The alarm next to Maddie’s bed went off, and she rubbed her eyes. Six o’clock. Time to get moving. She slammed her mouth shut halfway through a yawn when she smelled Scott’s aftershave. The scent clung to her skin the same as he had all night. On top of her, underneath her, all over her. She shuddered. The man was thorough.
She stroked the cool sheets on the empty side of the bed. Disappointment sliced her heart. She shouldn’t have expected anything more. They’d agreed to one night. Only she’d hoped he wouldn’t be able to walk away.
She already missed him. Everything she’d longed for the last two years, he’d given her and then some. When he’d made love to her with his eyes open, he’d bared his soul, and they’d connected on a level beyond physical.
And now, the emptiness in the room suffocated her. When she slept in this bed again, she’d yearn for his caress. Even if his case ended soon, he hadn’t made any promises for the future. Not this time.
He’d made it clear he had an agenda that didn’t include her, for her own safety, as if she couldn’t take care of herself. For God’s sake, she had everything under control. Eric was no threat to her. If he’d wanted revenge for the incident in the bar, he would have done something by now. The idiot was like any other addict, looking for stuff to sell to feed his habit, so he’d dug up her site. Nothing personal. He would move on to the next target. Scott was worrying about nothing.
The scamper of Lucky’s paws on the hardwood floor sounded from the hall as he raced around the corner, sliding to a stop by the side of her bed.
Too small to reach the top, he whined and hopped. Maddie scooted to the edge and bent to scratch his ears. “Hey, guy. Gimme a second and I’ll take you out.”
When she reached the kitchen, she glanced at the counter. No note. Her hopes sank. Of course, he wouldn’t have left one. He probably didn’t want to wake the dog by turning on lights. She shook her head. One night with Scott could never be enough.
In her tennis shoes, robe hugging her body and hair a wild mess, Maddie followed Lucky across the dewy grass. After he did his business, she took him back inside, fed him, and let out a long sigh. If Scott stayed in town, she would die a slow death every time she ran into him. They’d come too far for her to dial back the heat. Now that she’d fallen in love with him again, the only way to survive would be for her to leave. Hell, she’d planned to at some point, anyway. Her teaching assistant job had ended with the semester, so she had nothing to keep her in town. She’d look at the job openings out west and line one up for after she finished Victor’s field survey.
Lucky slurped water from his bowl and then gazed up at her, drool dripping from his mouth. She gave him a sad smile. “Not sure I can take you overseas.” She fluffed the fur on his head. “It’s okay, pup. There are plenty of places out west I can work. I’ve never been to that part of the country. You and I have to stick together.”
Maddie focused on the piece she’d partially uncovered at Victor’s site. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck as she leaned close to the ground and peered at the tip of a hard, gray object. Thin and sharp, this could be a weapon. Her pulse jumped. Careful not to damage the artifact, she took her time with the hand brush and dental pick to loosen it from the earth, taking pictures to document every step of the process.
The more sand she brushed away from the artifact, the faster her heart raced. It could be a Clovis blade, one of the first stone tools used by man. To the untrained eye, the blade would appear to be nothing more than a large arrowhead, except these were longer and could pierce the hide of a mastodon. Thirteen thousand years ago, a hunter of the Paleo-Indian culture had sharpened stones and fashioned them into spears.
This was huge. Many archaeologists believed these weapons once belonged to America’s first human inhabitants. Of course, she’d seen Clovis points in museums and read about others found in the west, but this one was right under her nose. It might even be the first ever discovered in New York. If so, she’d hit the jackpot. The tribal members would be stoked. A spark of hope after the devastating losses. The weight on her shoulders lifted.
On a personal level, this could help repair the damage to her career. With this on her resume, she might re-earn the respect of her peers and be able to get another job. Scott could stay in Tuckerton as long as he wanted. This would be her ticket out.
After she’d brushed the piece free, she picked it up and held it in her gloved hand. A perfect specimen with the signature flaking on both front and back. Her fingers trembled as she measured the artifact. Eleven centimeters long, three wide, and shaped like a mini-surfboard, this little gem would be more than enough to merit further investigation. Without a doubt, she’d uncover more. If she found enough, it might be just what they needed to put the area on the maps and supply enough pieces to get the museum built. Wait until she told Kyle and the other undergraduates. They would go nuts. “Sorry, Victor. Looks like your resort isn’t going up anytime soon, if ever.”
She filled a Ziploc bag with dirt and nestled the blade inside. Almost dinner time, she had to take care of Lucky. Still plenty of daylight to come back later. She carried the box to her car, drove to the lab, and dropped it off for dating. Next stop was home.
When she entered her apartment, Lucky greeted her with his usual excitement, tail thumping the wall like a maniacal metronome. Damn if the scent of Scott’s aftershave didn’t still linger. She closed her eyes and breathed it in. He didn’t even need to be in the same room to have that effect on her.
All day, she’d been focused on the dig, and then the find, but now her body craved him worse than a drug. The month before he’d left for Mexico, they’d exchanged keys, and more than once she’d come home to find him cooking dinner or working on the computer at her kitchen table. What she wouldn’t give for that now. Many meals had turned cold because they’d jumped each other. Priorities.
He hadn’t called or texted her all day. Obviously, one night together was all he intended to have with her. That’s what she’d offered. Only she’d hoped he would want more. With a sigh, she put Lucky’s collar on him and took him out back to his usual spot. When the leash jerked, she glanced at Lucky, who had found a half-eaten hamburger and was trying to wolf it down before she could yank him away. “No. Bad dog.”
Lucky continued to chomp, eyes apologizing while his jaws moved fast. Oh hell, a dog couldn’t resist a hamburger. The community barbecue grill at the back of the apartment building meant people sometimes dropped food, but she always kept a careful eye out. “Guess you got a treat because my mind is on a man.”
She’d swear he grinned, although he pulled it off as panting. “Uh huh. Come on, time to go back in. We’ll take a walk later. I need to dig while it’s still light.”
She let him inside and went to her computer to check email. Nothing from Scott. Silence. She lowered her head into her hands. So been there, done that.
Hell-bent on protecting her, he wouldn’t let her back in. At least this time she understood why. Didn’t make it any easier. She wanted him more than anything in her life. In some ways, it had worked better to think he’d moved on. Well, this time she would move on because she couldn’t stand the torture of living so close to him.
The dog made a gagging noise. Panting, he walked stiffly to the kitchen and vomited. He shook his head twice and paced on uneven steps around the room like a drunk.
“Lucky? What’s wrong?” Her nerves jumped. The dog whined and moved like he’d forgotten how to walk. Something wasn’t right. She checked her watch. The vet was closed.
Scott’s words rattled in her head. You always run off half-cocked. She took a deep breath. Not this time. Okay, so Lucky might be reacting to the hamburger, but that shouldn’t make him stumble around. He’d eaten beef before. There had to be an emergency vet somewhere in the area. She grabbed her phone and looked it up. Nothing closer than thirty miles. Her stomach balled into a hard knot as Lucky continued to bump into the furniture and pant.
She dialed the number with shaking hands.
“Veterinary Hospital, how can I help you?”
“My dog is acting strangely. He ate a hamburger outside and threw up. He’s stumbling and can’t catch his breath. What should I do?”
“Bring him right in along with a sample of whatever he threw up. We’ll need to run tests. This could be serious. It sounds like he ate something bad. If it’s chemicals, time is of the essence.”
Chemicals? That sounded way worse than rotten meat. A whimper escaped her lips. “I’ll get him there as fast as I can.”
She grabbed the sample. Keys in hand, she picked up Lucky and carried him out to the car. “You’re going to be okay. I got this,” she said more to herself than him.
Lucky struggled to breathe as she drove to the clinic. She kept glancing at him to make sure he was still alive while cold sweat soaked her shirt. What kind of chemicals could he have gotten into?
Thank God, the GPS brought her to the right place. She parked the car, hefted Lucky into her arms along with the sample, and ran inside. The woman behind the counter glanced up. “Are you the one who called about a sick dog?”
“Yes. Something is very wrong.” Tears sprung to her eyes. For someone who could count on one hand the number of times she’d cried in the last three years, she was breaking all sorts of records lately.
A couple of vet techs emerged from a back room. They whisked Lucky and the sample through a set of swinging doors behind the desk. Maddie’s heart wrenched at the separation.
The receptionist gave her a polite smile. “I’ll need a credit card before we can run any tests or treat the dog.”
“What? This is an emergency.”
“I’m sorry. It’s our—”
“Never mind. Okay.” She dug out her wallet and handed over her Visa card.
“Thank you. Depending on what’s wrong with him, this could be a substantial amount. Are you able to cover the expenses should they become considerable?” The receptionist gave her a sad smile that Maddie knew meant others had said no, they couldn’t afford it. Those poor people and their dogs.
“Whatever it takes. My credit is good.” She’d eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the rest of her life if she had to as long as Lucky would be all right.
Once the card cleared, the receptionist hurried into the back, no doubt to let the techs know they could commence treatment because the cost would be covered. At least Maddie had a credit card with no balance and a respectable limit. Veterinary care, like anything else, was a business. Not that the people didn’t care, but bottom line, it came down to money. Maddie shut her eyes and tried not to think about the pets who were turned away.
She took a seat in the waiting room. Scott probably would have handled the situation better. Noticed sooner or driven faster. No. She slapped down the thought. She’d reacted quickly and responsibly. Besides, Scott wasn’t there, and wouldn’t be there. She and Lucky would be fine.
One of the vet techs rounded the corner and approached. “Apparently, your dog ate rat poison. It was in the hamburger. Good thing you brought him right in because strychnine can be fatal if not treated immediately, especially in a puppy.”
Maddie stared at the woman. “What? Why would a poisoned burger be on the ground behind my apartment?”
The tech shook her head. “It’s sad. Some people don’t like dogs, and they do things like this.”
“Will”—Maddie choked on the words—“will Lucky be okay?”
“Yes. Thanks to your quick response, he should be. He’s getting an IV and needs to stay overnight so we can monitor him, but he’s young and healthy. You did everything right. Saved his life.”
Saved his life. The tension in Maddie’s body eased. She hadn’t let Lucky down. “Can I see him?”
“He’s knocked out right now. It really would be better to come by in the morning.” The tech placed a hand on her arm. “I promise, we’ll take good care of him. I’m here all night. He won’t be alone.”
“Okay.” Maddie took a deep breath. “Thanks. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
The receptionist waved her over and printed out a receipt. “If you could sign here, please, for the charges tonight, we’ll be all set.”
Maddie cringed at the costs for tests, overnight care, and the IV, but at least Lucky was going to be okay. Her dog. The one she’d saved. By herself, this time.
She drove back to her apartment. Not enough daylight left to dig even if she had the energy. She climbed the stairs and dug out her keys. Someone had stuck a red sticky note on the front of her door.
I warned you. Finish the job.
The blood drained from her body, and ice ran through her veins. Victor!
He’d poisoned her dog. She whipped her head around, searching the parking lot for anyone lurking. Whoever did this knew enough to place the hamburger where she took her puppy to pee, which meant someone had been watching her. The sick bastard would go to any length to get what he wanted. She jerked the door open and entered, slamming it shut behind her. Her knees buckled, and she sank to the floor. Fisted her hands in her hair. He’d almost killed an innocent puppy.
Her foot bumped Lucky’s treat ball. She glanced at his empty bed, and her chest caved. Poor dog, in a cage with an IV dripping life into him.
She pushed up and headed to her computer. Screw that heartless monster. She had what she needed to shut him down.