by Piper Stone
“Synonymous with women in your book.”
Grimacing, he took a deep breath then a last glance at the building. He had a feeling the game of cat and mouse was just beginning.
Whoosh! Boom!
“What the hell?” Landen and Riker crouched down.
Screams peppered through the crowd, the explosion creating near panic as everyone ran into the street.
“No. No!” Landen raced toward them. “Everything is okay.”
Riker stood to his full height and studied the building. There were no flames or debris flying in the air.
As several members of the fire department rushed toward the building, the two officers from the bomb squad rushed out. They were covered in what appeared to be soot.
“What the fuck?” He headed toward the sheriff, who was barking orders into his radio.
“Just get the evidence team down here, now! I mean, now. Do you understand?” the sheriff snapped then tossed his radio in through the window of his cruiser. “I don’t believe this shit.”
“A dud,” Riker said quietly.
Sheriff James shot him a look and raised a single eyebrow. “Looks like it. This asshole is grating my last damn nerve.” He shook his head as he took long strides toward the bomb squad. “What’s the situation?”
Landen flanked Riker’s side. “Do you have a feeling this guy is sending a message?”
“Yep. And I have a bad feeling the next one is going to be much worse.”
Trinity groaned as she walked away. When the explosion hit, she’d ducked down, terror racing through her. There were no flames, no indication of an actual bomb? She controlled her breathing and kept her head down as she walked quickly toward the truck and perhaps some level of safety.
Why had she confronted Riker, interfered with the emergency? She honestly had no idea other than the fact she’d been surprised seeing him walk through the door. Had there really been a bomb threat? Her thoughts drifted to the black van. There’d been nothing suspicious about the vehicle, but she’d noticed the darkened windows and the fact the driver had slowed in front of the store, before jerking around the corner. What if Jack Spartan had found her, sent his crew after her?
A chuckle pushed past her lips. Right. As if she was that important, even to his story. A bomb, even fake? No, this was way beyond anything the reporter had ever considered. Still, she remained shivering, troubled by the entire ordeal. Riker had seemed disturbed by the event as well. As she unlocked the cab and climbed in, she glanced over at her groceries. The shopping trip had almost been completed. She’d hunt for a Target or even a Walmart to finish with her purchases. The two days alone had been more grueling than she’d originally thought.
She’d even politely declined Zane’s invitation for dinner or drinks. She sat quietly, contemplating what to do next. My God, she was actually bored. Dropping her head against the steering wheel, her mind wandered, delicious images floating back and forth, the vivid colors accentuating the fantasy. She’d even struggled with creating a new story, her mind full of the crap in her life instead of a tall, dark and very handsome hero.
Maybe she’d found the perfect muse. And damn, the man was much better looking in person. Tall, muscular, a carved face and a chiseled body, the close-cropped hair and intense eyes giving him a dangerous persona. Mmm… Riker was all male, that was for certain. She inhaled and could still gather a slight hint of his cologne, the earthy and very masculine kind of smell that made her mouth water and her pussy clench.
Trinity leaned back against the seat and groaned. “Well, if I can’t have the perfect man in real life, why not in the pages of a scathing, sinful book?” She had no doubt her fantasies were going to have to do. The man seemed to have an instant dislike of her. After starting the engine, she glanced one last time at the chaotic scene in front of the store before pulling out. She did love a good mystery.
She was just outside of the city limits when her cell phone rang. Ana was supposed to call. Fumbling, she had to reach over to grab her purse, tossing half the items out of her bag before she was able to secure her phone and answered without looking. “Glad you called now, before I lose reception.”
“Trinity?”
Hissing, she debated ending the call. “Marvin. I asked you to leave me alone. What didn’t you understand?”
“I wouldn’t bother you if this wasn’t for a damn good reason. Have you looked at your email lately?”
“No, I’m trying to take a few days off. Remember?”
“Well, you need to and you’re going to have to issue a rebuttal of some kind.”
“You mean because of the asshole?” she snarked, her mood shifting to abysmal.
Marvin exhaled before answering. “We’re not playing games with this any longer, Trinity. The man has made some rather horrific accusations that are about to go public.”
“Marvin, I’m not going to—”
“You are, Trinity or the studio is pulling every picture in the works, including the one in the can. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” Marvin exclaimed. “I’ve had every executive either in my office or on my phone grilling me about what the fuck is going on with you. What the hell am I supposed to tell them? Stop being a child here. I need your help, or you’re finished. Finished!”
“Jesus Christ, Marvin. Okay. Okay.” She heard the serious tone in his voice and glanced into the rearview mirror. “Let me pull over so I can see what you’re talking about.” As she headed into the parking lot of a small convenience store, she could hear voices in the background. By the time she shoved the gear into park, her hands were shaking.
While the connection was a hell of a lot better than at the cabin, it was almost three minutes before she was able to connect and navigate to what had to be the flaming email. Hesitating, she had a terrible feeling this was going to change the course of her life.
The email was direct, the words with seemingly no emotion.
Ms. Hargrove. I’m certain that you don’t want this out in the public, but you’ve given me no choice. The world deserves to know the truth about you.
The next words were only a teaser, a hint of what Jack was going to have printed. As she read the inflammatory bullshit, the damning headline posted next to two photographs, she sunk further into the seat, stars floating in front of her eyes. She would be ruined. She heard Marvin huffing, cursing in a manner she wasn’t used to. Then again, he had every right. As she brought the phone to her ear, she had no idea what to say or how to dispel the accusations. The truth was coming out.
“Trinity. I don’t give a shit what you think about Jack Spartan, you are going to have a statement in my inbox by tomorrow morning or I’m cutting ties, ending your contract. And don’t you dare think about siccing your attorney on me, sweetheart. Remember the morals clause you signed? I think you managed to piss on that concept. In the morning!”
Wincing, she could tell the call had ended. She stared at the screen for a few seconds, her heart racing. What if she contacted Jack, tried to explain? No, time for explanations was over. The statement would have to be the best speech of her life, words formulated that could never come back to hurt her or… Protect. She was going to protect, no matter if her livelihood was stripped away from her.
She was only half cognizant that she’d dropped the phone and pushed the gear into drive. There was nothing left inside of her, no concept of right or wrong, good versus evil. She was simply lost.
Her hands clenched the steering wheel and she blinked away burning tears as they slipped past her lashes. She was having difficulty breathing, her pulse skyrocketing. If only she’d dealt with this before. If only she hadn’t shoved everything in a box. If only she could go back in time.
If only she could—
A flash of silver forced her to blink, but she was slow to react. Slamming on the brake, the truck began to skid, the back tires screeching as she tried to correct, jerking the steering wheel until she—
Bam!
Chapter 6
“Ca
rrie, I care about you more than you know.”
“And I care about you, but that doesn’t change anything. What happened is wrong, very wrong. What you did was… horrifying.”
“But I did it for you…” His eyes were imploring, his face pinched. “I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted this to go so far.”
Carrie folded her arms, chills racing down her spine. “David, you are dead to me. Do you understand me? Dead. To. Me.”
“Don’t say that. Please.”
“Get out!”
Moaning, Trinity blinked several times as she breathed in and out. The moment she tried to move, pain tore through her head, creating a wave of nausea in the pit of her stomach. What in the hell had happened? She held her breath as she lifted her head, squinting as she tried to understand what she was seeing. The phone call. The road. A blur.
“Shit.” She strained to see over the front of the truck and was able to make out a motorcycle lying on its side. “Oh, no.”
She struggled with the seatbelt, just releasing it when a dark flash popped into her peripheral vision. The second the driver’s door was flung open, she yelped.
“It’s you.” The voice was gruff, accusatory.
Trinity lashed out, catching the man in the chest with the palm of her hand. “No!”
“That’s what I said. Goddamn, woman. Ah, shit. Are you all right?”
“Riker?”
“Ms. Hargrove?”
Sagging, she bit her lower lip as she noticed the gash on his forehead. “Oh my God. Did I hurt you? I didn’t see you at all. Shit. Shit!” His expression was full of anger. Could she blame him? A quick glance back to his bike allowed reality to set in. She’d almost killed the man. A flood of emotions rolled into her mind. The email. The threats. Her life. Killing the most gorgeous man on the face of the earth.
“Evidently not. What the hell were you doing? Not paying any attention? Jesus Christ, lady. You could have gotten us both killed. You shouldn’t be driving,” Riker hissed, the words laced with a hard edge.
“You’re right. I wasn’t paying any attention. I was just… stupid. I was stupid.” Unable to clamp down on her thoughts, the ugliness racing through her mind, she burst into tears, her entire body shaking. “I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry.”
“Whoa. Hold on here. Accidents happen. Come on. Let’s get you out of the truck. Can you move? I can’t see any cuts but that doesn’t mean you’re not hurt. I’m going to lift you down. Hold onto me. Okay? Just hold on.” Riker gathered her into his arms, easing her down onto the pavement.
Crumpling, she clung to him as her thoughts shifted back and forth from so many years ago to her life, the movies, her beautiful house in California. Everything was a lie. “I’m just…”
“Okay, Trinity. Right? I think you might have a concussion. Let’s get you away from the truck just in case. I’ll call for an ambulance.”
“No! I’m fine. I’m just…” She held her breath as the visions and thoughts faded. Blinking again, she was finally able to focus. “What have I done?”
“Well, the truck doesn’t seem to be in too bad of shape, but I think my Harley is totaled.”
“Riker. I’m just so sorry.” Reaching up, she brushed her fingers across his forehead. “We need to put something on that.”
Riker wrapped his hand around hers, his eyes darting back and forth.
The moment seemed stuck in time, a quiet realization that there was more to life than tragedies and horrors. His touch was gentle, almost unlike the rugged man standing in front of her. Every cell in her body tingled, creating another and more profound wave of heat. She could feel his thumb rubbing her hand, the caress loving and from a complete stranger. “You’re bleeding.”
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he eased her to the guardrail, helping her down onto the hard steel. “Let me call this in. Okay?”
She nodded and as he tugged his phone from the pocket of his jeans, she surveyed the damage to both vehicles. While the rental company wasn’t going to be thrilled with her aggressive driving skills, the front grill seemed to have received the full brunt of the crash. The motorcycle was in pieces scattered across the road. How had everything gotten so damn out of hand?
Riker walked toward her, the phone still in his hand. “No, we’ll definitely be here. Thanks, Randy. I appreciate your help.” Sighing, he glanced back at the Harley before closing the distance. “I called it in. The ambulance and a deputy should be here in just a few minutes. The majority of the sheriff’s office is still on the scene of the electrical issue.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need an ambulance.” The moment she tried to stand, her body swayed back and forth. “And you mean the bomb scare.”
“Don’t do that.” Riker gripped her arm and rolled his eyes. “You’re one pigheaded lady.”
“I know a bomb scare when I see one.” She took another step forward, pulling her arm out of his grasp. “What really happened? I heard the explosion.”
He looked toward the sky and exhaled. “I don’t know. A bomb threat was called in but that was no active bomb, or my guess is the entire block would have been in flames. Some asshole sending a message.”
“I understand those kinds of assholes.”
His gaze settled on her face. “Do you want to call your boyfriend or husband?”
“I’m here alone. Very much alone.” Why had she told a complete stranger anything about her life? Maybe because she had no one to trust, no sense of friendship at this point.
Nodding, he rubbed his temple before walking toward his bike, shaking his head.
She followed him, watching the way he crouched down, lovingly rubbing his fingers across the twisted metal bars, the once pristine engine. “Your baby?”
“Yeah. I’ve had her for years. Brought her with me when I moved out here. She’s been my peace, my salvation during some difficult times. I know, it’s just a thing but in my eyes, she was beauty.”
“Riker, I don’t know what to say. I’ll buy you a new one. We can do that today if you want.” She realized as soon as she’d said the words that she’d pissed him off. “I didn’t mean that… I just was trying to…” Sure, she could whip out her checkbook and solve this. She sensed Riker wasn’t that kind of man. He was simple, honest and she could already tell hard working. Who was she to try and buy her way out of this mess? She’d lived in fake town far too long. That had never been her. She’d never cared about things or money. She was absolutely disgusted with herself. “That was shitty of me. Shitty.” When he didn’t say a thing, she clenched her eyes shut.
“You can’t buy happiness or fix everything with money. There is no amount of expensive toys able to soothe the concept of loss, no matter in what circumstance.” Riker stood. “You may be able to repair the damage or provide a moment of solace, but sometimes there’s no real peace. That has to come from within and sometimes that never occurs.”
His words were full of such pain, such intense heartache that she was left unable to find any words of comfort. She’d destroyed what seemed most precious to him. She remained silent as he circled the bike, his breath sounds ragged. She’d been so centered around her life, her woes that she’d interfered with someone else.
Riker planted his hands on his hips and sauntered away from her as the sound of crunching gravel was heard coming from down the road.
She grabbed her license and the truck’s registration, leaning against the truck when the deputy’s car pulled up, the ambulance only seconds later.
The deputy exited the vehicle and lifted his sunglasses. “Riker. You know how to get into some shit. What happened?”
“An accident. Just an accident.” Riker tipped his head. “I think Miss Hargrove might need some medical attention.”
“I’m okay. I don’t need anything.” Except a new life.
“Miss Hargrove, I’m Deputy O’Brien. Let’s go through what happened.”
Trinity listened as Riker told his side of the story then gave her perfunctory
version, accepting the ticket as a matter of course. She’d ceremoniously taken away what happiness Riker seemed to have. She certainly wasn’t going to fight a ticket. When the wrecker came, the attendant picking up most of the pieces by hand, she winced every time a broken and mangled part was positioned on the flatbed.
“Are you certain you don’t want to be checked out at the hospital, either of you?” the deputy asked as he shook Riker’s hand.
“I’m fine. Really.” Riker placed his hand on the bandage covering the cut. “Nothing a tall bourbon won’t fix.”
“Miss?” Deputy O’Brien asked.
“No. Thank you.” Shivering, she moved closer to the truck.
“Okay. Hey, buddy. You’re going to have to get Landen or another jumper to give you a ride. I need to get over to the Best Buy. I hear the crowd of people is getting unruly.” The deputy grinned. “Crazy week.”
“Was this really called in?” Riker asked in a hushed tone, darting a glance in her direction.
The deputy lifted his eyebrows. “Second one. No idea who is doing this or why. You know how the sheriff gets. He’s driving all of us nuts to gather evidence.”
“Well, guess we’re lucky at this point. I’ll catch a ride. Go do what you have to do. Thanks for coming down.”
“I’ll have the report for your insurance company by tomorrow.” Deputy O’Brien turned in her direction. “Take care of yourself, Miss and please watch where you’re going. We have a lot of winding roads out here and some lead to drop offs of several hundred feet.”
“I’ll pay more attention,” Trinity said and gave him a smile. “Thank you.”
When the officer pulled away, Riker started to make a call.
“I’ll take you home.” She could tell the words surprised him.
“You don’t have to do that. I have plenty of friends who owe me a favor or five.”
She walked closer. “Please. Allow me to do something to make up for this. Just a ride.”
He gazed at her, his eyes never blinking. “Sure. Just a ride.”