Argeneau Family 12. The Renegade Hunter(58)

Nicholas shook his head and continued to watch the other doors, thinking he should have left her at the hotel for Bricker to catch, or, failing that, he should have taken her straight to the enforcer house. "It's a good thing you had all those tools in the van though. What do you use them for?" Jo asked as she fiddled with the lock.

"Stuff," he muttered, and she paused to glance at him, one eyebrow arched. Nicholas merely shrugged. He could have told her he hadn't used them for anything yet. They were all new, purchased that morning to replace the tools he'd lost with his old van, but why bother?

"Stuff, huh?" Jo asked dryly, and then turned back to what she was doing, saying, "It must be pretty technical stuff for you to have these tiny screwdrivers and—Got it," she interrupted herself happily as a click sounded. Retrieving the borrowed tools, she straightened and opened the door.

Nicholas followed her inside with relief, glancing around as she flipped a switch on the wall and a light burst to life overhead. His eyes widened as he saw that the apartment was still fully furnished. Sam hadn't yet taken out anything; even knickknacks and pictures still decorated the place. The decor was modern, the colors muted and calming.

"The pizza's probably cold by now," Jo said, turning into a room off the hall. "Sam has a microwave though."

Nicholas grunted and followed her into what turned out to be a kitchen. His gaze slid over clean white cupboards and stainless steel appliances and back to Jo as she crossed the room away from him.

"Look, we even have wine," she said happily, and he followed her gesture to a wine rack on the counter holding half a dozen bottles as Jo added, "Pop is better with pizza, but beggars can't be choosers, right?"

Nicholas glanced back to Jo as she opened a cupboard door and retrieved a couple of plates. She sounded anxious; the good cheer she was trying for seeming forced. He crossed the room, set the pizza on the counter, and then slid his arms around her from behind. Jo stiffened at once, and he pressed a kiss to her cheek and started to withdraw his arms, saying sadly, "You're afraid of me now."

"No." Jo released the plates she'd started to grab and caught at his hands to keep them where they were. She hesitated then, but finally sighed and assured him solemnly, "I'm not afraid of you , Nicholas. I'm more afraid of what you have to tell me."

He remained still for a moment, regret sliding through him. She had every right to fear what he had to tell her. Once Jo knew what he'd done, she wouldn't only be afraid of him, she'd no doubt loathe the very sight of him. The thought was painful to even consider and Nicholas tightened his hold on her briefly, holding her while he still could. He was about to turn her in his arms and kiss her when a scent reached his nose that made him frown and sniff delicately.

"What is it?" Jo asked, and tilted her head back to peer at him.

Nicholas lifted his head, pausing when he noted the glossy sheen on her hair. Withdrawing one arm from around her waist, he brushed a hand over the tightly bound strands, his fingers coming away greasy. Raising his hand, he sniffed at the oily liquid, and then glanced to her face, his eyebrows rising when he saw some on her cheek as well.

"What is it?" Jo asked again, frowning at the liquid he'd removed from her hair.

"Motor oil," Nicholas said wryly. "You must have got it on you when you were rolling around in the back of the van. It's old so I bought a bottle of oil in case…" His words died off as Jo stepped away from him to raise her hands to feel her hair. His gaze then dropped over the rest of her and he grimaced. She had it all over her. The bottle must have opened. The back of the van was probably covered with it now too. It looked like she'd rolled in it.

"Ew," Jo muttered, glancing down and catching sight of what he had. Sighing, she let her hands drop from her hair and moved past him. "I'm going to shower and find something less 'car mechanic' to wear. I'll be quick. You heat yourself some pizza and open the wine, I'll be right back."

Nicholas turned to watch her go, telling himself he'd best get used to it. He suspected soon she'd be walking away and not returning. When Jo disappeared from view, Nicholas turned to collect two plates and a couple of wineglasses. He set them on the counter and then moved to the wine rack to consider the selection as he heard a door close somewhere in the bowels of the apartment. It was followed by the muffled sound of running water that sounded far away, and Nicholas wondered where the bathroom was, and then frowned as he realized he hadn't seen anything of the apartment other than the kitchen.

Deciding it was in his best interests to check out the rest of the place and all the exits in case of problems, Nicholas turned from the wine rack to do a quick exploration. He passed back out into the hall, and then walked through the living room, noting the black leather and chrome furniture, and state-of-the-art entertainment system before continuing on into a hallway that had three doors off it. One door was closed, the sound of rushing water coming from beyond it.