Free Branded by Cindy Stark Page B

smile that tilted her lips, reached out
to him, and he had to shield his heart.  “I should go.  I promised my aunt I’d
call her, and it’s getting late.”
    “I’d be willing to brave another trip to the
coffee shop and get you a latte.”
    “You’re definitely a man used to getting his way,
aren’t you?”
    Was he?  Her statement momentarily caught him off
guard.  “At least tell me I’ve charmed you enough for you to agree to go puppy
shopping with me tomorrow.  It is Saturday, and I’m sure cute, little puppies
will do a much better job than me of keeping you distracted.”
    She seemed to consider his request and then
nodded.  “I’d love to.”
    *        *        *
    The windshield wipers moved back and forth,
filling the quiet car with swishing sounds as Xander drove her home.  Nicole
supposed he was as lost in his thoughts as she was in hers.
    She was surprised how much their date had
distracted her from the relentless nervous chatter she’d been burdened with
since the questioning.  Even when they’d talked about the theft, things hadn’t
seemed quite so bad.  Maybe having someone to talk with had helped more than
she’d realized.
    He’d been the perfect date, attractive, attentive
and enjoyable.  She wasn’t so sure about his friend that he thought might help
her.  Having a complete stranger rooting around on her behalf seemed kind of
shady, but she was certain whoever had really committed the crime was using
every bit of arsenal available to stay undetected.
    “How do you suppose the person who really did
steal the money was able to get into First Freedom’s building without being
noticed?  They have a video of me entering the building.  Wouldn’t the real
thief be on the video, too?”
    Xander shifted his gaze to her face for a quick
moment before he refocused on the wet streets.  “I would think so.  Maybe that’s
something my friend can look into.”
    She nodded.  It couldn’t hurt to have several
people viewing the video.  “Do you think whoever did it worked there?  It could
be someone I know.”
    He turned the steering wheel as they reached an
intersection near her home, his jacket rubbing against the leather seats of his
car.  “It does sound like an inside job.  Do you know what kind of security
they have besides cameras?”
    “They have a night person who comes on duty about
eight.  Up until then, I think it’s just cameras.  Usually, there are plenty of
people and janitorial staff around.”
    “Who did you see that night?  I guess it doesn’t
matter because they have video footage, but did you come across anyone who
could testify against you, or who could testify there was someone else in that
area?”
    Her heart sank.  “I didn’t see anyone.  It was
strangely quiet to be honest.”
    “Maybe we can find out who was on staff.”
    “There has to be someone who saw something .” 
A chilling thought raised the goose bumps on her arms.  “Do you think this
person specifically targeted me, or was I unlucky enough that he chose my
computer and even unluckier that I went back into the building after hours?”
    Xander narrowed his eyes.  “Good question.”
    “And what if I’d run into him while he was at my
computer?”  Emotion raised her voice a bit.  “Would he have made some excuse
and not stolen the money, or would he have…”  She couldn’t say it.
    Xander cleared his throat.  “You can’t think about
that.”
    “But what if?”
    He shook his head.  “There are many white collar
criminals who think nothing about heisting millions, but they would never
physically harm someone.”
    “Unless desperation drove them to it.”
    He folded her hand in his and squeezed.  “You’re
going to drive yourself insane if you get caught up in what-ifs.  Let’s stay
focused on the facts at hand.”
    She blew out a shuddering breath.  “I’ve been so
caught up with the whole police questioning thing that I hadn’t