Hard Target (All or Nothing Book 1)

by Rhonda Laurel

  “No, you can’t.” He pulled up in front of the radio station building and parked. “My grand-dad passed away when I was in college. Boom.” He snapped his fingers. “Heart attack out of nowhere. We were really close.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” She looked at him. “It doesn’t get easier as the years pass by. You’d think I’d be at peace with it, but I’m not.”

  “I know exactly how you feel.” He squeezed her hand before getting out of the car, rounding the front, and opening the door for her.

  She looked at the call sign letters on the building. “I assumed by the way you were dressed, this was a television interview.”

  “Seth 101. Dress like the cameras are on you even when they’re not.” He winked.

  “Sounds like Seth.” She moved closer and adjusted his tie.

  “Listen, I always sit with my back to the crowd. Seeing people moving around in the producer’s booth distracts me.”

  “Not a problem. It’s my job to keep an eye on you, remember?”

  He hesitated, then nodded. It was going to be hard not to get distracted by her during the interview. She was beautiful. He suddenly wondered what she’d do if he ever told her so…

  * * *

  Parker looked on as Riley got comfortable in his chair and slid on his headphones. The Jerry and Jerry Sports Yap show had been championing the Tomcats since the season began and had been one of his biggest supporters. Suddenly, he got up and switched his seat and was now facing the crowd of onlookers in the producer’s room. Actually, it looked like he was looking directly at her. She gave him a quizzical look and held up her hands, but he just winked at her. The Jerrys didn’t waste any time firing questions at him.

  “We’re here with Riley Sloane, quarterback for the Texas Tomcats. The man responsible for reviving a dying yet beloved football franchise and restoring the faith of the diehard Tomcats’ fans who never gave up. This past season we’ve seen him work his magic with stellar plays, his amazing throwing arm, and expanding his playing skills. He is the embodiment of what this sport represents, and the people of Texas are grateful for bringing the glory back to football country.”

  “Hi, fellas. It’s a pleasure to be here and after an introduction like that, I don’t think there’s anything left to say.” Riley laughed.

  “I want to know who the pretty lady is in the other room,” Jerry W. said.

  He glanced her way. “That’s a good friend of mine.”

  “If there’s one thing about you, Riley, there’s always something else to say. Come on, you’re known for telling it like it is.”

  “True, I was known in the past for running my mouth, but I’ve learned my lesson. The bravado was counterproductive. The best way to illustrate a point is by working your butt off and stop yammering about it. The stats speak for themselves.”

  “The stats are off the charts. The plays have been flawless. Everyone seems comfortable in their positions and has a firm grasp of what they need to do. The team has really jelled together. What’s the reason for the big turnaround?”

  “The coaching has been great. We’re mindful of our responsibilities. We’ve been working on being a cohesive group on field and off. It helps when everyone has the same vision and right now our focus is winning the biggest game of our careers.”

  “What was going through your mind when you threw that sixty-yard pass to Trey and he ran in for the touchdown that cinched the playoff game?”

  “Oh, that was incredible. I was thinking I’d be buying him a big steak the next time we went to dinner.”

  “I was remarking to Jerry T. the other day that you’ve changed quite a bit. Your playing has gotten better, but you’ve also had a change in attitude as well. Some of that high-pressure mania is gone, and your movements are fluid and relaxed. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were becoming a real Texan.”

  “I think it’s the residual effect of hanging out with Seth Blake and his family.”

  “You have a unique relationship with the legendary quarterback-turned-team-owner. How did he become a mentor to you?”

  “To tell you the truth, it started after I talked crap about him in a television interview.” He smiled. “Way back when I spoke before I thought carefully about what I wanted to say. T.K. orchestrated a meeting between us, and we developed a rapport from there. Seth wasn’t happy about it at first, but we knew if T.K. wanted us to talk, it was for a good reason.”

  “What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from him so far?”

  Riley whistled. “There’s been so many, it’s hard to pick one.”

  Parker had to admit Riley was a natural in interviews. He’d sat at the console, donned the headphones, and jumped right into the conversations with the sports announcers like an old pro. He knew how to turn on the magnetism just enough to seem like one of the guys, while making the ladies swoon. She doubted the radio studio was normally this crowded any other day. People were packed like sardines in the producer’s room, watching as he bantered with the announcers. He spoke well of his teammates and took responsibility when they brought up some plays that didn’t go over so well. A few years ago he would have blamed everyone except himself. He’d done a lot of growing since the days of badmouthing Seth. He was on track with his professional life even if he was still the same superficial man-whore with the ladies.

  Liza, the producer’s assistant, approached. “Ms. Carson, I hope everything is to Mr. Sloane’s liking. I followed his publicist’s instructions to the letter. We gave him the special water he likes to drink and we’re going to slip this package into the booth on the quarter hour.” She held up a box.

  “What’s inside the box?”

  “We don’t know. The instructions said it was supposed to be delivered to him on air, as a surprise. My guess is that it’s something to be shared live to get the fans pumped up.”

  It was addressed to Riley and it had the business logo and address of his publicist on it, but something seemed off.

  “That doesn’t sound right. The security team would know about this, and I’ve never heard of him receiving a package during the interview.”

  “You’re part of the security team?”

  “What did you think I was doing with him?”

  “I thought you were his girlfriend.”

  She snorted and rolled her eyes but didn’t have time for that business right now. “Is there an empty room on this floor I can use?”

  “Sure, the conference room is just down the hall.”

  Parker whipped out her phone and sent the protocol text to Kendrick. She then pulled a pair of gloves out of her jacket pocket, put them on, then took the box from the assistant. “Listen to me. I need you to call downstairs and tell security that Riley’s Sloane’s bodyguard is handling a suspicious package and to be on alert.”

  “OK.” The assistant gulped and picked up the phone.

  Parker took the box and walked quickly down the hall to the empty room. She placed the box on the table and surveyed it. It wasn’t that heavy, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a bomb in there. People were getting more creative with explosives these days. Something was gnawing at her to open it. If she did, she could take half the building with her. She took a deep breath. Perhaps she was overreacting. It was possible after the morning she’d had.

  Maybe it would be better to open it outside. She wasn’t supposed to leave Riley, but what if the stalker had decided to send the real thing this time? She couldn’t take the chance that he or the people in the building could get hurt while she dawdled around deciding whether or not to break protocol. Screw it. She’d deal with the fallout later. It would be better to just check it out. She’d just be a few minutes.

  She rushed out of the conference room to the exit door leading to the steps, ignoring her ringing cell phone and high-tailed it down the steps. She finally made it outside and scurried over to a spot near the gigantic commercial garbage receptacle. It was probably Kendrick telling her not to do a
nything foolish. She gently unwrapped the shipping paper from the box. Inside was a dead rat and the same collage type of note.

  You shouldn’t have drunk the water.

  Dread flooded through her. Parker raced back up to the studio. Riley was still doing his interview with the Jerrys. He’d opened that special bottle of water, and it was poised at his lips.

  “Open that door!” Parker said as she pushed through the crowd in the producer’s room.

  “I can’t. We’re live.” The guy at the console pointed at the lit “on air” sign.

  “I don’t give a crap. Open up the door, it’s an emergency.” Parker began pounding on the giant window and screamed. “Sloane, put down the bottle!”

  Riley, who was looking at a poster Jerry W. was holding up of him, turned around and held his hands up as if asking what was wrong. The other Jerry with the facial hair looked at the producer, who shrugged in response. They weren’t taking this seriously. She picked up a nearby empty chair and held it up like she was going to break the glass. They looked at her in disbelief. But Riley was no longer about to drink from the bottle—he’d paused with it in his hand while he gaped at her.

  “We’re having some technical difficulties folks. We’re taking a quick commercial break,” Perry T. uttered quickly into his microphone.

  “Hold your horses.” The producer opened the door with the key.

  As soon as the door was ajar, she raced in and slapped the bottle out of his hand. It hit the floor and began to splash out. She quickly snatched it up and set it somewhere safe before all the liquid was lost.

  “What’s going on?” Riley jumped out of the chair and removed his headphones.

  “There was another note. I think the water was poisoned.”

  * * *

  Regency personnel, the police, and the bomb squad had flanked the studio within minutes. She immediately guided them to the conference room to inspect the box. The note was identical to the last, and they weren’t hopeful there would be prints, but Kendrick confirmed that the police lab would process it right away along with the dead rat, the water bottle, and the liquid that remained inside.

  Like she anticipated, Kendrick chewed her out for going against protocol, leaving her post, and opening a potentially dangerous box. But she’d reconciled within herself that it had been the right thing to do even if opening it had put her in danger. If she hadn’t read that note, Riley would have drunk the water and he wasn’t getting hurt on her watch. Now they had to deal with the press. Up until now, they’d been successful at keeping this out of the media. Now that was out of the question. The Jerrys had gone back on the air and announced an attempt on Riley’s life had been thwarted and it was only a matter of time before it caught fire with the various media outlets. A short time later, news crews had descended on the building, and Riley’s social media feeds were exploding.

  Kendrick was talking to Riley. She could see the tension in Riley’s face. He’d wanted to keep this a secret, and now it had erupted. She hadn’t seen him this steamed since they lost game four due to that clumsy fumble made by MG. Kendrick walked away when the police detective said he wanted to show him something. When Riley walked toward her, his playful smile returned.

  “Are you OK, Bruiser?”

  “I’m fine.” She rolled her eyes. He was beginning to like that nickname a little too much for her tastes. “How are doing? I’m sorry we could no longer contain this.”

  “The privacy was nice while it lasted.”

  “I think,” she looked around the room and lowered her voice. “That was the intention. He wanted the world to know he’d been trying to get you, but we were too effective.”

  Kendrick was walking toward them quickly. “OK, Champ, it’s time we get you out of here.” Kendrick wedged between them. He then said into the walkie-talkie, “Carmichael, Prince Charming is ready for a discreet departure from the building.”

  “What’s he doing here?” Parker and Riley said at the same time.

  “It’s called initiative. I don’t know what you said to him earlier Parker, but you lit a fire under him.”

  “The only fire lit is in his crotch,” Riley mumbled under his breath, but she heard him anyway. She let it go. There were too many other important things going on to bicker right now. Riley turned to Kendrick.

  “How did this happen?”

  Kendrick scratched at his five o’clock shadow. “Did you send out anything on social media saying you’d be here?”

  “I posted something last night. And the radio station did too. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

  “No, that’s not it.” Parker rubbed the back of her neck. “I talked to the producer’s assistant again after the police arrived. She said this arrived two days ago. Who has access to your PR schedule?”

  “My publicist, agent, and the Tomcats’ PR department.”

  Parker thought about it for a moment. The three locations Riley named had one thing in common. Each place had the intimate details of his life. Where and when he would be somewhere and more importantly, they all had his address. It was possible his stalker wasn’t some random whacky fan. This person may have had contact with him in the past.

  “Kendrick.” Parker looked at him.

  “I’m on it.” He got on his cell phone and walked out of the room.

  Riley moved closer to her. “So, you were really going to smash that window to get to me?”

  “If that’s what it took to get that bottle of out of your hand before you drank it.”

  “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you cared about me.”

  “Don’t make too much out of it. It’s what I’m paid to do. Nobody’s going to hurt you on my watch.” She moved closer to him and looked up into his eyes. “Besides, if any bodily harm were ever to come to you, I’ll be the one to do it.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You know what they say. You always hurt the ones you love.”

  She stepped back. “I need to modify your schedule. It’s a possibility someone who has close access to your personal information may be behind this, and your agent and your publicist has that information.”

  “Come on—”

  “Someone was able to fool the people at this station with your publicist’s stationery. We need to investigate and see if they’ve had any data breaches lately.”

  “My agent would have told me.”

  “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  “So what are my options?”

  “The stadium and back to your place.”

  Kendrick ducked back into the room. “We need to move. And Parker, Sam wants you to call her.”

  “Of course she does.” Her jawed ticked.

  “What were you saying earlier about working with siblings?” Riley bit back a smile.

  “It’s more trouble than it’s worth.” She motioned to the door. “Let’s get you to the stadium.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Parker didn’t know what to expect when she arrived at the ranch. She’d managed to get a reprieve from her tongue-lashing yesterday, but she knew she wouldn’t be so lucky today. After dodging Sam’s calls in the morning, she finally answered and accepted the request that she come by the house after her shift.

  Riley had a pretty light schedule today. He’d gone to the stadium and returned without a fuss, despite the press trying to question him as they entered the stadium. He was now pretty agreeable about keeping a low profile, maybe too agreeable. Finally, he informed her that he wanted to host a dinner party in a couple of days. She thought he was nuts. Next week they would be going full throttle with Super Bowl activities and practice, not to mention coordinating his movements. He was adamant about wanting as much normalcy as possible.

  She didn’t see what the big deal was about rescheduling a dinner party until she saw the guest list. It wasn’t his typical party crew. He’d invited Ross McKinney and his wife, as well as a few more seasoned team members. He was building bridges with his teammates, she felt bad abou
t depriving him of that.

  Meanwhile, she’d had another session with Dr. Fitzgerald in the afternoon, even though she’d almost canceled it twice after all the recent excitement. This time it was Carmichael who’d come to take over for her. Riley didn’t look too happy that he’d come to relieve her.

  She’d had another nightmare last night, but this time Riley was in it. She attributed him being in her dream to the incident at the radio station, but it still bothered her that she couldn’t get a break from him even in her dreams. It started out innocent enough. They were dancing together in the Bright Star, of all places, and seemed to be having a good time. They were laughing and talking, but she couldn’t understand what he was saying. She kept asking him to repeat himself, but still, she couldn’t comprehend his words. He pointed to the door, and a masked man entered brandishing a gun. She went for hers but panicked when she realized she wasn’t wearing it. The dream ended with her throwing herself in front of Riley, shielding him.

  Parked pulled into the driveway and cut the engine, then took a moment to push all those dark thoughts and worries away. She loved visiting Sam, J.J. and the kids, so she had to focus on that. There was always something interesting going on at the house. They had two handsome boys, and J.J. was always trying to talk Sam into having a third child. They both had high-profile, demanding jobs, but it was clear that family came first.

  Still, she dreaded what her sister was going to say to her. It was just like when they were kids. Sam was always lecturing her about something or other, and it continued into adulthood. But she did have some good news. Regency’s cyber warfare team had been dispatched to Riley’s publicist’s office, and his publicist admitted that they had in fact been hacked a few months ago.

  She entered the house and immediately spotted Jack.

  “Hi, Aunt Parker.” Jack flashed a toothy smile.

  “Hi, handsome.” She kissed her nephew on the cheek. “Where is everybody?”