Explosive Situation

by Terri Reed

While the officers kept the dogs corralled, the fire department sucked all the smoke out of the training center fairly quickly and gave the all clear to return inside.

  Once all the dogs were settled, Henry walked back to Olivia where she stood in the shade with Cody. “Okay, we can get back to your questions.”

  She stared at him, the unreadable expression in her eyes unnerving him. He usually could tell when she was irritated or amused. But now her emotions were shuttered from him. “Are you okay?”

  She gave a nod. “But I need a breather. I’ll have to catch up with you later. I do have some questions for you, but they can wait.” She handed Cody’s leash back to him and hurried away.

  He wanted to call her back, but then decided he also needed a moment to decompress after the spike in adrenaline. After changing back into his uniform, he and Cody left the training center to find Eden. Hopefully she could trace the latest text he’d received.

  Unfortunately, Eden confirmed this latest text also came from a burner phone that was untraceable. Frustrated with the lack of progress, Henry decided to check on Olivia. He discovered she’d left the station on foot. Alone.

  Had she gone back to her apartment unaccompanied? Or somewhere close by? She’d been instructed to stay close to the station. He called her cell phone. She answered on the first ring.

  “Henry? Is everything okay? Did something else happen?”

  He appreciated that her first thought was the safety of others. “All good here. You left the station. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  There was a loud silence. Concern that he’d overstepped by admitting to worrying about her well-being, he grimaced but couldn’t apologize.

  “I’m fine,” she finally said. “I’m at Sal’s.”

  A measure of relief filled him. “Do you mind if I join you? For lunch. Nothing more.”

  “I suppose you have to eat, as well,” she said, her tone wary.

  “I’ll be right there,” he said and hung up.

  With Cody at his side, Henry headed down the street at a fast clip. Normally he would leave his partner at the training center, but he wanted Cody’s super nose available in case of trouble. And thankfully, Sal allowed the police dogs inside the pizzeria. His boss’s warning to stay away from Olivia echoed in his head, but Henry had to put her safety ahead of what his boss wanted, even if it cost him everything. He refused to ponder why he was willing to risk it all for Olivia.

  As he entered the eatery, the smell of garlic and tomato sauce filled Henry’s nostrils and made his stomach rumble. But his gaze focused on the woman sitting at the corner table by the window. Olivia. Safe and sound, as she’d said.

  The rush of relief and something else, something close to the sort of affection that made him very uncomfortable, rocked him back on his heels.

  “Are you in line?” a woman holding a toddler asked.

  “Uh, yes.” He’d been caught staring but thankfully Olivia seemed oblivious to his presence. She stared into her salad as if the lettuce and veggies were the most engrossing thing ever.

  He ordered a meat lover’s special slice and a small bowl of carrots for his partner before heading over to join Olivia while he waited for the order.

  Cody nudged her knee, prompting her to scrub him behind his floppy ear. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she made an obvious, yet valiant, effort to stop it.

  He grinned and she sighed. That little noise did funny things to his insides.

  Gesturing with her hand to the chair, she said, “Go ahead.”

  He turned the chair around and straddled it, facing her and stepped on Cody’s leash. The dog lay on his belly, his head resting on his paws.

  “You were supposed to be sticking close to the station house,” Henry stated in a firm tone.

  She lifted her chin and then surprise flared in her eyes. “You were worried.”

  “Yes.” He had no problem admitting it. “I care what happens to you.” Though that last bit took him by surprise, as well.

  Her lips parted in a soft inhale, drawing his gaze to her mouth. Not for the first time, his breath quickened as attraction arced through him.

  “I—” Olivia cleared her throat and glanced away as if to compose herself. She turned back to him, her expression contrite. “You’re right. Leaving the K-9 unit alone wasn’t the best decision I’ve made today.”

  He hadn’t expected the humility or the appreciation crowding his chest. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  For a moment she stared at him, her expression filled with wonder. Then she looked at her salad and stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork.

  “Roarke, order’s ready.”

  Rising from the chair, he gave Cody the stay command with his hand and then he asked Olivia, “Can I get you anything while I’m up?”

  “I’m good,” she said. “I’m finishing my salad.”

  “No pizza today?” He remembered her appetite the last time they’d come to Sal’s Pizzeria.

  She smiled, her eyes brightening, making him think she, too, remembered that night. “No, not today.”

  He went to the counter to pick up his slice. “Thanks, Sal.”

  “Isn’t that the new IA investigator?”

  Tension coiled in Henry’s gut. “Yes. Lieutenant Vance.”

  Sal dropped his chin and stared at Henry with narrowed gray eyes. “Fraternizing with the enemy?”

  NINE

  Irritated by the retired officer’s censure, Henry gritted his teeth and worked to calm his knee-jerk urge to reach across the space of the countertop and grab Sal by the apron strings. Sal wasn’t wrong, after all.

  Henry pulled in a deep breath and tried to keep his tone even. “Just eating, no fraternizing going on.”

  A voice in his head whispered, Yeah, right. He stubbornly ignored it.

  Henry grabbed his food and stalked back to where Olivia was seated with Cody at her feet. He set the plate down with a clatter of ceramic on the red laminated tabletop.

  Olivia and Cody jumped.

  Olivia raised a dark eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

  “Everything’s dandy.” He picked up his pizza and stuffed it in his mouth.

  Just eating, no fraternizing going on.

  There was a purpose to him being here with Olivia. Keeping her safe. And in the loop on what was happening. Not crushing on her. “I wanted to give you an update on the video feed from the boardwalk.”

  He proceeded to tell her what he’d seen on Eden’s computer monitors while she pushed around her salad.

  Olivia made a face. “So he was following Riley but didn’t approach her and waited until she was out of the area before setting off his bomb.”

  “Looks that way.”

  “He didn’t want to hurt her.” Olivia’s tone was thoughtful. “Do you think they could know each other?”

  The bite of pizza soured in his stomach. The idea that his sister might be familiar with the texting bomber was unsettling. “I hope not.”

  He relayed what his boss had said about Davey Carrell. “And the burner phone used to text me has led nowhere. This guy seems to know how to cover his tracks.”

  “At least he was considerate enough not to put harmful smoke in the air ducts at the training center,” she said. “The dogs are safe.”

  “Big consolation.” He couldn’t keep sarcasm from his voice. “It could have gone wrong if we hadn’t been there to rush the dogs out.”

  “You were a hero today.”

  Her praise settled in his chest, making him feel like the hero she claimed him to be. He met her gaze. “We made an effective team. I couldn’t have ushered all the puppies to safety without you.”

  She set down her fork. “That’s not true. The others could have handled the situation without me, but I appreciate you saying it.”

&n
bsp; “It is true. I needed you today.” He realized what he’d said and amended his words. “The dogs needed you.”

  “Sometimes it’s good to be needed,” she said, and her hand went to her stomach.

  Henry sensed her mood shifting downward, no doubt to grief and sadness for her late husband. He reached across the table and covered her other hand before he even thought to stop himself. Her skin was warm beneath his. “You must miss him.”

  Her gaze jumped to his. “Who?”

  Tucking in his chin, he said, “Your husband.”

  She jerked her hand from beneath his. “Yes, of course. He was my husband. Of course I miss him.”

  Her words rang hollow, as if she’d said them only to make him feel better.

  “I heard the news report that he wasn’t alone in the plane crash.”

  Her amber eyes glittered. For a second, he thought it may be tears but then he realized it was suppressed anger shining in her eyes. “That’s correct.”

  His cop senses tingled, and he found himself searching his memory for details and pressing her. “They never identified who was in the plane, at least not publicly. Did you know who the other person was?”

  “I’d never met her. But I’ve been told she was one of his dental hygienists.”

  “A work trip, then?” He hoped.

  Her lips twisted. “Not unless booking a single suite in a romantic hotel on a private beach could be consider work-related.”

  Henry’s stomach sank. There was no mistaking the betrayal in her tone. Now he understood the anger. Her husband had been going to the Caribbean with another woman. Henry’s heart ached for Olivia. He could imagine how heartbroken she must be by not only her husband’s death but his unfaithfulness. “I’m sorry. That must have been a shock. Do you want to talk about it?”

  For a moment, she held herself stiff. Then she seemed to deflate as if all the air had been leached out of her lungs. He didn’t like seeing her defeated.

  She rested an elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear my sad tale.”

  “You know everything there is to know about me. It would be kind of nice to know something about you.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated. Her eyes widened and she straightened as if someone had poked her in the back. “No. No, no. We’re not doing this.”

  He studied her now shuttered expression. “Doing what?”

  “Getting personal.” Her finger toggled between them. “You and me. I only know what the reports tell me, and what I’ve observed about you. We can’t get personal, you know this.”

  He liked that the determined spark was back in her eyes, but he wanted her to be real with him because he had a feeling she didn’t let her guard down often. He shouldn’t pursue his curiosity—and whatever else was causing the warmth in his chest when he was around her. She was off-limits. Taboo. But what had always trying to do the right thing done for him? Couldn’t he do what he wanted for once?

  He set his empty plate aside and leaned forward. “Right at this moment, you’re not IA and I’m not the officer you’re investigating. Can’t we just be two people, friends, who need to unload some baggage?”

  The yearning on her face belied the negative shake of her head. She glanced around before meeting his gaze again. “No. There are too many eyes on us. On me. I can’t mess this up. Not for you or anyone else.”

  She scooted her chair back from the table. Cody scrambled to his feet. “In fact, we should head back to the precinct so I can finish asking you questions about the previous excessive force case.”

  At least she was keeping her head, because he’d apparently lost his mind. Of course they couldn’t get personal. Doing so put both their careers in jeopardy.

  He stood up and turned the chair back around and shoved it up against the table. He had to refrain from holding out his hand so that she could hold on to him while she maneuvered out from behind the table.

  For some reason, today her little baby bump seemed bigger. Or maybe she wasn’t trying to hide it quite as much. He kept the observation to himself. She’d already made it clear her personal life was off-limits. Though he hated to think of the stress she must carry. A dead husband who was flying off with a woman Olivia hadn’t known, and now a baby on the way to raise alone.

  Not alone, he amended to himself as he and Cody followed her out of the pizzeria. She had her family. Family was everything.

  On the sidewalk, he plucked his sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them on. They walked in silence with three feet separating them and Cody walking on his other side toward the K-9 unit headquarters. His phone chimed with an incoming text. His muscles tensed. Grabbing the device, he braced himself.

  How many cops does it take to stop a bomber from blowing up your new girlfriend’s house? None, because you can’t! LOLZ

  The words on the screen made his heart rate rev into overdrive. Who was the bomber targeting now?

  * * *

  Olivia stepped closer to Henry to read the words on the screen. Her mind raced. She hadn’t seen any evidence that Henry had a girlfriend. If he did have one, Olivia needed to talk to her. And why did the thought of him dating cause a burning in her chest?

  She frowned. “What’s with this LOLZ thing? I get that this is texting lingo, but what does the Z stand for? I assume the LOL is laugh out loud and not lots of love.”

  Henry scoffed. “Yeah. I looked up text slang and apparently it means laughing out loud—hard. It has to be one of Davey’s friends.” He started them walking again at a fast clip. “And I don’t know what he’s talking about. A new girlfriend?” He shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t dated in years. Not since my last girlfriend gave me an ultimatum—her or Riley. I have no plans of getting into any relationship until Riley’s out of the house and independent.”

  Conflicting emotions jumped inside Olivia. He wasn’t dating anyone and he had no plans to. A true shame, because Henry would be an ideal catch. Responsible, protective, a man of faith. Any woman in her right mind would jump at the opportunity to snag him.

  Not her, for course, even if she were in the market to try romance again. Which she wasn’t, for so many reasons, including her chosen career. She was bringing a child into the world and her baby would need all of her focus. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a partner to share her life with?

  And his last girlfriend had given him an ultimatum? The nerve. Good riddance to that lady.

  He stared at the phone as if he could find some meaning in the text. “I don’t know what to make of this.”

  “Obviously, this suspect is mistaken. Could they be targeting the wrong person?”

  Henry halted midstride. Cody turned sharply to look at his handler. With horror in his dark eyes, Henry stared her. “You. The suspect must mean you.”

  She scrunched up her nose. “What? Me? We’re not dating!”

  “I know, and you know, but the bomber doesn’t. The guy saw us at the museum together and at the church together, and now here...” His gaze roamed the street. “He must be watching us. How else would he know that we’re together right now?”

  “You’re making a big leap there. You don’t know that he’s talking about me.” Yet she was totally creeped out by the thought of being stalked.

  “You’re the only woman I’ve spent any time with in forever.”

  The bomber thought they were together as a couple. Henry’s logic made sense in a strange way. They had been together often the past few days. And each time something bad had happened. “Oh no. My neighbors. We have to get them out.”

  With his free hand, he grabbed hers. “Let’s go.”

  Mind reeling, she ran alongside him and Cody. As soon as they reached the station, Henry ushered Olivia and Cody inside to raise the alarm. His boss was out on a call.

  The station dispatche
r promised to send the bomb squad and officers to Olivia’s building.

  Henry’s dark eyes bored into her. “Olivia, you should stay here. Stay safe.”

  His concern burrowed deep inside of her. And as much as she appreciated his worry for her well-being, there was no way she was being left behind. “Not happening. I’m going with you. Let’s hustle.”

  She heard his growl of frustration as she hurried for the exit.

  Once secured inside the SUV, he called his boss and put it on speakerphone. Olivia’s heart raced and she prayed for the people in her building. They didn’t deserve to be in harm’s way because she’d let herself become too involved with Henry and his sister.

  “Sutherland,” Gavin answered.

  “Sir, we have a situation.” Henry explained about the latest text, that he, Cody and Olivia were headed to her Carroll Gardens apartment building and that dispatch had already sent out an alert.

  “I’m knee-deep here, but I trust you to handle this as supervisor of the scene. If that’s acceptable to the lieutenant,” Gavin said.

  “Yes. I agree.” Wholeheartedly. She trusted Henry and Cody to sniff out any sort of explosive device.

  “Be safe,” Gavin said.

  “Yes, sir.” Henry hung up and started the engine.

  Olivia couldn’t believe what was happening. A strange sense of déjà vu gripped her as the K-9 unit vehicle tore out of the parking lot with the siren blaring.

  When they arrived at her building, two patrol cruisers were already there and had set up a perimeter. One officer was talking with the superintendent. A fire truck rolled up with an ambulance, both at the ready. None could make a move until the location of the bomb was discovered and the threat assessed.

  Henry put his hand on her arm before she could climb out of the vehicle. “No disrespect intended, but please stay put. Let Cody and I do our job. If our texting bomber has really put an explosive device in or around your apartment, we’ll find it.”

  She had no doubt about their capability to detect a bomb. But she wasn’t going to sit inside the car like some timid civilian. This was what she’d signed up for. Helping others. “I’m coming with you.”