Lockdown

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  * * *

  “What’s Riley’s story?” Quinn asked Tristan as they walked into a second-story classroom.

  “I’ve been wondering about that myself,” Tristan replied. If it had been anyone else, he probably would have shrugged off the question, but with Quinn he didn’t even try. Not only had they been swim buddies during BUD/S, the basic training program for Navy SEALs, they had also spent most of their teenage years living under the same roof. After more than a decade of friendship, there wasn’t much they didn’t know about one another.

  Quinn shot him a questioning look. “I thought you took her out last night.”

  “I did, but she’s holding something back.” He shrugged a shoulder as he stepped in front of the chalkboard. He knew he shouldn’t care that Riley had her secrets—after all, he had some himself—but something about her nagged at him. He was a bit unnerved by how driven he felt to find out more.

  “She’s definitely skittish,” Quinn said, interrupting Tristan’s thoughts. He sat down in one of the seats and looked up at Tristan. His dark eyebrows drew together as he asked, “She wasn’t one of the survivors of the shooting here, was she?”

  “No, I already checked.” After their date the night before, Tristan had spent hours searching for ties between Riley and the victims. Not only had she not been one of the survivors of the shooting, but her name didn’t appear anywhere in relation to the massacre. Hundreds of students had been interviewed by the media, and thousands of people had written in on numerous websites, but Riley’s name was nowhere to be found.

  “What else did you find?”

  “Nothing, really. Amy told me that she got her master’s in criminal psychology, but the way she marked up those plans this morning makes me think she has some kind of background in architecture,” Tristan told him. “That’s a big leap between career fields.”

  Quinn nodded and gave a shrug. “Maybe, but it will be useful when we’re dealing with preventative measures and lockdown procedures.” He glanced over at the door and then back to where Tristan stood. “The students in here didn’t stand a chance.”

  “I know,” Tristan said softly as he tried to imagine what had transpired that fateful day. He didn’t want to face the senselessness of so many deaths, but he knew it was the only way to help prevent future occurrences. Something like this was bound to happen again, regardless of how hard they tried to prevent it. And yet, he knew that if they did this training right, the frequency of such tragedies would be drastically reduced and the death toll greatly lowered when some troubled soul got past the system.

  Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Tristan focused on the task at hand as he and Quinn tossed around ideas for Quinn’s mock attack. Formulating a successful assault strategy was easy. The challenge was finding the solutions to the problems they were creating.

  “I’m ready for a break,” Quinn finally announced. “You want to grab some lunch?”

  “Sure,” Tristan said, nodding. “Let’s stop by the office and see if anyone else wants to come.”

  Quinn wiggled his eyebrows at him. “You like her, don’t you?”

  “I’m just curious, that’s all.” Tristan brushed past him and led the way down the stairs. It was just curiosity—wasn’t it?—that caused his stomach to lurch when he stopped in the office doorway and saw Riley. Her head was bent close to Amy’s as the two of them studied the papers spread out on the worktable.

  Quinn elbowed past him, saying in a low voice as he stepped inside, “You’d better lose that dopey look on your face, or everyone’s going to think you’re a lot more than curious.” Then he raised his voice to normal volume and asked, “Anyone want to go out and grab some lunch?”

  Tristan waited quietly by the door and absorbed the jolt that shot through him when Riley looked up and her eyes met his. Her smile was timid, and a faint blush crept to her cheeks as she stared back at him. Just curious, Tristan repeated to himself, even though he knew it wasn’t true.

  5

  The shooting range was only a couple of miles out of town, where rolling hills covered with trees gave way to an open field of wild grasses, creating a picturesque setting. The facility itself was little more than a cabin-style building with benches along one edge of the field. On the far side, targets were arranged against stacked hay bales at varying distances.

  The range might have been more rustic than some of the gun clubs Tristan had frequented in the past, but he figured it would do. His unit couldn’t afford to let the next few weeks slip away without spending some time on weapons training, and Kel had asked Tristan to find a viable location for them to start up again. Tristan had been eager for the distraction from things back at the Sedgely Hall office, and he had been excited for an excuse to spend some time outdoors. He had often found that there was something about being out under the open sky that helped him clear his head and find solutions to his problems. And lately he’d been feeling like he definitely needed to clear his head of a certain blond and find some solutions to his increasing interest in her.

  Tristan and Riley had been out together all three nights since his arrival, though he wasn’t sure their last two outings could really be considered dates. Last night the whole gang had gone to a movie, and the night before that they had all gone to the local bowling alley. Riley’s sister Taylor had tagged along both nights, and she seemed comfortable enough around Tristan and his teammates.

  But today no one in his unit had made plans for any group after-work activities. Seth and Quinn had mentioned the possibility of getting together to watch a ball game on TV, but Tristan had yet to commit to joining them. He had considered asking Riley out again, but he worried that he was slipping into uncharted territory. His thoughts had been on her far too often the past few days. And besides, she had taken off right after work anyway, so he guessed she already had plans. He didn’t want to think about who she might be spending her Friday night with, so he tried to stay focused on the reason for his visit to the shooting range as he made his way to the office.

  Inside, he found the owner, a burly man named Oscar, who helped him set up a tentative schedule for the SEALs to use the range. When Oscar offered to let him try out the range himself, Tristan was more than happy to accept the invitation.

  He walked back to his truck and retrieved his favorite rifle along with ammunition for both the rifle and the handgun he kept strapped to his calf. As he approached the ridge, he heard the shots sounding from two other patrons. One he recognized as a hunting rifle; the other was a semi-automatic pistol.

  The moment he rounded the corner of the building and turned to size up the other two shooters, he froze. He could only stare at the woman standing just down the ridge. Despite the protective gear she wore over her ears, Tristan recognized Riley’s wavy blond hair and the curve of her cheek. Her posture, however, was markedly different from what he was accustomed to seeing. Right now she was self-assured and clearly confident in her abilities. As she aimed her semi-automatic pistol at the target and squeezed off one shot at a time, Tristan wondered if maybe she did have some police training.

  Tristan walked over to the shooting station directly next to hers and loaded his rifle, but Riley’s concentration was unbreakable as she continued to abuse the target. Tristan squeezed off a rapid burst of six shots, nailing the bull’s-eye each time, but Riley still didn’t notice him. For the next twenty minutes they shot side by side, and Riley didn’t even glance in his direction. Finally, she lowered her gun, moved to a nearby bench, and sat down to clean her weapon.

  Deciding that he could call it quits as well, Tristan holstered the handgun he’d been using for the last ten minutes and picked up his rifle, keeping the barrel pointed at the ground. “You’re a pretty good shot,” he commented, walking over to where Riley was sitting.

  Riley’s head jerked up, and her hands froze. Her voice was bewildered when she asked, “What are you doing here?”

  “Just checking the place out.” Tristan sat down beside her and b
egan to clean his rifle. “We need somewhere to shoot while we’re working here. This place is the closest.” He hesitated a moment when he’d finished with his rifle, but then he bent down and retrieved his handgun from its holster and began to clean it as well. “Where did you learn to shoot?”

  Riley gave a casual shrug. “My dad’s an avid hunter. He made sure all of us kids knew how to handle a gun.”

  “He taught you well.”

  “I think it would be more accurate to say I learned well.” A touch of bitterness laced her voice as she packed up her gun and remaining ammunition.

  “That too,” Tristan said in a purposefully casual tone. “I gather you and your dad don’t get along.”

  Riley stood up and let out a sigh. “I guess you could say we don’t understand each other.”

  “How so?” Tristan holstered his handgun again and stood up beside her.

  “My parents never understood why I wanted to go away to college in the first place, and then when I decided to pursue my master’s, the rift between us just grew wider.” Riley turned toward the small gravel parking lot where her little blue Jetta was parked. “They seem to think that college is just a place to find a husband. I guess Taylor and I are quite the disappointment since neither of us is even close to getting married yet.” She stopped as though just realizing what she had said and looked at him. “I can’t believe I’m even telling you this.”

  “Why not? I asked,” Tristan pointed out as Riley pulled her keys out of her bag. “Personally, I’m glad you’re not already married and raising a small herd of children.”

  Riley relaxed enough to laugh.

  “Any chance you’re free tonight?” he asked. “I’m done for the night, and everyone else is getting together to watch a baseball game on TV.”

  She unlocked her car and dropped her bag on the back seat before turning to face him. “Don’t you like baseball?”

  “I love baseball,” Tristan answered, “but I’d rather hang out with you.”

  She fumbled her keys as her eyes darted up to his. “I was actually planning on staying home tonight. Taylor and I were going to order Chinese food.” She shrugged. “If you want to join us, I’m sure Taylor won’t mind.”

  “That would be great.” Tristan grinned. “Do you want me to pick up a movie on my way over to your place?”

  Riley shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. We have a ton of DVDs at my apartment. Taylor keeps buying them, but we never have time to watch them.”

  “What time should I come by?”

  Riley glanced at her watch. “How about six or six thirty?”

  “Great.” Tristan held her door open while she slid behind the wheel. “I’ll see you then.”

  * * *

  “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Tristan lately,” Taylor commented as she studied the menu for a Chinese restaurant. She wore a pair of cutoff sweats and had her bare feet propped up on the coffee table.

  “It’s not like he knows a lot of people in town,” Riley reasoned, hastily wiping down the kitchen counter.

  “Neither do any of the other SEALs, but they don’t keep staring at you.”

  “Tristan doesn’t stare at me”—Riley looked over her shoulder, a little hopeful—“does he?”

  “Yeah. Especially when he thinks no one’s looking.” Taylor grinned at her sister. “He sure is nice to look at.”

  “Stop it,” Riley insisted with a chuckle. She couldn’t deny that she had difficulty keeping her eyes off Tristan when he was around as well. She still couldn’t quite picture him in uniform no matter how hard she tried. He worked well with his unit, but he always went about his work as though all of his actions were by choice, not because he was following orders.

  Taylor broke into her thoughts. “You really should ask him to come with us tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, like he’s going to want to go to our cousin’s wedding.” Riley shook her head. “I wouldn’t even go if I thought I could get out of it.”

  “At least you only have to go to the reception,” Taylor reminded her. “I never would have promised to go with Erin to the temple if I knew she was going to get married at eight in the morning.”

  “Yes, you would.” Riley grinned. “You take your role as bridesmaid too seriously to let her down. Besides, you love Erin.”

  “You’re right,” Taylor agreed, the corner of her mouth quirking up. “But I also love to complain, and I’m so good at it.”

  “Only when you want to be,” Riley replied with a laugh.

  When the doorbell rang, Riley tossed the dishrag into the sink and moved out of the small kitchen into the even smaller entryway. She took a deep breath and raked her fingers through her hair before pulling the door open. Then, suddenly, she was staring into Tristan’s eyes, and he was definitely staring back. She felt her cheeks burning and looked down at the ground as she stepped aside. “Come on in.”

  “Thanks.” Tristan walked past her into the living room. “Hey, Taylor. How’s it going?”

  “Good, thanks.” She held out the menu to him. “As soon as you figure out what you want, we can order.”

  Tristan took the menu but didn’t look at it. “What are you two getting?”

  “I’m going for the shrimp lo mein,” Taylor told him. She jerked a thumb toward Riley and added, “She always gets cashew chicken.”

  “Okay.” Tristan pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number on the menu cover. “Do you want me to go pick it up?”

  “Delivery is fine,” Riley assured him.

  He nodded and proceeded to place their order, adding some moo shu pork for himself. As soon as he hung up, Taylor held up three DVDs. “Now for the hard decision. What movie are we going to watch?”

  The debate didn’t last long, since both Riley and Tristan didn’t have an opinion and Taylor had already seen two of the three. Riley loaded the comedy Taylor had chosen into the DVD player and sat down on the couch beside Tristan. Her heartbeat quickened when he reached an arm casually around her shoulders and shifted closer. She struggled to keep her attention on the movie instead of noticing the smell of his aftershave and the way his hand felt on her shoulder.

  They were well into the movie when the food arrived, and, at Taylor’s insistence, they let the movie continue while they ate dinner in front of the TV.

  As soon as the movie ended, Taylor stood up and nodded to the hallway. “I had better get some sleep.” She turned to Riley and added, “If he decides to come with you tomorrow, leave me a note so I know.”

  “Come with you where?” Tristan asked as Taylor disappeared down the hall.

  Riley rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “My cousin Erin’s wedding. Erin’s been after me to bring a date, and Taylor seems to think you might be willing to go. But I have to warn you, it’s probably going to be a pretty long day. And, well, my parents will be there, and you might get interrogated if they find out I actually brought a guy.” Riley emphasized the last word and pretended to be shocked.

  Tristan just grinned. “That’s okay. I’ll come. What time?”

  “Are you sure?” When he simply shrugged and nodded, she continued. “The reception doesn’t start until six o’clock.” Her voice was apologetic as she added, “But I’m supposed to help set up around one, and unfortunately it’s about a two-hour drive to get there.”

  “No problem,” he assured her. “I have some work I need to get done over at the campus in the morning, but I should be able to finish before eleven.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Am I sure that I want to spend the day with you?” Tristan asked playfully and then nodded. “Absolutely.”

  Riley couldn’t stop the grin that crossed her face. “Should I just meet you at Sedgely Hall at eleven?”

  “That would be great, if you don’t mind,” he agreed. “Is it okay if I wear jeans while we set up and just bring my dress clothes with me?”

  Riley nodded. “That’s what I’m planning to do.”

  Tris
tan shifted to face her. “You said your sister is going to study abroad. Where’s she going?”

  “She leaves for Venice in August,” Riley told him. “I’m going to miss having her around. We’ve been rooming together for the past couple of years.”

  “What’s next for you after we finish with this course?”

  Riley shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I’ve spent so much time working on the task force these last few months that I haven’t really decided what I want to do with the rest of my life. I keep praying about it, but I don’t seem to be getting any answers.”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer once more as he gave her a comforting squeeze.

  Shivers ran through her at his touch, but she let herself relax against him. As his arm tightened around her, she felt safe for the first time in years.

  * * *

  Tristan stood in the middle of the second-floor classroom and leaned down to mark a spot on the floor with masking tape. He was dressed comfortably in khaki pants and a green polo shirt. After his shaving cream had attacked his only suit coat that morning, he had taken the time to press his dress uniform, and it was now hanging in the back seat of his truck.

  He couldn’t say he was particularly excited about attending a wedding reception, especially one where he didn’t know anyone, but he had woken in a cheerful mood as he considered the prospect of spending the day with Riley. He listened halfheartedly to Quinn’s ideas about the scenario and marked another spot on the floor.

  “Maybe that would be a good place to put a sleeper,” Quinn was saying, using the slang term for an unidentified gunman.

  Tristan looked up, gauging the angle of where he stood to the windows and the door. “I don’t think it’s realistic to put a sleeper in this one.”

  Quinn looked down at a diagram in his hand and then back at Tristan. “We need to throw that at these cops somewhere.”