Danger Zone

by Stacy Claflin

  She dropped her bag.

  He whipped around. “Ari, I didn’t know you were here already.”

  Heat flooded her face and she quickly picked up her bag. He’d caught her staring. “Just got here, actually.” She laughed, trying to sound casual but failed miserably. Such a nerd. No way he would ever return her feelings if she kept acting like a fool around him.

  “Wanna help me erase this board? Someone drew all over it, and I’m going to need the space today.”

  “Sure.” She tossed her bag on a table and picked up an eraser. Standing next to him, she got to work. Damon was so close, she could smell his cologne. It was like a slice of Heaven. She watched him from the corner of her eye, paying more attention to him than what she was doing.

  Their bare arms brushed. Ariana’s breath caught. She froze for a moment but quickly went back to wiping the marks off the board, trying to act natural. As if that were possible with him right next to her.

  It wasn’t like she hadn’t had boyfriends before. Or even friends that were boys—she had lots of those. But there was something different about Damon. Maybe that he was older. Her boyfriends had always been in middle school, like her. He was practically a man, and he certainly looked like one. Her heart sped up.

  Think about something else!

  “All done. Thanks, Ari.” He flashed a bright smile at her.

  Her throat closed up. She nodded like an idiot and went back to her bag, mentally chastising herself. He had to think she was an idiot. She was definitely acting like she’d never seen a guy before, like he was some kind of alien.

  He leaned against the board and scratched his chin. “Is your dad still being an overbearing psychopath?”

  Ariana sighed dramatically. “Worse. He was all up in my grill last night.”

  Damon chuckled. “Sounds like something my dad would say.”

  Her face flamed. That was an expression she’d picked up from her dad.

  “Don’t feel bad.” Damon put his hand on her back. “I say things my dad does, too.”

  She started to say something, but the other kids flooded into the room. Ariana took a deep breath and tried to blend in with everyone else as they took their seats. The last thing she needed was Damon paying any attention to her while her blood was pumping through her veins so fast.

  “You okay?” Bridget plopped into the seat next to her and fluffed her blonde hair. “You look winded.”

  “I’m fine.” Ari glanced over at Damon, and her face warmed again.

  “I hope he lets us out early today.” Bridget pulled out her textbook. “I’m so tired.”

  “Yeah. Me, too.” Ariana dug in her bag for the book.

  Damon clapped his hands. “Everyone ready?”

  Moans and groans sounded.

  “I’m not that bad, am I?” He flashed that smile again, and his gaze landed on Ariana.

  She shook her head in answer to his question.

  His expression softened. “I’m glad at least one person doesn’t think so. I know essay writing can seem boring, but I hope I’ve made it a little more interesting.”

  Kids mumbled.

  “Your essays are due at the end of the week, so we don’t have much longer. If you put your all into this, you’ll do so much better. Now let’s focus on the …”

  Ariana studied his features, not paying attention to a word he said. Everything about him was perfect. His nose, his eyes, his chin, his lips. Her attention focused there, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss them. To kiss someone who surely had real experience.

  Giggling sounded around her.

  She snapped to attention and realized everyone was staring at her. “What?”

  More laughter.

  Bridget nudged her and whispered, “Proper nouns.”

  Ariana cleared her throat and turned to Damon. “Proper nouns?”

  Damon nodded. “Right.” He turned to the white board and made notes while talking.

  Ari slumped in her chair, her face flaming. A couple kids were still looking at her, clearly amused.

  “What’s with you?” Bridget asked.

  “Nothing. Nothing at all.” She sat up straight and forced herself to focus. Took notes, and did her best to keep her attention off Damon as much as possible. She certainly didn’t look at his mouth or rear end. Just his notes on the board and from the textbook.

  Then he had them break into groups of three to critique each other’s assignments, so she didn’t have to pay him any attention. Which was perfect. Better than perfect. Except she was all too aware of his presence as he walked around the room, checking on each group.

  “Who’s going first?” Bogdan asked in a thick Russian accent.

  “I will,” Ariana said quickly. Anything to get her mind off their tutor. She held up her paper and read it, then waited for the other two students to offer their input.

  Once they were done, Bogdan read his. Ariana gave her thoughts. Why was it so easy to act normal around him? Or any other guy on the planet? Just not Damon.

  After Bridget read hers, Damon clapped his hands and asked everyone to hand in their papers. “I’ll return them to you tomorrow with my feedback.”

  Ari’s stomach tightened. Her assignment wasn’t so bad, but suddenly it seemed like a steaming pile of trash at the thought of him reading it. She was tempted to rip the paper to shreds and start from scratch.

  Instead, she got up and handed the paper to him. Their fingers brushed. She almost puked.

  What was wrong with her?

  Damon looked up at her. “Can you stay a minute, Ari?”

  Her heart leaped into her throat. She nodded.

  A couple kids teased about her being in trouble.

  Maybe they were right. Especially if he could tell what she was thinking about him. Her face burned at the thought.

  Once the room cleared, Damon set the stack of essays on the desk and nodded toward the seats. “Let’s sit.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was two octaves higher than normal. He had to think she was a total freak. She hurried over to the chairs and sat in one, her heart pounding like a jackhammer.

  He sat in the one next to her and scooted closer.

  Ariana’s breath hitched. What did he want? He couldn’t possibly know the thoughts running through her mind. Could he?

  “The study group will be over after you all turn in your papers.” His lips curved perfectly as he spoke.

  Focus on his eyes!

  They were like melted chocolate, sweet and delicious.

  Ari looked at his nose. Even that was perfect. She focused on his scruff, then wanted to run her palms over it while staring into his chocolate eyes and pressing her mouth on his.

  His mouth was moving. He was talking. Saying something to her. Now his mouth held steady.

  He was expecting a reply.

  She didn’t have a clue what he’d just said. “Uh, can you repeat that last part?”

  Damon nodded and flashed her that smile again. He had a dimple. A dimple.

  Kill me now.

  She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on what he was saying. It was so hard when he spoke with such soft-looking lips.

  Damon held out his hand and smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.” She placed her hand on his, and they shook. His hand swallowed hers. It was so big and strong, so warm and soft. She could smell his cologne again.

  “I look forward to it.” He released her hold then got up and gathered his things.

  “Same.” Except that she had no clue what he’d just said or what she’d agreed to.

  Doubts

  Alex raked his fingers through his damp hair and took a deep breath as he sat down at the kitchen table. “Dinner smells amazing, Valerie.”

  His mother-in-law gave an appreciative smile. “Ari did most of the work, didn’t you?”

  Ariana shrugged, not taking her gaze from her phone. “I guess.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me,” Alex said. “You
’re a great cook.”

  She didn’t indicate that she’d heard him.

  “Did you have fun at school today, sweetie?” he asked.

  Nothing.

  Kenji put his hand on her arm. “Ariana, put the phone away at the dinner table. We can take it away just as easily as we gave it to you.”

  “Sorry, Papi.” She tucked it into her pocket but kept her head turned away from Alex.

  “Don’t apologize to me.” He nodded to Alex. “Your dad asked you a question.”

  Ari looked toward him, but didn’t make eye contact. “What did you say?”

  “I asked if you had a good day.”

  “Sure.”

  He frowned. “How’s your study group?”

  “Fine.”

  Alex exchanged a glance with his father-in-law. Kenji shrugged and mouthed, “Teenagers.”

  It was more than likely something beyond a typical teen issue, but the dinner table wasn’t the place to push it.

  The front door opened and Zoey came in carrying the twins. Alex leaped up and hurried over to her, taking Laney from her. The baby squealed and smooshed her wet mouth on his cheek. His heart warmed. At least one of his daughters still liked him.

  “Did you guys have fun with Macy and Caden?” he asked Zoey.

  She kicked off her sandals and set down a couple of department-store bags. “Yeah. We went shopping. I got a few things I can wear for an interview. Don’t worry—it was all on clearance.”

  He kissed her. “I wasn’t worried. You’re serious about finding a part-time job?”

  “It’s better than you working seven days a week.”

  “I could cut back to six, but then we’d have to push back our vacation.”

  She gave him an I-told-you-so expression. “Exactly why I need to bring in some money.”

  Alex frowned. “I hate this. You shouldn’t have to work if you don’t want to.”

  “Do you happen to remember I worked before? I actually enjoyed myself.”

  “I still think—”

  “Dinner’s ready!” Valerie called.

  “Coming, Mom!” Zoey kissed Alex before heading into the kitchen and settling Zander into a high chair. She turned to Ariana. “How was your day?”

  Ari’s face lit up. “Great! My study group is going really well. I think I’m going to ace that English essay. Oh, and Lola and I were talking about a sleepover this weekend. What do you think?”

  Alex’s stomach knotted as he cut Laney’s food into bite-size portions. Ariana was chatting excitedly about her day with Zoey when she’d only given him one-word replies.

  Something was definitely going on. It wasn’t just typical teenage angst. Alex had to have unintentionally crossed her somehow, but what had he done? And how could he get Ari to open up about it so he could make things right again?

  At least Kenji saw it, too. It wasn’t in Alex’s imagination.

  During the meal, he tried to engage Ariana in conversation but she managed to continue avoiding him by speaking with others instead of answering him directly. And Zoey was so busy trying to keep Zander from throwing his food on the floor—something the little guy thought was hilarious—she didn’t even notice what their older daughter was doing.

  After the meal, Ariana hurried over to the sink and offered to help Kenji with the dishes. Alex mopped the floor under Zander’s high chair, waiting for Ariana. Once the dishes were washed, she raced out to the backyard and joined Valerie in the garden.

  He frowned, watching them. Could Zoey and Kenji be right? Was Ari just acting like a normal teenager? Might this be Alex’s payback for being such a difficult teen himself? Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that he’d missed most of Ariana’s early years? He’d been younger than Ari was now when she was born, which was why his in-laws had adopted her. Then after graduation, Alex’s life had spiraled out of control, and he’d only seen her once or twice a year after that.

  This could be all his doing, despite his efforts over the last few years to make everything right and connect with Ari like a dad should with his daughter. He’d turned his life completely around, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be consequences to his past choices.

  What if this was his payback?

  “You okay?” Zoey put her arm around his waist and snuggled close.

  He put his arm around her and rested his head against hers. “Just thinking.”

  “Something bad happen at work again?”

  “No.” His mind flashed back to the home invasion gone bad the week before. The intruders hadn’t been much older than Ariana, and one of them had stabbed the other fatally. He claimed it had been an accident, that his friend had run into the blade in the dark after they came face-to-face with the homeowner. Not that any of the details mattered when a kid lost his life.

  “What, then?” Zoey’s voice brought Alex back to the present.

  He gestured toward Ariana. “She’s shutting me out, Zo. Even your dad sees it.”

  “Want me to talk with her? Sometimes girl talk can do wonders. She might open up.”

  “So, you believe me now?”

  She looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness. “I can see how much this is hurting you. She probably doesn’t even realize what’s going on. Remember when we were that age? It was impossible to see how our actions affected anyone else?”

  “I can’t deny that.” But he also couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was at play. Hopefully, Ariana would open up to Zoey so Alex could make right whatever he’d done wrong.

  Hidden

  “Do we have to do more organizing?” Parker moaned as Nick opened the front door of their new house. “I’d rather be playing ball with the guys.”

  Nick arched a brow. “You can always do your homework.”

  “Organizing it is.” Parker stomped down the hall toward the bedrooms.

  Genevieve exchanged an amused glance with Nick before turning to the girls. “We’re making good progress. Won’t be long before we’re ready to move in.”

  Hanna grabbed Tinsley’s hand. “I can’t wait!”

  Ava sighed. “I’m with Parker. We need a day off.”

  Nick took a deep breath. “How about this? If we all get a record amount done in the next hour, I’ll order pizza. Whatever you kids want. Sound good?”

  Hanna jumped up and down, Ava nodded in approval, and Tinsley grinned. Hanna raced down the hall, calling for Parker.

  “A record amount done!” Nick called.

  Genevieve squeezed Nick’s hand. “We’d better get to work. You done with the bedroom yet?”

  “I still have to tackle the closet. With as much stuff as he packed away in the room, I’m nervous about this.”

  She nodded. “He was a packrat. I’m going to start on the kitchen.”

  They wished each other good luck and parted ways. He checked on the kids, who were all working hard in their respective rooms, then entered the master bedroom. He’d cleared out a lot since beginning and now only the furniture remained, plus a few stray items that would be useful to keep, such as a toolbox he was going to move to the shed.

  Nick studied the closet door for a moment and imagined a pile of a dead man’s belongings falling on top of him. He hadn’t even opened the door yet, and he really wouldn’t be surprised if stuff cascaded out.

  Just as he reached for it, he hesitated. Something caught his eye off to the side. He stepped back and scanned the ceiling. There was something off about a part near the wall.

  Nick pulled out his phone and used the flashlight app. It was an attic door, painted to blend in with the rest of the ceiling. Nobody had mentioned an attic when they’d purchased the home.

  Curious, he pulled the bed over and stood on it. Pressed on the attic door. It didn’t budge. Not even slightly. He pushed harder. Still nothing.

  He shone the light over it again. This time, he noticed something he’d missed before. There was a keyhole in the door. Even that was painted over.


  Who put a keyhole in an attic door? And painted over it? That was almost weirder than the antique doll collection Parker had found in his room.

  Nick pushed on the door again, getting the same result—nothing. He hurried into the kitchen, where he found Genevieve halfway in a cabinet. He cleared his throat. “Will you look at something?”

  She shimmied out and adjusted her shirt before dusting off her pants. “Sure. What is it?”

  “Just come and see.”

  “This sounds interesting.”

  “To say the least.”

  When they entered the bedroom, she glanced at the bed. “Moving the furniture already? I thought we were waiting for—”

  “Look above the bed.” He pointed to the door.

  She did, then turned to him. “It’s a ceiling.”

  “Closer.”

  Genevieve inched closer and looked up. Her eyes lit up. “We have an attic?”

  “Not just an attic, but a locked one.”

  Her brows drew together, then she climbed onto the bed and ran her fingertip along the lock. “That’s odd. Who locks the entrance to an attic?”

  “Someone with something to hide?”

  They exchanged a curious glance. She pushed on the door and Nick climbed on and helped her. They gave up before too long.

  “We’re going to have to find the key.” Nick sighed. “And it isn’t in here.”

  “Maybe it’s in the closet. Did any of the kids find a key?”

  “Not that I recall. We’ll have to ask them over dinner. Suddenly, I want to get through that closet.”

  Genevieve smiled and gave him a kiss. “Let me know if you find the key. I’m dying to know what’s up there.”

  “So am I.” They’d found quite a number of antiques that looked valuable in the few days of going through the rooms. If those items were easily accessible, what could be locked away in the attic? A hidden treasure? Money from a civilization long gone?

  Now he was letting his thoughts get out of control. It could just be firearms. Decades earlier, the house had been surrounded by woods before the area was developed. The property was still tucked away out of sight with plenty of privacy, but there were no woods to speak of—not like there’d been when he’d been a kid. He and his friends had gone dirt bike riding plenty of times before most of the forest had been replaced with neighborhoods. Only Hank Hawkins, the previous owner, had held out, refusing to let go of his acreage.