For the first time in her life, Amanda had felt empowered like she’d never had before. The more she read, the more knowledge she gained. In school she’d surpassed everyone else in grades. Her teachers beamed every time they handed back her test. She won science and writing contests. She was the valedictorian of her graduating class. By the time she graduated from high school she had almost a year in college credits accumulated.
The classic geek and proud of it.
This worry of how she looked to him really wasn’t like her. And she didn’t like it, because this was the complete converse of the way she’d normally react to a man.
Could she do this tonight with this unbelievably masculine male? Her mind screamed, Am I out of my ever-loving mind? But her body and her hormones sung, God yes!
After they got inside, Amanda walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, even though she knew all the beer would be downstairs. Her nervousness had her doing silly things. Taking in a deep breath while she poked her head inside the refrigerator helped her regroup. She straightened and said, “All the beer is downstairs in the basement frig. I’ll be right back.” As she turned for the basement, Ryder caught her arm and stopped her.
“Let me go with you. After all you don’t know what I want to drink yet. No reason to bring a few up.”
“Okay.” Amanda actually thought that was a good idea. They could just stay downstairs, too. Although her kids usually always hung out downstairs in the basement, she never did.
But what the heck? She may as well have some fun too; there was a nice sitting area down there as well as a pool table. She had gotten pretty proficient at the game, but nowhere near as good as her kids.
Maybe they could play.
A pool game! She grinned. Oh for heaven’s sake she felt like a teenager again.
After they made it downstairs, she motioned for him to go around the corner. “Go sit down on the couch, I’ll be right there. Have a seat. Budweiser or Corona?”
“Bud,” he turned the corner then popped back around. “It’s not a Bud Light is it?”
“Hang on, let me check.” She reached over to pull open the door of the refrigerator that stood to her right and peered in. “No, regular Budweiser,” she said louder so he could hear her, assuming he was sitting in the den across the way.
“Good,” his voice rumbled right behind her.
Oh my. She didn’t realize he was still here, so close. Startled, she took a step back and bumped into his hard frame. Her rear end pushed up against his front end, and that all too familiar heat invaded her face again.
“Steady,” he said and his hands slid onto her shoulders so she wouldn’t fall to the side. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” His breath hit the top of her head, causing her to shiver even though she felt like a furnace on the inside.
His large calloused palms slid down, curling around her biceps holding her secure, marking her with his hands. Her heartbeat thumped faster and she slowly turned so her chest was pushed up against his torso. Longing flashed over her in a wave so fast, she shifted with need. Tilting her head up, she wanted to feel his mouth on her lips. He looked down at her with heated dark eyes and lowered his head. She held her breath in anticipation. Their lips almost touched.
Almost . . .
“Mom?” Her son’s voice boomed down the basement stairs.
Ahhh!
“I hope that’s you, mom!” Nickel’s heavy footsteps stomped on each wooden step as he came down the stairs.
Pushing away from Ryder, she peeked around the corner of the small room that housed the older refrigerator.
“Hi, sweetie,” Amanda said to her son who looked so tired. His blond hair stuck straight up as if he ran his fingers through it in frustration numerous times. “Been upstairs studying?”
“Yeah,” he angled his head around and stopped as soon as he saw the six foot muscled dark haired man behind her. “Who the hell is this?”
“Nick!” Amanda scolded her fifteen-year-old. “Use your manners, young man.”
“Ryder Stevenson.” Ryder held out his hand to the young man who reflexively pushed his glasses up on his nose. He had to respect the wiry, sandy haired teenager who was ready to meet him head on. After all, he was only protecting his mother and that was an admirable characteristic, especially when he looked so burnt-out.
Nick’s plaid collared shirt was half-tucked into his beige pants and his sleeves were rolled up carelessly on his thin arms. But it was the shadows under this kid’s eyes that caught his attention. Amanda’s teenage son looked like most the high school students he’d known, but there was a wariness that was rare at so young an age.
Nick didn’t move toward his extended hand. He stood still and looked suspiciously at his outstretched hand and asked belligerently, “Well, what are you doing here?”
“Nickel Constantine Harris, I want to see some manners.” Amanda again reprimanded her son. “You know better than that.”
His mother’s tone finally got to him.
Nick ducked his head down and stuck out his right hand with reluctance. “Sorry. You just surprised me is all.”
“No problem,” Ryder said as they shook hands. “School almost done?”
“Yeah, I’ve been cramming for my finals. They’re next week.”
“I’m sorry, honey I didn’t mean to disturb you, but if it’s any consolation, you’ll be all done until fall. And your grandparents are really looking forward to spending a week with you in a few days. Then you can really relax. You know how Grandma likes to baby you.” Smiling, she gestured to Ryder who was standing next to her. “I met Ryder at Sophia Edgington’s dinner party tonight.”
“Oh yeah? Was it fun?” He tilted his head so his blond hair covered his forehead. “Was Zane around?”
“No honey, it was just a get together for adults.”
“Oh.” Nick pushed up his glasses again with his index finger. Ryder was pretty sure it was habitual reaction when the kid didn’t know what else to say. “So . . . are you both going to stay down here, Mom?” His brown eyes narrowed on Ryder.
Damn, the kid definitely had a protective streak a mile wide for his mother, but that was a commendable quality. Ryder looked at Amanda when her son’s gaze shifted to her, too. It seemed they were both waiting for her to answer. Nick’s eyes darted back at him with a penetrating look. Ryder grinned, he couldn’t help it.
“Yes Nickel, I thought maybe we could shoot some pool, watch some television.” She reasoned, “I don’t want to bother you or Sammie if you are doing homework and studying for your tests.”
“Oh, okay.” Index finger pushed the glasses up once again. “I’ll just go back upstairs then.” Her son only made it to one stair before he jerked back around. “Mom, can I talk to you upstairs? Alone?”
“Yeah, sure honey,” Amanda handed the two Budweiser cans to Ryder. “I’ll be right back. Go have a seat. Turn on the television if you want.”
Ryder nodded and rounded the corner to the living area. It was nice, but dark. Spying a lamp near the couch he turned it on and set the beers down on the table in front of the leather couch. When some time passed and no Amanda, he decided to crack open the beers. Just as he tipped his head back to take a nice swig, he heard footsteps coming down the basement steps. A clomp then a step, another clomp then another step. It had to be Amanda cautiously making her way down the wooden basement stairs.
Setting his beer back on the table, he stood and walked into the stairwell worried that she may slip. Ryder assessed her gait as her feet touched each stair tread and immediately noticed her foot drop. Holding onto the handrail, she methodically made her way down the stairs. When she saw him waiting at the bottom of the stairs, she paused midway and a flash of pink spread across her cheeks before she walked the rest of the way down. Just a
s she neared the bottom tread, he stepped up and extended his hand to her. She slid her small, soft hand into his.
“Everything okay?” he asked as she stepped down from the last stair onto the floor.
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Yes, all is fine.”
He lowered his head to try and read her. She was biting her bottom lip again. Damn. Even though he just met her, he knew instinctively that she was upset about something. He didn’t want to press her to talk if she didn’t really want to, but from most the women he knew, when they said all is fine, it was really code for: No, it’s not okay. Actually that response was a blazing, screeching No, things are not good! Then he remembered when they were talking about the way the black SUV pushed her off the side of the road and she started to tell him of another incident. Damn it, why didn’t he follow through with that earlier? Well, he would find out now.
“I don’t mean to charge in Amanda, but I do have big ears if you need to unload.” He flicked his right ear. “See? They’re whoppers.”
She laughed. “Oh, no you don’t.”
At least he got a genuine smile out of her.
She licked her lips. “Well, I’m sure it isn’t anything, but Nick said that a man came to the door today.” Her expression turned serious again. “Nick said he tried to come in to our house. Said the man was from our phone company and needed to check our phone line connection into our house.”
“Did you report a problem with your telephone company?” Ryder asked, wondering why that was such a strange request.
“We don’t have any land line phones anymore. We all have our cell phones. I haven’t had a home phone for years. As soon as Nick and Sam started carrying cells, it seemed natural to cut it off.” Her green eyes met his. “I just thought it was the sensible route to save some money.”
“Yeah,” Ryder agreed. “Makes sense.”
“Anyway, the thing that gets me is that they even spooked Nick.” She pulled her brows down. “He isn’t easily spooked. He’s a belligerent fifteen-year-old, who has no fears.” She turned her attention to the room and shook her head as if trying to shake off her worrying. “Anyway.” Picking up the T.V. remote control she asked, “Would you like to watch some television?”
Ryder nodded absently at her question since his mind was elsewhere at the moment. Thinking on all the information Amanda just handed him, he formed some conclusions that nagged at him.
Okay, her car was pushed off the road. Sure that could have been a really stupid thing a teenager or older driver did while texting or talking on the phone and not realize it, but he didn’t think so. When other things were added to the mix, his instinct told him all of the incidences were connected somehow. The clincher was when they got to her house and he’d seen a dark SUV sidled up to a curb a few houses down. It could have been the one hanging out at Sophia Edgington’s house or maybe not. He needed a close up on the plate to make verification. He slid his eyes over to Amanda. She pressed the buttons on the remote and soon the television flickered on. He didn’t want to tell her of his concerns about her and her children’s safety until he had more Intel. An urgent male voice boomed from the screen and caught both of their attention.
“Breaking News!” The tanned face of late-night news anchorman, Roger Barro looked up from the bulletin he had lying in front of him. As his face filled the screen, he nodded briefly before saying, “This just in,” and then looked back down at his desk shuffling papers around.
Curious as to what is so important to interrupt the popular reality program, Ryder walked over to Amanda and they both sat down on the sofa, eyes transfixed to the television monitor.
Amanda picked up her beer tapping it to Ryder’s still on the coffee table. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” he replied reaching over to pick up the red and white beer can. His knuckles grazed the back of her hand and her breath hitched softly.
The station’s theme music blared loudly; flashing their call sign letters KBAT every which way until Barro’s face appeared again on the screen. After smiling briefly, the anchorman turned dramatically serious, angling his chin down as his eyes looked imploringly into the camera.
“More killings are reported near the border today. By Columbus, New Mexico, a town ironically named after Christopher Columbus the explorer. ICE Agents found the remains of four unidentified bodies near where two Border Agents were killed today in a stand-off with one of the drug cartels outside Hachita.”
“That’s not too far away from here,” Amanda murmured.
The camera lens zoomed in on bodies spread out with black tarps covering the forms of the men. It was obvious that the bodies had been mutilated. The camera swerved away and revealed the country’s border. Endless rails of fencing glided over the desert landscape dividing the two countries. A handful of cattle chewing their cud meandered leisurely on sparsely grassed New Mexico side. The thinly populated United States border area was just pure wilderness with the exception of a few horses and other livestock roaming the hills. Conversely, luxurious homes and a thriving town were thrust up against the wooden fence separating the two countries on the Mexican side. The streets bustled with cars and people milled about.
“Divergent cultures; Divergent people.” Rodger Barro’s handsome face came back on the screen. “Will we ever agree to come together to end the violence?”
Divergent? Sure the people were different, but it was Mexican Cartels doing these killings, not ordinary citizens. Forget divergent, Ryder thought crossly. It was the slimy Cartels sneaking across the borders bringing in drugs then leaving with our young American runaways to throw into slave labor. Sneaky bastards. It was the Cartels destroying their own economy― not to mention the integrity and work ethic of the honest Mexican people. All of the blatant dishonesty and evil of trafficking people and drugs was for the almighty dollar.
Dinero.
The killings, cover-ups, prostituting human beings and selling drugs was all for wealth. But money was power around here; hell money represented a higher station in life everywhere. He took a swig of beer and laid his head back on the couch.
“Hey.” Amanda’s hand brushed over his arm. “You okay? This really upsets you, doesn’t it?” Her eyes roamed over his brooding face.
Once her fingers softly touched his forearm, all else flew out the window. Thoughts of the slimy Cartels eroded and Amanda’s image quickly built up. A hyper-awareness slammed into him. All he wanted to do was press himself against her and lower her back to the couch, but he contained himself and instead calmly turned to her after the news broadcast was over and said, “Gruesome stuff.”
The television show was back on, now. Five scruffy looking people argued on how to cross a river in some unknown country. But he couldn’t care less at the moment. He was mulling over all that transpired today.
“Why don’t we ask Nick to come on back down, so I can talk to him?” Ryder’s scalp tingled and that wasn’t a good thing. His spidey senses screamed at him that something was off. “Would Nick mind talking to me about it?”
“I don’t think so.” Amanda got up and walked to the landing, “Nick? Can you come down here for a second, please?”
Ryder got up as well to make sure she didn’t trip. What the hell was going on with him? He never felt this protective of a female before.
After what sounded like some kitchen cupboards slapping shut, Nick finally yelled back, “Yeah, give me a minute.”
“Let’s go sit back down. I think I need a sip of beer to steady my nerves.” Amanda tugged on his arm and Ryder followed her back around the corner.
What was she going to tell him earlier when they were going back in for dinner at Sophia’s? Before it slipped his mind again he had to find out.
“What were you going to tell me earlier, Amanda?” They both sat down on the sofa and he offered her the beer.
&
nbsp; After taking a healthy sip, she lowered the can and cradled it in her palms. “When?”
“At Sophia Edgington’s.” He waited a beat before saying, “When we were out on the terrace.”
Amanda narrowed her eyes and her gaze slipped off his face. After a few seconds she asked, “About the car pushing me off the road?”
“Yeah, you told me about that, but you alluded to something else as well.” He waited for her to remember. “Or was I just imagining that?”
“Are you sure you want to hear this?” She ducked her head and swept her hand over her hair, but her fingers got tangled in her bun and blond hair strands sprayed out all over her face. “Ah,” she murmured in frustration before her fingers reached back and undid her small chignon. “I forgot about this.” She pulled out the clip that secured her hair and held it up in the air showing him what she was talking about before she set the brown clasp on the table. Bending over, she shook out her hair.
Ryder was hypnotized. The complex design of women fascinated him. Or maybe only this one did. As she bent her head down ruffling her blond hair to detangle the strands, the lower half of his body responded with arousal. What the hell? Since when did a woman letting down her hair get him excited?
She had pretty hands. No fingernail polish or rings, only a delicate silver chain sliding back and forth on her wrist as she threaded her fingers through her hair. The bracelet had various sizes of silver circles all intertwined together. When she pulled her head up, she was grinning and still had a few bobby pins crazily sticking out. She reached for her beer and took a sip. He studied her as she gracefully moved, and held his breath.
Invisibility Cloak Page 6
