Chapter 11
11
“ D ad! Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be on TV?” Nova screeched from the family room.
Rhys finished coming down the stairs and headed in her direction. He hadn’t remembered to ask the news crew when the story would be on. He ran a hand through his still-damp hair. He and Jordan had plans to go out for dinner tonight. It had been entirely too long since he’d seen her, and he was getting a little anxious to hold her again.
Rhys arrived in the family room where there were two oversized couches and his eighty-inch television that he was proud of. Watching the games on it was an experience. Nova had scoffed at the size of it, but now he always found her in front of it watching her favorite shows and movies. He leaned against the doorjamb and shrugged.
Nova and Honor were snuggled up on one couch with blankets surrounding them. Honor lifted her head from where she was lying and curiously looked over at him. She was completely off duty tonight and could just be the family dog.
“I didn’t know when it was going to be aired,” he replied honestly. He pushed off and walked into the room. “Did you see it?”
“Oh, I saw it, and Dad…” She ended her words on a whine. Her pink hair was pulled up into a bun on top of her head. “Why are my friends and everyone online calling you the sexy cop?”
“Wait, what?” He perched onto the other couch and grinned at her dismay.
She shot him her evil eye that had him chuckling.
Jeez, who would think he was a hot cop? He hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary.
“Seriously. Do you know how many text messages I’ve gotten? Or people hitting me up in my DMs on all my social medias asking if that hot cop on the news was you?” Rhys laughed at her dramatics as she flopped back onto the couch. Honor gave a little bark and readjusted herself to where she could sniff at Nova as if to check to make sure she was okay. “I even recorded it.”
She sat up and brought up the interview. She gave him her evil eye again then hit ‘play’ on the remote. The interview began. Rhys didn’t see anything wrong with it.
“If you are stopped by a K9 officer and his partner, never run away from them.”
“What is that?” Nova paused the recording and pointed at the television.
“What’s wrong with that? I just pushed my glasses off my face?” he asked. He couldn’t believe he was under scrutiny by his daughter over an interview.
“You are flirting with the camera. Does Jordan know this?” Nova folded her arms in front of her.
Rhys barked a laugh. Nova had lost her marbles. He stood from his position and walked over to her.
“I was not flirting with the camera,” he murmured. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Nova rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
“And I can’t help that people think I’m sexy.”
“Can you please not say that?” Nova grumbled. She yanked the blanket, but it didn’t budge due to Honor lying on top of it. “Hey, give me some.”
Honor whined and stood on the couch and moved out of the way so Nova could bring more of the fabric to her. Once Nova was done rearranging it, Honor took her seat again on the couch and flopped down.
“I’m going out with Jordan tonight,” Rhys announced and began walking toward the door. He snagged his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and scanned the screen.
No messages from Jordan.
He just hoped she didn’t have to work over.
“So that means me and Honor won’t need to wait up for you?” Nova said.
He turned back toward her and caught her wagging her eyebrows. Honor lifted her head at the sound of her name.
“No, you do not need to wait up for me,” he said. He shook his head and continued out of the room. He headed toward the kitchen. The sounds of feet hitting the floor echoed behind him.
“So, Dad. Mom texted me,” Nova announced, following behind him.
Rhys stiffened slightly. He arrived at the kitchen and went over to the fridge. He opened it and pulled a bottle of water from it.
“And? What does she want?” he asked. He tried to not put any emotions in his voice. Sara Beth was probably trying to be nosy and find out what he was up to. He’d never understood why, after they’d divorced, she tried to keep tabs on what he was doing or if he was dating anyone.
“She asked about you and Jordan. She wanted to know if y’all were getting serious.” Nova leaned against the counter and eyed him.
The poor girl had always been in the middle of him and Sara Beth. Not that Rhys would do that to his daughter, but his ex-wife apparently had no qualms about it. From the time they’d separated, she’d always used Nova to get at him.
But now their daughter was grown, she saw through her mother. Rhys had never bad-mouthed Sara Beth in front of Nova, but he couldn’t say the same about his ex-wife. The woman was bitter, and he just didn’t get it. He had done everything in his power to give her and Nova the best life, but it had never been good enough for Sara Beth.
“Well, that’s none of her business,” he replied. He removed the cap and took a long swig of the frosty cold water. He placed the bottle down on the counter and pulled out his phone again. He shot off a quick text to Jordan.
Everything still good for tonight?
Rhys slid his phone back into his jeans pocket. Nova leaned against the counter and watched him.
“Well, I certainly can’t say that to her,” Nova mumbled.
“You want me to text her and tell her that?” he asked.
“Hell no—I mean, heck no. That will just start a war,” Nova said. “I’ll come up with something.”
“You don’t have to. Just tell your mother that she would have to ask me,” he said. He moved over to her, hating that Sara Beth always put their daughter in an awkward position. He rested his hands on her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.
“You know she will call you.” Nova sighed.
“I know, and you would think after all these years she’d leave me the hell alone,” Rhys muttered. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead again. “Leave your mother to me. I’ll handle her.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Nova side-stepped him and went over to the fridge and opened the freezer. She took out her pint of Ben and Jerry’s before slamming the door shut.
“You’re the only one who matters to me,” Rhys admitted. He combed his fingers through his hair. Looking at his daughter, he saw that she had truly grown up. The stubborn tilt of her chin when she spoke of her mother reminded him of someone. He just couldn’t put a finger on it. “I like the fact that you and Jordan get along. It means a lot to me.”
“Jordan is perfect for you, Dad. I can’t even remember ever seeing you this happy. Even when you were dating that one chick you never brought around.”
Rhys grimaced, remembering the few women he had tried to casually date. None of them had been good enough to bring around his daughter.
“And Mom knows she’s met her match when it comes to Jordan.”
Rhys chuckled, thinking of the first time Sara Beth had met Jordan. He had never seen his ex-wife so quiet or cordial before.
Not that Jordan had done anything.
It was as if Sara Beth had known not to fuck with Jordan.
“She does make me happy,” he murmured.
“I know. We all can see it.” Nova scooped a spoonful of ice cream and shoved it into her mouth. She moved around the counter and headed back toward the door. “You have my approval. I’d love to have her as a stepmom.”
Nova giggled as she skipped out of the kitchen, leaving Rhys with his mouth gaping open. He shook his head at his daughter, but deep down he was happy that she’d approved a future with Jordan.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, not having felt a notification vibration.
No messages.
He checked the time, and it was past when Jordan was to get off work. Hopefully SWAT hadn’t been sent out on another call. If so, there would be no going out tonight. He opened the phone and searched for her name. He hit the ‘call’ button and brought his phone to his ear.
It rang twice before she answered.
“Hey,” Jordan said.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something was wrong. He could hear it in her voice. Rhys knew Jordan well enough by now that he could hear the low pitch in her tone.
“We still on for tonight?” he asked. His senses were screaming for him to grab his keys and go to her.
“Um, yeah. We should be. I just have to make a quick stop at my house and then I’ll be on the way.” Her voice still sounded off. Maybe she’d had a hard day at work.
He was sure she would share with him what had happened on the call at the mansion. It sounded as if it was going to be a mess if the mayor was involved. Election season was fast approaching, and Mayor Kennedy was sure to want to be visible to the public so voters could see how involved he was in making sure their town was safe.
Rhys relaxed somewhat, but his gut was still telling him something was wrong. He didn’t like how she’d responded: We should be.
“Why don’t I meet you at your house and pick you up. Make it an official date,” he said softly. They would have to travel past her side of town to get to the restaurant he had chosen for them to go to. It would make sense for him to just grab her and then they could go.
“Um, no. I won’t be long,” she said.
The warning alarms in the back of Rhys’s mind sounded again. This time blaringly loud.
“I promise. I’ll be right there,” she said.
“Okay, if you need me, call me,” he said. Rhys wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but he didn’t like it one bit. She was hiding something, and he felt it all the way to his bones.
“It’s nothing.” She chuckled.
Even her laugh was off. Jordan was a woman who was a professional at keeping secrets, but Rhys was slowly learning how to read her. He glanced down at his watch and took note of the time.
“I promise. I’ll call you when I’m on the way.”
“You better,” he warned jokingly, but in all reality he was serious. If she didn’t call, he’d be on the way. The woman may be able to fend for herself, but she was going to have to learn that she didn’t have to fight her battles alone anymore.
She had him.
“I love you, Rhys.”
Rhys inhaled sharply. It still almost brought him to his knees to hear her say the words.
Maybe he was overreacting. It had been a while since he’d had a vacation. He and Honor had been working a lot of overtime lately. He pushed off and went back over the fridge. He pulled out a longneck beer. He needed to relax. He had to believe that if she needed him, she would tell him.
“I love you, too, babe. Now hurry and get your butt here.”
Jordan stared at the front of her house and hit the ‘disconnect’ button on the phone. Rhys had guessed something was wrong. The man knew her, and that’s why she loved him. No one else knew her the way he did. She could hear it in his voice that he thought she was lying. She reached over the console and grabbed her purse and slung it across her chest. She would make quick work of checking out her house and then she’d be gone.
She exited her car and quietly closed the door. It was still light out for a late summer day. Fall would be approaching soon, which Jordan loved. She always enjoyed watching the leaves change colors and the cool days. Sweaters and knee-high boots were one of her favorite outfits for fall.
Jordan’s heart hammered as she walked toward the back of her home. She wanted to check out the perimeter of her property. Making her way to the back porch, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Her small yard was manicured, thanks to the lawn service she employed to come out every other week to cut her grass. Her mother had been in charge of planting little shrubs and flowers along the back of the home. Jordan didn’t have a green finger like Irene Knight. That woman could get anything to grow. The only request Jordan had made of her mother was for whatever she planted to be low maintenance and hard to kill.
“In and out,” she murmured. She headed up the stairs and pulled her keys out of her bag. Her hand connected with her small Ruger. She took it out as well and flipped off the safety. She gripped it tight in her hand while she unlocked the back door with her other. She blinked, and a calmness washed over her as if she were sweeping a house with her team.
But only she was going into her home.
Alone.
She stepped into her little mudroom and quietly walked over to the keypad of her alarm.
“That’s weird,” she murmured, eyeing the screen. It was disarmed. Had she forgotten to set it when she’d left? She racked her brain and felt as if she had but couldn’t remember for sure. She had rushed out of the house when she’d left. She slid her keys back into her bag. An unsettled feeling encompassed her.
Something was not right.
She raised her weapon and aimed it true. She took her first step into the kitchen and eyed the room.
Her footsteps were silent as she crept through the kitchen. Nothing appeared out of place. She slipped over to the false drawer she had built into her island. She pushed against the side of the island, and the compartment opened. Inside was nestled a small Glock. She closed it, satisfied it was still in place. As a woman living alone, she had hidden plenty of weapons around her house. Not that she lived in a rough area of Columbia, but she never wanted to be unprepared if someone did catch her by surprise.
Jordan strained to hear any sounds that may be coming from the house. She inched forward, her gun steady in her hands. She paused in the doorway of the kitchen, her gaze sweeping the hallway that led upstairs then toward the living room and small dining room that was connected. The lighting in the room wasn’t bright. Her timers were due to come on in the next twenty minutes or so.
Not seeing anything unusual, she made for the stairs. Her steps were silent and her breathing was regulated. The hairs on her arms stood at attention. She slowly reached the second level. She stopped at the guest bedroom and quietly opened the door. Using every skill she’d been taught, she silently went into the room on guard.
The closet—clear.
The room—untouched.
With her heart pounding, she went down the hallway.
The bathroom—clear.
She said the words in her head as if barking them to her teammates who would be backing her up. Jordan’s aim remained true as she opened the hallway closet doors and found nothing. She paused outside her bedroom door and tried to slow down her thudding heart. Right now would be the time she would need Iker or Zain making some stupid comment that would cause her to laugh and release some tension.
Jordan briefly regretted not calling on at least one of her teammates. They would have been there without question.
Hell, so would Rhys.
She regretted not admitting to him what the problem was. He knew there was something, but she couldn’t get the words to flow out of her.
She could do this on her own.
Jordan released one hand from her gun and reached out and turned the handle to her bedroom. Immediately, she knew something was off. She pushed open the door and stepped inside. What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.
Her bedroom was in shambles.
The lamp that should have been sitting neatly on her nightstand was lying haphazardly on the floor. Clothes strewn all over the place. Her mattress tossed off her bed and leaning against the wall. Her curtains ripped to shreds, the windows now bare. She tightened her hands on her gun and shoved down all of her emotions. She swept inside and cleared every area of her private domain and master bath. Even that was a disaster.
Thankfully, she didn’t find anyone she would have to shoot. There was only her in the room. She couldn’t relax. Someone had invaded her personal space and ransacked it, and that had her growing even angrier.
Jordan stepped over a pile of towels and clothes resting on the floor.
Should she call anyone? Jordan vetoed that idea. If she did they would certainly start asking questions. She scanned the room again. Who would ignore the rest of the house and come to her bedroom to only tear it up? Nothing looked as if it had been taken.
This was personal.
A message.
Her gaze landed on something she had missed before.
One of her large kitchen knives was embedded in the wall over her headboard with a piece of paper. She swallowed hard and marched over to it. Her heart slammed against her chest. She stood and stared at the words scribbled in familiar handwriting.
Blossom Park. Tonight at seven.
“Shit.” Jordan exhaled.
He was officially making his move. Bravon was here, and he wasn’t going to go anywhere. She had to go and face him. She glanced down at her watch and saw she had about a half hour to get there.
Jordan angrily snatched the piece of paper from the wall. Bravon couldn’t intimidate her any longer. If he wanted to meet then she’d go, but he was going to be very surprised to meet the new her. She spun on her heel and stormed toward the doorway. She paused before leaving and turned, taking in her destroyed room. The flames of her fury flared to life. He would pay for coming into her home and trying to scare her. It would take more than this to accomplish his goal.