Riley looked around the table. "And this is your gang." He shook his head. "Three women dressed in black on a residential cul-de-sac in New Albany. What were you going to tell the cops when they picked you up? You're theater majors?"
"The cops were not going to come into it," Suze said. "We were going to move unseen through the night."
"In a yellow Beetle," Riley said. "That thing glows in the dark. What were you thinking of when you bought it?"
"I didn't know I was going into a life of crime," Suze said. "You got a better idea?"
"Yeah," Riley said. "Unfortunately, I do." He signaled to the waitress, who came over immediately and took his order for a hamburger to go.
Somebody should give this guy some grief, Suze decided. Women were making it entirely too easy for him.
Nell was smiling at him, compounding the problem, although it was lovely to see Nell smile again. "I knew you'd help," she said to him.
"It's a good thing you're cute," he told Nell and her smile widened, and Suze forgave him everything. "I like you," Margie said.
"That's good," Riley said. "Because you're staying with me."
Margie beamed at him, and Suze felt annoyed again. Nell was cute and Margie got invited to stay, so what was she, chopped liver?
"We'll use my car," Riley said.
"That's a really boring car," Suze said. "Only a guy with no imagination would buy a gray car."
Riley sighed. "Think it through. It'll come to you." He turned back to Nell. "We'll drop you and the mouth one block from the address. If you're nabbed, you'll call my cell phone, and I will come and rescue you if I can. If I can't, I'll bail you out."
"Thank you," Nell said. "Why can't Margie come?"
"Too many people," Riley said. "It should be just you, but I'm not going to be yapped at for the next half hour, so the mouth goes, too."
"I do not yap," Suze said.
The waitress brought the hamburger, and Riley handed it to Nell. "Use that to lure the mutt. Make sure you take its collar off before you leave the yard. All these places have those invisible fences, and you don't want the dog yelping as you
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