LITMIR.BIZ

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did it, Bill,” she said, smiling. “I’m enjoying this. What else can we do with these bots?”

      Bill said, “There’s a program where we can advance toward them as we shoot.”

      “Let’s give it a try.”

      Bill spoke into his microphone.

      “Close quarters.”

      All eight of the hostiles began to move, and Bill and Riley advanced toward them step by step, firing in small bursts. A couple of robots fell, and the others scurried about, becoming harder to hit.

      As Bill fired away, he realized that something was missing from this simulation.

      They don’t shoot back, he thought.

      Also, his relief at saving the hostage felt strangely hollow. After all, he and Riley had merely saved the life of a robot.

      It didn’t change the reality of what had happened last month.

      It certainly didn’t bring Lucy back to life.

      His guilt still haunted him. Was he ever going to be able to shake it off?

      And was he ever going to be able to get back to work?

      Chapter Three

      After their target practice, Riley was still worried about Bill. True, he’d recovered quickly after freezing up that once. And he’d actually seemed to enjoy himself when they started firing at close quarters.

      He’d even seemed cheerful when he left Quantico to go back to his apartment. Still, he wasn’t the same old Bill who had been her partner for so many years – and who had long since become her best friend.

      She knew what he was most worried about.

      Bill was afraid that he might not ever be able to come back to work.

      She wished she could reassure him with kind, simple words – something like…

      “You’re just going through a rough stretch. Happens to all of us. You’ll be over it sooner than you think.”

      But glib reassurances weren’t what Bill needed right now. And the truth was, Riley didn’t really know whether it was true.

      She’d suffered her own spells of PTSD, and knew how hard recovery could be. She would just have to help Bill work through that awful process.

      Although Riley went back to her office, she actually had little to do at BAU today. She didn’t currently have an assignment, and these slow days had been welcome after the intensity of the last case in Iowa. She wrapped up the few details that needed her attention and left.

      As Riley drove home, she was feeling contented at the thought of dinner with her family. She was especially pleased that she had invited Blaine Hildreth and his daughter to join them tonight.

      Riley was delighted that Blaine was part of her life. He was a handsome, charming man. And like her, he was fairly recently divorced.

      He was also, as it turned out, remarkably brave.

      It was Blaine who had shot and badly wounded Shane Hatcher when he had threatened Riley’s family.

      Riley would always be grateful to him for that.

      She had spent one night with Blaine so far, at his home. They’d been fairly discreet about it – his daughter, Crystal, had been away visiting her cousins during spring break. Riley smiled at the memory of their passionate lovemaking.

      Was tonight going to end the same way?

* * *

      Riley’s live-in housekeeper, Gabriela, had fixed a delicious meal of chiles rellenos from a family recipe that she’d brought from Guatemala. Everybody was thoroughly enjoying the steaming, lusciously stuffed bell peppers.

      Riley was feeling deep satisfaction with a very good dinner and wonderful company.

      “Not too picante?” Gabriela asked.

      It wasn’t too hot and spicy for American taste buds, of course, and Riley was sure that Gabriela knew it. Gabriela always exercised restraint with her original Central American recipes. She was obviously fishing for compliments, which came quickly and easily.

      “No, it’s perfect,” Riley’s fifteen-year-old daughter, April, said.

      “The best ever,” said Jilly, the thirteen-year-old girl that Riley was in the process of adopting.

      “Just amazing,” said Crystal, April’s best friend.

      Crystal’s father, Blaine Hildreth, didn’t say anything right away. But Riley could tell by his expression that he was enchanted by the dish. She also knew that Blaine’s appreciation was partly professional. Blaine owned an upscale but casual restaurant here in Fredericksburg.

      “How do you do it, Gabriela?” he asked after a few bites.

      “Es un secreto,” Gabriela said with a mischievous grin.

      “A secret, eh?” Blaine said. “What kind of cheese did you use? I can’t place it. I can tell it’s not Monterey Jack or Chihuahua. Manchego, maybe?”

      Gabriela shook her head.

      “I will never tell,” she said with a chuckle.

      As Blaine and Gabriela continued to banter about the recipe, partly in English and partly in Spanish, Riley caught herself wondering if she and Blaine might…

      She blushed a little at the idea.

      No, not going to happen tonight.

      There could hardly be any graceful, discreet segue with everybody here.

      Not that there was anything wrong with things as they were.

      Being surrounded by people she cared deeply about was pleasure enough for this particular evening. But as she watched her family and friends enjoying themselves, a new concern began to tug at Riley’s mind.

      One person at the table had barely said a word so far. That was Liam, the newcomer to Riley’s household. Liam was April’s age, and the two teenagers had been dating at one time. Riley had rescued the tall, gangly kid from an abusive, drunken father. He’d needed a place to live and right now that meant sleeping on the sofa bed in Riley’s family room.

      Liam was normally talkative and outgoing. But something seemed to be troubling him tonight.

      Riley asked, “Is anything wrong, Liam?”

      The boy didn’t seem to even hear her.

      Riley spoke just a little louder.

      “Liam.”

      Liam looked up from his meal, which he had barely touched so far.

      “Huh?” he said.

      “Is anything wrong?”

      “No. Why?”

      Riley squinted uneasily. Something was wrong, all right. Liam was seldom monosyllabic like this.

      “I just wondered,” she said.

      She made a mental note to talk to Liam alone later on.

* * *

      Gabriela capped off the meal with a delicious dessert of flan. Riley and Blaine enjoyed after-dinner drinks while the four kids entertained themselves in the family room, and finally Blaine and his daughter went on home.

      Riley waited until April and Jilly went to their rooms for the night. Then she went alone to the family room. Liam was sitting quietly on the still-closed sofa, staring off into space.

      “Liam, I can tell something’s wrong. I wish you’d tell me about it.”

      “Nothing’s wrong,” Liam said.

      Riley crossed her arms and said nothing. She knew from dealing with the girls that it was sometimes best to wait kids out.

      Then Liam said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

      Riley was startled. She was used to adolescent moodiness from April and Jilly, at least

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