"If you tell me which vehicle it is, miss, I'll take Charlie to it."
"Oh, sorry." Jo turned to offer the vet's assistant an apologetic smile. He was struggling to hold Charlie. She hadn't wanted to walk the German shepherd through the waiting room without a leash. Fortunately, the vet hadn't liked the idea either and had sent for one of his assistants to carry him out for her. The German shepherd was heavy, though, and also wasn't happy being carried anymore. The moment the vet had shown up, Charlie had suddenly regained his spirit. All through the examination, he'd wagged his tail happily, barked, and tried to lick the doctor in hello, basically acting like there wasn't a thing wrong with him.
Jo hadn't been at all surprised when the vet finally announced that it was no doubt a mild concussion as she'd feared, but that Charlie should recover quickly and be fine. He said to keep an eye out, and if Charlie started to vomit or demonstrate any other unusual behavior, she was to bring him directly back in, but he could go home for now.
"You can put him down now, thanks," Jo said. "Charlie won't run. I just didn't want him to be loose in the waiting room with the other animals."
"Oh, that's all right, Miss Willan," the assistant said, smiling despite the squirming dog. "I'm happy to help. I'll carry him to your car for you. We wouldn't want one of the other owners coming out with an animal and—"
He broke off with surprise as Nicholas reached them and plucked Charlie from his arms.
Jo's eyebrows rose, not at the peremptory way he took her dog from the young man, but at the scowl he sent the assistant as he growled, "She doesn't need your help. She has me."
The assistant swallowed. "Right. Well… I'll just…"
"Thank you," Jo called as the young man turned and hurried back into the building. The moment the door closed behind him, she turned a glare on Nicholas. "That was rude. He was just trying to help."
"You wouldn't think I was the rude one if you'd heard his lascivious thoughts," Nicholas said, striding toward the van.
"Lascivious?" Jo hurried after Nicholas. "What do you mean, if I'd heard his lascivious thoughts? You can't hear his thoughts… can you?"
"Open the door," Nicholas ordered rather than answer.
Jo frowned, but opened the back door he'd stopped beside.
"There's a blanket in that box there, on top. Spread it out for him."
Jo peered at the half a dozen boxes in the back of the van, spotting a plaid blanket on top of the nearest one. She grabbed it, surprised to find that it was incredibly soft rather than the prickly wool she'd expected. It felt nice, and she leaned into the van to lay it out for Charlie. The moment she finished and stepped aside, Nicholas leaned in and set Charlie on it. Jo then offered him the doggie bone the nurse had given her. He accepted it and began to chew on it at once.
"He's got an appetite, that's a good sign," Nicholas murmured, straightening. "What did the vet say?"
"Mild concussion. Bring him back if he starts vomiting or anything," Jo admitted on a sigh. "Of course, Charlie was all perky and happy to see the vet the minute he entered the room. Dr. Hillsdale probably thought I was a panicky idiot."
"Or a caring pet owner," Nicholas said, sliding the door closed. He then opened the front passenger door for her before moving around to the driver's side.
Jo climbed in and pulled the door closed. She was doing her seat belt up when Nicholas climbed in on the other side and held out his hand. "Keys?"
She automatically reached for the keys, but then paused and peered at him. "I want to know—"
"When we get somewhere safe," Nicholas interrupted firmly. "We can't stay here. It's too close to your apartment. They'll be cruising the streets looking for us. We have to get out of this area altogether."
Jo sighed and gave up the keys. She then sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, a small cyclone of thoughts rolling through her head. Memories of last night and today were flowing together making the oddities of what had happened obvious… All of it was odd, of course. Her life had been relatively normal until that party at Sam and Mortimer's last night, and now her life appeared to have exploded. She'd been attacked twice, her dog had been injured, and she was surrounded by men who seemed just a little different from the average male.
Jo didn't think anyone else she knew could have leaped that balcony rail with the ease Nicholas, Bricker, Anders, and even Ernie had. And certainly Mortimer was the only person she knew who had a trio of prison cells in his garage, not to mention a refrigerator full of bagged blood.
And then there was the passion of Nicholas's kisses. Perhaps it was the long dry spell she'd had. Jo hadn't dated in a couple of months, but the man had curled her toes and set her hair on fire with his kisses. She didn't doubt for a minute that, if they hadn't been interrupted, she would have had sex with the man right there in the garage and would now have bar imprints on her back.