Explosive Situation

by Terri Reed

  “I barely heard the explosion,” she shot back.

  Frustration tightened the muscles of his shoulders. He steered the conversation back to the original topic. “If you want to go to the concert,” he said slowly, “This is what we are doing.”

  “It’s not fair.” She stabbed her fork into the fluffy eggs on the plate in front of her.

  “Life is not fair, Riley. God never promised it would be. The sooner you get that through your head and accept it, the better. Because expecting life to be even and square will only frustrate you.”

  She set down her fork and stared at him with tears clouding her dark eyes. “You sound so much like Dad.”

  His heart twisted in his chest. Riley’s grief was always near the surface, especially when they were arguing. But this was the first time she’d compared Henry to their father. Her words were both a compliment that made him proud and a wound that sliced him to the quick.

  Their father, James Roarke, had been a man of integrity who’d provided a good life for his children as an accountant. Henry’s mother had abandoned Henry and James when Henry was six, disappearing and never contacting her son again. For many years, it had just been Henry and his dad until his dad had met Susan Cantor. They’d married and soon had Riley.

  Even as an infant, the little girl had had their father wrapped around her pinky.

  Taking a bracing sip of coffee, Henry stalled a beat as he wrangled his own grief. Swallowing, he said, “Riley, I love you. But you’re not going to that concert without an escort both to and from.”

  She threw up her hands. “That’s just mean.”

  Holding on to his patience by a thread, he said, “Riley, it’s not mean. It’s being protective.”

  “You’re smothering me.” She grabbed her plate and scraped the last of her eggs into the disposal before setting the plate in the dishwasher. She slammed the dishwasher door shut.

  Cody let out a startled bark and jumped off the couch. He trotted over to investigate the commotion while Riley moved into the living room. Her phone chimed with an incoming text. She glanced at it and rolled her eyes. Snagging her backpack from the couch, she said, “I have an anthropology assignment that’s due Monday. I’m going to the Museum of Natural History.”

  He slapped a hand to his forehead. “You’re not going to the museum by yourself. You’re going to have to wait for me and I will take you.”

  “I don’t need you to come with me.”

  He stood up, marshaling his frustration and irritation, and stared her down. “Riley, someone tried to break in last night. You’re not going to win here.”

  “You’re impossible.” She stormed down the hall, slamming her bedroom door shut.

  Henry slumped back onto the counter stool. He understood her desire for more freedom. He was exactly the same age when he left home for college. But times were different. Their father hadn’t been a cop. Riley didn’t understand that he couldn’t risk her safety. He’d seen the worst of humanity. How did he make her understand that it wasn’t her he didn’t trust? It was everyone else.

  He cradled his head in his hands and lifted up a prayer asking God for guidance and wisdom because he didn’t know how to navigate this young adult stage. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d ever know how to do the parent thing. And had no plans to again. Raising Riley was enough for one lifetime.

  * * *

  Putting on her sunglasses, Olivia stepped out of her Saturday morning exercise class when her cell phone rang. She paused on the sidewalk to dig the device out of her bag. She glanced at the caller ID and didn’t recognize the number. Hefting her rolled exercise mat beneath one arm and her gym bag over her shoulder, she stepped out of the flow of traffic into the alcove of a restaurant that wasn’t open yet.

  “Hello?”

  She heard a sobbing hiccup and then a weepy female voice, “Olivia? I mean, Lieutenant Vance?”

  The voice struck a familiar chord, but Olivia couldn’t place it. “Yes, this is Lieutenant Olivia Vance.”

  “This is Riley, Riley Roarke.”

  Olivia’s stomach clenched. “Is everything okay, Riley?”

  “No, it’s not. Henry’s a tyrant. I just can’t live like this anymore. Can you help me?”

  The dire note in Riley’s tone slid along Olivia’s limbs. Henry wouldn’t hurt Riley, would he? He seemed to dote on her. “Are you safe?”

  “Yes. Will you come?”

  What was going on? Had Henry lost his temper with his sister? Did Henry really have an anger issue? After yesterday, she’d started to think not. But now Olivia was doubting herself. She needed to make sure there was no credence to the excessive force allegations by seeing what Henry was like with his family at home, she decided. She took off at a fast clip toward her apartment. “Can you text me your address? I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay, please hurry.”

  When the text came in from Riley, Olivia’s eyebrows shot up when she saw the Cobble Hill address. Pretty swanky on a police officer’s salary. How could Henry afford such a nice condo?

  At home, she quickly freshened up and changed into work clothes. She exchanged her workout equipment for her purse and made sure Kitty had water, then hustled back out the door. Squaring her shoulders with determination to get to the bottom of what was going on, she called a car service. She lifted up a prayer that she would be able to diffuse whatever was going on.

  FIVE

  Henry returned from the doctor’s office with a new bandage on his head and a prescription for pain pills that he wouldn’t be taking. Over-the-counter pain medication would do just fine. He wasn’t about to take something stronger that would impair his judgment. Not when there was so much at stake. His sister’s life, his life and the safety of the neighborhood. The safety of Brooklyn.

  Riley was still in her room, no doubt pouting, so he took Cody outside again. The late-morning July sun beat down on his head. Staying inside would be a good idea today. A perfect time to go with Riley to the museum.

  Back inside the condo, Henry knocked on Riley’s door. “Hey, sis? I’m ready to go to the Museum of Natural History whenever you are.”

  “Whatever,” came her muffled reply through the door.

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, he shook his head. Was she really going to do this? She wanted to be treated like an adult, yet when she didn’t get her way, she acted like she had at thirteen. Experience told him he had to wait her out. He headed back to the kitchen and finished loading the dishwasher, setting it to run. To keep himself busy, he wiped down the counters and cleaned out the fridge.

  A knock at the front door set Cody scrambling from his bed. Tension constricted the muscles in Henry’s neck as he hung back a second to watch his partner. Cody would give a passive alert indicating if a bomb waited on the other side of the door. The dog sniffed, then scratched at the door, apparently not detecting a dangerous scent.

  Still, Henry used caution and pressed his eye to the peephole. Lieutenant Olivia Vance stood on the other side, looking very professional in a black pantsuit and crisp white shirt.

  He drew back in surprise and rubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw. He usually didn’t shave on the weekends. Then he shrugged. She was at his house on a Saturday. She could hardly expect him to be uniform-ready. He opened the door and braced himself. “Olivia. What brings you to my house on a Saturday?”

  Adjusting the strap of her purse on her shoulder, she took a moment to respond, as if collecting her thoughts. “I need to speak with Riley.”

  His gut knotted. “Why?”

  Her gaze hardened. “Riley called me. I want to talk to her and make sure she’s okay.”

  Henry groaned. “Seriously? She called you? I’m sorry she bothered you. We had an argument but after the attempted break-in last night—”

  “Wait,” Olivia held up a hand. “Someone tried to break in here?�
�

  “Yes. But Cody alerted and the perpetrator ran away. And now Riley’s upset at the restrictions I’ve set and she’s being overly dramatic. It’s what she does.”

  Olivia’s face softened just a tad. “I’m glad to hear none of you were hurt. I’d like to see her, please.”

  With a sigh of aggravation, he stepped aside so the Internal Affairs lieutenant could enter his condo. “By all means. Come in.”

  She glanced around his space. Suddenly, uncharacteristic insecurities assailed him. Did she notice the stain on the carpet? The dust on the picture frames? The secondhand furniture he’d picked up at a yard sale? He was glad he’d at least cleaned up the kitchen area.

  “Nice place.” Her gaze landed on him. “How do you afford this on your salary?”

  Taken aback by her direct question, he lifted an eyebrow. Apparently nothing was out of bounds for her. “It is nice. And it was paid for with the life insurance money from my father’s estate.”

  Tenderness filled her eyes, making his heart skip a beat.

  “It must have been very difficult for you and Riley.”

  “Yes. The pain is always just underneath the surface,” he admitted, though why he’d tell her anything personal was beyond him. Maybe because he sensed she understood grief. “I was sorry to hear about the loss of your husband.”

  Sadness and another emotion he couldn’t identify crossed her face. “Thank you.”

  Confused by the stiffness of her tone, he asked, “A small plane crash, correct?”

  Her gaze shuttered. “Yes.”

  Did she feel guilty that she hadn’t been with him at the time of his death? It wasn’t unusual for those left behind to have survivor’s guilt. “You must miss him.”

  For a moment, she was quiet, as if debating how to answer. “At times. We were married for only two years. Our careers didn’t lend themselves to married life.”

  His eyebrows rose as he digested her statement. “What was his profession?”

  “A dentist,” she said. “He had a thriving practice.”

  There was just a hint of bitterness in her tone that raised his curiosity. Though he really shouldn’t pry, he asked, “Where was he headed when he crashed?”

  For a moment she didn’t speak and he cringed. He had overstepped. “I’m sorry, Olivia. It’s none of my business.”

  “It’s not a secret. From what I was told, the Caribbean,” she replied. “We weren’t on speaking terms at the time.” She clamped her lips together as if she hadn’t meant to let the admission slip.

  Stunned by that revelation, Henry wasn’t sure how to respond. Empathy flooded him. He fought the need to soothe away the hurt lurking in her eyes. Doing so would definitely be out of bounds.

  Riley opened her bedroom door and ran straight at Olivia, throwing her arms around the woman. “You came!”

  Olivia’s eyes went wide and her mouth opened in obvious surprise. She braced her feet apart to balance herself against the onslaught of the gangly teenager. Henry winced. His little sister was putting on quite a show.

  Olivia pulled back to look into Riley’s face. “What’s going on?”

  Riley hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “Him. He’s a brute.”

  Henry’s mouth fell open. Didn’t his little sister understand that saying things like that to the officer investigating him for excessive force would hurt his career? But then again, he figured hurting him was her intent. Riley wasn’t getting her way and she was acting out. Not cool at all.

  Letting out a half groan, half sigh, he shook his head and walked toward the balcony door. “I’ll let you two talk.”

  Hopefully, Olivia was smart enough to realize what was going on and not hold Riley’s antics against him.

  * * *

  Olivia saw the play of emotions march across Henry’s face before he turned away. Obviously, his sister’s words were upsetting to him. From the moment Olivia had stepped inside the condo, she’d had trouble keeping her focus on why she’d come over. Henry was breathtakingly handsome today.

  She’d always thought him good-looking in uniform. But dressed in khaki shorts and a short-sleeve, pale green button-down shirt, he appeared both casual and dressy at the same time. He had a crisp, white bandage on his head that was a stark reminder of the trauma they’d experienced together.

  A bond that had led her to admit she and her late husband hadn’t been on speaking terms. Why else would she reveal anything personal to an officer she was investigating? She pushed aside the persistent voice that whispered she liked this man.

  Leaving the door open to the balcony, Henry settled onto a deck chair with his back to them. Cody lay down beside him. Henry dangled his hand over the armrest and stroked Cody as if needing comfort. Which Olivia figured he probably did, considering his sister’s state of mind.

  Turning her attention to Riley, Olivia met the younger woman’s red-rimmed gaze. Remembering well the emotional roller coaster her two younger sisters had trapped the family on when they were young adults, Olivia decided to tread softly. Leading Riley to the leather couch, she said, “Tell me what’s going on.”

  Riley plopped down on the middle cushion, tucking her feet beneath her and giving a very beleaguered sigh. “He’s just so overprotective. He’s a helicopter parent.”

  Olivia pressed her lips together to keep a smile at bay because showing any sort of amusement would only lead to more drama. At least, it always had with her siblings. “And what is he being an overprotective helicopter parent about?”

  “The Colt Colton concert is coming up at the Barclays Center and he insists on escorting me and my friends.”

  Ah. So that was the crux of the issue. Taking Riley’s hand in her own, Olivia gave her a gentle squeeze. “You do realize he’s acting out of love? Especially after an intruder trying to break in.”

  For a moment, Riley’s mouth firmed into a stubborn line, then she seemed to deflate. “I know. I know he loves me. And last night was scary. But he won’t even let me go to the Natural Museum of History today by myself. I’m eighteen, old enough to go into the city on my own. I have an anthropology project due on Monday and I’m supposed to go to the museum and pick a subject to write about. We can’t do it online. The teacher said we actually have to go to the museum. I don’t want Henry to go with me. My other classmates will be there. I’ll die if I have to have my big brother tagging along.”

  Dizzy from the onslaught of words, Olivia held up a hand. “Again, you do realize he’s trying to protect you because he loves you?”

  Riley threw herself against the backrest of the couch, her gaze on the ceiling. “Yes.”

  At least the young woman was acknowledging the truth through her dramatics.

  Suddenly, Riley sat straight up and stared at Olivia. “Will you come with us? If you’re with him, then he won’t be hovering over me. You two can go off and do your own thing.” She flicked her fingers as if shooing away a fly. “But he can still be there in case I need him.”

  From the balcony, Henry called out, “I’m okay with that.”

  Astonished, Olivia stared at the back of Henry’s head. Really? He was okay with her going to the museum with him and his sister? Hmm. No doubt he wanted a buffer between him and Riley, too.

  Was she seriously contemplating letting herself be drawn into this family’s drama?

  Who was she kidding? The moment she’d agreed to come over, she’d stepped into the fray. And she could be of help here. She wanted to help the brother and sister figure out how to navigate this season they were in. After all, she did have the knowledge and training. Plus, seeing them interact more outside of the home would help her understand the dynamics between them. She smiled wryly. “I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

  Riley clapped her hands and jumped from the couch. “I’ll grab my backpack.”

  Henry came back inside a
nd stopped at the foot of the couch. His gaze searched her face. “Are you sure about this?”

  Misgivings filled Olivia, but she wasn’t one to go back on her word. “Yes.”

  Henry leashed Cody and slipped a K-9 Unit vest over his small, round body.

  “You’re taking your partner?”

  “It’s a perfect opportunity to do some real world training. Besides, better to be prepared in case the texting bomber strikes again.”

  A shiver rippled over her flesh. She couldn’t argue with that logic.

  The trek into the city via the subway was uneventful. Riley buried her head in her phone, apparently texting with her classmates. Henry remained standing the whole ride, his gaze hard as he studied each passenger. Cody sniffed everyone he passed but showed no signs of alerting.

  Seated next to Riley, Olivia fretted more with every mile that clicked beneath the rails. A bubbly sensation in her belly made her wonder if the baby sensed her anxiety. She breathed deep in an effort to calm herself and the baby. Yet her mind nagged at her—what if somebody from one of the precincts saw the four of them and realized they were on an outing together?

  She could claim this was work-related, though would anyone believe her? She hated to acknowledge it, but she was jeopardizing her own career by fraternizing with the officer she was investigating.

  However, it was her day off, even if she was treating it like work. A rebellious streak she rarely let loose clamored that today she was not an Internal Affairs investigator. Today, she was just a woman accompanying a teenager and her older brother and his dog to visit the museum. Nothing more. And if anybody actually bought that rationalization, she had a really nice piece of swampland in the middle of Manhattan to sell them.

  With her stomach tied in knots, she followed Henry, Cody and Riley off the train and to the entrance of the American Museum of Natural History.