Page 5 of Playing for Keeps (Checkmate 4)

Her eyes widen with disbelief. “You adopted a pig to show Riley you can commit?”

“No!” Embarrassed, angry, thoroughly annoyed with myself, I allow myself to be led through the automatic front doors and into the hospital waiting room. Lindsi knows where to go, which doors to use, which floors to catch the elevator to, so I follow and try my best to pretend my satchel is a purse and not a pig sanctuary. “I adopted her to showmyselfI could commit. It’s time to grow the hell up and stop hurting people just because partying sounds like fun. I hurt Riley because I was being dumb. It didn’t have to go down that way.”

She lets out a sad sigh and rubs my arm. “This isn’t your fault, you know? This was just–”

“Aunt Andi!” Ben shouts across the hospital waiting room and draws several sets of eyes. Pasting on a smile that’s equal parts fake and real, I stop where I am and prepare for Ben and Livi’s strong hugs. Rushing forward on heavy feet, Benny throws meaty arms around my shoulders and bows my body until my vertebrae want to pop out of place. He’s a fighter now, in the gym his mom works in every day, and being trained by the best in the business. He’s not a toddler anymore, but almost two-hundred pounds of fighter muscle nearing manhood. Leaning back with a handsome smile and twinkling blue eyes, he drops a kiss on my cheek and squeezes me a second time. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, baby.” I reach up and cup his handsome face. If I look really close, squeeze with my fingertips, I might still find a little baby fat under the muscle. “I swear, it’s been less than a month, but you’ve grown since I last saw you.” I lean in and kiss the top of Livi’s raven hair when she pushes her way between me and her brother. “I missed you, baby girl. You have no clue how much I miss you every time I have to go home.”

“Andi.” Oz steps up next and pulls me into an awkward side hug that results in frantic squeals from my satchel. Oz jumps back like Nacho bit him, then leans in again when I open the top of the bag. Smiling, he rubs a heavy hand over the stubble on his jaw and shakes his head. “What the fuck did you do, Andi?”

Ignoring him, I cup my niece’s face and smile. “Livi, baby, this is Nacho. Can you look after her for a minute while I visit with Officer Cruz? You don’t have to do anything. Just cuddle her for a bit, but don’t let her out of the bag. Don’t pass her around; it’ll scare her.”

“Okay!” Livi reaches out with impatience. “Hi Nacho.” She accepts the bag the way someone would accept a newborn baby. Turning on her heels, she passes her curious brother and moves back to the plastic seats with soft whispers and bubbly baby talk.

“Andi…” Oz’s voice is deep and authoritative. He’s got his police voice on. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“Nacho? She won’t get underfoot, I promise. She just eats, then sleeps in her bag. She’s litter trained, so you don’t have to worry about that. She sometimes chews things she shouldn’t, but I’ll keep her busy and away from your electrical cords. I’ll keep her quiet, I swear.”

“Not Nacho.” Frowning, he digs his hands into his pockets. “Seeing Riley isn’t a good idea. You shouldn’t be here.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” I look from his eyes, to Lindsi’s, then back to his. “I mean, we fought, but it wasn’t a massive fight. It was just silly stuff. Stuff! – I’ll remind you – we’ve fought about before.” I paste on my most convincing smile. “We always argue; it’s our thing. It’s like our foreplay. It’s not like I called his mother fat or anything.”

“Fuck!” Oz turns into Lindsi and bites off a thousand more curses. “His mom, Angel. His fuckin’ mom! I completely forgot about her.”

“We’ll take care of it.” She takes his hand to settle the waver in his voice. Clasping it between both of hers, she presses them to her chest and waits for his puffed chest to relax. “She’s at Lakeview, so as soon as we leave here, we’ll head over.” Her eyes come to mine. “I don’t normally have to worry about you, Andi. We didn’t talk in almost a whole month because we got busy, but the whole time, I didn’t have to worry about you. Seeing Riley…” She shakes her head. “It probably won’t go well, and it’s my job to protect you from this. You need to be prepared.”

What’s wrong with him? What did I do that deserves this worry from OzandLindsi?

My poor heart slams in my chest until I have to push it back or risk it breaking through the skin. I can’t take the mystery any longer, I can’t deal with the nerves skittering through the room. I was always the one who pushed boundaries; the one who’d go on the rides bigger than her age allowed, the one to climb the highest trees, or sneak into clubs when she was still a teen. I knew cops long before Oscar Franks, and not all of them thought I was funny.

Taking a step to my left, I watch Oz’s eyes when they flare. Another step, and his nostrils move and telegraph his intentions to tackle me if I dare disobey his orders. I take a third step that basically confirms his suspicions, and when a door opens halfway down the hall and Alex steps out with his wife under his arm, I take my chance and run. Oz reaches out to stop me, but I pull my arm from his grasp, zoom past Alex at a sprint, and duck under a doctor’s arms when he follows them out.

Sliding into a bright white hospital room, I stop with heaving lungs and pull in a deep breath at the sight of a whole other man lying in the hospital bed.

Dark hair.

Green eyes.

Muscular chest, though it’s smaller than I remember.

Riley Cruz – baby faced Riley – stares back at me as shock, disbelief, wariness all pass through his eyes. He’s the man I know, but he’s different, too. He’s aged. Shadows bruise beneath his heavy eyes, firm set lips, week old stubble on his jaw. In the twenty seconds I stand in this room, Riley’s wariness turns to something much darker, something absolutely poisonous until his stare says he’d like me to burst into flames and melt into a screaming mass of pain.

In all the time I’ve known him, Riley has watched me with challenging eyes, or doting eyes, sexy eyes, or exasperated eyes, but not once with eyes that wish death upon me.

Today, he stares with eyes of pure, unfiltered hatred.

Words clog in my throat, choke me, and make my legs shake, because despite the fact there’s a very real chance he might hate me, I’m consumed by the sight of this strong man in a hospital bed.

White bandaging peeks from behind a hospital gown, makes me sick to my stomach, and plants a deep yearning in my heart to have been here since day one. I want to be able to take care of him. To show him my feelings, to show I canhavefeelings for a man and not panic about them. It’s my job to help him in his time of need, and though he’s needed me for three weeks, I was on the other side of the country.

“Riley…?” I take a step forward on jelly legs and restrain myself when I really want to climb into his bed and kiss away his pain. I could do that. I could climb in, slide my legs between his, and lay my head on his chest. I could slide my fingertips over his heart to remind us both that he’s okay and I’m ready to be a grown-up.

He was hurt in the line of duty, but he’s okay. He’s right here in front of me, so I have nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine, just as soon as he stops murdering me with a glare. “Hey.” I’m disgusted with the quiver in my voice. “Are you okay?”

He watches me for the longest minute. Quite possibly the longest minute of my life. He studies my shoes, my jeans, my belly, then back to my eyes. His Adams apple bobs, and his eyes wage a silent war. He wants to say so much, he wants to speak his feelings – even if they’re mean – but he holds it in. He refuses to voice whatever is fueling his fire until, startling me, he snaps his arm straight and points to the door. “Fuck off, Andi.” He grabs the nurse call remote and crushes the giant red emergency button. “Security’s coming. They’ll remove you, and I don’t want you to come back here again.”

“Riley…?” His words are mean, but his voice is robotic as he reigns in whatever else he wants to say. “No, I’m not leaving. I just got here.” I take another step forward, which only increases the strength with which he crushes his emergency call button. “Riley, stop. Please, just–”

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