Explosive Force

by Lynette Eason

  “You’ll be out of here soon enough,” she said and left the room.

  Heidi leaned back with a groan and closed her eyes. She was exhausted, but couldn’t shut her mind off. All she could think about was Nick—and ceilings caving in.

  Being trapped with him had been scary enough. If he hadn’t been there with her—

  She shuddered.

  The door opened. “That was fast,” she said, not bothering to open her eyes since she assumed it was the nurse.

  Tender fingers on her cheek brought her eyes open. Nick stood there, gazing at her with a look on his face that made her pulse pick up speed. “Nick?”

  “I don’t know how it happened,” he said.

  She swallowed. “What?”

  “You got under my skin.”

  “Oh. I think you mentioned that once upon a time.”

  “In a good way.”

  “I like you, too, Nick.”

  He laughed and leaned over to kiss her. His lips on hers sent her pulse into overdrive. Warmth infused her and she realized she could get used to this on a daily basis. He pulled away with a pained groan and lifted a hand to his head.

  She sat up. “Nick? You okay?”

  “Yeah, I just can’t kiss you bending over like that. Makes my head pound.”

  “Hmm. Makes my heart pound.”

  “Ha. Mine, too.” He sighed and hugged her to him. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe take me out on a date?”

  His laughter rumbled beneath her ear. “I think that can be arranged.”

  “Just not a shopping date. No shopping.”

  More laughter. “I like shopping with you.”

  “Hmm. Well, it wasn’t too bad, I suppose. The fudge part was great.”

  “Wow. Thanks.”

  “Okay, how about this?” she said. “No bullets or bombs allowed on the date. Just fudge.”

  “Definitely. That’s one rule I think we can follow now that Lance Gentry, Roger Cooper and Bobby Stevens are all under lock and key.”

  “They found Lance?”

  “Justin called while I was getting looked at. They caught Gentry at the airport trying to board a plane. Someone recognized the car he’d stolen and called it in.”

  “Well, that was stupid of him.”

  “It was only a matter of time before he messed up.”

  She sighed. “Good. I’m glad he’s no longer a threat to anyone. I still feel kind of sorry for Bobby, though. I think he just got mixed up with the wrong people and couldn’t find a way out without disappointing his mother.”

  “I think you may be right, but unfortunately, there are consequences for our choices.”

  “True.”

  The door opened and the doctor entered. “Oh, hey, Nick.”

  “Porter Davenport, good to see you.” The two men shook hands. “How’s my girl here?”

  My girl?

  “Your girl?” the doctor asked. “I see a lot has happened in the two weeks since we last had lunch,” he said as he turned toward Heidi.

  She bit her lip, intrigued by Nick’s sudden and interesting shade of red even as happiness suffused her. “Um, Heidi, this is Porter Davenport. He and I have been friends for a while now.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she said. She liked being referred to as Nick’s girl. A lot. And it looked like he wasn’t going to be shy about letting others know he’d staked his claim. Wow. That was a lot to think about. And she would. Later. In the privacy of her room, where she could ponder what the future might hold.

  Right now, she was ready to get out of here. She had articles to write. She could think about her feelings toward Nick later. Like whether or not she loved him. The thought made her mouth go dry and her throat constrict. Oh, boy. Love? Maybe.

  “Let’s find out.”

  She gasped. “Find out? Find out what?”

  The doctor stepped over. “Find out how you are.”

  “Oh. Right. Thank you.”

  He checked her eyes, her breathing and her pulse one more time. When he straightened, he nodded. “Pulse is a little fast.”

  No doubt. Heidi’s flush deepened and she met Nick’s wicked gaze. “Well, it’s been an interesting few hours,” she murmured.

  “I heard what happened at the training center,” Porter said. “Another blast. Unbelievable.”

  “No kidding,” Heidi said. “And technically, it was two more blasts, but who’s counting at this point? Fortunately, everything took place in that area that’s deserted. It’ll have to be completely razed and rebuilt, but at least no one was hurt this time.”

  He smiled. “Well, it looks like you two were incredibly fortunate. A few bumps and bruises, but no lasting damage. I’d say you definitely had someone watching over you.”

  “God just wasn’t ready to take us yet, I guess,” Heidi said.

  Porter raised a brow and nodded. “I guess not.” He turned and shook hands with Nick again. “And I, for one, am very glad of that fact.” He backed toward the door. “Nice to meet you, Heidi. Take care of that arm and get some rest.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  He left, and the nurse returned with her discharge papers—and Nick’s. By the time they walked out of the hospital, the sun was creeping up over the horizon.

  Nick wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  “Feel like going on that date now?”

  She laughed. “What? Now? No way. I’m a mess. I need a shower and a nap.”

  “All right, how does pizza sound?”

  “For breakfast?” She shrugged. “As long as it’s delivered.”

  “Of course.”

  “Then that sounds amazing.”

  He pulled out his new phone and placed the order at the twenty-four-hour pizza place while they walked.

  The cool morning air was refreshing and Heidi breathed in. “I’ll never take being able to breathe clean air for granted again,” she said when he hung up.

  “I know what you mean.”

  It didn’t take long to reach his home. “Is your grandfather here?”

  “No, playing golf.” He glanced at his watch. “His tee time is in fifteen minutes, I think. He texted me a little while ago.”

  “You didn’t tell him what was going on?”

  “No, just that we were working. I’m sure he heard about the explosions at the training center. Again. But he’s used to my hours and doesn’t get stressed about it when I’m gone.”

  “That’s nice. And he’s really gotten into the whole golf thing, hasn’t he?”

  He smiled. “It’s good for him. The first few months after my grandmother died, he didn’t really know what to do with himself, but he’s adjusting—and learning to enjoy life again.”

  Once inside Nick’s home, they both took the time to clean up and change before meeting back in the kitchen. Nick started to pull plates and glasses from the cupboard when the doorbell rang. “That was fast.”

  “Not fast enough.” She darted for the door and Nick laughed. “Why don’t you get that?”

  She returned with the pizza box in one hand, a slice missing a bite in the other. Chewing, she set the box on the table. “Mmm...so good.”

  Nick laughed. And laughed again.

  SIXTEEN

  One week later

  Heidi walked into Lou’s office and took a seat in the chair opposite her boss. “What’s up?”

  Lou pursed his lips and set aside his reading glasses. “It’s been a long few months with this serial killer on the loose.”

  “I know. The whole base is still on pins and needles.” They both knew this, so where was this going?

  “I’ve come to a decision, and Robinson isn’t going to like it.”


  She frowned. “Okay.” Since when did Lou run his decisions by her?

  “You’ve really proven yourself over the last few weeks. Your personality pieces are really popular, you caught the person stealing medals from the homes, helped catch the person who bombed the training center and almost died for your efforts.”

  So, he’d noticed. “Well, I didn’t catch the person all by myself. I had a little help there.”

  “Whatever. I think it’s time you were rewarded for your efforts,” he said.

  “Rewarded?”

  “Yep. I’m making you senior reporter. I may be gruff, but I’m honest and I want this paper to reflect integrity. If our readers don’t trust us, they’re not going to read us.”

  “True.” She managed to get the word out, but “senior reporter” kept echoing in her mind.

  “And Robinson messed up in a big way. Thankfully, because of your and Donovan’s willingness not to bring to light Robinson’s deception, the people are none the wiser. But I can’t risk it happening again. I trust you, Heidi. Unfortunately, I don’t trust Robinson. He’s going to have to work his way back to that.”

  “Sir—” Heidi’s mouth opened, then closed. What did she say? Stunned, she couldn’t find any words.

  “So, do you want the job or not?”

  “Or course, but John’s not going to be happy about this. Working with him may be...uncomfortable.” To put it mildly.

  “Robinson will do what I tell him or he’ll be looking for another job. He should be on his face with gratitude that I didn’t fire him.”

  “I agree with that.”

  “Good. Now get out of here and go find me that serial killer.”

  Nerves tingling, excitement growing by the second, Heidi stood and rubbed her palms down her uniform pants. “Yes, sir.”

  She paused and Lou looked up. “What is it?” he barked.

  “Thank you, sir. I really appreciate this opportunity.”

  “I know you do. Now scram.”

  Heidi did so, her heart light. And the first person she wanted to tell was Nick. She texted him. Can you talk?

  Sure. His immediate response made her smile.

  A second later, her phone rang. “I got promoted,” she blurted on answering, and told him everything.

  “No way. Heidi, that’s amazing!”

  “I know!”

  “Let’s celebrate.”

  “Okay, when and where?”

  Once they had it set up, Heidi checked her schedule. “I’ve got to run. I’m meeting Vanessa Gomez at the hospital. She’s agreed to let me interview her.”

  “I’ll be honest, I’m nervous about you being so close to this serial killer case. It was one thing when you were just on the base where Sullivan might be also, but you’re not one of his targets. Being actively involved in reporting on Sullivan might change that. I have to admit, it scares me. A lot.”

  “I’m careful, Nick. You know me.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  She laughed. “Don’t sound so morose.” Turning serious, she said, “I promise, Nick, I’ll be careful. No stupid moves on my part that put me in danger. Trust me, I’ve got too much to live for.”

  She hung up and headed for the hospital. It didn’t take her long to find the cafeteria where Vanessa had agreed to meet. Heidi saw the woman sitting in the back, in a corner where she could watch the comings and goings of everyone in the place.

  Heidi slid into the seat opposite her. “Hi.”

  “Hi.”

  “Thanks for agreeing to talk to me.”

  “Sure. I’m so sick of Boyd Sullivan and everything he’s getting away with. If talking to you will help catch him faster, then I’m all for it.”

  “Okay, then just start at the beginning. I’ll record your story, if that’s all right.”

  “It’s fine.” Once Heidi had everything set up, she nodded. Vanessa drew in a deep breath. “Back in April, I received a rose in my mailbox. Along with a note saying, I’m coming for you. I was shocked. I simply had no idea why Boyd would target me. I only saw him a couple of times on base, and one of those times, I actually helped him out. He was kind. I was nice and professional and did him a favor.”

  “What kind of favor?”

  Vanessa ran a hand over her hair. “Boyd got into a fight with someone. He was pretty beat up and came to me because he needed some stitches. He didn’t want to go through official channels because he knew he’d be reprimanded.” She shrugged. “At first, I was going to say no, but I was drawn to him. I felt sorry for him.”

  “You had a romantic thing going on?”

  Vanessa recoiled. “What? No! Don’t print that!”

  Heidi held up a hand. “No, I won’t, I promise. It’s just that’s what it kind of sounded like.”

  “Well, that’s not it. When I say I was drawn to him, I just meant that Boyd reminded me so much of my brother, Aiden, that I simply couldn’t refuse. I mean, if Aiden ever found himself in a similar situation, I would hope there would be someone there for him, you know?”

  Interesting. “I understand. So, what was it about him that reminded you of your brother?”

  “I’m not really sure I can put my finger on it. Maybe an intense restlessness or a boiling anger with no outlet or release.”

  “That would make sense. The anger part at least.”

  Vanessa frowned. “I guess. But one can be very angry without becoming a serial killer.”

  “Yeah. Too bad Boyd Sullivan didn’t get that memo.”

  “Indeed. Now—”

  An announcement over the PA system stopped her. She listened, then stood. “I’m sorry, I have to go. That’s an emergency. If you have more questions, feel free to call me later and we can try to get together again when I’m not working.”

  With that, she was gone. “I do have more questions.” But they could wait.

  A hint of familiar cologne tingled her nose seconds before the kiss on the side of her neck made her smile. And forget all about stories and serial killers and busy nurses.

  “Hey, you,” Nick said. “Can I sweep you off your feet and take you to lunch?”

  She turned to kiss him, a slow, leisurely melding of their lips that she wanted to go on forever. Except they had an audience. She pulled back, but couldn’t resist one last quick peck. “You’ve already swept me off my feet, but you can certainly do it again.”

  “Come on out by the fountain. Annie and I have something we need to ask you.”

  “You can’t ask me here?”

  “Nope.”

  “All right, then.”

  He led her out a side door to the beautiful fountain surrounded by a three-foot brick wall. The fountain was set in the middle of a small grassy area that had a peaceful parklike feel to it. Annie settled into a shady spot and put her head between her paws. But she never took her eyes off Nick.

  Heidi spotted a bouquet of flowers sitting on the wall and gasped. “Nick? Pink carnations?”

  “Yes.” He picked them up and pressed them into her arms.

  She sniffed them and smiled. “Thank you. This is so sweet.”

  “That’s not all.”

  “What else is there?”

  “That thing I wanted to ask you.”

  “Ah...right. Okay.”

  “Heidi, you make me laugh. I can’t believe how much you make me laugh.” He cleared his throat. “I like that about you, Heidi.”

  “Well, thank you. I like a lot about you, too. In fact...” She paused. Did she dare say it? She drew in a deep breath. “I may even love some things about you.”

  He kissed her. Then drew back. “Stop doing that.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Distracting me or I’ll never get this said.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

 
He cleared his throat again. “Annie keeps looking at me.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “A lot.” He dropped to his knees in front of her and her heart stopped. Then pounded hard enough to echo in her ears.

  “Nick?” she whispered.

  “I have a confession to make—I’m an idiot.”

  “It happens to the best of us sometimes.” She paused while he laughed. “I’m teasing,” she said. “What are you talking about? You’re not an idiot.”

  “I’ve been trying to think of the words for days now, but I can’t find the exact right ones.”

  “For what?”

  “You deserve better. A better place to be proposed to, a better, more romantic guy with the right words, a slow, drawn-out proposal with all the bells and whistles, but the truth is, Heidi, I’m impatient—one of my many flaws you’ll learn about, I’m afraid—and I need to say this before I explode. I’m in love with you and I want to marry you. Am I crazy in hoping you feel the same way?”

  Tears had started dripping down her cheeks by the time he reached the words, “I’m in love with you and I want to marry you.” She sniffed. “You’re not crazy,” she whispered. “Not about this, anyway. This is a beautiful place. And I don’t need bells and whistles, I just need you.”

  “Oh, good.” His shoulders lost their military rigidness for a brief moment. “That’s a relief.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a ring.

  Heidi let out a gasp. “Nick?”

  “It was my mother’s,” he said. “And her mother’s before that. I’d be honored if you’d wear it. But if you don’t like it or it’s not your style, we’ll go find something else.”

  She swallowed and took the ring from him. “It’s gorgeous.” The white gold setting held a teardrop diamond that was dainty and feminine. She loved it. Because of the history behind it but mostly because of the man who gave it to her. “I’d be proud and honored to wear it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, Nick, really.”