He shot a hooded look at Sam, did a quick assessment of the situation and evidently concluded that his best option lay in an appeal to Abby.
“Sorry about this, sweetie,” he said. “I thought you were out of town.”
“That’s supposed to excuse what you just did?” Abby waved a hand toward the open slider. “You just broke into my home. You’d better start talking, and fast, or I’m going to call the police, I swear it.”
Nick exhaled heavily and leaned over to scratch Newton behind the ears. “Take it easy, sweetie. I can explain everything. You know you’re not going to call the cops.”
“Before you say another word,” Abby warned, “if you call me sweetie one more time, I will use that lamp on your head.”
“It’s a little complicated, sweet—uh, Abby.”
“I think we can uncomplicate this thing real fast,” Sam said. “Tell us why you broke in here tonight.”
Nick scowled. “Who is this guy, Abby? I can’t believe he’s a new boyfriend. Definitely not your type.”
“Talk,” Sam said. “Fast.”
Nick shot him an irritated look. “I didn’t break in, I let myself in.”
“That wasn’t a key you used to open the slider,” Sam said.
“Abby and I are old friends.” Nick turned back to Abby and flashed a smile that was as brilliant as his hair. “Isn’t that right?”
“We both know that I never gave you a key to my home,” Abby said. “Gwen has a spare, but you don’t. Why are you here?”
“Believe it or not, just looking out for you. There’s a real hot book floating around. Some kind of lab notebook dealing with crystal experiments. It’s supposed to be about forty years old, and rumor has it that it’s encrypted. If that’s the case, there’s a good chance that some of the people who are after it will be trying to hire you.”
“Don’t give me that blather about looking out for me,” Abby snapped. “You’re trying to locate that book yourself, aren’t you? You came here hoping that you would find a lead.”
“So you are working that job.” Nick jerked a thumb at Sam. “He’s a new client, isn’t he? What’s going on here? You never let clients into your home.”
“You know, I really don’t have to answer your questions,” Abby said. “You are supposed to be explaining why you are here in my living room.”
Nick shrugged. “Like I said, just looking out for your best interests.”
“I got that much,” Abby said, bristling with impatience. “Tell me the rest of it.”
“Okay, okay, calm down. I don’t know a whole lot more than what I just told you. I don’t have a client yet, but the word on the street is that the book is worth a fortune to more than one person. Figured if I got to it first I could hold an auction. This could be the big one for me.”
“Where did you hear the rumors of the book?” Sam asked.
“Like I’m going to tell you that,” Nick muttered.
Sam took the aura-suppression device out of his pocket.
Nick looked bored. “The rumors cropped up in the usual places online. Tell him, Abby.”
Abby folded her arms. “There are chat rooms where collectors and dealers exchange gossip and leads. I haven’t had a chance to check out the usual suspects lately, because I’ve been preoccupied with my own problems. Guess I’d better visit some of the online sites.”
“What have you heard about the collectors who are after the encrypted book?” Sam asked.
“Damn it, who is this guy, Abby?” Nick demanded.
“The name is Sam Coppersmith,” Sam said.
He was still trying to get past the comment about not looking like Abby’s type. It occurred to him that no one would think it odd if a cat burglar fell from a tenth-floor balcony while engaged in an act of breaking and entering. Stuff happened. Abby, however, would probably not approve of that disposal plan. She clearly had a history with Nick Sawyer. So did Newton.
“Coppersmith.” Nick frowned. “Name rings a faint bell. How did you find Abby?”
“She found me,” Sam said.
“You’re a talent of some kind.” Nick gave him an accusing look and then turned back to Abby. “You never trust strangers.”
“Sam was referred to me by Thaddeus,” Abby said. “Or maybe it would be more correct to say that I was referred to Sam. Either way, Thaddeus vouched for him.”
“Okay, so Webber approved him. That still doesn’t explain what he’s doing here in your apartment at two o’clock in the morning. You never let your dates stay over.”
Abby flushed. “I thought I made it clear, Sam is not a date. My arrangement with him is strictly business.”
“You never let clients do sleepovers, either. What the hell is going on here, Abby? Why did Webber send you to him?”
“If you must know, Thaddeus thinks I may be in some danger because of that book you’re looking for,” Abby said.
“Damn it, I knewthis had something to do with that lab book. You should have come to me.”
“I’ve been a little busy,” Abby said. “Someone is blackmailing me.”
“Shit,” Nick growled. “Who?”
“That’s where I come in,” Sam said. “I’m going to find the bastard.”
Nick frowned. “But you’re after that old lab book, aren’t you?”
“That, too,” Sam said. “But the two projects go together.”
Nick looked at Abby. “Sounds like you’ve fallen into the deep end.”
“Yes,” Abby says. “It appears that is the case.”
“There are some real sharks out there. Are you sure you trust this guy to take care of you?”
“Yes,” Abby said.
Sam told himself that he should take heart from that simple response.
“What is the bastard using as the extortion threat?” Nick said. “You’ve always been squeaky-clean. You don’t even get parking tickets.”
“He knows about my time at the Summerlight Academy and why I was sent there, and he knows who my father is. You know what would happen if my past suddenly became an issue in the media. It could ruin Dad’s chance at the reality series.”
“Screw it,” Nick said. “Let your father take care of himself. You don’t owe him or anyone else in that family a damn thing. They don’t deserve your loyalty. Hell, even if they knew that you were trying to protect them, they wouldn’t appreciate your efforts.”
“It’s not just about protecting them,” Abby said. “We’re not entirely certain yet, but it looks like the blackmailer may know exactly how I took down Grady Hastings in Mrs. Vaughn’s library. If he knows what I can do with encryption energy and decides to fire up rumors about me in the chat rooms, he could destroy my business.”
“Okay, that would not be good,” Nick said. “But according to the rumors, this lab book is attracting some dangerous collectors. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“She won’t,” Sam said. “That’s why I’m here.”
“I’ll be okay, Nick,” Abby said. “I think you’d better leave. It’s late.”
“All right, I’m going.” Nick gave Sam one last glare and then turned back to Abby. “But promise me you’ll call me if you need backup.”
“I will,” she said. “By the way, please use the stairs on your way out. I don’t want any of my neighbors to wake up and see you climbing past their balconies from this floor. I’ve got my reputation to consider.”
“Yeah, right.” Nick coughed. “I, uh, left some of my stuff out on the balcony.”
“Get it,” Sam said. “And then go.”
Nick pretended not to hear the order, but he went out onto the balcony and collected the rock-climbing equipment. When he came back inside, Sam followed him down the short hall and into the small foyer. Newton accompanied them.
Nick opened the door. The outer hall was empty. He gave Newton one last pat and then straightened to give Sam a hard, cold look. He lowered his voice.
“If anything happens to Abby, I’ll be holding you responsible,” he said.