Riley realized shed been holding her breath. She made a conscious effort to start breathing again.
Is everything all right? she asked.
Sure, Jilly said with a shrug in her voice. Why wouldnt it be?
Riley struggled to calm herself down.
Jilly, could you go and look out the front window for me?
OK, Jilly said.
Riley heard a few footsteps.
Im looking, Jilly said.
Is the van with the FBI agents still out there?
Yeah. And so is the one in the alley. I just saw it when I was in the backyard. If that Shane Hatcher guy comes around, those guys are sure to catch him. Is something wrong? Youre kind of scaring me.
Riley forced a laugh.
No, nothings wrong. Im just being a mom, I guess.
OK. Ill see you later.
The call ended, but Rileys worry was still surging inside her.
She went down the hall and straight to Brent Merediths office.
She stammered, Sir, I I need to take the rest of the day off.
Meredith looked up from his work.
May I ask why, Agent Paige? he asked.
Riley opened her mouth, but no words came out. If she explained that shed just gotten a threat from Shane Hatcher, wouldnt he insist on seeing the message? How could she show it to him without admitting that shed just given the file to Jenn Roston?
Meredith looked concerned now. He seemed aware that something was wrong that Riley couldnt talk about.
Go, he said. I hope everything is all right.
Rileys heart flooded with gratitude at Merediths understanding and discretion.
Thank you, sir, she said.
Then she hurried out of the building and got in her car and drove home.
*As she neared her townhouse in a quiet Fredericksburg neighborhood, she was relieved to see that the FBI van was indeed still there. Riley knew there was another van stationed in the alley. Although the vehicles were unmarked, they were hardly inconspicuous. But there was nothing to be done about that.
Riley parked her car in her driveway, walked over to the van, and looked inside the open passenger window.
Two young agents were sitting in the front seats Craig Huang and Bud Wigton. Rileys spirits lifted a little. She thought highly of both agents, and shed worked with Huang several times recently. Huang had been a little too gung-ho for Rileys liking when he first came to the BAU, but he was rapidly maturing into an excellent agent. She didnt know Wigton as well, but he had an excellent reputation.
Anything going on? Riley asked them through the window.
Not a thing, Huang said.
Huang sounded bored, but Riley felt relieved. No news was definitely good news as far as she was concerned. But was it too good to last?
Mind if I have a look inside? Riley asked.
Be our guest, Huang said.
The side door to the windowless van slid open, and Riley stepped inside to find another agent, Grace Lochner, stationed inside. Riley knew that Grace also had a sterling reputation at the BAU.
Lochner was seated in front of a battery of video screens. She turned toward Riley with a smile.
What have you got going here? Riley asked.
Seeming eager to show off the technology at her disposal, Lochner pointed to a couple of screens that showed overhead views of the neighborhood.
She said, Here weve got real-time satellite images showing all the comings and goings within a half mile of here. Nobody can get near here without us noticing.
Laughing a little, Lochner added, Im glad you live in a quiet neighborhood. It gives us less traffic to keep track of.
She pointed out several more screens showing street-level activity.
She said, Weve hidden cameras around the neighborhood to see whats going on closer up. We can check license plates of any vehicle that comes near here.
A voice crackled over an intercom.
Have you guys got a visitor?
Lochner answered, Agent Paige just stopped by to say hello.
The voice said, Hello, Agent Paige. This is Agent Cole, in the vehicle around back of your house. Ive got Agents Cypher and Hahn with me too.
Riley smiled. Those were all familiar names of well-respected agents.
Riley said, Im glad to have you on the job.
Our pleasure, Agent Cole said.
Riley was impressed by the communication between the two vans. She could see the van behind her house in a couple of Lochners screens. Obviously, nothing could happen to either team without the other team knowing about it immediately.
Riley was also pleased by the display of weaponry stocked inside the van. The team had enough firepower to fight off a small army if necessary.
But she couldnt help but wonder was it enough to fight off Shane Hatcher? She left the van and walked on toward her house, telling herself not to worry. She couldnt imagine even Shane Hatcher thwarting all this security.
Still, she couldnt help remembering the text message she had just received.
You cant say you werent warned.
CHAPTER FOUR
When Riley stepped inside her house, the place seemed eerily empty.
Im home, she called out.
But nobody replied.
Where is everybody? Her alarm started to turn into panic.
Was it possible that Shane Hatcher had slipped through all that security after all?
Riley struggled not to imagine what might have happened if he had. Her pulse and breathing quickened as she hurried to the family room.
All three kids April, Liam, and Jilly were there. April and Liam were playing chess and Jilly was playing a video game.
Didnt you hear me? she asked.
All three looked up at her with blank expressions. They had obviously all been concentrating on what they were doing.
She was about to ask the kids where Gabriela was when she heard her housekeepers voice behind her.
Are you home, Señora Riley? I was downstairs and I thought I heard you come in.
Riley smiled at the stout Guatemalan woman.
Yes, I just got in, she said, breathing easier now.
With a welcoming nod and a smile, Gabriela turned and headed toward the kitchen.
April looked up from the game she was playing with Liam.
Is everything OK, Mom? You look kind of agitated.
Im fine, Riley said.
April turned her attention back to the game.
Riley took a moment to marvel how mature her fifteen-year-old daughter looked. April was slender, tall, and dark-haired, with Rileys hazel eyes. April had been through more than her share of life-threatening danger during the last few months. But she seemed to be doing very well these days.
Riley looked over at Jilly, a smaller girl with olive skin and big dark eyes. Riley was in the process of adopting her. At the moment, Jilly was sitting in front of a large screen blasting bad guys away.
Riley frowned a little. She didnt like violent video games. As far as she was concerned, they made violence especially gun violence seem both too attractive and too sanitized. She believed they had an especially bad influence on boys.
Still, Riley considered, maybe these games were harmless compared to Jillys own experience. After all, the thirteen-year-old had survived real-life horrors. When Riley had found Jilly, she had been trying to sell her body out of sheer desperation. Thanks to Riley, Jilly had a chance at a better life.
Liam looked up from the chessboard.