Explosive Force

When the sound of the explosion came through, Nick flinched and rubbed a hand over his chin. He listened to her comfort Bobby. The screams of the sirens. He listened to it all. When it ended, he hit the stop button.

Since there wasn’t a whole lot of conversation, Heidi was able to get the whole thing transcribed in one listen. She’d go back and add in her memories and perceptions later for the article. For now, she’d just lived through one of the scariest nights she’d ever experienced, and she was on the edge emotionally.

To put it simply, she wanted Nick to leave so she could crawl into her bed and hibernate until morning. And maybe cry a little. But instead of sending him on his way, she fell silent, not exactly sure that she really wanted to be alone after all. A knock sounded on the door. “Excuse me.”

She rose, and he followed her. At her raised eyebrow, he frowned. “Can’t be too careful.”

Heidi peered out the side window. “Who is it?” she called out.

“Carl Trees. I’m the sketch artist,” the man on the porch stated.

“I know him,” Nick said. “He’s legit.”

Heidi opened the door. “Hi. Come on in.” The two men greeted one another, and Heidi led them to the kitchen. “Have a seat at the table. Would you like some coffee or a bottle of water?”

“No, thanks. I’m sure you’re tired and ready for this day to be over with.”

Carl was right about that. She sat next to him and he turned the laptop so she could see it. “All right,” he said, “start with the shape of his face.”

For the next hour, they worked on the sketch with Heidi doing her best to get the face as detailed as possible. Finally, she sat back and rubbed her eyes.

“That’s him?” Nick asked. He stood behind Carl, looking down at the final rendering.

She studied the image on the screen. “As close as I can remember.” The icy blue eyes stared back at her from the screen. “The eyes are spot-on, I know that.” Carl had added a hoodie to the man’s head, and Heidi shivered. “That’s him.”

Carl nodded. “Good job. Your descriptions helped a lot.”

“Must be the way with words she has,” Nick murmured.

“Must be.” Carl shut his laptop and rose. “I’ll get out of here and get this sent to the powers that be.” He looked at Heidi. “If they catch him, they’ll want you to point the finger at him.”

“I know.” She led him to the door. “Thanks for coming over here.”

“Not a problem. Have a good night.” Carl left, and Heidi shut the door behind him.

Nick placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I’m really concerned,” he said.

“About what?”

“You. I think it’s important to know whether the guy we chased was the same guy you just described to Carl.”

She frowned. “I know. I think it was, but I’m not a hundred percent sure. There was a hoodie involved both times and it looked like the same one. The first time, I locked eyes with the guy running from the training center. They were blue and looked like they’d be right at home in the frozen tundra. The guy at my house had the hoodie pulled low and he kept his head down. I didn’t see his eyes, so...” She shrugged and sighed.

“He might not know that. Or think that. I think the man you saw at the training center and the man who pulled the gun on us are one and the same. That’s probably why he was here. Waiting on you. The fact that I was with you threw him off, and he decided he’d better retreat.”

She grimaced. “I know. I’ve already thought of that.” A shiver swept through her. She’d planned on a relaxing evening and an early bedtime. Now she wondered if she’d be able to shut her eyes.

* * *

Nick could tell his words had worried her in spite of the fact that she’d already put two and two together. He almost felt bad about saying something and confirming her fears. Almost. But she needed to be on the alert.

He’d been standing outside her home for the last twenty minutes, debating what he should do. He simply didn’t feel right leaving her. Then again, she did live on a military base. If she needed help, all she had to do was holler.

But what if she couldn’t?

He pulled his phone from his pocket and let his finger hover over Master Sergeant Westley James’s number. After all, the man and his wife, Felicity, lived next door to Heidi. Surely, he could keep an eye on her. Still, Nick hesitated. He hated to bother him when he had his hands full with the investigation. Then again, it made sense. The man was right next door. Instead of dialing, he pocketed the phone and walked over to Westley’s and knocked.

The curtain in the right window opened and Felicity peered at him. She disappeared and the door opened. “Hi, Nick.”

“Hey.” She wore loose-fitting jeans and a T-shirt that was probably left over from her days as a trainer. Now she spent her time behind the lens of a camera as the base photographer. The change seemed to agree with her. “Is Westley here?”

“I’m sorry, he’s not. You want to come in?”

Nick shook his head. “That’s all right. I’m concerned about Heidi and wanted to see if he’d be willing to keep an eye on her place tonight.”

Felicity frowned. “I’m sure he would, but there’s no telling when he’ll be back. What’s going on with Heidi?”

“We’re pretty sure she saw the guy who blew up the training center and that he knows it.”

Felicity’s eyes widened. “No kidding. Well, I can understand why you want to take precautions. I’m sorry Westley isn’t available to help.”

“It’s all right. I have one more option.”

“Who?”

“Caleb Streeter.”

She smiled. “He’s a good option. And I’ll be sure to keep an eye out as well. And so will Westley when he gets home.”

“Thanks, Felicity.” She shut the door and Nick dialed Caleb’s number as he walked back over to Heidi’s home. He stood at the base of her porch steps while the phone rang. Nick had just started to get to know the master sergeant who was now running the K-9 training center. He’d spotted him earlier in the midst of all of the chaos at the explosion site, but hadn’t had a chance to say anything as he’d been swamped answering OSI’s questions.

“Hello?” Caleb croaked.

“You awake?”

“I’d just dropped off. What’s up, Nick?”

“I was going to ask if you’d help me out by keeping an eye on a friend’s place for few hours tonight.”

“Normally, I’d say yes, but I’ve got to get a few hours of sleep. I’ve got to be up and at the training center early to start assessing the damage and filling out insurance paperwork.”

“How many hours do you need?”

A sigh filtered to him. “At least five. Only had three last night.”

“When’s your next day off?”

“It was supposed to be tomorrow.”

Ouch. He was asking a lot of his friend, but everyone else he could think of was busy. “Okay, I’ll take first shift. You get your five hours, then come over here. I’ll buy you a steak dinner.” He noticed Annie’s ears perking up at the word steak and smiled.

“For two,” Caleb said. “I’m taking Paisley with me.” Paisley Strange was the girl Caleb was trying to get to know—and impress.

Nick rolled his eyes. “Fine. For two.” He gave him the address and Caleb hung up. He noticed Felicity had come back outside and was sitting on the steps. He jogged over. “Hey.”

“Hey. Is Caleb able to help you out?”

“Yes. For now.”

She nodded. “Westley’s still working. He called and said he was going to be at the office for a while.” She sniffed. “Still smells smoky out here.”

“It comes in waves depending on the wind. I’m just going to hang around and keep an eye on things for a few hours. Do you mind if I use your rocker?”

“Make yourself comfortable.” She stood. “This Red Rose Killer is about make Westley pull out what little hair he has.”

“He’s not alone.”

She grimaced. “I don’t understand how Boyd Sullivan can just disappear, show up to create havoc, then disappear again without a trace. It’s ridiculous.” Her lips tightened.

Nick grimaced. “And a bit embarrassing.” He frowned. “The fact that we haven’t caught him just confirms some of the conclusions we’ve come to. He’s got help on the inside.” He was fine discussing the case with Felicity as he knew she was privy to the information.

“I agree. But still, you would think he would have tripped himself up by now—or someone would have spotted him and turned him in.”

“Even if someone spotted him, how would they know? He seems to be a master at disguises. Not to mention the fact that he’ll kill to get the uniform he needs. He’s smart and he’s extremely careful.”

“I remember Westley saying that Sullivan doesn’t make a move unless he’s sure he won’t get caught.”

“True.” He frowned. “But we’re not giving up. He will get careless and we will get him eventually.”

“I know. That’s what Westley says, too.” She offered him a small smile. “Take care of Heidi.”

“That’s the plan.”

“I’ll watch out for her, too. Let me know if I can do anything.”

“Could I get a bowl of water for Annie? I’ve got food with me.”

“Sure. And a bottle for you?”

“That would be perfect. Thanks.”

Once he and Annie had their water, Felicity slipped inside and Nick turned the porch light off. He took a seat in the wooden rocker.

After a long drink, Annie settled at his feet.

Time passed while Nick did as much work as he could using his iPhone. He requested one of the OSI investigators to stop by so he could give him the evidence he and Annie had collected from the bomb site. The investigator would make sure it was delivered to the lab for examination.

Once he had everything finished that he’d needed to do related to the explosion, Nick leaned his head back against the rocker and let his gaze linger on Heidi’s home. She’d affected him in a big way. Those eyes of hers had brought forth emotions he’d thought he’d locked securely away a little over three years ago after Lillian Peterson had taken his heart and stomped all over it.

But with one outburst laden with frustration and truth, Heidi had snapped the lock like a toothpick. His heart had reacted and that scared him. He could face down guns and explosives, but a woman who had the potential to hurt him? No way. Normally, he’d run as far and as fast as possible. But he couldn’t do that with Heidi. She might be in danger, and Nick simply couldn’t bring himself to ignore that and abandon her when he could help.

So now he was completely unsettled.

The streetlamp illuminated a figure heading toward them, soft footsteps falling on the sidewalk. Annie sat up, ears twitching toward the noise. Nick focused on the shadow in the darkness, his hand sliding to his weapon. “Who’s there?”

The figure stopped. “Nick? What are you doing out here?”

Isaac Goddard? Nick relaxed. The man was a senior airman and turning into a good friend. “Hey, keeping an eye on Heidi Jenks. She’s mixed up in everything that went down here tonight.”

“I heard about that.” Isaac walked over and leaned against the railing. “Glad no one was seriously hurt.”

“Bobby Stevens ended up in the hospital but will heal. What are you doing out here?”

“Just walking. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Nightmares?” Isaac never talked about it, but Nick knew the man’s PTSD, brought on after serving and being wounded in Afghanistan, kept him up most nights.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. Any word on Beacon?” Beacon was the German shepherd who’d been in Afghanistan the same time Isaac had been serving and had saved Isaac’s life. Now Isaac was determined to bring him home. Unfortunately, red tape and bureaucratic nonsense had delayed that to the point where Isaac was ready to head back to the desert of his nightmares and find the dog himself.

“They found him,” Isaac said.

“Wait, what?” Nick sat straighter. “They did? That’s great.”

“Yes and no. He was found injured and they’re not sure he’s going to make it.”

Nick’s hope for his friend deflated. “Oh, no. I’m sorry.”

“I am, too. So right now, it’s just wait and see.” He shook his head. “I can’t give up on him, Nick. He’s as much military as I am. I was lying there, injured and bleeding, and he came up and settled down beside me. Like he was trying to let me know I wasn’t alone.”

Nick had heard the story before, but he let Isaac talk. It seemed to help him.

“He stayed right with me,” Isaac said. “For hours until my unit buddies were able to get to me and pull me to safety.”

“He’s a hero, too.”

“Exactly.” Isaac sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Anyway, sorry. Didn’t mean to talk your ear off. I’m going to keep walking. Maybe head over to the gym and work some of this energy off.”

“Keep the faith, man.”

“I’m trying. You keep it for me, too.”

“You got it.”

Nick watched his friend walk away and sent up a silent prayer for him.

Hours later, when Caleb arrived, Nick was still praying. About a lot of things. But mostly that the night would continue to be as quiet as it had been up to that point.

Caleb yawned and rubbed his eyes. “I’m going to enjoy that steak dinner. I hope this is worth it for you.”

Nick looked back over at Heidi’s dark home. “It’s worth it,” he said softly. “Every single penny.”

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