“Nope. That shit ain’t gonna fly here, you little monster. Off.” Scooping him up, I give him a firm “no” and set him on the floor. Kiki meows once, expressing his displeasure, and flounces back into the living room.
“Dishes first,” Nash says. “Fun later.”
Nash
Raelynn carries a piece of plywood into the living room. “This big enough for you?”
I nudge the sawhorses closer together. “Perfect. Since I can’t do this outside…”
“It ain’t safe. We talked about this…”
We position the wood to form a makeshift table before covering it with a drop cloth. “I know. I’m going to open the windows, though. Otherwise, the fumes could do us in.”
“It’s gonna be that bad?” She pushes up her sleeves, staring at the brushes and can of primer sitting against the wall.
“Depends. Your cabinet doors have so many layers of paint on them, it might take me a week to strip them first.”
Laying the first one on the plywood, I pass Raelynn a screwdriver. “You can start on the hinges.”
We work side-by-side for hours, talking about everything and nothing, regularly chasing Kiki from the room so he doesn’t eat the long strips of paint covering the floor, and planning…a future.
Nothing long term. Restaurants we’d like to try. Line dances to learn. How Nash Grace can get a legal social security number.
“Leave that to Wren and Ripper,” Raelynn says, picking up the broom and sweeping up the mess. “They gave Hope—Wyatt’s girl—a new identity just last month. She started workin’ as a freelance financial planner a couple of weeks ago.”
“Shit. Why did she need a new identity?”
“Her ex—her dead ex—ran one of the largest human trafficking rings on the west coast. Hope was his punchin’ bag for three years. He made her launder his money. We took down the organization—all the major players—but some of the low-level grunts could still be searchin’ for her.”
“Is she in danger?” I’ve never met the woman, and Wyatt still scares the shit out of me, but I have to know.
Raelynn scoops up the paint scraps and dumps them into a garbage bag. “It ain’t likely. But Ry owns the building Wyatt and Hope live in. Ripper and Cara have the unit on one side of them, with Graham and Q on the other. Hope’s safer there than anywhere else on earth.”
I lose my grip on the paint scraper, and the tool skips across the plywood. “Shit. This would be so much easier with my other blade. I don’t suppose I could get my car any time soon? My toolbox is still in the trunk.”
Raelynn glances at her phone. “Still no update from Ry or the coroner’s office. But I can swing by your place before I hit up the grocery store.”
“You have to go today?” The idea of her out there alone shouldn’t bother me. She can clearly take care of herself. But it does.
“If we want to eat, I do.” She slaps my ass, brushes her hands on her thighs, and pulls her hair into a low ponytail. “Chicken caesar salad tonight, but tomorrow, I’m makin’ brisket and cornbread.”
Sliding an arm around Raelynn’s waist, I pull her close. “It’s a good thing we’re getting so much exercise at night. I haven’t eaten this well in years.”
“Oh, just you wait, darlin’. Once we know you’re safe, I’m startin’ up my mornin’ runs again. Five miles, three days a week. And you’re comin’ with me.”
“Should I be scared? Or excited?”
“With the way you’re holdin’ me, the answer should be obvious.” Her fingers card through my hair, and she claims my lips with hers.
The scent of orange blossoms fills my nose. I could kiss Raelynn every day for the rest of my life and it wouldn’t be enough. Whenever we touch, I want more.
Backing her up against the plywood, I’m about to pull up her shirt when she wriggles free from my grasp. “We do this, ain’t neither of us eatin’ tonight. I’ll be back in two hours. Stay inside, and keep your phone on. Call me if you need anythin’.”
One last, swift kiss, and she’s gone.
Kiki meows loudly at the front window. Raelynn texted a few minutes ago. The winds started before she left, and they’re causing a mess on the interstate. Traffic has slowed to a crawl, and it took her almost ninety minutes to make it to Broadcast.
I scratch the cat behind the ears. “She’ll be back…eventually. Don’t worry. I know where your food is.”
