Chapter 2 - The Man Who Came Back for Her
Mave froze.
Declan moved instantly, stepping between her and the doorway.
"Who said that?"
Nothing answered.
Brutus growled.
The service corridor stretched toward the kitchen and basement stairwell, lit only by a single yellow emergency lamp.
Evan appeared behind them.
"Stay here."
Mave nearly laughed.
Apparently every man in the building had decided that phrase would work eventually.
It hadn't yet.
Evan entered first.
Declan followed with Brutus.
Mave followed Declan.
"Mave."
He glanced over his shoulder.
"I heard my name."
"Which is exactly why you should stay behind me."
"Somebody who knows me is back there."
"Exactly."
His logic was irritatingly solid.
They reached the stairs.
Nothing.
The basement door stood open.
Arthur arrived several feet behind them.
"That's supposed to be locked."
"So I've heard," Mave said.
Brutus sniffed the floor.
Then he moved toward something near the wall.
A phone.
Cheap.
Black.
Declan picked it up with a napkin.
The screen was cracked.
One notification remained visible.
A photograph.
Mave.
Taken less than an hour earlier.
She was carrying four glasses toward Declan's table.
Her stomach dropped.
Declan's face went still.
"Do you know this phone?"
"No."
"Anyone been bothering you?"
"My landlord."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Declan looked at her.
Mave crossed her arms, but her humor disappeared.
"No. Nobody."
The phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
SHE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TOUCH THE DOG.
Nobody spoke.
Declan looked at Brutus.
Then at Mave.
The pieces shifted.
Whatever had happened tonight wasn't simply about an animal losing control.
Someone had tampered with Brutus's collar.
Someone had disabled the cameras.
Someone had photographed Mave.
And whoever had done it had expected something specific to happen.
Declan turned toward Evan.
"Get everyone out safely. Keep copies of every camera feed."
"What about you?"
"I'm taking Brutus."
His eyes moved to Mave.
"And her."
Mave stared.
"No, you're not."
Declan blinked.
It was apparently not a sentence he heard often.
"You've just been photographed by someone hiding inside your workplace."
"And therefore I'm being kidnapped by a stranger?"
"I'm not kidnapping you."
"Great. Then I'm going home."
"Absolutely not."
She raised an eyebrow.
Declan caught himself.
"That sounded worse than I intended."
"Much worse."
A reluctant smile touched his face.
Then vanished.
"Mave, somebody knew Brutus would react to that crash."
"How?"
"I don't know."
"Then find out."
"I intend to."
"Good."
She started upstairs.
Declan followed.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Mave."
She turned.
"I have a mother who expects me home before two. I have a landlord who expects money Friday. And I have a double shift tomorrow. Whatever mysterious-businessman emergency you're dealing with, I don't have room for it."
Declan studied her.
"Your mother's sick?"
Mave's expression changed.
"Don't."
"I wasn't—"
"Don't investigate me because I touched your dog."
"I didn't."
"Then how did you know?"
"You said medical bills earlier."
Mave remembered.
Arthur.
Her conversation near the espresso machine.
She exhaled.
"Right."
Declan nodded.
"I'm not asking you to trust me."
"Excellent."
"I'm asking you to recognize that someone watched you tonight."
That landed.
Mave looked toward the basement.
Brutus came beside her and pressed his enormous shoulder against her leg.
She scratched beneath his jaw.
"You caused a lot of trouble tonight."
His tail moved once.
Declan stared.
"He hasn't done that in months."
"What?"
"That."
The tail moved again.
Mave looked at him.
"What happened months ago?"
Declan's expression closed.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
Evan coughed, suspiciously like he was hiding a laugh.
Declan shot him a look.
Mave noticed.
For the first time she understood that these men weren't exactly what she'd imagined from across restaurant tables.
Dangerous-looking?
Certainly.
Secretive?
Obviously.
But tonight their fear had centered around protecting a dog and finding whoever had manipulated him.
Declan finally said, "Brutus was involved in an accident."
"What kind?"
"A loud one."
That explained too much.
Mave crouched.
"Is that why metal noises trigger him?"
Declan nodded reluctantly.
"Sometimes."
"Then why bring him into a restaurant?"
"He normally settles when he's beside me."
"Normally isn't tonight."
"No."
Mave studied him.
"You should get him evaluated."
"I have."
"And?"
"They told me he's healthy."
"I didn't say veterinarian."
Declan went quiet.
Mave stood.
"Trauma doesn't disappear because the body healed."
Something about that sentence struck him.
She saw it.
Declan looked away.
Twenty minutes later the restaurant was nearly empty.
Toby had been checked over. Other than a bruised elbow and damaged dignity, he was fine.
Mave found him in the staff room.
He stood when she entered.
"I'm sorry."
"For dropping dishes?"
"For everything."
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"I almost got—"
"But you didn't."
Toby looked at her.
"Because of you."
Mave squeezed his shoulder.
"Go home."
Arthur entered after him.
His face looked gray.
"Mave."
"What?"
"You're fired."
Toby stared.
"What?"
Mave thought she had misheard.
Arthur couldn't meet her eyes.
"You're fired."
"For what?"
"For getting involved."
"She saved me!" Toby shouted.
Arthur flinched.
"Go home, Toby."
"No."
"Toby."
Mave touched his arm.
"It's okay."
It wasn't.
She needed this job.
Desperately.
Arthur knew it.
"You can't do this," she said quietly.
"I'm sorry."
"Why?"
Arthur looked toward the door.
That tiny glance told her everything.
Someone had pressured him.
Declan appeared behind Arthur.
"Why is she fired?"
Arthur nearly jumped.
"Mr. Gallagher."
"Answer me."
"It's a personnel matter."
"She prevented your employee from getting hurt."
"I understand."
"Then why is she fired?"
Arthur's forehead began sweating again.
Mave watched him.
"Who called you?"
Arthur looked at her.
Nobody had mentioned a call.
Mave had guessed.
His face confirmed it.
Declan saw that too.
"Who called?" he repeated.
Arthur shook his head.
"I can't."
Declan didn't threaten him.
He simply waited.
That was worse.
Finally Arthur whispered, "The owner."
Mave frowned.
"Mr. Holloway?"
Arthur nodded.
"What did he say?"
"That Mave couldn't work here anymore."
"Why?"
"He didn't say."
Mave felt sick.
She had met Holloway twice.
He barely knew her name.
Declan's phone rang.
He checked the screen.
Evan saw the number and stiffened.
Declan answered.
"Yeah."
Silence.
His expression hardened.
"Where?"
More silence.
"I'm coming."
He ended the call.
Mave folded her arms.
"More mysterious-businessman problems?"
"The three men from tonight."
"What about them?"
"They weren't here for dinner."
"I figured that out."
"They were paid to be here."
"By whom?"
"We don't know."
"To do what?"
Declan looked at Brutus.
Then at her.
"Create noise."
Mave's skin went cold.
"The crash?"
"Maybe."
"But Toby tripped."
"Maybe Toby wasn't supposed to."
Mave stared.
Declan continued.
"Someone wanted Brutus triggered in a crowded restaurant."
"Why?"
"That's what I'm trying to understand."
Mave thought about the message.
SHE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TOUCH THE DOG.
"Then I ruined it."
Declan nodded.
"Whatever was supposed to happen tonight, you stopped it."
Arthur sank into a chair.
Mave looked at him.
"Is that why Holloway fired me?"
Arthur said nothing.
Declan crouched in front of him.
"Arthur."
The manager looked terrified.
"What aren't you telling us?"
Arthur's hands shook.
"Three weeks ago, Mr. Holloway told me that if Gallagher ever came in with the dog, I was supposed to call him."
Declan became very still.
"You've been reporting my visits?"
"I didn't know why."
"How many times?"
"Four."
Mave stared at Arthur.
"And tonight?"
"I called."
Declan stood.
Arthur quickly added, "Before anything happened. I swear."
"Who owns this building?" Declan asked.
"Holloway."
"Who owned it before him?"
Arthur frowned.
"I don't know."
Declan did.
Mave could tell.
His face lost color.
"Evan."
The scarred man looked up.
"Pull the property records."
"You know something," Mave said.
Declan didn't answer.
"Declan."
It was the first time she'd used his first name.
He looked at her.
"This restaurant used to belong to my father."
Silence.
"Until?"
"Until the night he died."
Mave stared at him.
Brutus suddenly began scratching at the floor near Arthur's desk.
Once.
Twice.
Then he barked.
Mave crouched.
"What is it?"
The dog shoved his nose beneath a filing cabinet.
Declan and Evan moved it.
Behind the cabinet was a small metal access panel.
Arthur looked genuinely confused.
"I've never seen that."
Declan opened it.
Inside sat a compact recording device.
Its green light was blinking.
Someone had been listening.
Evan removed it carefully.
Mave noticed something taped behind it.
A photograph.
Old.
Declan took it down.
His expression changed.
Mave stepped closer.
The photograph showed a much younger Declan standing beside another man outside the Copper Anchor.
Between them sat a large dark dog.
On the back, someone had written a date.
Declan whispered, "That's impossible."
"Why?"
He turned the photograph over.
Under the date was one sentence.
THE DOG REMEMBERED.
Then a phone began ringing inside the wall.
Not Declan's.
Not Mave's.
Inside the wall.
Declan reached toward the hidden compartment.
The ringing stopped.
A mechanical click came from behind them.
The staff-room door slowly opened.
A woman stood on the other side.
May you like
She looked directly at Mave.
And said, "You need to come with me before Declan finds out who you really are."
