Page 47 of Raven's Instinct
Amy still wanted it, and Kendra was doing her best distraction routine when Alan returned. “I’ve got the research team on Charlie the jerk,” he said, stepping back over the gate to draw her into his arms again. Kendra sighed into his comfort. Amy still wanted the phone and attempted to use their distraction to grab it.
“Dinner tonight?” Alan offered again, catching Amy’s hand and shaking it officiously. She wasn’t fooled and continued to reach after the phone, huffing in disappointment when Kendra put it away.
“I have to check in with Bernard tonight first,” Kendra remembered. “I want to give him another dose of antibiotics.”
“I’ve actually gotten some traction onhiscase and found some help,” Alan said. “Can you have him meet up with me and an agent I know on Saturday?”
“I’ll tell him,” Kendra said. “How about I bring dessert tonight?”
“I would love seconds of last night’s dessert,” Alan said with a cautious grin.
Kendra kissed him, and it was an easy, familiar kiss, like they’d already moved past that honeymoon stage of courtship. Then he touched her face and Kendra thought maybe they hadn’t, because it set her on fire so fast.
They were interrupted by a ring at the door, and Addison must have checked her phone before Alan could, because Vivian was buzzed in and Tara came running for the gate.
Kendra ducked out with Amy in the chaos, and carried her to the rig. There was a tingle of warning and she had to remind Amy, “Fingers and feet, sweetie. Fingers and feet.”
Amy sighed and the tingle went away.
She didn’t particularly want to be buckled in, but Kendra distracted her with a bag of gummy animals and then climbed into the driver’s seat.
Bernard was waiting in the gravel pit, pacing impatiently. Kendra left Amy in the passenger seat and swung out to greet him. “Alan’s got someone who can help you. Can you come back on Saturday and meet up?”
Bernard rolled his eyes and lifted a leg like he was looking at a watch. Kendra couldn’t quite figure out the charade until he made a show of scuffing once in the gravel, pausing, scuffing again, pausing, scuffing a third time, and then doing his awkward bull-shrug. “Oh!” He probably had no idea what day of the week it was. “It’s Thursday. So the night after next.”
Bernard nodded his big head, then let Kendra inspect his injured leg. “It’s looking better,” she said, unwrapping the wound and prodding the tissue. “I’m going to give you another dose of antibiotic to make sure that infection doesn’t rebound, but I think we should leave it uncovered. It’s not open now, but the skin will be a little more delicate for a while, so avoid tangling with more barbed wire. Walk for me?”
Bernard pranced and tossed his head until Kendra laughed. “Yeah, you’re definitely on the mend. Stay out of trouble and I’ll check back in with Alan and his friend on Saturday.”
The bull sighed and gave Kendra a friendly butt with his nose. “You’re welcome,” Kendra said, patting him.
It wasn’t until she got back in Rita to drive away that she remembered that he was a murderer. At this point,murdererwas much further down her list of objections thanjerk who was trying to take her child away.
34
ALAN
Alan hadn’t really appreciated the house the agency had set him up with until he had a use for both bathtubs at once.
After dinner had been eaten (and spread in a generous radius around Amy), Alan disappeared to set everything up while Kendra got the worst of the mess off of her daughter. And the chair. And the floor.
“I have a surprise for you!” he said eagerly, when he got back to the kitchen.
“Is it better than the surprises Amy has for me in her diapers?”
“You tell me!” Alan led her back to the master bedroom suite.
“You drew me a bath?” Kendra stared into the bathroom. It was dimly lit with candles, and Alan had just topped it off with steaming water. Two fluffy towels were waiting beside the tub, and a few books. There was a Bluetooth speaker in the bedroom playing light jazz.
“I’ll get one ready for Amy, but I thought you’d appreciate the privacy of your own while I did that. Sorry about the books. One is a grim alternate history and one is a manual on contract negotiations. I didn’t have any smutty romances lying around.I did buy some bubble bath, if you need foam. It’s in Amy’s bathroom.”
“This is absolutely perfect,” Kendra said gratefully. “I can’t believe it.”
“You’ve had a hard, unsettling day,” Alan said sympathetically. “Maybe this can start to make up for it.”
Kendra kissed him on the cheek and squeezed his hand. “Thank you,” she said simply, and it was all that Alan needed in return. He would have enjoyed lingering and watching her undress and step into it, but Amy, who had been toddling up and down the hallway as fast as she could, suddenly fell down with a thump and gave an angry wail.
“I’ll get her,” Alan said, before Kendra could step in. “It’s bath time for both of you.”
