2 Blood Trail Read Free

dog. Vicki extended her hand for him to sniff. Wolves don’t come in that color. Or that size. Do they? She could have added that wolves don’t generally hang out in condominiums in downtown Toronto, but given that it was Henry’s condo all bets were off.
    The animal’s eyes were outlined in black, adding to a remarkably expressive face. He enthusiastically sniffed the offered hand, then pushed his head demandingly under Vicki’s fingers.
    Vicki grinned, pulled the door closed, then obediently began to scratch in the thick ruff behind the pointed ears. “Henry?” she called as a tail heavy enough to knock a grown man to the ground slammed rhythmically into the wall. “You home?”
    “In the living room.”
    Something in the tone of his voice drew her brows down but a saucerlike paw on her instep almost instantly distracted her. “Get off, you great brute.” The dog obediently shifted his weight. She grabbed his muzzle lightly in one hand and shook his massive head from side to side. “Come on, fella, they’re waiting for us.”
    He smiled—there really was no other word for it—whirled around and bounded into the living room, Vicki following at a slightly more sedate pace.
    Henry stood in his usual place by the huge wall of windows that looked down on the city. The lights he used on the infrequent occasions he had company picked up the red highlights in his fair hair and turned his hazel eyes almost gold. Actually, Vicki was guessing about the effect on his eyes as she couldn’t see details over that great a distance. She never tired of looking at him though, he had a presence that lifted his appearance from merely pleasing to extraordinary and she could certainly understand how poor Lucy and Mina hadn’t stood a chance against his well-known fictional counterpart.
    He wasn’t alone. The young woman fiddling with the CD player turned as Vicki came into the living room and Vicki hid a smile as she found herself being thoroughly and obviously looked over. She took a good long look in return.
    A dancer? Vicki wondered. Although small, the girl was sleekly muscled and held herself in a way that could almost be interpreted as challenging. Don’t try it, kid. If I’m not quite twice your age— the girl could be no older than seventeen or eighteen— I’m definitely meaner. The short mane of silver blond hair, Vicki realized with a start, was natural; the brows could have been lightened but not the lashes. While not exactly pretty, the pale hair made for an exotic contrast with the deep tan. And that sundress certainly leaves little tan to the imagination.
    Their eyes met and Vicki’s brows rose. Just for an instant she almost had a grasp of what was really going on, then the instant passed and the girl was looking up through her lashes and smiling shyly.
    The large red dog had gone to sit by Henry’s side, his head level with Henry’s waist, and now the two of them walked forward. Henry wore a carefully neutral expression. The dog looked amused.
    “Vicki, I’d like you to meet Rose Heerkens. Her family is having some trouble I think you can help them with.”
    “Pleased to meet you.” Vicki held out her hand and after a quick glance at Henry —What did he tell her about me?— the younger woman put hers in it. Very few women are any good at shaking hands, not having been raised to do it, but Vicki was surprised by both a grip that matched her own and a callus-ridged palm.
    As Rose released her hold, she extended the motion to indicate the dog now leaning against her legs. “This is Storm.”
    Storm held up a paw.
    Bending over to take it, Vicki grinned. “Pleased to meet you too, Storm.”
    The big dog gave a short bark and leaned forward, dragging his tongue across Vicki’s face with enough force to almost dislodge her glasses.
    “Storm, stop it!” With both hands buried in the russet ruff, Rose yanked the dog back. “Maybe she doesn’t want to be covered in slobber.”
    “Oh, I don’t