Lockdown

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Room by room, he moved down the hall. Shouts mixed with whispers as he methodically shot into four rooms before someone finally tried to resist. He heard the heavy breathing behind the door and considered for a moment whether a crazed gunman would sense the man’s presence or if blind rage would prevent heightened senses. The man shifted and prepared to strike, but Tristan instinctively moved out of range.

  Another round of blanks was discharged before two men finally stormed toward him. They likely would have died trying to disarm him if he’d really been a crazed gunman, but at least they were trying. Tristan stepped back and lowered his weapon, and Kel’s voice called out, “Okay, folks. This lesson is over. You can get back to sleep if you want. Breakfast isn’t for another two hours.”

  Eyes wide, the two men broke stride just before they made contact with Tristan. “This was a drill?” one of them asked.

  “That’s right, boys.” Kel stepped out into their line of vision. “We’ll see you in class at 0900.”

  With that, Kel and Tristan walked away from the open mouths and stunned faces.

  * * *

  “Where is Commander Bennett?” The voice was deep and clearly annoyed.

  Riley turned to face the burly man standing in the doorway. He was nearly bald, with wide shoulders that almost managed to disguise the few extra pounds around his middle. She glanced at the name tag, which identified him as Chief Scarbourgh, and kept her own voice calm. “He isn’t available right now. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “You’re darn right you can help me.” He stepped farther into the room, his green eyes brimming with fury. “You can explain to me why we were attacked in our dorm rooms this morning. Nothing in the agenda said we had to be prepared to defend our sleeping quarters!” He shook his head in frustration. “If these Navy hotshots are going to pull stunts like that, I don’t know why we’re even bothering with this!”

  Riley’s eyebrows lifted, the only indication she allowed of the rage that he’d ignited inside her. She stood up, unaware of the team members heading down the hall toward her. “If you don’t understand why they’re bothering, then perhaps you are in the wrong line of work.”

  He blustered, his face reddening. “How dare you!”

  “How dare you,” Riley returned, her voice vibrating with fury. “Do you think the people you’re protecting have a chance to prepare for getting shot at? Do you think they have a clue when they wake up in the morning that someone is going to try to kill them? Mister, you just got the best lesson anyone can get. You got a glimpse of what it feels like to get that kind of shock. You’re just lucky you can walk away from it.”

  Suddenly unsure, the man just stared for a moment.

  Kel’s voice cut through the silence. “I think that about covers the explanations.” He nodded at Chief Scarbourgh. “Is there anything else we can do for you, Chief?”

  The chief looked from Riley to Kel, and then his gaze swept the room to encompass the rest of the team members, who had come through the door behind Kel. He shook his head. “No.” He turned back to face Riley and mumbled, “Sorry to bother you.”

  Everyone watched the man exit the room and then waited until the outer door to Sedgely Hall slammed shut. Then the room erupted in laughter. Tristan crossed to Riley with a grin and planted a kiss on her forehead. “That was awesome.”

  Riley looked up at him, then at the rest of the team, confused. She was still vibrating with anger and insult, and they were all laughing. “Yeah, well, he ticked me off.”

  Quinn moved closer and put one hand on Riley’s shoulder and the other on Tristan’s. “In that case, remind me to never tick you off.” He angled his head toward Tristan and shook his head as he grinned. “Man, are you in trouble.”

  Tristan grinned back at him. “Believe me. I’m definitely going to watch my step.”

  17

  Victor Cross stood on the high school lawn in the evening twilight. He had been working with the governor’s task force off and on since the massacre, and tonight he had decided to take Commander Bennett up on his invitation to watch an exercise firsthand. After meeting with the SEAL team, his curiosity had been heightened, and he was eager to see firsthand how fast the SEALs could neutralize a threat.

  In front of him, police were storming the school from all sides. For years Victor had been working undercover, sometimes with a partner, sometimes without. Rarely in his investigations did he get to see this kind of teamwork in action. He glanced down at his watch, pleased with the demonstration.

  The actor playing the gunman had been neutralized in less than two minutes from the time the exercise had started. Granted, response time would have had to be added to that, which could be about four minutes from the local police station or three from the university. Still, that would be just enough time. His thoughts were interrupted when someone stepped up beside him. He looked down, surprised to see a familiar face.

  “What do you think?” Riley asked, motioning to the school.

  “Impressive,” Victor said, his eyebrows lifting. He remembered Riley well from her years at Oswell—not because she was the sort he often came across in his undercover work, but because she had been one of those very few who had faced the gunman and lived to tell about it. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you would steer clear of this kind of action.”

  “This is the first one I’ve come to,” Riley admitted. “I’m not ready to watch the inside action, but I thought it might help to see the other side of a disaster.”

  “It’s good to see you’re doing so well,” he told her in his smooth, authoritative voice. “I expect the task force will be pleased with the progress if the rest of the week has been this successful.”

  “The participants have made their share of mistakes, but the SEALs feel they were mistakes that needed to be made in order for them to learn.” Riley glanced up at the parking lot lights blinking on. “I imagine this scenario will be a lot more realistic for the last three sessions, since we’ll be able to conduct those during the day.”

  “That’s right. School lets out next week, doesn’t it?”

  Riley nodded. “Graduation is a week from Saturday.”

  They stood there in silence a moment longer until one of the SEALs emerged and motioned to Riley.

  Riley moved away from Victor, walking forward to greet the broad-shouldered man wearing camouflage and a cocky grin. “I guess I’ll see you later,” she called over her shoulder.

  Several of the law enforcement officers emerged from the building, and Victor could read the tension from across the lawn. Even though this was just a training exercise, it had clearly been realistic enough to evoke emotion from the participants. Three more of the SEALs approached Riley, each of them completely relaxed as though this was just a walk in the park.

  As Victor looked on, he decided this course was absolutely perfect.

  * * *

  “What a week!” Riley dropped onto her couch and let her head fall back against the cushions as Tristan closed the door behind them. “I don’t know how you all stay so calm. You’re all laughing and joking around, but you had some of those guys practically in tears in that last scenario.”

  Tristan nodded, unable to suppress a grin. “The sleeper caught them by surprise.”

  He sat down beside her, and Riley turned her head to look at him. “I still don’t get what you mean when you talk about a ‘sleeper.’”

  “It’s an unidentified gunman in a hostage situation. Basically, a sleeper is someone who looks like a hostage but is really acting with the shooter or shooters,” he explained.

  “I just hope these guys from the first week don’t talk to anyone coming into the next session. If the new guys know what we’re going to do, the scenarios aren’t going to be nearly as effective.”

  “We’ll change up the order just in case, but I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Kel gave them a pretty convin
cing speech today after the last scenario. As much as their first morning in the dorms shook them up, they realize that it’s what got their attention.” He reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “No one wants to see another situation like what happened here, especially not in their hometowns.”

  Tristan’s cell phone rang, and he retrieved it only to silence it and put it back in his pocket.

  “Who was that?”

  “That reporter the admiral warned me about.” Tristan shrugged. “He’s tried calling me a couple of times over the past few days, but I’ve been able to avoid him so far.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to just talk to him and get it over with?”

  “I’m hoping he’ll run up against a deadline and give up within the next week or two,” he said.

  Riley nodded. She studied him a moment before asking, “Are you going to go to the wedding?”

  Tristan shook his head. “Not if I can help it.”

  Riley was silent for a moment as she studied him. When she finally spoke, her voice was serious. “You know, you need to forgive her.”

  Obviously surprised, Tristan shifted to look at her. “What?”

  Riley’s voice softened. “This grudge you’re holding isn’t hurting your mom. It’s hurting you.”

  “Do you understand that I spent my entire childhood without a mother?” Tristan insisted. “She didn’t visit me on her leave; she never invited me on any of the tiger cruises or other family events. I’m a military brat who never even stepped foot on a military base until I enlisted.”

  “The way she treated you was awful—”

  “Can we talk about something else?” Tristan interrupted.

  She laid a hand on his. “I’m sorry. I just hate to see you hurting.”

  The phone rang again. Tristan silenced it again. He shook his head and muttered, “It’s too bad they didn’t decide to do this article a few months ago. There’s no way he could have caught up with me then.”

  Realizing that the subject of Tristan’s mother was closed, Riley settled back in her seat. “Amy mentioned something about your squad being deployed to the Middle East before you came here.”

  Tristan nodded. “Yeah, we took a turn over there.”

  “What’s it like when you’re deployed? Can you even call people at home or e-mail?”

  “It depends on the mission. If we’re aboard ship somewhere, we’re just like anyone else on board. We can e-mail, send letters, occasionally make a phone call.” Tristan gave a shrug. “If we’re behind enemy lines, we usually can’t risk any kind of communication unless it’s through secure channels.”

  “That must be so hard on Kel’s wife,” Riley commented. She wanted to ask what would happen when the SEALs’ assignment in Bainbridge ended, but she was afraid to hear the answer. “Since Amy works with your unit, at least she probably knows where Brent is most of the time, but Marilyn doesn’t have a clue, does she?”

  “Not usually. Marilyn pretty much waits around for Kel to show up or call to tell her he’s stateside.” Tristan shifted in his seat to look at her. “Have you decided what you’re going to do after this course ends?”

  “Taylor leaves for Europe the first week in August, so I can stay here until then if I want,” Riley told him. “There’s an engineering job in Norfolk I was going to apply for, but I don’t think I want to be quite that close to my parents.”

  “And I’m not sure I would want you that close to all of those sailors.”

  Riley smiled. “You don’t have to worry about that. You’re the first sailor I’ve ever gone out with.”

  “How did that happen? Norfolk is crawling with single Navy guys.” Tristan narrowed his eyes. “And I know those boys aren’t blind.”

  “After growing up with a dad who was gone all the time, I always avoided military types,” Riley admitted.

  “How come you went out with me then?”

  “You caught me off guard.” Riley reached up and gave him a playful kiss. “And you’re so handsome.”

  Tristan smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  Riley pulled back from him, sensing a sudden wave of tension. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just never realized you had a hang-up about my career.” Tristan’s voice cooled, and he shifted to face her more fully.

  Riley studied him a moment. Gently, she laid her hand over his. “Tristan, being a SEAL is more than just your career. It’s part of who you are. I understand that.”

  “Will you understand that when my phone rings and I have to leave without any warning?” Tristan asked, obviously struggling to keep his voice calm. “I won’t be able to tell you where I’m going when that happens, or when I’ll be back. I just go.”

  Riley felt her world tilt, her entire focus shift, as reality hit her. It wasn’t just the fact that he could disappear at any moment or even the knowledge that he might not come back. Somehow over the past month she had come to understand what it was like to love someone enough to live with the uncertainty.

  She reached up and pressed her lips to his. She could taste his uncertainty and his fears even as he responded to her kiss. When she drew back, she could feel tears welling in her eyes. “I love you, Tristan, and I know that means I have to accept that part of your life. You wouldn’t be the same man I fell in love with if you weren’t willing to drop everything when the call came.”

  He blinked once, then twice, and suddenly his arms reached around her and pulled her tight. “I love you so much.” He took a deep breath and ran a hand over her hair. “I don’t know what I would do if I had to choose between you and my career.”

  “You don’t have to choose,” she whispered, blinking back the tears.

  They sat there together as the room grew dark around them, both still sorting out the whirlwind of emotions. Finally, Tristan drew back and reached out to flip on the lamp on the end table. He looked down at Riley, his eyes serious. “How would you feel about finding a job in Virginia Beach? I bet we could find something for you at the base, especially since you already had to get a security clearance for this job.”

  “I’d like that,” Riley said, overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze. “I was afraid that once this course was over, you would leave and I wouldn’t see you again.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to leave you behind,” he said softly. At the sound of a bedroom door opening, he glanced up to see Taylor emerge from the bedroom. “Hey, Taylor. What are you up to tonight?”

  “I’m going out dancing with Quinn and Seth,” Taylor told him. “Do you two want to join us?”

  Riley shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m too exhausted.”

  “In that case, would you mind hitting the grocery store? We’re out of just about everything,” Taylor suggested.

  “We can do that,” Tristan agreed easily as Taylor grabbed her purse.

  “See you guys later.” She shot a wicked grin at them. “Don’t wait up.”

  As soon as the door closed, Riley turned to Tristan. “You don’t have to go grocery shopping with me. I can take care of it tomorrow.”

  “It’s no big deal.” Tristan stood up and took her hand to pull her up beside him. “We’ll go to the grocery store, make some dinner, and start looking online for jobs in Virginia Beach.”

  A smile crossed her face. “Sounds perfect.”

  18

  Eric shifted in his seat, barely noticing the twinge in his side from a beating a few weeks earlier. Hope settled over him like a heating pad on fresh bruises. He wasn’t alone anymore. Finally, someone understood, and that someone was willing to help. Summer was less than a week away, but he wasn’t thinking about that right now.

  The doctor’s voice droned on, soothing him as he repeated the same words over and over. Dr. Walberg had stopped asking the same questions, but that was because he already knew the answers. Eric still didn’t know how the doctor had found out about his father, but he didn’t really care. Dr. Walberg was Eric’s friend now, not
his father’s.

  A gleam of satisfaction mixed with the fury that bubbled up inside him. The hatred was still there, with its sharp-edged claws fighting for release, but Eric let himself be lulled by the doctor’s voice. He could see everything so clearly now. His dad wasn’t going to get away with it anymore. They were going to stop him, together. Finally, finally this nightmare was going to be over.

  * * *

  “What kind of show are you running here?” Chad Mallard demanded with his usual air of authority.

  Riley had been expecting this, but she had hoped the rest of the team would be back from breakfast before today’s showdown. Chad had arrived the night before, at the end of the first day of their second course. He had decided to exercise his prerogative as task force leader to observe some course activities firsthand. As a result, he had gotten caught in the crossfire of the mock dormitory shooting early that morning.

  “We tried to tell you that you might want to stay at the hotel instead of in the dormitory.” Riley swiveled in her chair to face him and kept her tone mild. “Of course, you did get to see a very effective training tool firsthand.”

  “That wasn’t a training tool! That was a joke!”

  “Really.” Riley had hoped to keep her temper in check, but she could feel it rising degree by degree. “I always thought jokes were supposed to be humorous. As I’m sure you’re now well aware, having someone point a gun at you is anything but funny.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! These SEALs are no more than childish hooligans on a power trip,” he shot back. “The exercise this morning served no purpose other than to upset the course participants and subject me to a dozen complaints.”

  “Sounds like it got their attention.” Riley glossed over his annoyance and tried to get him back on track. “All of our course participants have spent years learning how to protect their communities, but I doubt they have experienced the kind of heart-pumping terror that unarmed victims face in emergency situations.”