Invisibility Cloak

by Jill Elaine Prim

  “Yes, I read about it in the paper. They have a ton of trails, don’t they?”

  He nodded as he slid into his parking spot and shut off the Jeep. After he jumped out of his seat, he went around to her side. “Yeah. They have bike, running, dog and walking trails.”

  “Thanks,” she said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked to his front entrance.

  He swiped his security card and the door opened. “Probably more trails, I don’t even know about.”

  “It’s pretty, all the big trees.”

  “You need to live in a secure place like this, Amanda. Hell, you being a scientist, you probably make more than me. But honey, these Cartels are pushing their way into our communities, our lives. You need to be in a secured neighborhood.” He guided her to the couch in his family room. “The place you live in is way too open. Too vulnerable. I don’t like it.”

  “Go get your stuff.” Amanda stood up ready to face-off with him. “My house is my children’s home. They grew up there.” She fisted her hands on her hips. “It’s my home, too.”

  He scrunched up his forehead. “I didn’t mean it like that. Shit, I’m sorry. It is a nice house, but the security around there . . .” Ryder shook his head. “Well, damn it, there is none.”

  “I feel safe there.” Turning, she sat back down. “You don’t have to come home with me,” she muttered.

  “Do you want something to drink while I grab my things?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

  Ryder hustled it. He grabbed his dark gray suit, a clean white dress shirt, tie, more sweat pants, a few white tees, socks and underwear. After shoving what he could in his overnight, he swung the hanger his suit was on over his shoulder with his free hand. Walking out to his family room, he asked Amanda as she sat quietly on his couch. “Ready to go?”

  “Did you get everything you need?”

  “Yep, let’s hit it. Your parents will be close, and I still need to go for a long jog and shower.”

  “Ryder, I really don’t think you staying with me is necessary.”

  “Don’t go there again, Amanda.” He shut off his lights and locked the door.

  Her cell phone rang as soon as they reached his car.

  “Hello?” She talked quietly while she held the cell phone with one hand and buckled herself in with the other. “Thanks, Ginny. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “What was that about?” He started the car. “And who is Ginny?”

  “Ryder, you forgot to remind me what I wanted to tell you when I was making you and Nick breakfast.”

  “Amanda, what were you going to tell me while I was starving this morning?” He chuckled quietly and looked over at her as he drove out of his complex.

  “Oh, Ryder.” Amanda’s green eyes sparkled with excitement. “I just know Wayne was going down the wrong path to keep his killers at bay.”

  “You want to start at the beginning, darlin’?”

  “Well, that was Ginny Sullivan, a colleague of Wayne’s at the Institute. She asked me to stop by tonight, wants to show me what Wayne was working on before he died.”

  “Correction. We will be going by the Institute of Physics tonight.”

  “Okay.” Amanda shook her head. “We . . . Anyway, he was working on invisibility theorems. The government contracted his department to discover a way to shield and basically camouflage their aircraft and operatives when needed.” She waved her hand around. “You know, essentially become invisible.”

  “Gotcha.” He looked over at her briefly, but then turned his attention back to the road.

  “Well, what I wanted to tell you this morning, was after studying Wayne’s findings, I know he was leading whoever killed him on. He knew microwaves weren’t the most cohesive way to cloak an object, but his paper trail made it look like he was pursuing that path. And he did it intentionally.” She brought both hands together on her lap and tilted her head down. “Maybe he knew in the end that selling out was wrong and he tried to correct any wrong doings. Do the right thing, for once.”

  Ryder doubted it, but he kept the feelings he had of Amanda’s ex-husband to himself. Reaching out, he covered both her hands with his palm.

  “Anyway, she wants me―” She stopped abruptly and re-phrased her words. “She wants us to stop by the lab at nine tonight.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Maybe we can get a damn handle on this mess, finally.”

  Just as they pulled into her driveway, Ryder turned to her and said, “Got about ninety minutes before I need to stakeout the school, and shadow the kids home. I’m going to go for a run, then shower.”

  Amanda nodded and stabbed her finger up to press the garage door open. “Pretty resourceful to think of grabbing my garage door opener, aren’t you?”

  He chuckled. “We Rangers cover all the bases, ma’am.”

  “Uh huh.” She turned her head dramatically to look at him. After she arched an eyebrow at him, she said, “You will not forget to put it back in my car will you?”

  “Absolutely not,” he scoffed at her. “Maybe I don’t mind driving you around, Miss Harris.” He winked at her. “It may just stay right where it is.”

  “What?” Amanda’s insides did that silly flip again. A giddy, happy, somersault.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll forget all about me in a few weeks,” she pointed out, “When you move onto your next case.”

  “Come on.” He opened his door. “Enough gabbing. There’s too much to do.”

  “Oh,” she muttered under her breath. “Whatever you say, Mr. Army Ranger.”

  As he opened the back car door to grab his stuff, he looked up sharply at her. “Beg pardon, ma’am? I didn’t quite get what you said clearly?”

  “Ah! Don’t get me started.” Amanda walked into the house and said over her shoulder, “I’m the one that has too much to do!”

  Ryder chuckled as he followed her inside and jumped up the stairs with his bag in hand.

  Throwing open her refrigerator, she looked to see what she had inside to feed her parents when they arrived. They usually liked to eat earlier that she did. Not to mention, Nickel would want to eat after school, too. Scanning the contents, she saw lunchmeat, coleslaw and her famous pea salad. Amanda loved it, but her kiddos always made gagging sounds when she made it. It was her mom’s recipe, so she knew her parents would eat some as well. A gallon of milk, a carton of orange juice, and a gallon of cranberry juice sat on the top shelf. Now onto the upstairs to change the sheets in the guest bedroom her parents always stayed in and lay out towels in the spare bathroom. Passing Ryder on the way up the stairs, he was dressed in running shorts and a T-shirt. She arched her brow at him.

  “I’ll be back in an hour.” Slipping on his sunglasses, he said, “I need a hard run.” He turned to her before he closed the door. “Amanda, lock the doors behind me.”

  “Will do.” He looked good in his black running shorts and short-sleeved shirt. She couldn’t help but look at him a little longer than need be and she found that she’d actually crouched in the middle of the stairs to watch his rear-end go out the door.

  Rolling her eyes up, she turned to finish her chores because her parents should be here soon. When she had everything ready for her parents, she walked down the stairs to wait, maybe eat a snack. A soft knock rapped on the front door before the doorknob turned.

  Crap. She forgot to lock the door after Ryder left, and her back instantly stiffened. If that was him, she’d never hear the end of it.

  “Yoo-hoo! Amanda?” Her mother’s high-pitched voice chimed out.

  “Mom!” Amanda rushed eagerly to her tiny mother who pushed open the front door and hugged her. Her father was right behind her, wearing a tired expression.

  “Long drive, Dad?”

  “Yes.”
He smiled affectionately at her. “But never too long for you, dear.”

  Her parents had always there for her. After her car accident, they’d come down and stayed until she finally made them go back to Colorado. Now they were here to take Sammie and Nickel back to Ft. Collins. It had become a ritual. Every year, right after school ended her parents spoiled her children with going to the movies, and gooey deserts that she never made. Spending time together meant the world to both her children and parents. For those two weeks, they got to know each other and strengthened family bonds.

  “Hello, Panda.” Her father wrapped his arms around her. “We’ve missed you.”

  “Oh, Dad, you were just here two months ago.” She straightened her arms and looked up at him. “You have to be totally sick of seeing me!”

  “Never, sweetheart.” He smiled and then swung his gaze down to her left leg. “Now, your mother told me you got fitted for a new brace. How do you like it?”

  “Yes.” Amanda led them into the family room. “It is ugly as sin, but I can wear it under pants.”

  “Well, honey, considering what the alternative would have been.” Her mother lowered her chin and gave her that look as she sat down on the sofa.

  Amanda had absolutely no desire to fall into another “how lucky I am that something worse didn’t happen, because it could have” conversation, so she turned her attention to her dad sitting in a chair across from the couch.

  “So, any new projects keeping you busy, Dad?”

  “Well, the latest is bookcases in the living room.” He lowered himself on the couch next to her mother. “Working with oak. I’m pretty pleased at how it’s progressing. Thought I’d have the kids help me finish it up with trim work.”

  “They would probably love that.” Amanda jumped up out of her seat and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot, you must be thirsty or hungry.” She walked toward the kitchen stopping right before she went in to ask them, “Juice? Or should I make a pot of coffee?”

  Just as her father was ready to respond to her, the back porch door flew open.

  Chapter 13

  “Damn it, Amanda!” Her head jerked over at Ryder as he stormed into the family room. “The back door was wide open!” He stood absolutely still when he noticed her parents sitting on her couch. “Um, am I interrupting something?” Narrowing his eyes with his hands on his hips he scanned the room until his gaze landed on her.

  The light sheen of perspiration covering his skin caused his black nylon running shorts and T-shirt to cling to his body. His aviators were plopped on top of his sweaty head. Who’d have thought a sticky, perspiring guy could look so good?

  “Ryder, it’s all right.” She smiled at him. “These are my parents, Beverly and Donald Anders.”

  Instantly, he softened his demeanor. “Beg pardon, folks.” He walked over to her dad and extended his hand. “Mr. Anders. Ryder Stevenson, pleased to meet you, sir.”

  Her dad stood up and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you too, Ryder.” Then he turned to look at his daughter with a crinkled brow.

  Her mother looked over at Amanda with an arched eyebrow. But she turned her head back to Ryder when he introduced himself to her.

  God I’ll never hear the end of it, now.

  “Beg pardon, folks.” Ryder planted his hands on his hips again. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m going to run up and grab a shower.”

  Amanda didn’t dare look over at her mother or father. Instead she focused her attention on Ryder.

  “Use mine, Ryder.” Amanda walked over to him. “I’ll show you where everything is.” She turned back to her parents before she ushered him up the stairs. “Be right back.”

  “Ryder, I haven’t told my parents about any of this, yet,” Amanda confided in him as they walked up the stairs.

  “Don’t you think you should?”

  “I don’t want them to worry,” she said as she lead him into her bathroom and set out a few towels and a washcloth.

  He grabbed her hand when she handed him the towels. “They need to know. It’s for their safety as well as yours.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  Ryder tugged her to him and gave her a quick kiss. “I’m sorry I busted in here like a madman. But I was worried when I heard voices. It slipped my mind that your parents were coming in today.”

  “I know you were worried.” She flicked on the fan for him because she was so used to flipping it on for the kids.

  He pulled off his shirt and threw it on the floor. Her eyes flew to his muscled, bare-skinned chest. It didn’t look like he had an ounce of fat on his body. And his arms . . . well, she always did have a thing for great deltoids. And biceps, oh and triceps, too. She swallowed.

  He bent down to turn on the water and adjusted the handles.

  And she thought he looked good with his clothes on. “So, okay.” She backed out of the bathroom to give him some privacy.

  After he looped his thumbs under the waistband of his shorts, he growled at her. “And lock the damn doors, woman.”

  Before she stepped out of the bathroom, she couldn’t help herself. Turning back toward him, she stuck out her tongue out at him, scrunching up her nose as well.

  Why do I act like that around him?

  He chuckled before he said, “I’d keep that inside, darlin’, unless you’re ready to use it.”

  Her face got hot and she brought her hands up to her cheeks to cool them off.

  The sound of rushing water filling the tub saturated the room and she stomped out.

  Slowly walking down the stairs, she cursed herself for letting Ryder rile her up and thought on how she could tell her parents about all that had happened in the last few days.

  Had it only been three days? It seemed more like three months! She didn’t want her parents to worry, or they’d get on their bandwagon to get her to come back to Colorado with them. Amanda had heard that lecture many a times. Her mother had told her a million times how her old high school boyfriend, Rob was divorced as well and how much he asked about her when they bumped into him around town.

  That was a guy she dated the in high school―over seventeen years ago―but it felt like centuries. Blah. She shuddered when she thought back on those days.

  When she reached the main floor, her father was still sitting on the couch and she could hear her mother fiddling around in the kitchen and went to find out what she was up to.

  “So, Amanda,” her father began as she passed by him. “Is there something we should know?”

  “Dad, Ryder is a friend―”

  Her mother rounded the corner. “Who uses your shower?” Her mom’s eyebrows jumped up and Amanda instantly felt like a ten-year-old. She sat back down next to her father.

  Silently groaning, Amanda clasped her hands together. “So, Mom and Dad.” She spoke slowly. “Some weird stuff has been happening lately.”

  Beverly Anders walked back into the family room and sat down in a chair adjacent to the couch, where she and her dad sat. “What stuff?” Her mother asked stiffly as she sat up straighter in the chair.

  “Beverly,” her father warned. “Let Amanda finish.”

  “Well.” Amanda licked her lips. “It seemed Wayne may have been involved with the wrong people. And they may be coming after me and the kids.

  Her mother gasped. “What? Wayne?” Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Who is coming after you?”

  “Well, for heaven’s sakes, Pandy, when we found out how he was killed, I had a suspicion that he may have been involved with the wrong people.” Her father stood up. “I need some coffee. With bourbon or whiskey. Got any, sweetheart?”

  “Oh for God’s sake Don! It’s two o’clock in the afternoon!”

  Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs and they all looked up to watch Ryder stride downst
airs. His hair was still wet, but he had jeans and a fresh black T-shirt on. Amanda’s heart did a little flip.

  “I’ll get it for you, sir.” Ryder headed to her dad. “I got some Jack in the basement.”

  Her father nodded and followed Ryder across the room.

  Amanda’s gaze tracked Ryder and her dad down the basement stairs, wishing they wouldn’t leave.

  “Come on, honey let’s get the coffee cups.” Beverly Anders grabbed her daughter’s hand and led her into the kitchen.

  All types of thoughts bounced around Amanda’s head. Like how much she should tell them and would they be in danger if they knew anything? No one would go after or hurt them, would they?

  “Amanda?” Her mother’s terse voice brought her out of her thoughts.

  “Yes, mother?”

  “Amanda, what exactly is really going on?” Her mom glared at her before pulling out four coffee mugs from her cupboard.

  “Mom, I really don’t understand it myself.” Amanda frowned. “I’m just glad you’re here to take Sammie and Nickel away from all of this for a few weeks.” She took the coffee cup her mom handed her and dumped a generous amount of cream in it.

  “Oh, honey,” Her mom said softly as she opened her arms and Amanda stepped into her embrace.

  “I’m scared, Mom.” She whispered, “We had a few break-ins already. I just don’t get it.”

  “Come back home with us then, dear.” Her mom cradled her head in her hands. “I don’t like you down here by yourself. Please, honey. You’ll be safe with us. Remember Robbie Halloway? Well, he asks about you all the time, honey.”