Page 37 of Nails

“Her name is Ms.Riley!She’s soooo pretty, and she’s a cop, and she’s really good at pinball!”

Nails felt the words smack into his brain like a slow-moving brick.Slowly, he turned his head toward Snow, whose raised eyebrows agreed with what Nails was thinking.

“Hang on, squirt,” Nails said, stopping Amira in the middle of her sales pitch.“Her name was Riley?”

Amira nodded enthusiastically.

“And she’s a cop?”He asked.

“Yup!And she’s super nice.She gave me six quarters to play pinball.”

Nails looked at Jocelyn.“Did you meet her too?”

Jocelyn set down her drink and nodded.“Yeah.She seemed nice.She said she was in town for work.Amira adored her.”

“What did she look like?”he questioned.

“I don’t know.She was wearing a hat, so I didn’t get a really good look at her.Why do you ask?”

Nails glanced at the guys, who all shared the same look he probably had.Could that woman have been his Riley?

Bear then explained to Jocelyn and the other ladies about Nails meeting his mom’s next-door neighbor, whose name is Riley, and that she works for Homeland Security.

Of course, that led to the shock on the ladies’ faces and questions that followed.

Once he finished explaining, he leaned back into the chair.Could that have been my Riley?He asked himself.But the more he thought about it, the more he felt it had to have been just a coincidence.When he spoke with his mom earlier that morning, she told him that she was having lunch later with Riley.In his opinion, the timing didn’t seem to work, especially when she lived an hour and a half away.

Before he could process further, Amira was bounding back into Bear’s arms, already onto the next topic, something about Jocelyn’s big girl parts being sick.Whatever it was, it had everyone laughing, and Jocelyn blushing.But Nails tuned all of it out as his thoughts stayed stuck on Riley.The woman had his mind more tangled than he’d ever admit.He needed to plan another trip to see his mom, and soon.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“I’ll be working with who?”Riley asked, staring wide-eyed at Russell as he parked the SUV in front of a building inside Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek.

“A few guys from SEAL Team Two,” Russell replied, shrugging it off like it was no big deal.

It may not be a big deal for Russell, but for Riley, it was a huge deal, as this would be a first for her.She had collaborated with various federal law enforcement agencies before, and even military intelligence, but never had she gotten to work with an elite special operations team.

As she exited the vehicle, she walked in step with Russell toward the front entrance of the SEAL team’s building.She kept her expression neutral, but inside, her nerves were wound tight.

She didn’t doubt her abilities.She was confident in her skills, her training, and her ability to adapt.But there was something about this assignment, about this team that President Evans himself had handpicked, that had her feeling on edge.And she had no idea why.

Perhaps it was the high stakes involved and the need to find Anna and the other missing girls before it was too late.Or maybe it was knowing that she was about to step into a club where danger lurked behind charm and money.Whatever it was, a heavy weight settled in her chest, reminding her just how real this mission had become.

Just as she and Russell reached the top step, the glass double doors swung open.A man in his early fifties stood there.He was tall and broad-shouldered with a square jaw, short-cropped dark hair with a bit of grey sprinkled throughout, and a posture that practically screamed military.His expression was unreadable at first, but when his eyes landed on her, they softened slightly.

“You must be Special Agent Riley Aiken,” he said, extending his hand.“Commander Derek Connors.Welcome aboard.”

His voice was deep and steady, but not unkind.She shook his hand and gave him a slight nod.Her instincts instantly told her that this man was someone to respect.But also, someone she could trust.“Thank you, sir.It’s good to be here.”

“Russell,” Connors added.“It’s good to see you.It’s been a long time.”

“Too long.”Russell grinned and clapped the commander on the shoulder.

Riley glanced at her boss.Her expression was a mix of surprise and curiosity.Russell just smirked at her.

Did they know each other?

Before she could dwell on it, the commander motioned them inside.“Come on in.The team should be here soon.We can get you two settled before we do introductions.”