“I’ll take that as a yes.” He shifted Angel in his arms. “So where’s your other half?” he asked his sister.
She frowned. “Cole’s away for the weekend. An important job,” she said. “He tries to assign the out-of-town security installations, but sometimes they request him.”
He caught the hint of wistfulness in her tone. “Can I take you for dinner?” he asked. “Help pass the time?”
She squeezed his arm. “You’re a good brother. But Sunday will be here soon enough. I don’t want to put a crimp into your social life.”
He rolled his eyes. “I always have time for you. And if I didn’t, I’d make time.”
Erin smiled. “I’m fine. Go find Nicole.”
“How do you know that’s who I’m here for?”
Erin merely stared at him, holding out her arms. “Who else would bring you to an art show?”
With his cheeks burning at being so obvious, Sam placed his niece back in her mother’s arms. “Have you seen her?” he asked.
Erin nodded. “Her booth is at the far end of the street.” She pointed farther down than he’d gotten so far.
“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
He turned and started to work his way through the crowds once more, when a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
“Hey!” Instinct had Sam reaching for his holster as he came face-to-face with Tyler Stanton. “Jesus Christ. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on a cop?”
“We need to talk,” Tyler said.
Sam was not in the mood to deal with the other man. “Not now.”
“It’s about Nicole.”
Sam stiffened. “When is it not, Stanton?” It was time he got rid of this asshole once and for all.
“This time is different.” Stanton stood way too close, his posture straight, his attitude determined. “Look, I’m not here to win her back. I know better. She’s interested in you, not me. But I need her to come back home for her own good.”
Sam shook his head, knowing he’d never understand this guy without a detailed road map. “Explain.”
“Nicole’s in danger.”
With those words, he caught Sam’s attention. Sam eyed
the other man warily. “Talk to me.”
Tyler drew a deep breath. “Before I came here I found out my father has been taking money from the Russian mob and running it through our investment business,” he said, his voice low. “He thinks Nicole overheard him talking to his accountant and knows enough to put him in jail and give the feds a good lead on his so-called investors.”
Sam closed his eyes and swore. He’d never imagined her secrets were this big.
“And I just saw the owner of the biggest art gallery in L.A. and one of his associates standing near Nicole’s booth. He’s one of my father’s Russian investors, and I can guarantee you he’s not here to find the newest artist in your small town.”
Sam stared at the man standing in front of him, disbelief and rage filling him as he put together everything Stanton wasn’t saying. “Your fucking father sent him after Nicole?”
“I don’t know for sure. But by the time I extricated myself from Macy so I could find out, he was gone. And so was Nicole.”
Extricated himself. This son of a bitch with his expensive clothes and fancy words was going to be the death of him, Sam thought, shoving Stanton away.
“You’d better hope I find her, and when I do? She’d better be in one piece.”
Main Street in town had been shut down to traffic, and along the route, artists had set up stands and easels showcasing their work. Trisha from Cuppa Café was sharing the long booth at the end of the street with Nicole and Aunt Lulu, where she sold iced coffee, sodas, and bottled water. The day was hot and they almost always had a line for the drinks as well as the pastries by Nicole and mini cakes by Aunt Lulu.