Page 12 of Nails

Ms.Torres tsked.“Then they’re not real men.”

Riley smirked.“I’ll tell you what.If I’m home when he comes by, I’ll say hello.But I make no promises.”

Ms.Torres gave her a knowing look, but Riley ignored it.She had no plans of being home when her son arrived.

Just as Riley turned to grab the last item, a sharp pain bloomed in her chest like a sudden punch.She froze, gasping slightly.She pressed her hand against her chest.

Ms.Torres noticed immediately.“Riley, what’s wrong?”

Riley hesitated, as her teeth dug into her bottom lip.She didn’t want to worry Ms.Torres.But lying to her felt worse.This woman wasn’t just a neighbor—she was like family.The kind that showed up with soup when you were sick and who would offer to slash the tires of your enemies.

With a slow breath, Riley turned and lifted her shirt, revealing the massive purple bruise spreading across her chest like an inkblot.

“I got shot in the vest last night,” she said simply.She would leave out the rest of her action-packed adventure, like fighting with a guy twice her size, and falling down the stairs.

Ms.Torres went pale as she sucked in a sharp breath.“You were shot?!”

“In the vest,” Riley clarified.“I’m okay.Just sore and bruised.I definitely won’t be auditioning for‘Dancing with the Stars’anytime soon, but I’ll live.”

“Don’t you dare downplay that,” Ms.Torres said firmly.Her eyes were full of worry.“Jesus, Riley.That could’ve been—”

“I know,” Riley said softly.“Believe me, I know.But I’m alright.My boss told me to take the next few days off to rest.And that’s what I’m going to do.”

“If you are supposed to be resting, then why are you here?”

Riley grinned.“I had to bring you avocados so you can make me your delicious guacamole.”

Ms.Torres shook her head.“You’re lucky I love you, or I’d slap you upside the head.”She looked at the bruise on Riley’s chest again.“I hope whoever did that to you is sitting six feet under.”

Riley chuckled.God, she loved this woman.“Don’t worry, they will be eventually.Right now, they are in a freezer.”

“Good,” Ms.Torres said.She then looked away for a second or two before turning back to Riley.It was then that she could see the emotion in her misty eyes.

“You and my son… both of you keep me up at night.”

That made Riley pause.She knew Ms.Torres worried about her.But hearing her say it hit differently.And it made her wonder again what exactly Ms.Torres’s son did to earn that level of maternal anxiety.

They chatted for a few more minutes, Ms.Torres alternating between scolding and mothering until Riley finally yawned mid-sentence.

“Go home,” Ms.Torres said, pointing toward the door.“No arguments.You look like a balloon someone let half the air out of.”

Riley didn’t argue.She leaned in and gave Ms.Torres a gentle hug.

“Thanks for worrying about me,” she murmured.

“Always, dear.Oh, and here,” Ms.Torres said as she hobbled over to the counter and picked up a covered dish.Turning around, she handed it to Riley.“Since I knew you were coming, I made your favorite.”

Riley sniffed the top of the aluminum foil and smiled.“You made me brownies.Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.Now off you go,” she said, shooing Riley out the door.

With one last smile and wave, Riley stepped out into the quiet afternoon and made her way back to her house.As she reached her front door, her thoughts drifted to her own mom.She had been gone for years now, but the ache of that loss never really softened.Moments like this, being cared for and seen, made her miss her mother even more.

She locked the door behind her, kicked off her shoes, and walked straight to her room.The bed was calling her like a siren.She didn’t even change.She just crawled under the covers in her t-shirt and sweats and let sleep take her.

Ms.Torres stood in her living room, looking out the window that faced Riley’s house.The ache in her foot was nothing compared to the ache twisting in her chest.

Shot!She couldn’t believe that Riley had been shot and then walked around with a bruise the size of a grapefruit on her chest.Thank God for body armor, she thought to herself.