Danger Zone Read online

  “I think I’d be curious to know what was there if it was my family.”

  “Bingo!” Nick snapped his fingers. “Now we get to see what we can find.”

  “That does sound kind of fun. Maybe. If you like decluttering. Actually, I’m really happy for you all. Once it’s set up how you want it, it’ll be the perfect space for your enormous family.”

  Nick laughed. “We only have one more kid than you do.”

  “Until you two start having babies.”

  They teased each other as they left the office, then said their goodbyes to the other officers as they made their way to the parking lot.

  “Enjoy your weekend cleaning.” Alex waved as he opened his car door.

  “And have fun working.” Nick waved back before climbing into his Mustang.

  Alex sent Zoey a quick text letting her know he was on his way and asked if she needed him to pick up anything. She didn’t, so he headed home.

  The house was unusually quiet when he stepped inside. With seven people living there, something was almost always going on.

  “Hello?” Alex called.

  Nobody answered.

  He went to the garage-turned-apartment he and Zoey rented from his in-laws. It worked so they could all raise Ariana since Valerie and Kenji had adopted her when he and Zoey were teenagers. Now they were married and also had twin babies—though they wouldn’t be babies for much longer. It was nearing their first birthday already.

  Alex locked up his gun, changed into street clothes, and went back to the main part of the house. Peeked into the empty backyard. Then went upstairs. Music sounded from Ariana’s room.

  “Ari?” He knocked, but she didn’t respond. Maybe she’d left the music on before leaving. He pushed open the door.

  She looked up from her desk, eyes narrowed. “Dad, I didn’t say to come in.”

  “Ouch.” Alex brought his hand to his chest. “You didn’t hear me calling?”

  “I did.” She turned back to her textbook.

  He studied her for a moment before sitting on her bed. “Everything okay?”

  “Yep.”

  Alex took a deep breath. It wasn’t like Ari to be so short with him. They always joked and laughed. Time to ask a question that can’t be answered with one word. “What are you working on?”

  She groaned.

  “Ari?”

  “Science.”

  So much for that. “Want some help? We always make a good team on your—”

  “No!” She turned her back completely to him and scrawled something in her notebook.

  “Okay, then.” He rose. “If you need me, I’ll be downstairs. Know where Mom is?”

  She didn’t respond.

  Frowning, he went back downstairs and looked around. After finding no one again, he texted Zoey.

  Alex: Where ru?

  Zoey: Next door. Your mom wanted to see the twins.

  Alex: Ok. Heading over.

  He went to his parents’ house. Zoey, his mom, and the babies were in the living room, laughing. Alex gave hugs all around, then motioned for Zoey to follow him down the hall.

  “Is something wrong?” Her brows drew together in concern.

  “I’m not sure. Did Ari say anything to you about me?”

  “No. Like what?” Zoey tilted her head. “Is she still distancing herself from you?”

  He frowned. “She wasn’t herself at all. Would barely look at me or talk to me. Much worse than it’s been the last few weeks.”

  “Maybe it’s hormones. Boy problems. Who knows with teenage girls?”

  Alex shook his head. “It isn’t that. It’s as if she doesn’t like me all of a sudden.”

  Zoey kissed his cheek. “Don’t take it personally. We’re probably going to face a lot worse before she graduates.”

  “This doesn’t feel like normal teen problems. We were her age not that long ago, and we weren’t like that.”

  “Any chance you’re bringing your work into this? You see really crazy stuff every day, and Ari isn’t involved with anything like that. I’m sure it’s just hormones. I’d bet our vacation on it.”

  “Maybe.” But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something deeper was at play.

  Explore

  Nick paused before sliding the key into the lock. Everyone crowded around him on the porch.

  “Hurry, Dad!” Hanna tugged on his arm. “Just open the door!”

  “Relax,” Ava told her little sister. “You and Tinsley can’t decorate your room yet. We have to empty everything out first. Remember how much stuff is inside?”

  “It’s still our room.” Hanna puffed out her lower lip.

  Genevieve arched a brow at Nick.

  “Girls,” he warned his daughters. “I know we’re all excited. Let’s just relax and think about this as a fun adventure. Who knows what treasures we’ll find?”

  “You mean junk?” Ava muttered.

  “I’m sure there’ll be some of that, too.” He unlocked the door and twisted the knob before turning to his three kids, fiancée, and her daughter. “Welcome to our new home!”

  Each person had varying degrees of excitement on their faces. Even Ava, who had been complaining about all the work the house would need. After he opened the door, the kids nearly knocked him over as they flooded inside, each racing to the bedrooms. Ava and Parker both got their own rooms, while Tinsley and Hanna were equally excited about sharing one.

  Genevieve slid her hand into Nick’s and beamed. “This place is actually ours.”

  He squeezed her hand. “And you’re sure you’re up to the challenge?”

  “I can’t wait!” She led him into the living room and ran her hand over the coffee table. “After some sanding and a new coat of paint, this is going to be beautiful.” Then she dragged him over to the large dining room table. “And this will be perfect for having people over. When Alex and Zoey bring their kids, we’ll all fit. Can you imagine?”

  Nick grinned. “I sure can. Hopefully, we can hang on to the enthusiasm because I have a feeling we’re going to throw away or donate most of this stuff.”

  “Good. We need to make room for all of our things.”

  “Dad!” Parker called. “Come here!”

  Nick groaned then exchanged a look with Genevieve. “Problems already?”

  “Maybe he found something he wants to keep.”

  “Dad!”

  “Hold on!” Nick headed upstairs for the bedrooms, hoping for the best. He was just glad that things had settled back to normal with his son after finding out that Nick wasn’t his biological parent. He’d take any house problem over more issues with Parker. He stepped into the doorway. “What’s going on?”

  Parker put his finger to his mouth. “Do you hear that?”

  Nick cupped his ear. There was a slight scratching coming near where his son stood between a wall and a bed covered in a hideous floral comforter that took up most of the room. “Might need to call an exterminator.”

  “Mice?” Genevieve’s face paled.

  Nick couldn’t help being amused. His fiancée could take down hardened criminals but she was scared of a little rodent.

  “It’s not funny.” She gave him a little shove.

  Parker pressed his ear to the wall. “Sounds bigger than a mouse. More like a cat.”

  Hanna appeared in the doorway. “We have a kitty?”

  Nick shook his head. “No, honey. Maybe mice in the walls.”

  “What?” Hanna clung to Genevieve.

  “It’s fine, sweetie,” she reassured her. “We were just discussing an exterminator.”

  Hanna’s eyes widened. “You’re going to kill it?”

  Parker rolled his eyes. “No. The exterminator will.”

  She glared at her older brother. “No need to be rude.”

  “Kids,” Nick warned.

  “He started it,” Hanna protested.

  Irritation rose from his gut to his chest. He clapped loudly. “Everyone into the living room!”r />
  Parker and Hanna exchanged annoyed glances before she sulked out of the room.

  Nick put his arm around his son’s shoulders. “Try to be nice, please. You get your own room.”

  “I should. I’m surrounded by girls.”

  “And they all adore you.” Genevieve gave him a friendly smile.

  Parker didn’t respond, but his expression lost some of its sourness.

  In the living room, Ava plopped down on the overstuffed sofa. A plume of dust surrounded her. She jumped up, waving her arms and coughing. “This place is so gross!”

  Nick pulled back a curtain and yanked open one of the large picture windows. “I know we could all think of more fun ways to spend a Saturday, but let’s try to focus on the positive. This house is ours! It’s huge, and after we put some work into it, it’s going to be gorgeous. We’ll be able to throw parties and invite our friends over. Trust me, it may be a mess now, but we’ll be itching to show it off. More importantly, after the wedding, we’re going to be a family. We can look past a little dust and rodent infestation.”

  Ava’s eyes widened. “Rodents?”

  “Just some mice,” Nick said quickly. “No big deal.”

  Tinsley’s eyes lit up. “I like mice.”

  “These ones aren’t pets,” Ava muttered.

  Nick clapped his hands again. “We’re here to work on our home. Do we want to tackle the main living areas first, or the bedrooms?”

  “Bedrooms!” the kids all said in unison.

  At least they all finally agreed on something.

  Nick and Genevieve went over the process they’d agreed on, separating the items into categories—trash, donations, and keeping. After the kids made their choices, Nick and Genevieve would go over everything to make sure the kids weren’t throwing anything valuable or donating anything they would want to keep.

  “What about the furniture?” Parker asked. “No way I’m keeping that bed, but I can’t exactly get it out of the doorway either.”

  Genevieve brought out sticky notes. “Green ones for keeping and red for getting rid of. We’ll figure out the furniture later. Probably have to break some of it down first.”

  Parker groaned. “How long will all this take?”

  Nick looked around the cluttered living room. “As long as it takes.”

  “I want to play football with the guys.” Parker frowned.

  “You will, but for now, we’re focusing on the house. The faster you work, the sooner we can head back home and chill.”

  As the kids all hurried back to their bedrooms, Nick turned to Genevieve. “If we survive this, blending into a family will be a piece of cake.”

  She kissed his cheek. “It won’t be easy either way, but I love your optimism. You want to tackle the master bedroom while I take on the dining room? I can’t wait to see what’s in those cabinets.”

  “Have at it.” He pulled her close and gazed into her gorgeous gray eyes. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that we’re getting married and moving here together.” She started to say something, but he pressed his mouth on hers and kissed her deeply. He pulled away before he wanted to because if he kept that up, he wouldn’t ever want to start working on the house.

  She gave him a dazed expression and cleared her throat. “Let me know if you need any help upstairs.”

  Nick just nodded, then watched her as she sashayed to the dining room. He nearly followed her, but reluctantly headed for the master bedroom. The way he was feeling, they were better off working separately. He’d never get anything done with her so close.

  He made his way down the hallway, checking on the kids as he passed their respective rooms. Amazingly, they were all hard at work and didn’t even notice him poking his head in. The master suite was at the end of the hallway. It was probably the one that would need the most work since the old man had spent most of his final days in there. Or so he’d heard.

  Nick opened the door and a waft of overdone air freshener hit him like a smack in the face. He coughed and turned on the lights. The covers were strewn across the super king bed, clothes lay all across the floor, the two nightstands were filled with medication bottles, and old framed photos showed a young family decades earlier when the old man had been in his prime. Nick pushed back the curtains and struggled to open the window. This room, more than any other, needed fresh air.

  The first thing he did was find where the air freshener was plugged in and pull it out. Then he noticed another, and another. Every outlet in the room had one.

  Had the previous owner been trying to cover something up with them? Nick walked around the room, sniffing, not sure he wanted to know the answer to his question.

  Options

  Alex stepped out of the bathroom and adjusted the name tag on his uniform.

  Zoey glanced up at him from the bed where she was reading and nursing one of the babies. She winked at him. “My handsome man in uniform.”

  “You think I’m handsome?” he teased. “Aw, shucks.”

  She laughed. “Stop. Come here.”

  He sat next to her, tucked her hair behind her ear, and gazed into her eyes. “I wish I didn’t have to go in today. I’d love nothing more than to spend the day with you and the kids.”

  “Just me and the babies. My parents took Ari to the shore for the weekend, remember?”

  “That’s right.” Alex frowned. Ariana had left without saying goodbye to him.

  Zoey squeezed his arm. “I’m sure she didn’t mean to leave without saying anything to you. She’s been excited about this trip since my dad told her about it.”

  He nodded, though he didn’t agree. Something was going on with Ari, and it was made all the worse by the fact that she wouldn’t talk to him.

  “Give her a call on the way to work,” Zoey suggested.

  “It’s early. I don’t want to wake her.” And give her another reason to snub him.

  “On your break, then.”

  Alex ignored the suggestion. “What are you going to do today?”

  “Macy and I are going to take the kids to see Robin and Ayla.”

  “That’ll be fun.” His cousin and her daughter loved seeing the kids.

  Zoey frowned. “How many more weekends do you have to work?”

  “As many as it will take to pay for the trip.”

  “Maybe I should look for work. That way, this isn’t all on you. You switched to days to spend more time with us, and now you’re working more. Defeats the purpose.”

  He shook his head. “No, you don’t need to get a job. My overtime is enough. We need a family vacation.” Now more than ever, given Ariana’s recent attitude toward him.

  “But you deserve weekends off.”

  Alex laced his fingers through hers. “It’ll help me enjoy our trip all the more.”

  She frowned. “I should try to find something.”

  “What about the babies?” Alex glanced at the time—only a few minutes before he needed to leave. “I don’t want them in daycare.”

  “Our parents could watch them. Or I could exchange child care with Macy, if I can manage working opposite days.”

  He leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “I don’t want you worrying about it, Zo. I’ve been thinking about ways to monetize my blog. There are some advertising options I’ve been meaning to look into. I’ll do that on my lunch break today.”

  Her mouth curved down. “Speaking of your blog, you haven’t received any more threatening texts, have you?”

  “Nope. Just another troll who lost interest in me. Probably moved on to another blogger by now.”

  “Good.”

  “I’ll see you tonight.” He headed for the door.

  “Maybe I’ll look into something I can do at home,” Zoey said.

  “If you really want to.” He knew better than to disagree with her once she had her mind made up about something. “Have fun today.”

  Alex made himself a cup of coffee in his favorite travel mug before heading outside. He checked the w
hite board where Ariana sometimes left silly messages for him when he worked odd hours.

  Nothing.

  Crush

  Ariana glanced down at the phone’s screen. Two more texts from Dad. Over ten unread total since the weekend.

  The beach trip with Mimi and Papi the previous weekend couldn’t have been better timed. The last person she wanted to talk to or see was Dad. Just thinking of him made her stomach churn acid. She clenched her fists and drew in a deep breath.

  Emily slammed her locker shut and turned to Ariana. “Going to watch the boys’ baseball game with me?”

  “Not this time.” Ari closed her locker. “I have a study group.”

  “Again?” Emily groaned. “Skip it. Neegan Bailey is up to bat first. We can sit behind home plate if we hurry.”

  “You just like watching him stick out his bootie when he’s at the plate.”

  “Duh.” Emily sighed dramatically. “Come with me! Just skip your session. You’ve been going every day for weeks.”

  “I really need the tutoring.”

  “Seriously? You’re like the smartest kid in the eighth grade.”

  Ariana swung her bag over her shoulder. “Next time. Besides, Lola said she’d be there. You two can gawk together.”

  Emily scrunched her face. “Fine. But I’m holding you to it. After this, you’re joining me even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming.”

  “Deal.” They said their goodbyes then Ariana headed to the study hall with a bounce to her step. Her friend was right, she didn’t need the tutoring or the study group. But Damon Jones was leading the group, and he made missing the baseball game with her friends totally worth it.

  When she got to the room, the high school junior was writing something on the white board. Ariana leaned against the doorframe and enjoyed the sight. He was tanned, muscular, and tall. From her angle, it looked like he’d highlighted his wavy brown hair over the weekend. Neegan Bailey didn’t even come close. The muscles in Damon’s butt clenched as he reached up to erase something at the top of the board.