Nic by Jordan Summers Page A

counter and grabbed his nose to move it away. “Watch it there, big guy.”
    She sliced a generous hunk off the roast and put it on the plate. The meat hadn’t been in the oven long, so it wasn’t too hot.
    “Easy,” she said, then lowered the plate to the floor. “While you finish that, I’m going to call Celina and find out what happened.”
    The hybrid gobbled his food down, then wandered back the way he’d came in. He sat next to the back door and whimpered to be let out.
    “You’re not going anywhere,” Mindy said. “So get comfortable.” She kept an eye on Tart to make sure she didn’t try to entice the hybrid again.
    Mindy punched in Celina’s number. It went straight to voicemail. She was probably sucking face with Slade. She waited for the beep.
    “Celina, call me when you get this message. I have the hybrid here with me. We need to talk.” She disconnected the call and set the cell phone on the counter. The house was quiet—too quiet. She looked around.
    Tart huddled in the corner next to the couch, trembling. There was a small puddle of urine beneath her.
    “Terrific,” Mindy muttered.
    She poked her head in the hall to see what the hybrid was up to. A gentle breeze brushed her face. The back door was wide open and the hybrid was gone.
    “How did you...” Mindy raced down the hall and ran out into the yard. She scanned the tree line, but there was no sign of him.
    Mindy walked back into the house and stopped to examine the door. The glass and the frame appeared to be intact. Everything looked perfectly normal. Maybe she’d forgotten to close it properly and it had blown open? It was the only explanation that made any sense. It was either that or the hybrid had figured out how to turn a knob.
    Her gaze swept the yard one final time, then she closed the door and locked it. Mindy didn’t have time to go looking for him in the woods. Nic would be here any minute.
    Mindy took a quick shower and put some makeup on, then slipped Izzy’s sweater over her head. She tried on three pairs of jeans, giving each one the butt check in the mirror. None of them passed. She grabbed a pair of Izzy’s and pulled them on. She should’ve known they’d be perfect.
    She’d just tugged her shoes on when the doorbell rang. Mindy took a deep breath and glanced one last time in the mirror to check her appearance. It shouldn’t have been so important, but she wanted to look nice for Nic.
    “You look fine,” she muttered, then wandered into the living room.
    Nic was early.
    Eagerness is a good sign. Isn’t it?
    Mindy planted a smile on her face and pulled the door open. Her grin faded as she came face to face with Marco Faretti. Startled, she stepped back. Shock quickly turned to fear.
    “What are you doing here, Marco?” She glanced up the road, hoping to spot Nic’s truck in the distance.
    “I came here to finish our conversation without being interrupted,” he said.
    Mindy’s knuckles whitened from holding the door so tight. “Now’s not a good time.”
    Marco’s gaze started at her head and slowly worked its way down before reversing direction. “You going out? If you’re heading to Sticks, maybe I’ll see you there? We never did finish that drink.”
    Mindy shook her head. “I’m not going out,” she said. “And I’m definitely not going back to that bar.”
    As was his habit, he crowded her with his body. “Why not? I thought you had a good time.”
    Scared, Mindy held her ground. “I think we remember last night differently,” she said. “You need to go. I don’t appreciate being stalked and I’m expecting company any minute.”
    Marco’s amber eyes narrowed. “Is it that wolf from the Fortier estate?”
    Wolf? Was that some kind of slang for a male slut? Mindy didn’t keep up with modern slang, so she wasn’t sure.
    “I assume you’re talking about Nic,” she said.
    “Is that his name?” His lip curled in disgust. Before she could respond, he continued, “I guess you are