Innocent Next Door (Military Men Book 1) by Shelley Munro Page A

gasped, then turned back to stare at Nikolai. “What do I tell him?”
    “I’d stick to the truth,” Nikolai said in an undertone.
    “At least I’ll be able to prove he has nothing to do with crime.”
    “Maybe.”
    The car pulled up alongside Dare’s convertible. After thanking the driver, they climbed out.
    “Hi, Dare.” Summer smiled. “Have you been waiting long?”
    Dare’s look held antagonism as he glared at Nikolai. She needed to get rid of Nikolai before things turned ugly.
    “Thanks for the help, Nikolai. I’ll see you later.” She backed up her words with a wave, took Dare’s arm and dragged him toward the front door. For once, Nikolai seemed to trust her to deal with the situation on her own.
    “Where have you been?” Dare demanded in a low, furious voice.
    Summer unlocked the door and stood back for him to enter. She refused to argue in front of Nikolai. She sensed his gaze even with her back to him. A tingle sprang to life inside her, and it had nothing to do with Dare’s arrival.
    She rubbed her gritty eyes and forced another smile. “I could do with a cup of coffee. Come through to the kitchen, and I’ll explain everything. It’s been a rough night.”
    Five minutes later, the scent of freshly ground coffee beans filled the air and coffee dripped into the carafe.
    “You know Natasha and I went to the movies last night?”
    “Yes.”
    “When Nikolai dropped me off here, someone was inside the house. Whoever it was left several packets of cocaine and called the cops to alert them.”
    “Cocaine?” Dare stared at her in astonishment.
    The reaction was genuine. Summer would swear to it. “It wasn’t good quality, but definitely cocaine. Lucky for me, the culprit left a boot print on the windowsill and none of the packets had my fingerprints on them, either inside or out. But the police still took me in for questioning. I’ve been there all night.”
    “The police don’t have any idea who called them?” This time his voice held an edge, something off that made her wish she could read his mind. Men were so unpredictable.
    She frowned at the coffeemaker and wished it would hurry. “No. They think the call was made on a cell phone—one of those prepaid ones that are difficult to trace.”
    “What was your next-door neighbor doing with you? Why didn’t you call me?”
    There had been a time, not long ago, when she would’ve felt thrilled to have two men pay attention to her. “I didn’t call you because I thought you were busy.”
    “But you called him.”
    He sounded sulky. Male egos. She could do without them. “The police took him in for questioning too because he was still here.”
    “I don’t like the way he hangs around or the way he looks at you. He probably called the cops.”
    Summer suppressed a snappish comeback. “He’s my uncle’s friend. I suspect my uncle asked him to watch out for me. I can’t be rude. The coffee’s ready. Black, isn’t it?”
    “Yeah.” Dare paced the length of the kitchen. “Thanks,” he added as an afterthought.
    She plonked the mug on the wooden table and muttered under her breath when her undue force splashed coffee over the maroon tablecloth. She grabbed a rag to wipe up the spill and sat to savor her morning beverage.
    Dare paused mid-pace and whirled to face her. His intense frown made her stare. As she watched, he strode past the table, past his waiting coffee. He was leaving? Or was he merely doing an extra large lap?
    She swiveled in her chair. Her mouth dropped open when he kept going through the open door. “Dare, what about your coffee? Dare!”
    “Something’s come up. I have to go.”
    “Right now? Without drinking your coffee?”
    “Sorry.”
    The apology lacked in sincerity, and she leapt to her feet. “What’s come up?”
    A flash of irritation flickered in him. His full mouth firmed as he checked his phone. “I need to go to work. A problem with a business competitor. I’ll ring you later.”
    Talk about a