Page 6 of The Enemy's Daughter

Chapter Two

Alaric had resorted to a puppy. He hated pets, and now he had to remember he’d said his name was Blue. The vet, Deidre, had given him the all clear, and was more than happy with Buster. So, Bella Reed liked animals, and she hadn’t had any work done. The picture he had of her, it didn’t do her justice at all. She was a lot prettier in person.

“He’s all good to go. Bella will arrange another appointment for his first set of injections. Don’t let him out just yet, and keep him away from other dogs, unless they’ve been inoculated.”

“I will. Thank you.” He wanted to get out and talk to Bella. His plan couldn’t work unless he got a chance to talk to her, or even ask her out on a date. Alaric didn’t like that he had lied to her, which was strange. He was going to be doing a hell of a lot of lying in the coming weeks. There was a plan, and he wanted to get Bella to fall in love with him before the New Year, and end things. January was when he’d be at the same banquet dinner as her father. What better time to ruin Jackson Reed than with the knowledge he’d hurt her daughter?

It all made perfect sense.

First, he needed to get over whatever was bothering him when it came to Bella. He wasn’t used to caring about anyone.

Entering the main reception area, he saw that Bella was the only one there.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Perfect. Thank you for putting me in last minute.”

She waved her hand in front of her. “Don’t worry about it. We all do whatever we can for our pets.”

“What pet do you have?” he asked, not sure if he’d read about her having a pet.

“I don’t. I’ve not had a pet since I was a kid.” She looked really sad.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. I think.” She clicked on the computer screen, biting her lip. This job thing wasn’t a fake. She was staring at the screen while typing. “It looks like we can have him back in two weeks. Is that okay for you?”

“Yes. That’s brilliant.”

She wrote his details on the card, and handed them to him. “Thank you so much for coming. Have a wonderful weekend.”

Seeing no reason to linger, Alaric carried his new pet out of the veterinary practice. He was going to have to hire a dog babysitter or something.

Putting the puppy in his cage in the back of his car, he made sure he was comfortable, and had several puppy treats. There was so much shit to take into account when it came to having a pet.

He slammed the trunk, and grabbed his cell phone, jumping behind the steering wheel. Dialing Rex’s number, he waited for his friend to answer.

Rex was the only friend that had remained by his side since they were kids. They were both bachelors, and neither of them had any intention of settling down.

“What’s going on?” Rex asked.

“What are you doing?” Alaric glanced at his watch, and saw it was past seven.

“I’m working. Like I always work. Didn’t you know the best damn lawyers don’t get a chance to rest? So, how did your little meeting go? Is she there as a joke or something?”

“Nope. She’s there, and it’s legit. She also doesn’t go by the name Reed either.”

“Let me guess, it’s Jordan?” Rex asked.

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“It’s her mother’s maiden name. I wonder why she doesn’t want people to know who she is.”

Alaric agreed. “Well, my name is now Blue Patterson.”

Rex burst out laughing. “Seriously, I think you’re going to regret this.”

“Oh well. Nothing I can do about it now. I’m going to do this.”

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