Page 94 of Fortune's Control
Meow!
“That’s right. I’m here.” I wiggled my fingers and scooted closer to her hiding spot. Pirate’s eyes glowed as she took a single step forward and then another. “C’mon, kitty. You’re almost home.”
It worked. Pirate walked up and rubbed her cheeks on my outstretched fingers. Her tail straightened behind her as the purring started. I scratched behind her ears and petted her sides before moving into a sitting position. Pirate crawled into my lap and sat down.
“She’s found. Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight and for all of your work. For everything.”
Lainey sat opposite me and crossed her legs. “She’s a pretty cat.” Pirate raised her head at the compliment.
“The life of a volunteer firefighter never ends,” Aiden said.
Shane and Dean stayed silent as their flashlights moved, inspecting the ground and nearby bushes.
“Nothing in the water,” Shane said.
Dean kicked the ground, and something red glinted in his flashlight. “Do either of you ever come here?”
We were almost an acre from the main house.
Shane picked up a wrapper from the ground. “Not to eat.”
31-Shane
I scratched Pirate’s chin and cheeks. “You scared my wife tonight. Try not to do that again.”
“So, she’s your wife now?” Jack asked from where he lay stretched out on the family room sofa.
“There are bedrooms available,” I said rather than answer his question.
“This is more accessible. Call or come downstairs if you need me.” Jack picked up his phone and swiped through different screens. “What’s for breakfast in the morning?”
“Baked goods.” Lilah didn’t care about proper cooking, but she loved to bake. “Thanks for staying here tonight.”
“Please don’t thank me. It’s not required, and you know that.”
After discovering the beef jerky wrapper and empty soda can, my friends suggested one of them stay over, with Jack volunteering first. It’s possible Lilah left the door open, and that the trash had been there for a while. Pirate once lived outdoors, so the idea of her slipping through a wide-open door wasn’t a stretch.
Still, I didn’t believe in coincidences. Lilah, walking past the gallery’s open window, certainly wasn’t one.
“It’s still appreciated. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Upstairs, I removed my prosthesis to give the leg muscles and skin a much-needed break. The water pipes squealed as she turned the water off. I hopped the few steps to the bathroom door, where thick steam greeted me as I slipped inside and leaned against the countertop.
Lilah pulled back the curtain and flashed a playful grin. Water dripped between her breasts and down her naked body.I licked my lips and passed a towel.
“Do you feel better?”
“Much. There was dirt on the bathtub floor when I first stepped in.” Lilah pressed the towel into her wet hair. “I scrubbed twice.”
She’d wiggled out from under the veranda, ass first, when I checked on her. Lilah’s underground adventures resulted in a thick coat of dirt all over her and Lainey, with her hair in an unkempt mess, and I’d never wanted to kiss her more.
“Do you feel better?”
She paused her actions after I asked the question. “We found her, and that’s all that matters.”
I traded another one of my stolen shirts for the damp towel, hanging it up while she finished dressing. “That’s not an answer.”
“She escaped because I left the back door open,” Lilah said. We left the bathroom to find Pirate waiting on the bed. She scratched the cat’s ears as we sat down with Pirate between us. “You’re safe now.”
