Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
OLIVER
“I don’t know why you insist on rooting for the Mets.”
His attention still on the road, Kane shakes his head, a half-smile lifting his lips. “Because they’re my team. Have been since I was six years old and went to my first game with my grandfather.”
Knowing I’m poking the bear and fully enjoying it, I ask, “But don’t you want to back a winning team for once?”
Taking a hand off the steering wheel, he punches my arm. “That’s blasphemy. As if I’d abandon my team. And for who? The Yankees? Or would you suggest I jump ship to the Sox?”
I swat him on the back of the head. “The Sox? Get that name out of your mouth. The Yankees are the only acceptable team if you live in New York.”
“Hey.” My partner turns and gives me a teasing glare. “I’m driving, you know. You could have made me drive off the road right there. Imagine the article in the Sleepy Hollow Post . Officers wreck department vehicle after an altercation over baseball teams. The Chief would never let us hear the end of it.”
Glancing at the speedometer, which is currently recording a very safe twenty-five miles per hour, I chuckle. “I hardly think I was about to send you veering off the road. Unless you think you need to refresh your driver training.”
Kane hits the blinker and makes a right turn onto Broadway, the main street that cuts through downtown Sleepy Hollow. The streetlamps are just blinking on, illuminating the sidewalks as the sun sinks below the horizon. “So. I was thinking of heading into the Catskills on our day off, checking out some of the hiking trails. Want to come along?”
Before I answer, I scan the sidewalks as we pass by, checking for anything out of the ordinary—someone stumbling along, drunk after blowing their Friday paycheck at the bar, any suspicious activity near one of the closed downtown stores, or a would-be thief trying to break into a car. But as usual in our small town, everything looks peaceful.
It’s one of the many reasons I’m glad I moved here just over a year ago. After spending almost a decade with the CIA, first traveling overseas and then working at headquarters in Virginia, I’ve grown to enjoy the slower pace of life. As an officer with the Sleepy Hollow PD, my shifts are usually spent responding to minor traffic accidents, investigating misdemeanors, and helping with the DARE program at the local elementary school.
That’s not to say there aren’t major crimes here. But compared to some of the things I saw as a collection management officer in the CIA, Sleepy Hollow is downright relaxing.
“Oliver? Do you see something?” Kane’s posture stiffens. His tone goes brisk.
“No. Sorry. Just thinking. But sure, I’m up for some hiking. I just have to be back before five, since I’m supposed to be having dinner with Maya and Cole.”
“Nice. How are they doing?”
“Good.” I smile as I think about the main reason I moved to this small town just north of New York City. My younger sister, Maya, lives here with her husband, Cole, and my absolutely adorable niece, Clara. “Now that Blade and Arrow has another branch, Cole doesn’t have to travel as much. And Maya’s still working part time from home, so she can spend lots of time with Clara.”
“And how’s Clara?”
“She’s great. Talking like crazy, running all over the place, and so smart. I mean, maybe I’m biased, but?—”
The radio crackles on in a burst of sound, and I cut myself off to listen.
“We have a potential 207A at the Hop-less Horseman. Sounds like only minor injuries. Two men jumped out of a van and went after some women on the patio, but they were interrupted and took off.”
My heart stops.
A kidnapping attempt at the Hop-less Horseman?
That’s where Maya was going tonight.
Fuck. Was she targeted? Hurt?
“Who called it in?” I ask through a narrowing throat.
There’s a pause. “Maya Kingston.” Gloria, the dispatcher, pauses again. “Oh, crap. Oliver. That’s your sister. I didn’t think?—”
“It’s fine,” I clip out. Although I feel the exact opposite of fine.
Maya’s supposed to be safe. That’s the main reason I moved here. To be closer to her.
As Kane flips on the sirens and guns the engine, he replies, “Ten-four, Gloria. We’re less than a mile from there. We’re on the way.”
Even as I prepare myself to assess the scene, it’s a battle to stay calm. To keep my focus. I keep seeing Maya in the hospital all those years ago, so badly hurt after being abducted. And I can’t forget the crushing guilt that I wasn’t there to protect her.
“She sounded fine,” Gloria adds kindly. “And she said her husband was there. That he and his teammates had secured the scene.”
The pressure building in my chest releases a little. But not completely.
If Cole is there… Some of my worry eases. As the founder of Blade and Arrow Security and a former Green Beret, he’s more than capable of keeping Maya safe. And I know without a doubt he’d do anything to protect my little sister.
Just as we blow through the intersection two blocks down, sirens blaring, my phone rings.
I normally would never answer my phone when we’re out on a call, but as soon as I see Maya’s name appear on the screen, I answer. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She sounds stressed, but I suppose that’s to be expected. “Are you coming? The dispatcher said?—”
“Yes. We’re a couple of minutes out. Is Cole there? Are you safe?”
“I’m safe, Ollie.”
And there . Maya only calls me by that irritating nickname for two reasons. Either she wants to annoy me, or she’s scared. And in this case, I know it’s the latter.
“Who else is there?”
“Cole. Zane and Elle. Nora and Jackson. Niall and Jade.” Maya pauses. “Shea’s here. She’s the one who—” She stops. “Oh. I see you guys coming down the street. I’m hanging up.”
What?
My mind short-circuits for a second.
Shea is there?
My Shea?
No. Not my Shea anymore. Not for years.
But what was Maya saying? Shea’s the one who… what ? Was hurt?
Is Shea hurt?
Kane slams on the brakes, bringing us to a rocking stop in front of the Hop-less Horseman. He turns to me, worry in his gaze. “Are you okay, Kingston? I know this is your family.”
“I’m okay,” I grit out. “Maya said she’s fine. Let’s get in there and figure out exactly what happened.”
Even though Gloria said the suspects were gone, Kane and I exit the car with our guns drawn, low but at the ready. We make a quick surveil of the patio, and I notice two broken chairs near the railing closest to the sidewalk. In the corner diagonal to them, nearest to the entrance, several glasses lie shattered on the concrete patio.
“Looks clear out here,” Kane says. “We’ll want to see if they have any surveillance footage.”
“Definitely.” I angle my chin at the front door. “Come on. Let’s get in there.”
As soon as we walk inside the pub, I lower my weapon. I spot the Blade and Arrow guys immediately, their imposing figures huddled in a semi-circle around one of the tables. Cole spots me and taps Zane’s shoulder, and they head over to meet us.
“Oliver.” His jaw is rigid and anger burns in his gaze. But behind the anger is the same fear I saw there when Maya was hurt. And again when she was in labor.
Whatever happened here, it was too close.
“I’m assuming you cleared everything?” I ask. I wouldn't expect anything less from Cole and his team.
“Of course. Nora’s standing guard at the back door to make sure no one tries to leave. And all the windows and doors are locked.”
Kane glances at me. “I can do a check while you start getting statements. Sound good?”
I lift my chin at him. “Sounds good.” Looking back at Cole, I ask, “So, what happened?”
His expression goes stormy. “Jade and Shea were out on the patio. Elle went out to ask them a question. That’s when the van pulled up. Two men got out, went for the women. We heard yelling, then Jade and Elle triggered their tracking alerts. Another group of women that had been out there came running inside just as we went out there.”
Zane scowls, clearly upset at how close his wife came to being abducted again. A muscle in his jaw twitches. “You’ll need to talk to Jade, Shea, and Elle to get all the information. Elle didn’t see as much because she wasn’t sitting with them. She was halfway across—” He stops. “Fuck. This was too fucking close.”
I work to keep the worry from my voice. “The dispatcher said someone was hurt?”
Cole’s lips thin. “Yes. Shea. She tried to fight them off. And one of them hit her.”
What?
Shea may be my ex and things didn’t end well, but for someone to hit her?
“I need to talk to her. Is she—” Shit. My heart is racing.
“This way.” Cole gives me a curious look. “She’s just over here.”
As I follow him across the pub, I remind myself firmly, this is just another call. I’m here to do my job. Shea’s a witness. A victim. Our past relationship has no relevance here.
It sounds good in theory.
But the second I see Shea, that all flies out the window.
She’s sitting in a chair with Maya on one side of her and Jade on the other. Behind Jade stands a tall, dark-haired man with his hands on her shoulders. Maya is holding her hand—of course she is, she always liked Shea—while Jade is pushing an ice pack at her and saying, “You need to actually hold it to your cheek, Shea. Or it kind of defeats the purpose.”
“I will,” Shea replies softly. And hearing her voice after so many years… I don’t know why I somehow thought she’d sound different. Look different.
But she doesn’t. Shea has that same sweet voice with just a hint of a rasp to it. Her sexy, jazz-singer voice, I used to call it, back when we were in love and I thought we’d end up together.
Her dark hair is still long, almost halfway down her back, a shining curtain of chestnut and mahogany and walnut. She’s just as petite as I remember, slim and deceptively fragile-looking, hiding an inner strength she never gave herself credit for.
Then she looks up at me, an indecipherable expression moving across her face. Something flickers in her dark blue eyes. Dread at having to see me again? Residual fear from what just happened outside? Or… relief?
I close the distance between us, crouching down in front of her.
“Hey, Shea.” Sound normal. I’m a cop. This is my job . “Cole said you were hurt. The ambulance should be here any minute.” To back up my statement, sirens rise and fall in the distance.
“Oliver.” She lowers the ice pack. “I’m okay. I?—”
Fuck.
Her cheek is deep red. Swollen. Blood leaks sluggishly from a cut on her cheekbone.
She’s hurt.
Emotions long shoved down come exploding to the surface. My hand twitches towards Shea’s face before I jerk it back. In a rush, I ask, “What happened, Shea? Who hurt you? Where else are you injured? Did Cole look at you? Are you feeling dizzy? Light-headed?”
Maya touches my arm. “Yes, Cole looked at her. He said it just looks like a bruise. Nothing worse.”
“She needs to go to the hospital,” I reply. “Check for a concussion. Broken bones.”
“Oliver.” Shea says my name quietly, drawing my attention. “It’s just a bruise. Cole agrees. So does Jade. And she’s a physician assistant. So I think I’m okay.”
“I remember,” I reply tightly. Of course I remember Shea’s best friend’s job. “You should still get checked out, though. Last I checked, people don’t have X-ray vision. There could be a fracture. Or?—”
A slight smile curves her lips, and shit, I’m right back there, remembering all the times Shea would smile at me. Walking through DC looking at the cherry trees. Over dinner at our favorite restaurant in Georgetown, where she used to live. Snuggled together on the couch, watching one of those terrible horror movies she loved so much.
“I’m okay, Oll. Not dizzy or lightheaded. I can tell you what happened.” She lifts the ice pack to her cheek again. “But I don’t need an ambulance or the hospital. Jade and Niall are staying with me, so they can make sure I’m fine when we go home.”
“Staying where?”
Shea hesitates. “In White Plains. That’s where I live. Niall’s in Texas, working for the Blade and Arrow branch out there. And Jade… She’s married to Niall, now.”
“You’re in White Plains?” I know I should be focused on getting Shea’s statement, but my mind is stuck on what she just said. Shea living in White Plains? Last I knew, she was still in DC. How did I not know she lives less than ten miles from me?
“Yeah. Three and a half years now.”
Not long after we broke up.
Is that why she did it? Did she move here to be with another man? There’s no ring on her finger, but that doesn’t mean anything…
“Everything looks good.” Kane jogs over to us and gives Shea a kind smile. “Dispatch says the ambulance will be here in a minute.”
“It’s okay.” She lifts her chin. “I’m good to give my statement.”
“Okay.” Kane glances at me, his eyebrows raising in question. No doubt wondering why I haven’t started asking questions already. But he doesn’t know the history between me and Shea. Doesn’t know why my focus is all over the place.
“Right.” I drag a chair over and sit down in it, so I’m opposite Shea. Pulling out my notebook, I ask, “Alright. If you’re sure you’re ready, can you tell me what happened?”
“I’m ready.” Those achingly familiar eyes hold my gaze. “Jade and I were out on the patio. Then I heard tires squealing. At first I didn’t think much of it. But then… I saw the van coming. And I just had this bad feeling.”
“Gut feeling,” the man behind Jade says—her husband, Niall, I’m assuming. “Never ignore it.”
Shea nods. “I told Jade we needed to get inside. But before we had a chance, two men jumped out and came running at us.”
“Us?”
“Jade. Me. Elle was close, too. There was another group of women outside, but they were further away. So I don’t know if they were the target.” She pauses to push her hair behind her ear, and I notice her hand is trembling. “I didn’t think we’d have time to get inside. And Jade… I couldn’t let them get her. I couldn’t.”
Jade grabs Shea’s hand.
“So…” Shea sets her shoulders. “I hit one of the men with a chair. I kept hitting him. And when it broke, I grabbed another chair. That’s when one of them punched me.”
Part of me is absolutely horrified.
But the other part is overwhelmingly proud.
“She saved me,” Jade says tearfully. “I froze. But Shea… she didn’t hesitate. She was amazing.”
Shit.
Shea was amazing. Is amazing.
That’s why it hurt so damn much when she dumped me.
“Why didn’t you tell me Shea was in town?”
Maya’s short laugh comes across the line. “Oh, yes, I’m fine, Oliver. Thanks for asking.”
I drop onto the couch and take a swig of my beer. “Sorry, shrimp. You’re right. Are you okay?”
“Of course. I was inside when everything happened.” She pauses. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well.” She pauses. “Hang on, Clara just woke up. Let me get Cole to check on her.”
While I wait, I rummage through the pile of electronics on the coffee table until I find my earbuds. Once I pop them in, I switch the call over so I can scroll through my social media accounts, finally giving in after years of resolutely refusing to look up my ex.
I checked on Shea’s accounts in the beginning, of course. In the first months after our breakup, I would look every few weeks or so, wondering if I’d find photos of her with another guy. Not that I thought Shea was the type to cheat, but I couldn’t help wondering if that was the reason why she ended things.
But there was nothing in those first few months, not even a meaningless update. Then I came to my senses and unfriended her on everything, firmly reminding myself it was the best thing to do. That Shea had made it clear she had no interest in me, so why should I continue to think about her?
What a laugh. Like I could ever truly erase Shea from my mind. The first woman I ever loved? Impossible.
But I tried. I threw myself into work even more than I had already. Until I found out Maya had been in danger and didn’t even tell me about it. Didn’t want to worry me while I was working as a clandestine officer overseas. How terrible is that? My own sister in trouble and I wasn’t there to help.
So I requested a transfer back to Langley and spent the next two years working to leave the CIA and find a job close to the last remaining member of my family.
Although. If I’m honest with myself, I’d started to think about moving back to the States even earlier than that. The promotion that took me away from Shea wasn’t as rewarding as I’d hoped it would be. It didn’t make up for the weeks, and sometimes months, I didn’t see her.
Then everything fell apart, and it didn’t seem to matter anymore.
“Okay, I’m back,” Maya says breathlessly. “Sorry about that. Clara was insisting on a goodnight kiss, and I couldn’t say no. Anyway—” A door shuts. “We were talking about you.”
“I’m fine.” It’s firm. Maybe overly so. Tone softening, I continue, “Really. I’m okay. There’s no reason I wouldn’t be. I just… How did I not know Shea lives so close?”
Finding Shea’s profile, I click on it, bracing myself for the inevitable sting. A photo of Shea with another man, his arm wrapped possessively around her while she smiles up at him. Images of Shea’s new life post-me, filled with events and trips and all the things I couldn’t give her that last year because I was never around.
Yeah. I may have spent some time thinking about it. About how Shea may have dumped me because she wanted someone who was there all the time. How, back then, I thought my job was more important than anything.
But there’s nothing. No couple-y photos. No trips. Aside from a few political updates and a picture from what looks to be Jade and Niall’s wedding, there’s nothing about Shea’s personal life there.
“I didn’t know Shea had moved until recently,” Maya replies. “Not until Niall got together with Jade. And I didn’t realize Shea was in White Plains until today. When Niall called Cole to ask?—”
Her mouth clamps shut so hard I can hear her teeth clack.
“Ask what?”
“Um.”
I get up from the couch and walk over to the window, taking a deep breath of the cool spring air wafting in. “Ask what ?”
“You know, it’s getting late.”
“Maya.”
“Fine.” She huffs at me. “Niall wanted to know if you’d be there. He was worried that if you came, Shea might be upset.”
My jaw clenches. “Why would she be upset? She’s the one who broke up with me.”
“I don’t know, Ollie. But he sounded legitimately worried. And you were on duty, so I just told him that.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
Another huff. Man. She’s gotten crazy good at it ever since becoming a mom.
“I was going to mention it,” she replies. “But I didn’t think it was urgent news. It’s not like you ever talk about Shea.” There’s a loaded pause. “Do you still have feelings for her?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Hmm.”
“I don’t. It was just… unexpected.”
“Really.” Skepticism tinges her voice.
“Yes, really. And didn’t you say you have to get going?”
Another pause, and then Maya says, “You know, it’s okay if you do. Nora and Jackson were apart even longer than you and Shea.”
“It’s not the same.”
“I don’t know, Ollie. Does it matter?”
My jaw clenches. Why did I call my sister again?
“She’s single, you know.”
“What?”
I can hear the smile in her voice. “Shea. She’s single. I asked her at the Hop-less Horseman. Just in case you were wondering.”
My beer bottle hits the windowsill with a clunk. “I wasn’t.”
Liar.
“Okay, Oliver. I’m going to bed, then. It’s late.”
Turning away from the window, I head back to the couch and flop down onto the cushions. “Okay, shrimp. And I really am glad you’re okay.”
“I know.” A beat, and then with a wry laugh, “You might want to check yourself in the mirror. I can practically hear your nose growing from here.”