A Risky Dance

by Monika Summerville

  “Mr. Frost, hold up a minute.” The security chief put his hand on Riley’s chest to stop him.

  “Where is she?”

  “Let the FBI do their job...”

  “Hejazi, so help me God...”

  “She’s alive, but her father has her sitting in a pool of gasoline. The Feds are working carefully to get her out safely.”

  “I want to see her and let her know I’m here.” For the first time ever, Riley saw Hejazi look unsure.

  “Mr. Frost, it’s very dangerous in there and...Oh, fuck it. Follow me and stay out of the way.”

  When Riley entered he felt surprised by the number of people in the room. Some wore white clothing covers and gloves and Hejazi’s team stood along the walls and watched a hole in the opposite wall. Two men in white squatted down beside the hole and he could just see Sophie sitting inside.

  “What the fuck?” he hissed.

  Hejazi leaned toward him. “Her father definitely has a screw loose. They’re collecting evidence but have to be careful with the gas. Even though there’s air-filtration, the vapor is highly flammable and one spark...I know you understand.”

  Riley watched one man bring something out and put it into a plastic bag. “Why haven’t they moved her?”

  “Miss Pantagen was duct taped to that chair pretty good. They’re cutting her loose and collecting the pieces for evidence.”

  Riley looked at him appalled. “Get her the fuck out of there, now.”

  “Mr. Frost...” Hejazi said and put a hand on Riley’s shoulder.

  He batted the hand away. “No. Get her out. I can’t believe you’ve asked her to sit in a pool of gas so evidence could be collected.”

  “Riley?”

  He heard her voice crack and he looked at the hole. Sophie leaned over and locked eyes with him. “Sweetheart, I want them to get every piece of evidence they can. I want my father found and put on trial for this and my brother’s murder. As soon as I’m out of here, I want a couple of shots of Lomand and a mushroom Swiss cheeseburger. I’m starving.”

  “You got it, babe.” He felt his throat tighten. “I think we should adjust the order though. We’ll do food and whiskey first and then hang your father.”

  After fifteen minutes, the FBI collected everything they could and the two men helped her out of the hole. Her purple sweater had one button holding it on and spots were cut when they’d taken off the tape. She sat on the edge of the hole and took off her stockings which were then placed in a plastic bag. Her hair hung all over the place.

  Riley felt she was the most beautiful woman on the planet and he inched toward the wall with the hole. The FBI agent helped her move and Riley took the handoff from the man.

  He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Her hands flattened on his back and grabbed his shirt. He felt her shake and knew she cried, but wasn’t sure if it came from fear or being tired from the ordeal. He wanted to hold her all night.

  “Miss Pantagen, if you would come this way. We’ve set up a place where we can sit down and talk,” one of the blue-suits said.

  Sophie pulled back a little and looked at the man over her shoulder. She wiped a tear from her cheek. “No, I don’t think so. I’m going home and taking a long, hot shower. I’ll then eat dinner and get slightly drunk. You guys can come by tomorrow.” She looked up at Riley. “What time do you think, babe? One o’clock?” Riley nodded. “There you have it. One o’clock at the condo. Jarrah can give you the address.” She looked at the security man. “Can we get the fuck out of here? This place gives me the willies. Where are we anyway?”

  Hejazi got them moving to the surface and then comfortable in a Land Cruiser. They waited for the driver and Riley held on to her.

  “Baby, as soon as we get home I’ll run the bath. You smell like a gas station,” he said.

  “What? You don’t think it’s sexy?” She looked up at him.

  “I suppose in a grease under the fingernails, black exhaust smoke kind of way it could be sexy.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss her. His head snapped up. “However, the gas flavored mouth is pretty bad.”

  Hejazi slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

  “Jarrah, the breath mints didn’t work.”

  “Sorry, Miss. If you’ll recall I did say you’d have to brush your teeth to get rid of the taste. It will help.”

  “I don’t think I want to know why you know that.” She put her head on Riley’s shoulder and he held her tightly.

  “This morning I was going to call you and let you know my friend at Cal-Poly found Pantagen’s money. He did some things you shouldn’t know about and has most of it transferred to accounts for the company. He’ll give you the codes when you’re ready,” Hejazi said and got the car moving.

  “That’s what my father asked about,” she said and told them what happened on their way back to the condo.

  * * * *

  When they arrived, Riley carried Sophie all the way in. He went up the stairs and deposited her in the bathroom. She brushed her teeth for fifteen minutes, drank a shot of whiskey, and then peeled her clothes off. Riley started the shower and once the water felt warm she stepped in and began to wash her hair and scrub her body. She rinsed off and put her hands on the cool tile wall and let the hot water blast her head and back.

  She felt tears flood her eyes and didn’t want to cry. She felt tougher than this and tried to find the thick skin she’d worn all of her adult life. It pissed her off at herself that she let all of her father’s idiocy get to her. What he’d done and the words he’d spoken hurt her heart. They’d never been a close loving family, but she’d always respected him. Now, because of what he’d done to Pantagen Industries and Jeff and herself, the respect she’d felt was lost. She found it hard to decide what direction to move in. Should she stay with Pantagen or find something else to apply her business knowledge to?

  Warm hands and a solid male presence wrapped around her body.

  “You’ve been in here for thirty minutes. Are you okay?” Riley whispered.

  “I’m debating whether or not I should have a tear fest.” She turned around and moved into his arms.

  “What’s stopping you?”

  “I don’t want to let my father’s behavior affect me.” She put her head on his chest and moved her hands up his back.

  “You’re not a robot, babe. You are allowed to be human and have emotions.”

  “I know.”

  “Dinner has arrived and I asked Hejazi to stay.”

  “Okay.” She turned and shut the water off.

  They dried with big, fluffy towels and as Sophie began to dry her hair, she looked at Riley in the mirror. He’d bent over to put on his jeans and the silver hoop on one of his nipples flashed in the bathroom lights. She admired his chest.

  He straightened up and looked at her. “You’re staring at me, sweetheart.”

  “I love what I see.”

  He walked over and kissed her shoulder. “I love looking at you, too.” He cupped her breast. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you.”

  He patted her bottom. “Come downstairs and have dinner.”

  “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  Sophie finished her hair and didn’t think about her father, or what she needed to do if she stayed with Pantagen. She pulled on a pair of black fleece pants and top and went barefoot down the stairs.

  As she approached the dining-room she saw Hejazi on his cell phone and Riley stood next to him and looked grim. He walked to the table and poured two shots from the bottle of whiskey. He handed one to her, kissed her temple and downed his shot.

  “If the burger is cold, we can warm it up in the microwave.” He took a holder full of French fries out of a bag and spread some out on three plates and sat down.

  She took a sip of whiskey and sat at the table. Riley put a plate in front of her and she cut the burger in half and took a bite. “Oh, wow. This is so good,” she moaned and chewed.

  Hejazi c
losed his phone and she saw his lips curl into a smile.

  “You’re looking pleased, Jarrah,” she said with food in her mouth.

  He looked at her and his smile got larger. “It’s funny how things work out sometimes.” He sat down and started to unwrap his burger.

  “What have you heard?” Riley asked around a French fry.

  Hejazi took a bite of his sandwich and chewed. After a sip of beer, he looked at them both. “Criminals who think they’re masterminds can be really stupid, you know?” He took another bite and chewed.

  “Jarrah, any time,” Sophie said.

  He laughed. “So, there were a couple of kids playing in a gully about a mile north of Pantagen.”

  Sophie looked at Riley who had a French fry halfway to his mouth and waited.

  “The boys started to hear voices come from a drainage pipe and called 9-1-1. The police arrived just as four men climbed out of the pipe.” Hejazi took a sip of his beer.

  “No way.” Sophie dropped her burger.

  “Uh-huh, it seems the cops have been having problems with vagrants down there and figured it was just some homeless men. One of the men, probably Booth, had blood smeared on his face and hands. They held the men and a team of cops went down the tunnel. They found a couple of bodies with their throats slit. About this time, your father starts telling the cops the bald guy kidnapped him. Then another scrawny guy name Finney starts singing like a bird. He tells the police there’s a woman in a vault back down the tunnel and pointed his finger at your father. The police took all four men into custody, because it didn’t feel right. Smart cops. Your dad and the bald guy are being taken to county lockup right now and are being charged with murder. The Feds are on their way over to see that they don’t get bail.” He bit into his burger and grinned.

  Sophie picked up her glass and downed it in one swallow. When she put it down and tapped the rim, Riley poured another.

  “Do you have any interest in going to the courthouse tomorrow? I think you father will be surprised to see you,” Hejazi said.

  She looked at Riley. “What does my attorney think?”

  “Hell, yeah. I want him to know we found you and you’re back in our loving arms.”

  Sophie looked at him. “Did Riley get kidnapped and replaced by a romance writer?”

  “My votes an alien abduction, he’s acting like he’s been drugged and probed. He doesn’t listen to authority figures either.” Hejazi stood and took his garbage to the kitchen. He looked back at her and Riley. “I’m taking over downstairs at midnight. See you in the morning.”

  “Hey, you need some rest, Jarrah. Why don’t you crash here for a couple of hours,” Sophie said.

  “Sweetheart, he doesn’t know the meaning of the word rest.” Riley smiled at her.

  “I do the job and then sleep for three days. I’ll be downstairs.”

  When he’d left, Sophie turned to Riley. “Jarrah is a good man.”

  “I agree. If it hadn’t been for him...” He looked at his fries.

  “What?” She could see emotions in his eyes she’d never seen before.

  “I listened in while his team searched the bottom of that garage. One of his men said the room was clear. If Hejazi had listened to that man...he didn’t.” Riley reached over and touched her cheek. “He’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met and I thank God he works for me.”

  They finished their dinner and straightened up the kitchen. Sophie went upstairs, brushed her teeth again, and then stripped off her clothes. She crawled under the sheets and watched Riley turn off the light and take off his clothes. He got in next to her and she rolled onto her back. His hand moved over her stomach and he propped up on his elbow. She looked up at his shadow face. He leaned over and kissed her gently.

  “How are you doing?” he asked.

  “Dinner is making me tired. I ate too much.”

  He moved his finger in a line over her forehead, nose and lips. “Babe, do you remember that first night we met?”

  “Sure, we were at the Fellow’s Bar and Grill. It was only a couple of months ago.” She kissed his fingers.

  “You thought I acted arrogant.”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “Do you still think that?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Why?”

  “When I finally got to crawl out that phone booth today, I saw the look on your face. I think every fear I’d been through, you wore in your eyes. You had such a deep scowl. I knew then and there.”

  “You knew I wasn’t arrogant?”

  “No, I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life.”

  “That’s a good thing, because at this point if you think you’re leaving, I have handcuffs to keep you where I want you.”

  “Riley,” she said and rolled onto her side to face him. “Why are you skirting the elephant in the room?”

  He looked into her eyes and flopped onto his back. “I’m doing the manly thing and not dealing with emotions.”

  She put her hand flat on his chest and felt him shake. “Babe, what’s the matter?”

  “When that second Town car drove up this morning...” his voice lowered and cracked. “I didn’t ask for the code word and...I should have protected you better.”

  She moved closer and put her head on his shoulder. His hand moved over hers and wound his fingers through hers.

  “Riley, please, don’t blame yourself. From what Jarrah said there were a lot of factors involved. If anyone’s to blame it’s me for distracting you.”

  “Yeah, well, I shouldn’t have let my guard down. And that cell your dad put you in...when I saw that...”

  “Have you ever read the story The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe?”

  “Yep, it’s been a long time.”

  “My father is a big fan of Poe’s stories. He used to read them to us when Jeff and I were kids. Those stories scared the crap out of me. The Cask basically has to do with revenge...”

  “Right, I remember.”

  “If I’d never said anything to you about the contracts, father would have taken over Sherwood and Jeff would still be alive and...”

  Riley put his fingers over her lips. “How were you supposed to know? You said your fathered been doing this kind of shit for years. Sweetheart, you were only trying to be honest with me. You can’t knock yourself for that. Your father’s reaction is not your responsibility. What he did to you today is reprehensible and I hope they fry his balls for it.”

  “I should warn you, it’s shaken up my confidence a little. I might develop claustrophobia.”

  “I’ll have to not lock you in small spaces then.” He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “Are you tired?”

  “Yeah,” she whispered.

  “Want to kanoodle?”

  “What?” She laughed.

  “It’s the British version of spooning.”

  “I might have nightmares tonight. Are you sure you want to be that close.” Her eyes started to close.

  He moved her over on her side and she felt him wrap around her body. “I’ll protect you now and forever,” he whispered into her ear.

  “You have a deal, sweetheart.”

  Sophie didn’t have any nightmares that night.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The bail hearing was delayed for a couple of days and gave Sophie some time to regroup. On the day things would get started, they went to the courthouse and waited two hours. They listened to other cases.

  When the Distract Attorney came in to the courtroom, he stopped and shook hands with Riley. He was introduced to Sophie and they spoke quietly about the case. The DA said that her father and Booth were a flight risk and he wanted bail to be denied. He then said because of the other bodies found, he didn’t want her father and his henchmen out, particularly Booth.

  She felt Riley’s hold tighten and looked at him. “What’s going on? Mr. Sloan is talking about the bodies in the tunnel, right?”

  “No, sweetheart. T
he FBI found other sections that were walled off like yours. They found two more bodies. They’d been there a while. Hejazi told me the other night.”

  Sophie felt stunned and sat down.

  “We don’t have an ID yet, but the thought is that it might be those two CEOs who disappeared a few years ago,” Sloan said. “Apparently, Miss Pantagen, you said something to one of the agents when they helped you out of the wall.”

  She looked up at the DA and shook her head. “I don’t remember. I knew the way my father gave the men instructions that he...” She closed her eyes and felt chilled. “I never thought...”

  Riley sat down next to her and put his hand on her back. “Sophie, are you okay?”

  “This whole thing is nuts. I can’t figure out what he thought he’d accomplish by all of this. It makes no sense.” She put her hands together and sat back. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It didn’t seem important at the time. You needed to settle down and relax. The news of more bodies would have just kept you up longer the night you came home and I thought you needed the rest.” He put his hand over hers.

  She knew he did it only because he cared, but she hated being left in the dark and would discuss it with him later.

  When the bail hearing started and two police officers brought her father into the courtroom, he wore an orange jumpsuit and his white hair was mussed up. He looked around the room and when he looked into her eyes, she felt the chill again. He turned his back and didn’t look at her again.

  “Why isn’t Booth with him?” she asked Riley.

  “After what Hejazi said about your dad throwing Booth under the bus, I’ll bet he’s willing to talk and make a deal for his testimony.”

  After a few minutes, the judge agreed to deny bail and the DA walked back toward them.

  “Miss Pantagen, I’ll need to sit down a go over what happened with you. I’m sure the defense will subpoena you to testify for your father. Miss, this is going to be a long, drawn-out case. Your help will be appreciated.”

  Riley led her out of the courthouse and went to the Town car where one of Hejazi’s men waited with the back door open.