“Is that a phone in your pocket or did you learn a new trick?”
He fished out her phone and handed it over. “You left this in your Jeep at a crime scene.”
Riley glanced at the screen and winced. “Ten missed calls from my mother.”
A shiny black car rolled up to the police barricade, and a distinguished-looking man in an expensive suit rolled down the rear window.
“Mr. Gentry,” Chris said, abandoning his iPhone reporting.
“Why are we getting scooped on our own explosion?” Malcolm Gentry demanded.
Chris pointed over his shoulder at the smoldering skeleton of the building. “Well, sir, there was a bomb.”
“I can see that,” Malcolm said crisply. “Why aren’twereporting it?”
Chris rubbed his dirty hands over his forehead. “Well, Mr. Gentry, sir. The bomb blew up our building with all our equipment. So there’s that.”
“I didn’t drive down here for excuses. Get a cameraman and a reporter and get on it.”
“Dad!” Griffin waved to his father as a firefighter cut through duct tape around his legs.
“Hi, Daddy!” Bella purred, batting unnaturally long lashes in her soon-to-be father-in-law’s direction.
“Man, I do not miss this place,” Riley said.
“I like that you’re the kind of girl who blows up buildings,” Nick said.
“Technically that was Mrs. Penny,” she pointed out.
“Riley! Hey, Riley! I’m going to need you on camera in five minutes,” Chris said, waving frantically. “Also, do you have a camera?”
“Not happening, Chris,” she told him.
“But—”
“Not happening,” she repeated.
“You heard the lady,” Nick cut in, glaring at Chris until he scampered off.
“Wow. You didn’t even have to punch him in the face.”
“I’m heroically bloody and intimidating,” he explained. “Let’s go grab some lunch, Thorn.”
She laughed and looked down. She was a sweaty, glittery, dirty mess. “Like this?”
“Hell yeah, like this. Let’s go sit on a deck and get drunk,” he said.
“It’s a Tuesday and not even—” She glanced down at her watch. “Oh my God. One p.m. This is the longest day of my life.”
“Live a little, Thorn,” Nick suggested nuzzling her neck.
“Mmm, you’re very convincing,” she said as they meandered away from the wreckage of Channel 50.
“By the way, my dad called during this whole fiasco.”
“What did he want?” she asked.
“He wants us to come to dinner at the restaurant again.”
