Page 4 of Once Marked
He’s really a beautiful man,she thought.
With his face showing the signs of life’s stresses and his often unruly hair, Bill wasn’t slick movie-star handsome.But his strength and generosity almost glowed in Riley’s eyes, much more important than superficial glamour.She had been divorced from one man whose thoughts were only for himself, and had almost married another who hadn’t been able to deal with her life as an agent.Now, she was grateful to have passed those by and settled in with Bill.She wouldn’t want to face life without him.
“Then there’s us,” she said, “and what we planned for our future together.We’ve talked about retiring in about a year, settling down for a quiet life here.”
“That will still be out there for us,” he replied.
The silence in the room settled, heavy with words unsaid and choices unmade.
“Bill,” she admitted, “it feels like I’m standing at the edge of something I can’t see.Like there’s an undercurrent pulling at me, and I can’t tell if it’s going to drag me under or push me forward.”
Riley shook her head, the corners of her lips tilting down in a frown.“It’s everything—April, teaching, the itch for the field...It’s like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“You can’t ignore those feelings,” Bill said.
“Maybe you’re right,” she whispered, her voice barely carrying over the distance between them.It was a confession, the acknowledgment of a hunger she could not sate with routine and chalkboards.“But what am I supposed to do about it?”
It was then that the silence was broken by the insistent buzz of her phone.She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, her eyes widening slightly at the name flashing on the screen.Brent Meredith’s name blinked back at her, an omen or an opportunity—she wasn’t sure which.
“Speaking of the devil,” Riley said, a half-smile flickering as she showed the display to Bill.His expression was unreadable.With a steadying breath, she pressed the device to her ear.
“Paige here,” she answered, her voice calm despite the torrent of emotions roiling beneath the surface.
“Agent Paige, it’s Meredith.”The voice of the special agent in charge was all business, gravelly and succinct, cutting through the quiet of the townhouse like a knife through butter.“Are you available to consult on a case in the Outer Banks?”
The question hung there, suspended in the charged silence of anticipation.
Available?She wondered.
Could she really step back into that world, even if only to consult?Would this be a brief diversion or the beginning of a return to the field?
She felt Bill’s gaze on her, supportive as always.The answer was there, somewhere in the space between her heartbeat and her hesitation.
“Agent Paige?”Meredith’s voice crackled through the speakerphone again.
Riley had to make an important decision right now.
CHAPTER TWO
“I’m teaching two classes, Chief Meredith,” Riley said, despite the sudden rush of possibilities swirling in her mind.“I can’t just—”
“Jerry Langham covered for you last time,” Meredith cut in.“He did well, didn’t he?”
She hesitated.Jerry had indeed stepped up previously to teach her class for her; there was no reason he couldn’t do so again.She glanced at Bill.
“Go,” he urged.“You need this.”It wasn’t that she required his permission, but the words were an affirmation of her options.
“Alright,” she conceded.
“Good,” Meredith said, sounding satisfied.“I’m emailing you the case files now.Review them as soon as you can.Special Agent Esmer will explain everything on your way.She’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“Esmer?”Riley repeated in surprise.“Isn’t she still partnered with Agent Pickens?”
“Agent Pickens is...indisposed,” Meredith replied.“You’ll get the details from her.”
“And we’re going right now?”
“You’ll have to be on this case first thing in the morning.It’s about a five-hour drive.Best that you get there tonight to get a good start tomorrow.”
