Page 14 of Shadow

When she stepped outside, Ripley leaned against her truck in faded jeans and a tight black t-shirt that stretched across his muscled shoulders. His sunglasses shielded his eyes, but Olivia felt him staring at her while he talked on the phone.

“Hey, I’ve gotta go, Samuel. I’ll call you back soon. I would rather you find someone else, but I’ll do it if you can’t.”

What would he do for Samuel? Another mysterious trip out of the country, no doubt. Then her mind took her back to a memory from over three years ago. Was the Samuel he was talking to the same man who got her home safe three years ago when she was trying to drown memories of Ripley in expensive whiskey? Surely not. The world was small, but not that small. Was it?

Ripley tucked the phone in his pocket and adjusted the messenger bag he was carrying. “Morning sunshine. I was hoping I’d find you here.”

“My truck didn’t give it away?”

He laughed. “Still a smartass, I see. Want to go grab breakfast?”

Olivia glared and walked around the truck to the driver’s side. “No. Go home, Cannon. I told you we could have dinner next week.”

Ripley followed her and put his hand on the door, preventing her from opening it. “See, that doesn’t work for me, baby girl. I need to talk to you now. And you clearly need a refresher on what my name is.”

“Then you’re in for disappointment, because I have to get over to the police department and then try to find someone to fix my bar so, as you can see, I’m a little busy.”

“So, I’ll come with you. I know some people who can get your bar back in tip-top shape in no time.”

“Go. Home. I’m serious, Ripley. I appreciate the concern, but I don’t need any help taking care of this. If you keep showing up in places where I don’t want you, then you can forget about dinner with me. I’ll file a restraining order.”

He frowned but stepped back. “OK. Message received. I guess I’ll wait for your call. I left my number on your fridge. There’s a chance I’m tied up for part of next week with exit interviews and debriefs, but if you call, I’ll make the time.”

Exit interviews? Could he really be hanging it up and staying home for good? No. She couldn’t focus on that.

He pulled a laptop out of his bag. “Before I go, take this. It’s your computer in a new body. There was nothing wrong with the hard drive, so I pulled it and put it in a new machine. Gave you better RAM, too.”

She took the laptop and stared at him. “Um. Thanks.”

As much as she wanted to ask a million more questions, like what he planned to do for work, or where he was going to live, she yanked her truck door open and climbed in, putting the new laptop on the passenger seat. “I’ll call you,” she promised, before she slammed the door and started the engine.

What on earth was she supposed to do now? For years, she imagined settling down with Cannon Ripley. A family wasn’t necessarily on her agenda, but building a life together was. Then the stress of never knowing where he was had grown to be too much. How could they possibly build a life when they were forced to go weeks and months without contact? And when she told him not to call her again unless he was home for good, she hadn’t expected him to take her so seriously. Over two years passed by with zero contact.

She didn’t know how to even begin to process the fact that he might be here to stay.

With a deep breath, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the police department.

As she was coming out of a conference room an hour later, a familiar voice called her name. “Olivia, is that you?”

She turned and smiled. “Chief Silas, it’s good to see you again.”

Michael Silas closed the gap between them and pulled her into a hug. “You too, sweetie. I heard what happened at your bar. I’m sorry. Let me know if there’s anything Adara and I can do to help. I’m sure we can help you fast track permits with the city.”

“Thanks. I’m off to talk to my contractor. The Fire Marshal told me the arson investigators are almost done clearing the scene, so I should be able to get in and start work in a day or two. I just wish we could figure out who did this so we can stop them and keep it from happening again.”

Michael frowned. “Peter told me surveillance footage is missing. That’s scary, hon. You’re going to want to be extra careful. Consider hiring private security.”

Olivia smiled to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Doms tended to get grumpy about eye rolling. And Michael Silas wasn’t just Chief of Police for D.C. Metro. He was a long-time member of Club Exposure, and he definitely identified as a Dom. “I’m sure it’s not that bad, Chief.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Just be careful. And come have dinner with Adara and me soon. We can throw some steaks on the grill.”

“Sounds great. Let me figure out the mess that is my bar, and I’ll call you to pick a date.”

He pointed at her and winked. “I’ll hold you to that. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been avoiding us.”

If she thought there was any point, she might have argued, but he wasn’t wrong. She’d been avoiding the crowd at Club Exposure for several months now. After her marriage went south and Peter, Gage, and Michael had encouraged Mario to hit the road, she’d been embarrassed. And it could have been worse. If Bradley Givens and his wife hadn’t been preparing for a baby, he would have been right in the middle of it, using political tactics to intimidate her ex. Not that she didn’t appreciate it, but she’d always been able to take care of herself, and the thought that she needed not just one but four men to solve her problems annoyed her.

“I’ll call. I swear.”

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