No Love Left Behind (Boston Billionaire's Club Book 1)

by Jenni M. Rose

  “Okay, back to Lincoln being far too polite and what was it?”

  “Refined,” she answered grudgingly.

  “You’ve known him your whole life. It’s not like he’s a stranger.”

  “Yes. It is,” she insisted. “That’s exactly what it’s like. He stood here staring at me, waiting for me to turn into the person I used to be.”

  “Again, if you just came out and told him how you changed and why, he’d stop doing that.”

  “It’s not going to work, Brady. I can’t have him here. It brings me places in my head that I don’t want to go. It reminds me too much of everything that happened in Boston. I’ll work out the rest of the week with the dog, but he’ll have to go somewhere closer to the city.”

  “What happened to no dog left behind? You’re just going to let Gordon go?”

  Damn him, Sadie thought. He was using her own mantra against her. No, she didn’t want to leave Gordon behind, but having Lincoln so close for two days in a row had fried her brain a little. The way he’d looked at her, not like a stranger, but like he knew her, left her unsettled. There was a heat in his gaze, an interest she didn’t want to explore, no matter how much Mercedes was screaming at her to go for it. The hot looks, the gentle hand on her hip when she’d lost her balance—they were all too close for comfort.

  “Of course not. I’ll make a recommendation for a trainer that lives closer.”

  Lincoln Greene was the man she’d always wanted but could never have. Now that she was a little older and much wiser it was easy to see, he was a man she couldn’t get involved with.

  “…Dad’s party?” she heard Brady say.

  “What?” she asked, having missed the entire thing.

  Hopefully, he hadn’t said anything too important.

  “I said, are you going to Dad’s birthday party? Lori called and harassed me for my RSVP today.”

  “I’m sure she already knows I’m not coming.”

  “Well, you should. You can’t live in exile forever.”

  “Who says?” she asked, hating to rehash an old discussion. Brady was so engrained in the city it was unfathomable to him that she didn’t want to go there. For anything. Ever.

  “If I die, will you come to my funeral if it’s in the city?”

  She could hear the smile in his voice. “Are you leaving me anything in your will?” she joked. “Because if you are, I’ll come. Otherwise, I’ll send a fruit basket.”

  “You’re a cruel woman, Sadie Charles.”

  “So, you tell me, Brady.” He always had a way of bringing the conversation around to something more lighthearted. It didn’t change how she felt but it was nice to have someone to joke with. Her circle of trust was limited, her interactions with Brady an important part of her life.

  “But seriously,” he said, his voice soft. “You’ve got nothing to hide from, Sadie. You did your time. You’re a good person. You deserve to live a life where you aren’t ashamed to visit your family.”

  He was right but that was only half the story. It wasn’t just her shame she was avoiding. It was the shame she brought upon them when she was around that she was avoiding. It was so they could live a peaceful life without her cloud of chaos following them, infiltrating their happy moments.

  “I know you’re just trying to help, Brady. I appreciate it, I do. But Lincoln’s just too close. Too close to you and Dad. If anyone finds out it’ll be all over like wildfire. I don’t want that for any of you, especially not him. Let’s just let sleeping dogs lie and let me fade out.”

  “People don’t fade out, Mercedes. You aren’t a damn light switch. You’re a person. You made a mistake. It’s time to let it go.”

  “I killed someone, Brady. There is no letting it go.”

  4

  Brady Charles tossed his phone on his nightstand and rolled over.

  “So, Ms. Devious. Your plan is in motion.”

  Audrey Greene, Lincoln’s older sister, propped herself up on her elbow, the sheet covering her chest.

  “As I knew it would.”

  “I never took you for the long con,” he commented, tempted to pull that sheet right off her.

  Audrey was a beautiful woman, there was no question about that. In general, Brady wasn’t interested in women that weren’t attractive, but there was something about Audrey that was more than simple attraction, something between them that kept him hooked on her.

  They’d been seeing each other in secret for more than a year. Mostly monogamously, though he could admit to a few slip-ups. They’d never discussed their relationship, the secretive nature of it giving them both leeway to live their own lives.

  But she was one of his business partner’s sisters and she worked at his firm. There were strings in their relationship that had nothing to do with what they had going on personally. Their professional life was enough for them to keep their distance.

  Things just hadn’t played out that way.

  So, for more than a year they’d been sneaking around and Brady had been listening to Audrey make her plans.

  Last year, his business partner Dylan had fallen in love. And not one of those little infatuation kinds of love, but the kind where the guy’s life got turned upside down and he acted like it was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  And Lincoln had watched with a smile on his face the entire time.

  They all knew that Lincoln had always had a thing for Mercedes. She’d been a loose cannon when she was younger, more a vortex of chaos than anything.

  She’d paid a price. A heavy one. She’d done her time and served her sentence with grace and dignity. Shockingly, she’d come out a better person and suddenly, imagining her and Lincoln together didn’t seem like such a stretch.

  Just a few conversations with Audrey about it and boom, dog in Lincoln’s lap and him in need of a trainer.

  “It’s not a con,” she was saying. “It’s called matchmaking. It’s a long-honored tradition in some cultures.”

  “You’re not exactly a yenta.” Brady laughed, pulling her closer.

  Audrey was a tall woman, a viking warrior queen, who wasn’t afraid to flaunt her build. She was strong, her muscles thick and defined, even if she hid them under classy suits at work.

  Lexi, Dylan James’s girlfriend, thought Audrey looked like Wonder Woman, and Brady agreed.

  “You’ll see,” she said. “When this all works out, I’ll buy you a drink at their wedding.”

  “You won’t save me a dance?” he asked.

  “I can but I don’t trust your hands to not wander where they shouldn’t. That’ll have everyone talking and neither of us want that.”

  Brady vacillated daily on whether he thought going public with a relationship with Audrey was a good idea or a bad idea. Today, he thought it would be fine and they’d be great.

  Yesterday, the very idea of being out and monogamous with her, struck fear to the very core of him.

  Most days, he liked that Audrey was on the same page with him, keeping their connection under wraps. Somedays, it annoyed the crap out of him, as if she was hiding him out of embarrassment.

  “If I promise not to grab your ass?” he teased.

  “I’ll think about,” she hedged in a laughing tone. “Until then, you can just watch my plan in motion and bow down to my yenta powers.”

  Brady chuckled, flipping her on her back and propping himself over her.

  “Oh, I plan to bow down to you, Audrey.” He pulled the sheet from between them, looking down at her beneath him. “Maybe just not the way you think.”

  Sadie woke Monday morning with Gordon’s happy, smiling face staring at her from the pillow on the other side of her bed.

  How in the world did he always manage to get out of his crate? Lincoln hadn’t been kidding when he’d claimed the dog was an escape artist. She’d tried covering the crate and turning it around so the door was against a wall. Neither of those had worked. She’d hate to have to lock the door with a zip-tie or something str
onger.

  “How do you do it?” she asked.

  Gordon answered by panting in her face and snuggling a little farther into the pillow. Suddenly, the image of Lincoln lying in bed flashed in her mind, his hair mussed, his eyes sleepy.

  “I don’t think so,” she told the dog and her wayward brain, throwing the covers off and getting out of the bed. “Out you go, sir.”

  Sadie grabbed his collar and guided him off the bed and out of her bedroom. She grabbed her robe on the way out and led him straight downstairs to the backdoor so he could go do his business. When she let her girls out of their crates they all ran outside, ready to do their business and stretch their legs.

  While they made themselves busy, Sadie headed to the kitchen to make her coffee.

  She watched the dogs out the window while the coffee brewed. Aggie and Lola were busy sniffing around, minding their own business. Cocoa and Gordon, on the other hand, were wrapped up in each other, wrestling on the grass. With a smile, Sadie got her coffee and checked the time.

  Lucas, her current community service charge, was scheduled to arrive within the hour.

  Once the dogs were done, she’d feed them and get changed while they were busy. She had a lot of yard work she wanted to get done, including picking up any poop-bombs around the yard. When you had between three and five dogs on any given day, they built up quickly.

  Lucas was a nice kid. He had some anger issues and they’d helped him get into a bit of trouble but in his heart, he was a good guy. He was helpful and personable, always doing any job she gave him without complaint. He’d taken to all the dogs immediately, and to her, that said something in itself. If the dogs trusted him, that was a solid recommendation in her eyes.

  “Come on guys,” she yelled out the door, calling them all back inside. They rushed in, all of them heading straight for their bowls.

  While they were busy, she ran up and got dressed, throwing her hair into its usual ponytail.

  By the time she finished five minutes later, Aggie and Gordon were both ready to go out again. Some dogs were like that. The food went in and the rest came out almost immediately.

  It hadn’t been prison that had cured her of her squeamishness, although it had worn it down a bit. Caring for dogs had its own unique way of throwing a person in the deep end like that. No bodily function was too great and she’d seen just about all of them.

  When they’d all eaten and finished up, Sadie poured her coffee and headed outside. Cocoa and Lola took off quickly, but Aggie trotted up to wait by her side. There were very few days Aggie didn’t spend her time at Sadie’s side.

  Coffee in hand and dog by her side, Sadie went out to the backyard. The other three dogs weaved in and out of her space sporadically. Lola lumbered around until she found a perfect spot in the sun, a little sad since Huck had gone home with parents the day before. She lowered herself to the ground, looking like a sphinx, her eyes closed and her regal head held high. Cocoa and Gordon chased each other around a tree, dancing around each other, and they played.

  “Hey there, stranger!”

  Sadie looked up to find her neighbor Brenda at the entrance to the backyard. Brenda was one of her only neighbors and she stopped by a few times a week. Sometimes, they went into town together so Sadie could grab some groceries or other supplies. The woman made a good companion. She wasn’t too pushy and also liked her personal space. Retired, Brenda spent most of her time at home, puttering around her yard.

  Her other favorite pastime involved needling Sadie about her lack of social life.

  “Hey,” Sadie greeted. “How’s it going?”

  “Oh, you know.” Brenda waved her hand. Actually, Sadie didn’t know but let it slide. “Just wanted to see if you needed anything in town. I’ve got to grab a few things for myself, anyhow.”

  “I think I’m good for now. Maybe groceries early next week?”

  “I’ll come get you Monday night, no problem.” Brenda shaded her eyes. “Who’s that?”

  Sadie turned to see Gordon on the ground, Cocoa nipping his ear. “That’s Gordon. An old friend of my brother’s brought him by. He’s a couch eater.”

  Brenda winced. “Yikes. How long’s he with you?”

  She shrugged. “This week, at least. We’ll see how he does. Maybe I can tire him out enough that he’s not interested in making a mess.”

  “Handsome guy,” Brenda commented.

  His owner wasn’t too shabby either, Sadie thought.

  “He’s a good guy. Friendly too, if you happen upon him and I’m not around.”

  “Noted.” Brenda watched her closely. “How’s this friend of your brother’s treating you? I know you like to pretend you dropped out of the sky but we both know that isn’t the case. If he gives you a hard time…” She let the statement hang.

  “You’ll what? Beat him up?” The very idea made her laugh. Brenda was a five-foot-nothing grandmother, nearly the least physically intimidating woman she’d ever seen.

  “No. But I’ve got a way with words. A strongly worded warning could do some good.” She crossed her arms. “Worth it if it means you get to keep your peace out here.”

  Sadie smiled. “I appreciate the offer but he was fine. I don’t think he’ll be too much trouble.”

  They said their goodbyes and Brenda went on her way.

  Hands on her hips, Sadie wondered if she’d been lying to Brenda or herself just then because she knew, there was no way that Lincoln wasn’t going to be too much trouble.

  Not long after Brenda left, Aggie let out a bark and trotted toward the front yard, and Sadie knew Lucas had arrived. She followed the dog and greeted Lucas and his mother with a wave.

  “Morning,” she said.

  Lucas’s mom was a nice woman, and she was always so grateful that her son had landed in a place that let him do his community service and be more than his punishment. Sure, anyone could suffer through picking up garbage on the side of the road, and it was punishment. But it didn’t teach you anything about life or other outlets for emotions. How could anyone be rehabilitated if they didn’t learn how to do better in life or find new ways to express themselves?

  Twenty-year-old Mercedes Charles had only taught herself the wrong way to express herself. With her mother gone and her walls too high for anyone to penetrate, she’d never learned good ways to handle her emotions. She’d never mastered any other emotional outlet other than bad behaviors.

  It was the same method she used to train her dogs. If they didn’t have other outlets to express their desires or channel their energy, they’d misbehave.

  “Hi, Ms. Charles,” Lucas’s mother said from the driver’s seat, her window rolled down.

  “I can’t believe it’s Lucas’s last week,” she said to them both. “Time flies, doesn’t it?”

  “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” the young man said, a small smile on his face. He was tall and gangly, in a way that only twenty-year-old boys could be. Technically a man but still somewhere in between physically, he’d grown leaps and bounds in the time he’d been working at No Dog Left Behind.

  Sadie looked at him, trying to remember the angry kid who’d come to her that first day. Mad at the world, boasting about boosting a car, he’d tried to assert his dominance over her. He’d postured and sworn but she was the alpha. He was a fast learner and he’d come to heel quickly, making their time together more pleasure than punishment.

  He’d asked more than once if he could come volunteer and visit when his sentence lapsed.

  “You’ve been an amazing assistant,” Sadie told him, the word nearly freezing in her throat. How easy it was to throw the past under the rug and ignore it, she thought. The ghost of her former assistant…nanny, Dani, raced across her memory, short and quick like the stab of a knife. “Lots of cleanup today,” she told Lucas, ignoring the burn of tears in her eyes. “Let’s start with the pens.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he joked, saluting her and his mother as he wandered to the backyard, Aggie
at his side.

  “I really don’t know what we would have done if he hadn’t been placed here,” the woman reached out and held onto Sadie’s hand. “You’re doing important work here. You’ve sparked a world of change for Lucas and it means everything to me.”

  Sadie smiled, feeling uncomfortable. “It’s been my pleasure. He’s fun to have around and he works hard. It’s a good combination.”

  With a smile, she patted the top of the car as Lucas’s mother drove off.

  She walked to the backyard, thinking about the things the woman had said. It was true, the experience offenders got when they worked with her was worthwhile. She didn’t reach everyone that came to her, not like she’d reached Lucas and a few before him. Some people just wanted to take their punishment and move on. Some, like she had when she’d gone to prison, wanted to be better people.

  That was the first rule of rehabilitation. You have to want it. Some people did. Some didn’t.

  By Wednesday, Lincoln was missing his dog more than he thought he would. Sure, he’d expected to miss having the guy around the house but it was more than that. He missed the way Gordon begged at the kitchen counter when he was making breakfast. He missed taking Gordon for walks and having the big lunkhead excited to see him when he got home at the end of a long day.

  There was a much bigger factor at work as well, and that was wondering what was going on with Gordon and Sadie. Was Gordon watching Sadie as she cooked breakfast? Was he leaning against her leg when he was done with his walk?

  He wasn’t sure if he was jealous of the time Sadie was spending with Gordon or the other way around. Was he jealous of the dog for getting to wake up lying in bed next to Sadie?

  Monday morning, Brady had strolled into Lincoln’s office, casually asking about his weekend. It had been a little suspicious and he got the sinking feeling that Sadie had made a call to her brother. Probably unhappy that he’d invaded her private life. Especially knowing how hard she was working to protect her privacy from her former life, he could see where she’d be on edge. While she’d been nice enough, he wondered if he hadn’t pushed her just a little too far by showing up unannounced Sunday. He’d have make sure not to do something like that again. Her space meant too much to her for him to cross that boundary.