Page 83 of Raven's Nest
“Give me a second.”
He jumped out, rounded the truck, then opened her door. She accepted his hand, lingering in another kiss before he managed to ease her onto her feet — give her some space. She hooked her arm through his, trusting him to keep her safe as he walked along the pavement, stopping at the edge of her dock.
She inhaled, smiling as the wind lifted her hair from her shoulders, fluttering it behind her in a curtain of gold. “We’re near the ocean.”
“Hard to mask that scent.” He palmed her shoulders and turned her slightly. “Whenever you’re ready.”
She lifted her hands, took a breath, then removed the blindfold. She blinked, then gasped, mouth gaped open, eyes wide. The blindfold slipped out of her fingers, landing in a puddle at her feet as she stared at her new boathouse.
Zain pressed his chest against her back. “It’ll beanother few weeks before they get the interior finished, but I think Atticus did a great job at giving you an upgrade.”
Her chin quivered, a few tears splattering on the ground as she coughed, tried to speak, only to cough again. She swallowed, choking a bit before glancing back at him. “How?”
Zain grinned. “If Amish communities can raise a barn in a day, us ex-military types can at least get it done in a couple weeks. Especially when the task master is some gruff old coot who doesn’t accept ‘no’ as an answer.”
“Atticus called in favors to get this built?”
“Has a whole platoon here.” Zain kissed her neck. “You’re worth it. Which brings us to your second surprise…”
He moved off to her left, grabbed her hand, then led her over to the dock. Her Zodiacs bobbed in the water, the Raven’s Watch logo painted on the side. “Atticus took the liberty of fixing your boat and putting them both on the docket. Said he expected you to match your schedule to mine as soon as you were ready, which I know will be the next shift.”
“He upgraded both?”
“Damn straight, I did.” Atticus walked out of her boathouse and down the pier, stopping an arm’s length away. “Having ridden in them, they needed some serious modernizing. I don’t know how you managed to navigate those storms with the substandard equipment you had onboard.”
He gave her those creepywatching youfingers. “Iexpect an officer of your caliber to have these boats decked out.”
Saylor crossed her arms as she hitched one hip out to the side. “My equipment wasnotsubstandard, and you still owe me my spare.”
“I’m sure Zain has more than enough weapons to share.”
She grunted and pointed to the upper level. “Is that another loft apartment above the boathouse?”
Atticus turned. Nodded. “Damn straight.”
“I told you I didn’t really need it.”
He scoffed, motioning to Zain. “What happens when Everett’s an ass? You need to be able to kick him out to someplace safe.”
Zain shook his head. “Nice to see you hold me in such high regard.”
“I’m a realist.” Atticus shrugged. “You can always rent out the space.”
Saylor inhaled. “Oh my god. You didn’t add it on for me. You want to be able to room additional staff there while they look for permanent housing.”
Atticus blinked. “Additional staff?”
“Don’t even bother acting all innocent. Mac heard you talking about expanding, again. Another full crew, which makes sense. And that’s why you added the loft. Got this place built in record time.”
“Mac’s going on maternity leave.”
“In like three or four months.”
“Still, I can’t wait until the last minute. And with all of you hooking up… It’s only a matter of time before you’re next.”
Zain held up his hand. “Can she fully heal, first, before you’re looking for surrogate grandchildren?”
Atticus rolled his eyes. “Please. I’ve seen the way you two are. I expect news any day now.”
