Vigilant

Nick grabbed his own coat and followed her out the door. When they got outside, he stopped her. “You aren’t mad at what I said back there are you?”

“Nah, not mad. Just tired, and Oliver’s an obnoxious drunk.” Nick put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She nuzzled into his warm arms.

“I guess I’ll see you next week?” Ari asked.

“Yeah, I’ll probably get home from my parents’ late Sunday. I’ll give you a call.”

“Have a good trip.”

“Be safe at that fight—and steer clear of all superheroes okay? I can’t compete against that.”

Ari smiled. “So that’s it. You’re jealous.”

“Of a guy who may wear tights and probably, most definitely, has abs of steel? Yes.”

Ari reached for his face and pulled him close, “Jealousy makes you kind of cute.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep,” she said and gave him a kiss goodnight.

* * *

The last thing Ari expected to see when she walked to her car the next morning was a patrol car, idling by the curb. Officer Baker waved from his rolled-down window. Ari locked the front door and walked down the driveway.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Just wanted you to know there was another armed robbery last night. Similar M.O. as the last time. It’s possible Jace Watkins was there.”

“Is this the one all over the news? I saw that. But didn’t they catch everyone?”

“Nope. Different robbery, but it happened around the same time. This crew got in and out quickly. They didn’t waste time on the safe, which is what held them up at the hardware store. The leader—he matches the description we have on Jace. Hopefully, we’ll have some security footage to look through.”

Yeah, that and a hooded vigilante, Ari thought. “So why are you telling me this?”

“Because it happened at The Garage.”

“That’s just down the street—I was there last night.”

“It happened about an hour after closing. We asked for a list of customers for possible witnesses and you were on it. Probably a coincidence, but I wanted to let you know. This kid is around too much—and he’s from your office, the hardware store, and now the bar. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Ms. Grant, give me a call if anything suspicious happens, okay? Any other break-ins or vandalism—anything suspicious.”

“Of course,” she told him. “But I doubt it’s him. You know these kids are poor planners. They’re too impulsive. The car thing—sure. The robberies? Must be a fluke.”

“I hope so,” he said. His walkie-talkie crackled on his shoulder and he responded immediately. “Talk to you soon.” He rolled up his window and drove off, leaving Ari in the driveway alone.

ELEVEN

“I can’t believe you brought me here,” Oliver said over the shouts and cheers. He looked like a kid in a candy shop. “It’s not even my birthday.”

“I had a feeling you’d enjoy it,” Ari yelled back.

The whole gym vibrated with excitement, like with any other sporting event. The bleachers were full of spectators, drinking and eating. They’d passed a snack bar in the lobby selling candy and sodas. Much to Oliver’s dismay, it was alcohol free, but they got two huge sugary sodas and bags of popcorn. An event was already in progress when they’d arrived. Two young men circled one another in the ring, doing some kind of martial arts.

Ari and Oliver came around the corner and tried to find an empty seat. There were several rings and bleachers lining the walls so you could see more than one event at a time. The center ring in particular seemed to be the main one, though. Built a little higher, with brighter lights. Oliver pointed to a couple of empty seats at the top of one of the bleachers.