The Archer Brothers, page 30
“We lived in Washington, Ry, it rained all the time.” She turns in my arms, her face full of excitement.
“That day we all went to the beach and it started raining. We were covered in sand and Evan was freaking out because your mom had told us ‘no sand in the car’. You started snapping us with the towel to get the sand off not realizing that the wet towel, mixed with cold air and sand, was leaving welts on everyone.”
“My dad was pissed when he got calls from all the other parents.”
“I want to go back to those days where everything was simple.”
“We can’t,” I say as I pull her into a hug. “There’s so much I’d love to change, but we can’t.” When she pulls away there are tears in her eyes.
“Let’s change the one thing we have control over. You know I love you and want us to be a family. We talked about getting married and I know you asked for space, but you’re still wearing my ring. Call me stupid, but that gives me a ton of hope.”
Ryley shakes her head as her tears fall. “I can’t, Nate. Not yet.”
“I know,” I say as I cup her cheek. “It was stupid of me to ask, but I had to because I made a promise to you that I’d take care of you and I’d never lie to you.” Taking a deep breath, I ready myself for what I’m about to say. “I’ve received my orders, and I’m set to leave at the end of next week. I can’t leave knowing things are up in the air with us.”
Ryley looks down at her hand before her tear-stained eyes meet mine. “You can’t leave. You have to tell them no, or tell them that your brother is home and it’s just not possible. Evan left and didn’t come back... you can’t leave me. Not now.”
I pull her back into my arms to curb the panic attack. I should’ve known this would be the result. It was never going to be easy telling her that I was leaving, but it’s not like I can keep it a secret.
“Nate, promise me that you won’t leave.”
“Ry –”
“No, promise me,” she demands, pulling away from me. “Evan just got back. You both need to repair your relationship and call me crazy and paranoid, but if you leave, what guarantees do I have that you’ll come back?”
“There’s a war –”
“NO!” she roars, pushing me away. “You don’t leave. You tell whomever you need to that you can’t go on this deployment. You tell them that you don’t trust them.” Ryley wipes angrily at her tears, smudging her make-up. “You tell them that your family comes first and you’re staying here to find out what happened to your brother.”
“Ryley?” her head turns at the sound of both Carole and Evan saying her name.
“You’re leaving?” this time the question is directed at me from Livvie.
“It’s my job,” I tell her and anyone else listening.
“It was Evan’s job and look at what happened to him. Who’s to say that the same won’t happen to you?”
“Tink, don’t,” Evan says to her. I’m not sure if he’s defending me right now or not.
Livvie stands next to Ryley, both women in my life staring me down with their arms crossed over their chests. In a normal situation I’d look to Evan for guidance, but with me out of the picture he has a clear shot at Ryley. Right now it feels like I’m facing a firing squad and it’s not going to matter what I say or do.
“Mom, can’t you do something?”
“Ryley,” I say, getting her attention. “Your mom has no say in the orders we get, you know that. Short of breaking my leg, you know there’s nothing that can be done.”
“I could break your leg. Oddly enough, I’d get a perverse satisfaction by doing so.” I wish to hell I could say Evan is joking, but he’s not.
“Thanks, Evan, but I think I’m okay.” He shrugs, as if it’s no big deal that he just offered to break my leg.
We’re all in a standoff. Ryley and Livvie are on one side of the kitchen with Carole and Jensen on the other. Jenson hasn’t said much, not that I thought he would, but it would be nice for some support. Evan and I are in the middle of this. We’re the tug-of-war. Both of us are being pushed and pulled in every direction but the one we both want to be heading in.
The sound of an abrupt knock on the door startles us, even causes me to jump. Deefur barks and EJ’s thundering footsteps are heard coming down the stairs.
“I get it,” he yells, just as Evan and I make a move for the door.
“I’ll get it,” Jensen says loudly as he brushes by me. Ryley uses the break to her advantage and starts pulling food out of the refrigerator. Livvie and her mom start to help while Evan and I stand in the kitchen like statues. It’s a face off - or a childish stare off - like EJ and I sometimes have over a bowl of ice cream.
EJ comes running into the kitchen and tackles me. I pick him up, and ignore the disgruntled sounds that Evan is making.
“I didn’t know yous was here.” At what point in a parent’s life do you start to correct your child’s speech? I know that when he gets to school everything will change. Those days are something I’m not looking forward to.
“I just got here. I was about to go on a secret mission to find you.”
“I’ll go hide,” he says as he squirms out of my arms and runs off, barely missing Jensen who is standing in the doorway. His face is white as can be.
“What’s wrong?” Evan has the foresight to ask before I can utter the same question.
Jensen looks at us and down at the paper he’s holding. His steps into the kitchen are cautious and he holds the paper as if it’s fragile. Setting it down on the kitchen island, he stands there shaking his head.
“I don’t know what you guys are doing, but you need to stop,” his words are monotone and they send chills down my spine. Evan, Carole and I all step forward and look at what he set down.
STOP
OR
SHE DIES
The words are cut out from a magazine and arranged like a ransom note. Ryley steps forward and I wish I could’ve caught her before she saw the paper. The bowl she’s holding slips from her hands and crashes to the ground. The sound of shattering porcelain echoes throughout the room. Her hand covers her mouth and somewhere from within a scream emerges.
It’s Evan who catches her before she falls. I’m grateful, but also jealous. She’s mine and I should be the one to comfort her.
“What did you do?” Jensen asks as he looks from me, to Carole and then Evan. “Why is someone leaving death threats for my daughter on her porch?”
“I’ve been digging –”
“I’ve been asking –”
“I’ve been looking—“
The three of us say at once causing Jensen’s head to turn.
“Tink, go upstairs with EJ, please.” Evan asks because he knows she’ll do whatever he says. It doesn’t escape my notice that she has tears in her eyes. She knows the magnitude of what’s happening and what that note means. Evan’s return and our subsequent investigation has rattled someone and it’s someone close to us. Now, the question is who?
“Outside,” Carole demands. You would think after her daughter’s life has just been threatened that she’d be more upset, but she’s calm on the outside. We follow her out to the backyard for reasons unknown to me. “Gather around, and listen closely,” she says. “The three of us have been digging and the more I find hidden, the more I’m convinced something transpired that the Navy doesn’t want us to know about. I don’t want any of you talking about this in the house, am I clear?”
“Carole –”
“No, listen to me Jensen. I know I’m a conspiracy theorist, but my gut is telling me that I’m right on this one. Four highly trained and decorated SEALs do not go into the jungle and just disappear. They don’t receive care packages and updates from home after their loved ones have buried their bodies. And if I wasn’t right, we wouldn’t receive a death threat on the one-day that we’re all at the same house. Who knew you guys were coming here today?”
“McCoy, but you invited him… and Frannie. I told her when I was leaving that I’d be back later. She asked where I was going and I told her.”
Carole nods and looks at me. “No one but Carter and Lois would assume I’m over here if I’m not at their house.”
“McCoy isn’t in the right frame of mind to do this. He’s hurting, just like you guys. But Frannie –”
“Hold up, Mom. You think Frannie has something to do with this?”
“I didn’t say that but tell me this Ryley, who was with you the whole time Evan was gone?”
Ryley steps back and looks at me. “Aside from you and Dad - Nate, Frannie, Carter and Lois,” she says as her eyes go wide. “That could mean that –”
“Carter wouldn’t,” I say and am shocked to find Evan nodding in agreement.
“People do the unthinkable when they find themselves stuck in certain situations. We have to find out what that situation is, what was the catalyst that set this in motion. Someone knows something,” Carole says pleadingly. “Jensen, I know you’re worried about Ryley and EJ, I am too, but she has two highly lethal men in her life that will kill before they let a hair on either of their heads be harmed. They’ll protect her.”
“What about you?” he asks.
“I’ll be safe,” she says to Jensen.
Carole is right, regardless of whom Ryley and EJ belong to right now, Evan and I won’t let anything happen to her. Same goes for Carole.
CHAPTER 20
EVAN
IT’S OFFICIAL... A FIVE-YEAR-OLD has more logic than I do. When did that happen? After a tension filled dinner, Jensen suggested that one of us start staying with Ryley. An argument ensued and I lost simply because EJ asked that his dad spend the night. I didn’t think tonight was the time to assert my position in his life, and as much as I wanted to pound my chest and go all Tarzan on everyone, I can’t compete with the imploring looks from EJ. Ryley says that I’ll learn, but right now I don’t want to. I want to give in to every little request he has and give him the world. I want to learn what makes that little boy tick, what his favorite cereal is and whether he puts ketchup on his eggs like I do.
When I look at him I see me.
When he looks at me I want him to see his dad.
“Tough night?” Rick asks as he wipes down the bar. Magoo’s is empty for the most part. There’s a couple in the corner, but they’re so into each other they’re not paying attention to anyone else.
“You could say that.”
“I’d ask you what’s bothering ya, but I can probably figure it out.”
I finish off the beer in my mug and slide it toward him. “I imagine that you’ve heard a lot of stories, people tell you a lot of things. So let me ask you, have you ever heard of anyone going through what we did?”
Rick takes my mug and refills it, placing it on the bar along with a fresh bowl of popcorn and nuts. I shouldn’t be hungry but can honestly say I didn’t eat a thing at Ryley’s earlier, so bar food it is.
When Jensen showed us that note I wanted to lose my shit, but figured that’s what the people who are doing this want. It seems like they want the fight but aren’t willing to show face. They’re hiding behind death threats being left on front porches. Cowards... that’s what they are.
“I hear things,” Rick says, leaning closer to me. “I’m told things. And some people aren’t careful with how loud they are. Take that couple behind you.” I turn, looking quickly. “He’s having an affair, but his lady there doesn’t know it. He came in last night with a different woman.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Mhm, but what’s worse is that he came in at lunch with his friends, bragging about it.”
Some men don’t get it. I’d give anything to have Ryley in my arms, and here’s this man cheating on his partner. He makes me want to go over to him and bash some sense into him.
“Ever hear anything about me or my team?”
“You know you always wonder if you missed something. I like to think I’m fairly observant, like that reporter chick. She spends a lot of time in here looking for you, but you’re never in here at the same time. Then there’s that Senator dude. I don’t like him. He sits in the corner on his phone and always orders a beer that he doesn’t touch. Never talks to anyone, never meets with anyone.”
“What else do you know about this Lawson guy?”
Rick shrugs, leaving to help someone at the bar. I turn around and look at the couple in the corner. I feel sorry for the woman. She’s all over him, completely smitten and he’s just sitting there. He wants the attention, but isn’t willing to give it back to her. He looks tired, likely realizing that cheating is hard work. Keeping your stories straight takes a lot of effort.
The idea of them disgusts me and I realize that could’ve been me. I was pushing Ryley to be with me knowing full well that she belonged to another. I didn’t care if she compromised her relationship with Nate because as far as I was concerned – and still am – he took her from me.
A suit walks in, his eyes glued to his cell phone as he sits down in the corner. The door opens again and in walks a woman. I look away from her and back to the man in the corner. He doesn’t check his surroundings and definitely doesn’t look up when the lady walks by.
Turning back around, I take a handful of popcorn. This is as good as it gets for me tonight. Going back to River’s doesn’t appeal to me. After Carole asked who knew we’d be at Ryley’s tonight, the thought of seeing Frannie turns my stomach. I can’t fathom that she’d have something to do with this mess, but part of me wonders. She was ready for River to come home. That right there is a red flag for me.
The thought of Nate in the house with Ryley after EJ goes to bed makes my blood boil. I’m happy that someone is there with her, but it should be me. Picking up my mug, I down the tepid beer and signal for another one. From here, I can walk if I need to. Or Rick will call me a cab. In fact, the less I remember about tonight the better.
“Do you always sit at the bar alone?”
“Thanks,” I say to Rick after he puts my fresh beer down, ignoring the question that’s just been asked. I know the polite thing to do is acknowledge the woman next to me, but I have no desire to get to know anyone and I don’t want to give her a false hope for the night.
“Not alone, I have my friend Rick here.” It’s really the only thing I can say, aside from “I’m not interested”.
Rick looks from me to her before he leaves us alone. I’m going to have to remind him that my heart belongs to Ryley until she chooses Nate. It’ll probably still be hers until I can figure out how to move on. That’s not something I like thinking about though. Each morning I wake up with a small bit of hope. However, after the afternoon at the park, I told her I was walking away. For all I know I just handed her right over to Nate. Maybe if I grow a set, I’ll ask her about their relationship tomorrow.
But then again, maybe not. I’ve had enough heartache to last me a lifetime.
“I have something for you.”
I try not to roll my eyes at her come on, but the lack of effort is futile.
“Not interested,” I finally say, hoping she gets the hint.
“Oh, I think you are,” she replies, and I finally give in and look at her. Big mistake.
Her caramel colored eyes are mysterious. Her brown hair has blonde highlights and is styled perfectly, shaping her face. A face I know and remember well. She’s changed. She’s more sophisticated than the last time I saw her.
“Well, if I knew it was you, I would’ve pulled the stool out for you.”
“It’s good to see you, Evan.”
“You too, Cara.” I start to lean over to hug her, but she shakes her head discretely.
“The man in the corner; I’m tailing him. We need to make this look like we’re flirting.”
Peering over my shoulder quickly, I see the man who walked in earlier. It dawns on me that this guy is Lawson, the guy Rick has been talking about.
“You’re the reporter?”
She nods, and thanks Rick for the wine he’s set down for her. “I am.” I can’t tell if she’s lying or if she’s a legit reporter. The last time I saw her she was just starting out at the CIA. Because we were together for family functions, Ryley and I were interviewed and asked a lot of invasive questions. It was all worth it once Cara told us she got the job.
“You’ve asked about me?”
Cara takes a sip of her wine before answering. “We’re interested in what went down in Cuba. Call it an unhealthy curiosity or a hazard of the job. Either way there are things we’d like to know and asking is sometimes the easiest way to find out.”
“We?” I question, hoping that she gives me the answer I seek. Is she truly a reporter now or is she undercover?
Cara smiles shyly and touches my arm. I’m thankful it’s for show. Cara’s an attractive woman, but she doesn’t flip my switch. “We… work. You know.”
“So that hasn’t changed. You’re still doing the bidding for the Navy? Gathering information for the big dogs? Pretending to hide in corners?”
She laughs, hopefully remembering that we used to joke about everything we thought the spooks did.
Cara sighs. “A lot changed when you died. I left for Virginia. I got my dream, but I recently switched to the sprawling city of DC,” she says.
I’m a bit shocked and give her a sideways glance. She cracks a small smile. Last I knew she wanted nothing to do with bringing people down, she just wanted to spy on them. “Feds?”
“Yeah.”
“Am I in trouble?”
Cara shakes her head. “No, but you took out a heavy hitter and lived to tell about it. That’s why I’m here.”
“I’m not sure you can call this living, Cara. I came home to a family that had moved on without me. I have a son who knows I’m his dad but doesn’t want to call me dad. My fiancée… I’m assuming you know what happened there.”
Cara shakes her head. “I left Nate. He didn’t leave me for Ryley if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I wasn’t, but thanks for clearing that up.”
