Trusting Danger (Danger, #2)(3)
Claire nodded as she rose to pack up her own belongings. She still needed to make a list of questions they’d ask the assistant US attorney who was prosecuting the case, but it was something she could do at home. Then she’d have time to pack for her weekend trip to Florida to help her boyfriend, Gabe, entertain potential clients for his investment firm.
As they headed out of the library, Claire hefted the leather strap of her tote over her shoulder and looked up at the sky as they walked. The setting sun had etched streaks of pink onto the horizon, giving the campus buildings a rosy glow as they entered the parking garage.
“I didn’t realize it was so late,” she said.
“What time’s your flight tomorrow?”
“Eleven a.m.”
Leah gave her a sidelong glance. “Cutting it kind of close, aren’t you? Our meeting’s at eight, and it’s probably gonna go until after nine.”
Claire’s cheeks warmed, a tingle that spread to her ears. “Gabe needs me there before his clients arrive.”
“Good thing it’s you and not me. You got that whole future-trophy-wife thing going on, with your Cover Girl look and Neiman Marcus wardrobe. If it were me, I’d just scare the investors away.”
Claire glanced at Leah’s short, asymmetrical haircut, dyed a bright green these days. With her tattoos and piercings, her friend was as unconventional as Claire was conservative—which was exactly what drew Claire to her in the first place.
“What are you saying?” Claire gave her the side eye. “That you don’t look the part of a business-function host?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Leah said with a smirk.
“Be happy you don’t. Most of these events are really boring,” Claire said, then changed the subject. “What are your plans this weekend?”
“I’m thinking about getting another piercing.”
Stunned speechless, Claire stopped short and stared at her friend, taking in her multiple ear studs, eyebrow piercing, and nose ring.
What’s left to pierce?
Leah barked out a laugh as she too came to a halt. “Just kidding, hon, but dang, you should see your face.”
“You really had me there,” Claire said with a laugh. “Honestly, I think you’re perfect just as you are.”
She said good-bye as they reached their cars, tossing her tote into her BMW before she slid into the driver’s seat.
Would Leah be hired by a traditional law firm? Probably not, but it didn’t look as if it bothered her. She did her own thing and seemed happy about it. Leah’s no-bullshit approach to life was fascinating, and Claire envied her ability to live her life as she pleased.
Half an hour later, Claire unlocked the door of her Georgetown condo, laughing as her golden retriever, Charlie, woofed out a greeting. He jumped up and ran over as she walked inside, wriggling with excitement as he danced around her feet.
“How are you, bud?” Claire set her things down and crouched to give the big dog a hug. “Did you enjoy your walks with Verna? Or did Sheryl come walk you today?”
Claire dropped a kiss on the dog’s furry head and then stood. “Verna’s going to be back tomorrow. She’ll be taking care of you this weekend. I’ll probably miss you more than you’ll miss me.”
Charlie studied her with his expressive brown eyes as if he understood what she was saying.
Thank goodness for her dog sitters. On long days at school like today, they were a godsend, popping in twice a day to take Charlie for walks, and took him home with them whenever Claire traveled.
“Let’s have dinner.” She walked into the kitchen with Charlie trotting alongside.
After filling the dog’s food and water bowls, Claire took a seat at her dining table, ignoring the darkening view of the Potomac from the large picture windows that lined her condo’s living area. Instead, she opened the salad she’d picked up on her way home and turned her attention to the last-minute details that needed to be taken care of before her trip.
Reminding herself she needed to take Charlie out for a walk, she glanced wistfully at her running shoes lined up neatly beneath the hook that held his leash. No time for a run tonight.
Between the packing she had to do and the preparations she needed to make for tomorrow’s meeting, it was shaping up to be a late night.
Chapter Three
Grayson woke up abruptly Friday morning in his childhood bedroom. Shortly before he’d drifted off, the bedside clock had read three a.m. Now it was five thirty.
He’d slept for less than three hours, but there was no use trying to go back to sleep. It wasn’t going to happen. The insomnia that had plagued him since he was a boy rarely let him sleep more than five hours, especially when he was on a case, and sleeping pills gave him headaches that were worse than the lack of sleep. Now, though, with everything going on with his mother, the inability to sleep for long had worsened.
Grayson threw the covers back, rising as his thoughts turned to yesterday. Before driving up here to Scranton, he’d met with Darryl at a park in northwest DC, but the meeting hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped.
Impatient with the slow pace of the investigation, Grayson had made a hard push for being accepted into the drug ring. Jumping up to pace back and forth on the sidewalk as Darryl lounged on the wooden park bench, Grayson had made his case.