The Row(73)

I scratch the back of his neck lightly with my nails. He groans and I brush my fingertips through his dark, soft hair. He smells so good, but his kiss tastes even better. The fingers from the hand on my waist slide up across my ribs and it tickles. I laugh involuntarily against his mouth and he pulls back, grinning down at me.

“What is this? You’re ticklish?” His eyes have a wicked sparkle to them now that makes me feel like dissolving into a puddle. “The incredibly tough and unbreakable Riley Beckett has a weakness?”

He tickles my ribs with his hands again and I wiggle against him, laughing and trying to escape. Then he moves his head down and snuggles his face in against my neck. I freeze as tingles zing through my body from head to toe. I can’t find words to respond with anymore. Jordan chuckles low and soft as he drops a few kisses up my neck and chin, then kisses my lips again.

This time I pull back and rest my head against his chest before I lose my mind completely. My heart is racing, and I have to catch my breath, but finally I respond by carefully lowering a few of my own barricades.

“It would seem that Riley has more than one weakness.” I look up at him with a self-conscious shrug. “How’s that for incredibly tough?”

I hadn’t thought it possible, but Jordan’s grin spreads even wider and he lifts me off my feet again in a tight hug. “She seems pretty invincible to me.”

I close my eyes and hug him back. For just that moment, I allow myself to pretend that there is no ticking clock, no truth to find, and no father sitting in prison—instead, it is just Jordan and me.

And invincible seems like the perfect word to describe this feeling.





32

I STOP STARING AT MY NOTES, stretch my neck from side to side, and look at the time on my phone. It’s almost ten o’clock now. Jordan and I have been sitting in my car at the park, going over our notes about Daddy’s case for more than an hour, and it doesn’t feel like we’ve gotten anywhere.

“What are we missing?” I finally ask. “Is it crazy to think there may just be one fact somewhere that will tell us the truth?”

Jordan slumps forward and looks at the dashboard glove box in front of him. “I don’t know, Riley.” He hesitates for a full minute, looking torn before asking, “Do you want me to talk to my father about it?”

“No,” I respond, perhaps too quickly, and Jordan waits for me to explain why, watching me closely. I don’t say anything else because I don’t want Jordan to talk to Chief Vega until we either have irrefutable evidence or we are almost out of time. Until then, I’d prefer the chief to know nothing about me involving his son in all of this. But I really don’t feel like explaining that to Jordan.

“I don’t want to either,” he says after a moment. “But I want you to know that if you ask, I will do it.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think that’s the best option—at least not yet.” My phone rings and I pull it out of my pocket. The screen flashes the number for Mr. Masters’s office before I answer.

“I’m surprised you’re still at work this late, Mr. Masters.”

“I’m sure there are a lot of things I do that would surprise you.” A twitch of his humor actually comes through the drawl and I smile to myself under the parking lot lights. He continues, “Is everything okay? Is Mr. Vega with you?”

“Yes to both, and please no lectures. I’m glad you called, though. You told me to let you know if I found anything interesting—” I plan to go on, but he speaks before I get the chance.

“I want to know, and I have information for you, too, but I don’t feel like it’s safe over the phone. I’m not alone here.” His voice grows muffled. “I think it’s best if we meet in person. It has to be tonight.”

“Okay. Should we come to your office?” I ask.

“No.” His answer is immediate and he sounds like he’s thinking. “That won’t work either. We need to go somewhere we’ve never met before…”

“Okay…” I’m starting to worry about him. “Is everything o—”

“No, I’ll explain everything when we meet. Mason Park is our best option. Meet me in thirty minutes. Write down this number and call me when you get there.” His tone is brusque now, all soft edges gone, and my hand scrambles for a pen. I flip to an empty page in my notebook and jot it down.

When I finish I say, “Okay.”

“Be extra careful. And don’t be late.” Then I hear a beep and he’s gone.

“Hmm…” I say as I stare at the phone. Mr. Masters is sometimes gruff, often stubborn, but he never makes me feel unimportant. I feel a moment of stifling worry before I stuff the phone back in my pocket. When I turn away from the window, my face almost collides with Jordan’s head.

“What did he say?” Jordan leans back a bit to give me a little space.

“He said to meet him at Mason Park in half an hour.” I reach down for my keys. “That’s nearly thirty minutes from here anyway, so I guess we better get going.”

Jordan nods but I catch the slightest hint of hesitation and I raise my eyes.

“What?” I ask, starting the car, but not putting it in gear yet.

“Why Mason Park?” There is worry in his voice.