Rise: Rise & Fall Duet Book 1 (Shaken 3)

by Grahame Claire

  Maybe Lincoln would be there.

  Chapter Thirty

  Lincoln

  “Can you keep him or not?”

  Teague’s demand barreled through the phone.

  “Now?” I glanced around at the stacks of files walled around me.

  “Yes,” he said impatiently. “Whatever big deal you’re working on can wait.”

  He didn’t know that the peril I was currently investing all my time in most definitely could not wait. Because I hadn’t told him.

  It would take me an hour to put all the files back in their drawers. I couldn’t trust anyone else to send hard copies of this paperwork to Zegas and Whitley. And I couldn’t send all the original files because there was proprietary information in all of them.

  “Forget it. I’ll find someone else. Maybe Burke will watch him.” His disgust was evident.

  As much as I needed to press on to shovel all of these files to my attorneys, I couldn’t let my brother down.

  “I need an hour and half. Maybe two.”

  “Great.” His tone immediately did a one-eighty.

  He hung up before I could respond.

  If I could leave the file room as it was and lock it up, I would. But one person had the key that I couldn’t risk finding it in this state. Avoiding his wrath was worth the hassle of putting everything back in its place.

  Muffy careened toward me the second I opened the door to Grey Paws.

  I braced for impact.

  Instead of pushing me with his big paws, he sat at my feet. His tail looked like a windshield wiper as it swept across the floor.

  “Burke wouldn’t have gotten that kind of reaction,” Teague said as he approached. “You know you can pet him, right?”

  “Burke? I don’t think so,” I said tightly.

  He laughed. “No. Muffy.”

  Stiffly, I patted his head. His tail moved at a faster clip.

  “I have no food. None of”—I waved my hand around the space—“whatever it is a dog needs.”

  He slapped my shoulder. “We’ve got you covered.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that. He was a little too animated. Too accommodating.

  “What are you not telling me?” I asked warily.

  He held up both hands. “Nothing.”

  “Well hello, handsome. It sure is nice to see you.” Miss Adeline ambled over and pointed to her cheek.

  I bent to kiss it.

  “Hey, Lincoln.” Pepper wiped her hands on her overalls. “What a pleasant surprise.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Teague, who grinned.

  “Did I forget to mention he was coming by?” he asked innocently. “Muffy’s going to crash with him for a few days.”

  “He is?” Pepper asked incredulously.

  “Teague . . .”

  “I promised him we’d set him up with everything he needs,” my brother said quickly. “Look how excited he is.”

  I scowled.

  Muffy stamped his feet as if he and Teague had worked out this entire scenario. Pepper and Miss Adeline clearly knew nothing about the scheme.

  “It will be wonderful for him to have some one-on-one time.” Pepper’s features lit. “He’s really taken with you.”

  Why I had no clue.

  I wasn’t exactly a welcoming, warm and fuzzy kind of man.

  Pepper and Miss Adeline immediately went into a frenzy gathering supplies. In minutes, they had a pile so large I’d need a moving van.

  “I thought this was only for a couple of days,” I said as I took an armload of something from Miss Adeline.

  “Oh, it is,” Teague said in a rush.

  “I know what you’re doing.” I spoke where only he could hear.

  Muffy circled the mountain of things, sniffing.

  “You have to give him a treat every time you take him out. Or when he obeys a command.” Teague ignored me. “Sometimes he’ll stare at you, which means he wants a treat.”

  From the sound of it, I’d need a backpack with a treat dispenser at all times.

  “What do you propose I do with him while I’m at the office?” I spoke even more quietly, like I didn’t want Muffy to hear.

  “Take him with you.” Teague punched my shoulder. “Better yet, take a few days off. Work from home.”

  I could imagine the shocked looks if I showed up with a dog to Hollingsworth Properties.

  “I thought Pepper wanted me to do this.” I leveled him with a look.

  “She’s totally on board.”

  “Where’s your truck? We’re going to need it for all of these things.”

  And I’d need to clear out a bedroom to store it.

  He looked past me and grinned. “Lexie. Eric. How was the park?”

  My brows rose. What was my troublesome brother up to?

  “Lincoln!”

  That reaction from Eric never got old. It was undeserved, but something I . . . appreciated.

  “I told you he might be here,” he said to Lexie as he dragged her over.

  She was the perfected version of herself. An emerald silk pantsuit with black designer shoes peeking out. Her dark hair was slicked back in a low bun, not one single strand out of place. She donned large gold circular earrings, but no other jewelry.

  She was stunning.

  For a moment, I thought she wasn’t going to look at me. When her eyes collided with mine, it was the previous evening all over again . . . only intensified and with an audience.

  The kiss that I couldn’t kick out of my head resurfaced with a vengeance.

  I wanted a repeat performance. One where I could take my time and savor every delectable inch of her mouth.

  Her lips parted as if she could read my thoughts.

  For once, I didn’t care someone was privy to my innermost thoughts.

  Muffy nudged my hand. When I didn’t react, he pawed it.

  “Looks like he’s ready to go home.” Teague cleared his throat. “I mean, on vacation.”

  I cut my eyes to my brother, but they were immediately drawn back to Lexie. “I like the green.”

  “I suppose that will pass for a greeting. You’ve done worse.”

  “Would you prefer a different version?” I cocked my head in challenge.

  “You’re wearing green too.” Eric pointed at my tie. “You match us.”

  I glanced to find that indeed I did.

  “That’s cute.” Teague winked at me. “Hey, Lex. Do you think you and Eric could give this guy a ride home? I’d hate for him to have to walk while holding a leash and carrying all this stuff.”

  “No.”

  “Sure.”

  She and Eric had simultaneous opposing answers.

  “I thought you were giving me a ride.”

  I might have allowed the two of them into my home via the painting, but I wasn’t ready to share where I lived with them. It was too personal.

  “Pepper has . . . some stuff she needs me to do,” Teague said.

  “We need to get our deliveries ready for tomorrow.” Lexie was unapologetic, and I admired that she put what they needed to accomplish first.

  “You could help us again,” Eric said hopefully.

  “I’m sure dogs aren’t allowed in the kitchen.” I motioned to Muffy who wagged his tail.

  “Oh.” He looked to Lexie as if she might have the answer.

  “He’d probably eat the food as fast as you could make it,” Teague said. He scratched behind Muffy’s ears.

  The solution was for Teague to take Muffy and me to my place.

  But that meant less time with Lexie and Eric.

  I should tell Teague that he was unloading this dog on me, he needed to help me get him situated.

  Instead I hooked Muffy’s leash around his neck. We looked between Lexie and Teague. Muffy wasn’t bad at looking pathetic when he wanted something.

  “Oh fine.” Lexie threw her hands up. “We’ll take you.”

  Eric held his hand up for a high five.

  “Nice work,” T
eague whispered. “I’ll help you get loaded up.”

  I hoped by the time we accomplished that, I’d figure out if I was going to have them drive me to the office or my apartment.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Lexie

  “Did you miss a delivery today?”

  I cringed at the sight of the remainder of Garrison’s order. “I meant to leave that at Grey Paws.”

  I hefted a box of Muffy’s things onto the cart Lincoln had retrieved from someplace unknown. We were back in the parking garage of Mrs. Johnson’s building, which if I’d been using my head before, I would’ve realized was Lincoln’s building too. He was just too familiar.

  “Do we need to go back?” He paused mid-pickup of a couple blankets.

  “No. Take some of it for Muffy.”

  He perked up at the mention of his name but didn’t pull as if he were sensitive to Eric holding him.

  “I think Pepper and Miss Adeline loaded us with plenty.”

  “It’ll last a few days.” I added one of the boxes on top of the pile. “This looks like it.” I hefted the sliding door closed. “Thanks for the help in the kitchen.”

  Lincoln had borrowed a crate from Pepper, and Muffy had been patient while we whipped up the batch of food for tomorrow.

  “I increased my peeling time by three minutes,” Lincoln said matter-of-factly.

  “There were less carrots.”

  He scowled, and I smiled.

  “I’ll walk Muffy to your apartment,” Eric said.

  Lincoln stuffed his hands in his pockets. His stance was casual, though I felt his discomfort. If it were anyone else, I’d have let him off the hook.

  “You push, I’ll pull.” I grabbed one of the rails of the bellman’s cart.

  Why doesn’t he have the doorman help him?

  He seemed the type that tasks of this kind weren’t worthy of his time. Except he’d never behaved that way around us. I’d never seen him demand that anyone do something he wouldn’t do himself.

  He pressed his thumb on the keypad by the elevator. Muffy trotted in first with Eric in tow.

  “Has he been here before?” I asked.

  “No.” He pushed the cart in behind me.

  “I thought he’d be more hesitant in an unfamiliar place.”

  Lincoln looked at the dog, who seemed right at home.

  “He knows he’s safe with us,” Eric said.

  My heart melted at more of Eric’s sound logic.

  The elevator zoomed up without stopping. I glanced around, noticing the difference between this one and the other that we usually took to Mrs. Johnson’s apartment. That one was nice, but this one was opulent. Mirrored walls, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, polished gold doors.

  When they opened, I couldn’t see around the loaded cart. Muffy shot around it, pulling Eric with him.

  Lincoln’s snap echoed in the space.

  When the foyer came into view, Eric’s eyes were wide, but the dog sat obediently at his side. The area was larger than our apartment. Dark paneled walls, some sort of exotic stoned floor, an arrangement of fresh flowers.

  Expensive.

  On a level I’d never imagined. And this was just the foyer.

  Lincoln unlocked the double doors with the traditional and everyday normal person key instead of a fingerprint. He pushed both open wide.

  Muffy rocketed inside, officially at the limit of his patience. Caught off guard, the leash slipped from Eric’s hand. He chased after him.

  The dog flew from one room to another, his nose sniffing at warp speed. Eric was right behind him but too slow to keep up.

  I looked on helplessly.

  Lincoln appeared like he’d stepped into the wrong apartment.

  A view of the city was the centerpiece to the entry. The lights spread out like stars. This was a perspective I’d never seen, and I’d lived in New York all my life.

  It was breathtaking.

  And so very Lincoln.

  New York City looked like it belonged to him.

  “Lexie!”

  I ran toward Eric’s shout. “Where are you?”

  He called my name again, this time more urgently.

  Was he okay? I shouldn’t have let him run like that. If he was hurt . . .

  Panic set in as I searched for my brother. Lincoln was on my heels.

  “Lexie! Look!”

  Eric stood in the center of a study, pointing to the wall.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked breathlessly.

  I skidded to a stop when I saw what had Eric shouting. It wasn’t distress. It was excitement in his voice.

  His painting was on the wall.

  I covered my mouth with my hand. When he’d taken it, I never really thought about what he’d do with it. In the back of my mind, I supposed I envisioned him tossing it somewhere on his way home.

  Judging by the plethora of papers on his desk and files on the floor, and from what Beau had mentioned about him over the years, this was the most used room in his house.

  And he’d given Eric a prime position.

  “Lincoln,” I whispered.

  Super stone stood quietly beside us, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. “It belongs there.”

  The words caused me to stumble back.

  The painting did look perfect where he’d hung it. But there was more behind what he’d spoken. I felt it.

  “You like it?” Eric’s tone was half-question and half-declaration.

  “Very much so.” Lincoln was quiet, yet certain.

  “I wish Millie was here to see this.”

  My brother’s attachment to that dog seemed to be growing by the day.

  “You can tell her about it tomorrow,” I said.

  “Would you mind keeping Muffy company while I unload his belongings?” Lincoln asked.

  “Sure.” Eric sank to the floor and the dog lay beside him, head in his lap.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I said once we were out in the hall, out of Eric’s earshot.

  “I never planned for you to see it.”

  Something about that stung, yet touched my soul at the same time. He didn’t intend for us to ever be in his home, even though we’d welcomed him into ours. But Eric’s gift had meant enough to him to display, and it wasn’t for our benefit. He hadn’t known we’d be coming.

  “Thank you.”

  “Why would you say that? You’re the one who helped me.”

  I touched the bellman’s cart. “You just made him incredibly happy. And that’s all I ever want.”

  He looked down, like he didn’t know what to do with the compliment. Slowly, he lifted his gaze. “Now you know a fraction of the effect the gift has on me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Lincoln

  Eric and Muffy passed out on the sofa in my study.

  In front of the painting.

  I crooked my finger at Lexie.

  She’d slipped off her heels some time ago as we set up Muffy’s things. Seeing her barefoot and comfortable in my home was . . . not as awkward as I always thought.

  It was one thing for Beau and Teague to move about as if this were their place—because it was. I didn’t allow anyone else here with the exception of a housekeeper and an occasional maintenance person. Definitely not a woman I was interested in.

  She trailed me to the living room and flopped on the sofa as if she’d been here a million times.

  “Drink?” I held up a decanter of whiskey.

  “No, thank you.”

  I put the bottle back in its place and joined her.

  “I believe that dog has more possessions than I do.”

  Lexie snickered. “That is a lot of stuff for just a vacation.” She tucked her legs up under her. “Why is he here? It’s odd they’d ask you to keep him.”

  I leaned my head back. “I’ve come to realize this is my brother’s discreet way of giving me a best friend.”

  She looked at me incredulously. “And you let him do it?”r />
  “When it comes to my siblings, apparently no isn’t in my vocabulary.”

  “Damn it.” She snapped her fingers. “That means I have something in common with you.”

  “The horror,” I said dryly.

  “What are you going to do with Muffy?”

  I sighed. “Return him in a few days. Pepper will likely come get him when she realizes Teague unloaded him on someone who knows nothing about dogs.”

  She fiddled with the leg of her pantsuit. “I’m pretty sure she already knows that, if the list of instructions I found is any indication. It’s hour by hour.”

  “That will save me lots of time in research.”

  She snorted. “‘Hey, Pepper. How do you feed a dog?’ ‘Hey, Pepper. When does he go outside?’ ‘Hey, Pepper. Why does he keep licking my face?’”

  The more she mimicked me, the more I felt my cheeks loosen. “Is that what I sound like?” I pretended to be affronted.

  “Hmm, maybe a little more stick-up-your-behind. But it’s close.”

  I lolled my head toward her. “And to think I was about to tell you hello.”

  She shifted and the slightest pink tinged her face. “And to think I was about to give you advice on feeding Muffy. Forget it now.”

  The tease in her voice, the relaxed demeanor, just her presence . . . I couldn’t recall why I hadn’t wanted her here in the first place. The piece of me that had an unnatural attachment to her was calm. Soothed.

  “I’m glad my brother meddled.” I placed a hand on her thigh. “Miss Adeline has been an influence on him.”

  “She has that effect on people.”

  Which was why I had Lexie, Eric, and a dog in my apartment. An apartment I should be working to make sure stayed in my possession. Instead, sitting on the sofa with Lexie was far more appealing. Kissing her was also incredibly appealing, but something wasn’t quite right with her. And there were so many things I wanted to know.

  “Are you and Eric on your own?”

  She blinked at me in surprise. The question was invasive, but I was curious about her . . . about their life.

  “Beau hasn’t told you?” Her tone was one I couldn’t quite decipher. Was she upset or relieved?