Page 24 of No Man Left Behind

He hadn’t. Mostly because he’d seen how she reacted to the space in his office. He shrugged as if it was a coincidence. “I’ll have to talk to Sean about that. I’d like to have two holding cells, but we’ll likely have to reinforce the area. I’m thinking in the room behind the office.”

She nodded and turned her attention to the hardwood floors. He imagined the memories were difficult, and he wanted to press for details. He knew from experience it was difficult to heal from trauma unless you were able to talk it out with someone.

She’d only been back in his life for a day, but he wanted to help her heal. Wanted her to be free from the memories. But today wasn’t the day.

They checked out every corner of the house, and Marcus loved her enthusiasm for the project. As he’d expected, she had a good eye for detail and space. He felt much more prepared for his conversation with Sean about what he wanted. “Now, I’ll have to see if Falcon can do all the things we want within the budget.”

“I’ll offer up free labor with the caveat that I have no actual skills in this area. But I can follow your instructions.”

And his entire body flamed. Her words had been completely innocent, but his imagination ran rogue whenever she was around. Even when she wasn’t.

Something must have shown on his face despite his attempt to bank the heat immediately. He wasn’t a kid anymore, and he wasn’t going to rush a single damn thing. Except now he needed to touch her again.

Before he could step forward to kiss her smile, her phone beeped. Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, she looked confused.

She pulled it out of her jacket pocket and read the notification. “Sorry. I’m not used to my phone ringing. I mostly use it for research. It’s Piper.”

A huge smile lit her face. Such joy because a friend had texted her. His instincts had been right. She’d led a very lonely, isolated life. This was a woman full of compassion and joy. She deserved to have a life full of friends and love.

After reading a text, she looked up at him. “She’s wondering if I could meet with her to talk about a mascot for the town.” Excitement radiated from her over a simple request.

Marcus reached down and kissed her lightly. “You’re going to have a ton of fun with Piper. Between the two of you, creativity will be bouncing off the walls.”

Her eyes sparkled. “That’s a lovely thing to say.”

He shrugged. “It’s the truth. How about I walk you over to their house? Maybe we can meet up again later on.”

Her smile widened further, and he captured the smile in another kiss.

Elina sat at the counter in Piper and Troy’s kitchen and sipped excellent chai tea while they flipped through the town’s website on Piper’s computer.

“I’m so impressed. The town is inviting and friendly. I planned on sticking around for a while even before I realized Arrow and the rest of the team were here.”

Piper grinned. “It’s amazing how you found them without knowing their names. I’m glad you’re here. And I know Marcus isveryglad you’re here.”

Elina laughed. “It’s amazing seeing them all again. I always felt safer when they were in the village. Everyone in the village itself was great but there was always the threat of insurgents arriving or the drug cartels swooping in to force the people to work for them.”

Piper shuddered. “I can’t even imagine. It was scary enough when some jackass I used to work with got involved with blackmail stuff and stuck me in the middle of it all.”

“That’s awful. I hope you weren’t hurt.”

Her friend shook her head. “A couple of bruises, but Troy figured it out before it got awful. Marcus helped him. They make a really great team. And now that all six of them are here, they’re a formidable group. Someone would have to be a real idiot to start up anything nefarious with them here.”

Elina nodded. She’d known plenty of strong people over her lifetime, and these men were in the elite tier.

Piper shook her head. “Back to happier thoughts. As you can see, the town is having a ton of fun leaning into the quirky side of living in Phail.”

Elina nodded. “I smiled when I saw the name. When I was driving through the first time, I saw the I-Phail Tower, Phail Way Park, Phail General, the No Fail Diner, and Phail Phoods. I was laughing before I realized I’d driven through the entire town.”

“That’s exactly what we’re hoping for. Not being right off a major highway limits the number of people who see the town name and come to explore, but we’re finding more ways to lure them in.”

“How can I help?”

Piper grinned. “Since the beginning, I’ve wanted to have a town mascot. Like a team mascot, but for the town.”

“Tell me more about how you’d like to use the mascot.”

Piper pulled up a spreadsheet. “I have a few ideas.”

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