Page 59 of Taken from Her
The houseboat appeared ahead, warm light spilling from the windows. Saffron and Basil were visible through a window, and Diana saw Lavender moving between the stove and counter with graceful efficiency.
Diana parked and gathered her equipment, but the weight felt different now. Not a burden carried alone, but tools that would help her protect everything she'd found worth protecting.
Lavender opened the door before Diana could knock, taking the tactical bag without comment and setting it beside the entrance where it would be easily accessible but not dominating their time together.
"Perfect timing," Lavender said, leading her toward the galley where something that smelled like rosemary and garlic filled the small space. "Dinner's ready."
They ate at the small table overlooking the harbor, Diana gradually relaxing as operational anxiety gave way to shareddomestic comfort. Lavender asked about tactical details without being invasive and offered her perspective without being directive.
"You're good at this," Diana observed, helping with dishes.
"At what?"
"Knowing exactly what I need without me having to ask."
Lavender smiled, drying a plate with careful attention. "It’s practice. Plus, you're not as complicated as you think you are."
"How so?"
"You need to be competent, trusted, and useful. The rest is just details about how to accomplish those things."
Diana felt something inside herself settle into place. It wasn’t just personal validation, but professional clarity shaped by someone who truly understood her core motivations.
"I should head to the station soon. Our window opens at midnight," Diana said, checking her watch.
"I know. But first, come here."
Lavender led her to the main seating area where the lights reflected through windows and the cats had claimed their usual territory. She settled beside Diana, close enough that their shoulders touched.
"Tomorrow, you'll be Chief Marten commanding a complex operation," Lavender said. "Tonight, right now, you're Diana, and you're loved."
The words hit Diana with unexpected force. It wasn’t just a romantic declaration, but recognition of the person underneath professional responsibilities.
"I love you too," Diana said. "And I'm going to make sure we both survive tomorrow so I can keep saying it."
"I know you will."
They sat together in comfortable silence, listening to water slap against the hull and distant harbor sounds. Diana felt operational readiness settling alongside personal contentment.
At eleven-thirty, Diana gathered her equipment and kissed Lavender goodbye with the intensity of someone who understood exactly what she was fighting to protect.
"Come back to me," Lavender said.
"Always," Diana replied, meaning it completely.
The drive to the station felt different than any preoperative preparation she'd ever experienced, a feeling of shared purpose overriding any jitters.
Diana parked outside the Phoenix Ridge Police Station and gathered her tactical gear, ready for the most important operation of her career with the clearest understanding she'd ever had of why it mattered.
12
The houseboat felt different without Diana's presence.
Lavender stood at the galley sink, washing the dinner dishes they'd shared less than an hour ago. Steam rose from the warm water while salt air drifted through the porthole she'd left cracked, carrying the sound of distant fog horns and the gentle lap of waves against neighboring hulls. Everything looked the same—handmade mugs drying on the rack, herbs thriving in their window boxes, travel photos covering the walls—but the space felt hollowed out, as if Diana had taken something essential with her.
Saffron paced the narrow hallway between the bedroom and galley, his orange form ghosting past windows where harbor lights shimmered in the condensation. Basil claimed his usual spot on the reading chair, but his green eyes tracked every movement with unusual intensity.
Lavender dried the last plate with more care than necessary, her mind following Diana through Phoenix Ridge's dark streets toward the police station. By now, Diana would be pulling into the parking lot, gathering her tactical gear, and preparing for an operation that could end the threats that had consumed theirlives for months. The confidence in Diana's voice when she'd said goodbye had been genuine, but Lavender had caught the undercurrent of tension underneath.
