Page 82 of Storm Warning

Riley smiled. “When I was a teenager, I had this friend who wrote the book on bossy behavior. I took copious notes.”

“Should I call an ambulance for you, Mom?” Brett asked.

Angie shook her head. “I won’t need an ambulance, son. Your father can drive me to the emergency room. He should be home any minute.”

Andre walked into the room. “How’s she doing, Riley?”

“She needs to go to the ER for stitches.”

“We can make that happen after Angie gives a statement to the police. They’ll be here in five minutes.”

Angie groaned. “Why did you call them? They can’t do anything. This is Company business.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Really? This is a safe neighborhood where no one lives a risky lifestyle, including me. I’m the most boring person in the whole subdivision. What are the odds that I’m a victim of a drive-by shooting in this neighborhood?”

“Near zero. There are no coincidences in our business.”

“Exactly. Somehow, this connects to our past. I don’t want to draw attention to my family.”

“Tough. You need to report it so that the attack is on the record. How much you tell the cops is up to you.”

Angie glared at him. “You never give an inch, do you?”

“With anything involving Riley and her safety, no.”

Sirens from a police cruiser cut off abruptly. “Decide what you want to say before they walk in your front door, Angie.”

Brett looked from Andre and Riley to his mother. “Who are these people?”

“Friends from another life.”

The doorbell rang. “I’ll answer it.” Brett slid a hard look at Andre, then left the kitchen.

Dread filled Riley. She’d had enough dealings with the cops as a teenager to last her a lifetime, and here she was again, about to have another encounter with them.

Andre reached for Riley’s free hand. She smiled at him as she pressed a clean dishtowel against Angie’s wound to staunch the bleeding. He knew how much she was struggling at that moment. How? Was he that intuitive, or did Andre know her that well?

A minute later, Brett returned with two law enforcement officers on his heels, their hands resting on their weapons.

“I’m Officer Reagan. This is my partner, Officer Green.” Reagan’s gaze focused on Angie’s arm. “What happened here?”

After another sullen glare at Andre for forcing her into a discussion with the police, Angie gave the police the bare-bones version of the shooting. In truth, she couldn’t embellish much. The whole incident had been over within seconds.

After Angie and the Fortress operatives had given their statements, Reagan nodded toward the injured arm. “You should have your arm looked at.”

“So I hear.”

“Angie? Baby, what happened?” A tall, dark-haired man rushed into the room and raced to her side, dropping his jacket on a chair as he passed. “Is Diana all right?” His gaze dropped to her arm. “It’s you. You’re hurt.”

“I’ll be fine.” Angie rested her hand on his chest. “I need a trip to the hospital for stitches and antibiotics, though.”

“Of course. I’ll be glad to take you. You can tell me what happened on the way to the emergency room.” He held his hand out to her. “Let’s go. I want a doctor to look at your arm.”

Reagan held up his hand. “Before you go, I should tell you that a crime scene team will be here shortly.”

“Why?” Riley’s friend frowned. “It’s a drive-by.”