Collared (Going to the Dogs) by Zoe Dawson

concerned.
    She insisted he address her by her given name when they were alone.
    “I really need to discuss something with you right now, Jeffrey,” she whispered, not sure why. Juliana was sleeping and there was no one else in the penthouse.
    He looked over his shoulder and then said, “I’ll be right out.”
    Five minutes later, he came out of his room in a T-shirt and jeans. It had been a long time since she’d seen him in anything but his uniform, and it brought back memories, very unpleasant ones. She led him into the living room and fixed them both a drink.
    “This can’t be good,” he said eyeing her.
    As she turned to him, the earlier feeling of uncertainty rose up in her, and she experienced an unaccustomed sense of insecurity. That in itself was unsettling. During the three years she’d had Jeffrey as her chauffeur, insecurity had been as foreign to her as fear, another emotion she wished she weren’t so familiar with. But with this theft her feeling of immunity had evaporated, and her apprehension bred an uncertainty that left her feeling strangely exposed and threatened.
    “It’s not.”
    He accepted the drink, frowning. “What’s going on?”
    “Detective Shaw tracked me down tonight and informed me that he thinks someone gave out my security code, and the thieves used it to waltz in here, drug my dog and crack the safe.” At the sound of Caleb’s name, Blue barked. “Shush, Blue,” Harper said, burying her fingers in the dog’s fur.
    “Fuck!” He set down the glass, his face set and angry. She was glad it wasn’t directed at her. She knew Jeffrey’s abilities. She’d seen them with her own eyes, and it had been chilling enough even they were used on her behalf. He was a former member of Delta Force and deadly dangerous.
    He glanced at her, his eyes shuttered. “I knew it.”
    “What happened?”
    His expression softened, and he slipped his arm around her shoulders. His voice was gruff as he said, “I should have told you, but I didn’t want you to freak out.”
    Sliding her arm around his waist, she rested her head against his shoulder, reluctant to revisit their shared past and what he’d had to do. Instead, she wanted to think about now. “Told me what? You’re worrying me.”
    He picked up his drink, took a long swallow, and let her go. Walking towards the balcony, he opened the sliding glass doors and stepped out. Harper followed him. “I ran into someone I know, and he recognized me. A buddy from the service.”
    The city had cooled off, the night inviting even with the August heat. The feeling of fall beckoned on the soft evening breeze. She didn’t know how it was possible, but there were actually crickets chirping up here. The view from the balcony was unobstructed, and a panorama of the twinkling lights of New York City stretched out to the horizon, the purple shadows and silhouettes dark patches on the cityscape.
    The water of the bay reflected the lights in its glassy surface, mirroring the midnight blue and grays of the dark sky.
    Sensing his pensiveness, Harper turned to him and put her hand on his arm. “What does this have to do with my breakin?”
    “Maybe nothing. But the guy was overly interested in you, and my gut told me it wasn’t a coincidence that we ran into each other. But he was a friend and a comrade, and I didn’t think…I should have been more careful.”
    “You think this man was responsible for breaking in here.”
    He threw back the rest of the whiskey, straightening, then hesitating briefly before he answered. “It’s possible…but Harper, he knows who I really am and he could be banking on the fact that I’m using an alias for a reason.”
    Harper’s stomach lurched. “Does he know about what happened…”
    Inhaling wearily as he met her gaze, he said, “No, he doesn’t know anything about your kidnapping. At least, I don’t think so. No one but you and I and your immediate family knows.”
    Her throat knotted with dread. “This