Chapter 4
Four
It was only a door. Dani didn’t have to bust it down or face a mob on the other side of it.
No. This was ten times worse. She’d been all set to swoop in and play her cool-auntie-surprise-visit card until she’d spotted the familiar Lexus in the driveway.
One or both of her parents were here at Josh and Lily’s.
Maybe she should forget interrupting everyone’s night and get a hotel. The more the idea swirled through her head, the better it sounded.
Yeah, tomorrow would b—
The door swung open. “Dani?” Josh stood frozen on his stoop with a bulging bag of garbage in hand. The front door shut behind him.
Dani pasted on a big smile. “Surprise!”
The frozen shock on Josh’s face melted. With his free hand, he hooked an arm around her neck and pulled her in. “What are you doing here? I thought you were in Baltimore.”
“Here, let me take that.” She grabbed the white plastic bag, and they walked it to the sidewalk, where the big bin waited on the curb.
The quiet neighborhood in the foothills wasn’t too far from the one they’d grown up in.
The squeal of childish laughter rang out in the night.
Streetlights and neatly trimmed lawns lined the sidewalks. It was suburban utopia.
“Dani, you’re stalling. What’s going on?”
“Can’t your sister drop in for a surprise visit? I haven’t held the baby since Christmas. And I owe Simon at least a hundred bedtime stories.”
Josh folded his arms and stared her down in the driveway. “You know I can wait all night. I’m surviving on two-hour stretches of sleep. Believe it or not, Archer is more stubborn than you. I’ve built up a resistance.”
“So you’re thanking me for all the training I gave you growing up. It prepared you to be the awesome dad you are today.” She wagged her eyebrows.
Josh shook his head and chuckled. “Come on. Let’s get inside before Lily thinks I ran away. I’m on baby duty tonight. And this is perfect, ’cause Mom and Dad are here. So you can tell us all what you’re up to at once.”
Yippee. Ready or not, looked like she had to face the onslaught.
Josh led Dani through a cozy living room with toys scattered on the rug, then into the brightly lit dining room, where remnants of dinner were pushed aside as their parents sat on opposite sides of the table, sipping tea, and Simon munched on a cookie.
Lily stood at the kitchen counter, rocking Archer.
“Hey, look who I found outside.” Josh pushed her forward. “Dani’s here.”
“Auntie Dani!” Three-year-old Simon launched off his chair and into her arms.
“Hi, buddy!” His enthusiasm thawed the icy dread inside her. This made it all worthwhile. She squeezed him tight and set him back on his chair. Lily and Mom quickly followed suit and demanded their own hugs. Archer looked at Dani, threw his head back, and wailed.
Her father said nothing. Archer’s screams were more welcoming.
Lily blew out a raspberry as she tried rocking Archer back to rest on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, he’s overtired and teething—”
“Oh, forget it. I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening. I just—”
“What are you doing, then?” Her father’s voice was quiet, yet it had a way of landing like a missile strike. Why did it seem like his frank gaze was constantly weighing her worth? Hadn’t she grown out of this childish need for his approval?
“Oh, hush, Alton.” Jean Kim smiled sweetly at Dani. “We’re glad you’re here. No matter what the reason is.” She settled back into her chair. “How long do we have you?”
“Quite a while, actually.” Dani ruffled Simon’s hair and grinned at him.
“My job sent me here. I’m not sure how long the assignment will be.
I’m still hoping to get transferred to our New York or Miami locations eventually, but for now, I’ll be here in Renegade.
So you can hit me up for free babysitting all you want.
” She nudged Josh. “I’ll have lots of time to hang out with my favorite nephews. ”
Simon cheered.
“That’s great!” Lily’s expression brightened considerably.
“What kind of work is it?” Josh asked as he reached to take Archer from Lily’s arms. “I’m still surprised you left the bank job you had last year. You’ve always been so good with numbers.”
“Yeah, but the work was so boring.” And the people even more so. They were all about making money and fighting their way to the top. That wasn’t living. But she’d tried for her parents’ sake.
Turned out, being good at something and pleasing people didn’t make a job a good fit.
Her father set his tea down. “There’s more to life than making everything a party and spectacle. You had stability and good benefi—”
“And I was miserable.” It came out louder than she’d expected.
The room went silent. Even Archer stopped crying. No one had ever talked to Alton Kim like this. Dani had never talked like this. Honestly.
She lowered her voice but kept eye contact. “There has to be more to life than making rich people richer. I thought you wanted me to do something that mattered.”
“So”—Dani’s mother cut in before her father could continue his usual spiel—“what’s the new job? I’m so glad it’s brought you back to Colorado.”
The knot in Dani’s gut twisted. Better spit it out and get it over with.
She added a little pep to her smile. The more confident she sounded, the better this would go.
Right?
“Well, this career has decent benefits too. And I can travel more. It’s federal work, so there’s job security. And most importantly, I can really make a difference in the world.”
“It sounds perfect.” Her mother smiled.
Her father, though, simply raised his eyebrows, clearly waiting for her to elaborate.
Dani cleared her throat. “You happen to be looking at Special Agent Dani Kim with the FBI.”
Everyone stopped and stared at Dani. Silence had never felt so loud.
“The FBI? As in the Federal Bureau of Investigation?” Josh asked.
Lily slipped over to her husband and took Archer. “I think I’m going to put this little one down. Simon, why don’t you come with me and we’ll brush your teeth.” She quickly left the room with the kids in tow.
As soon as they were gone, Dani’s mother spoke up. “Why would you want to work as a federal agent? It’s so dangerous. There’s more violent crime than ever. Even here in Renegade.”
“You just said it was the perfect jo—”
“But that’s before I knew what you were doing!” Her mother stood and started pacing.
“Are you really qualified for something like that?” Josh looked more confused than anything. But how could he understand? He had everything he wanted in life. A stable job, a wife, kids…
“Of course I’m qualified. I went through training at Quantico. Believe me, if the US government thought I couldn’t do the job, they wouldn’t have passed me. But I did. And you know what? I’ve never been so excited to work. It’s like I’ve finally found what I was meant to do.”
Mom continued to wring her hands.
Her father stood. “Look at what you’ve done, Danielle. You’re worrying your mother. Not that we should be surprised at this level of selfishness—”
“How am I being selfish? I’m serving my country!” Dani hated the shrillness that escaped, but gone was the need to keep the peace. This was the time to stand her ground.
Josh stepped between Dani and their father. “Okay, let’s calm down. We can talk this over—”
“There’s nothing to talk about, Josh. I’m a federal agent.
And I’m just starting my career, but this is what I’m doing.
It’s not a family decision. It’s done. So you can be happy for me and that I have this time at the Renegade office or not, but I won’t be quitting or getting a different job. This is what I want to do.”
A beat of silence reigned for a moment. Then her father wrapped an arm around her mother. “I think that’s enough for one night. I need to get your mother home.”
Before Dani could come up with any sort of response, they were gone.
She turned to her brother. “That’s it? They just…leave?” The tightness in her throat choked off any other words.
Josh let loose a long sigh. “You know they’ve never been good with surprises. I’m sorry.”
He moved to the other side of the peninsula and pulled out a mug and cocoa powder. “How about a big-brother special and you tell me more about this job, huh? I thought the nearest FBI office was in Denver.”
Dani sank onto a barstool at the counter. “Renegade is a resident agency office. We work closely with and report to Denver.”
“Huh.” Josh pulled the milk out of the fridge and set it on the counter. He looked down at her, a slight smirk on his face. “My kid sister. An FBI agent. You always keep things interesting, Dani. That’s for sure.”
There really should be more coffee shops open late for people who worked the night shift.
But instead, Michael read the new text message while he waited in line with Finn for his energy smoothie.
The autumn air was a little chilly for a cold drink, but at least he could get a serving of veggies in this way.
“What are you smiling at?” Finn asked him.
“Josh texted. His little sister showed up last night unexpectedly. In a matter of twenty-four hours, she’s turned his house upside down, but the kids actually slept through the night and took decent naps today.”
“She sounds like a handful.”
“Let’s just say life with Dani around will never be dull.”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “You say that like you admire her. Do you have a crush on the girl?”
“Psh, no! She’s like a little sister. And besides, you know I like order and organization. Dani is a walking tornado. She thrives on chaos.” She was fearless. And fun, no doubt. She knew how to make him laugh. But this was Dani.
“Maybe you could use a little shaking u—”
Their radios squawked. “Nearest units to First Street and Powell, respond to burglary in progress. Possible armed suspects.”
Finn looked at him and nodded before rushing out toward their vehicle. Michael called back on his radio, “One four six and three eight three responding. En route.”
Two more units called in, but Michael and Finn were the closest.
They pulled away from the curb, sirens blaring.