The door rattled, and her brother strolled through, stretching. “You ladies sleep okay?”
“No,” both women retorted.
Riven sat on the sofa, her feet tucked under her butt, while she read a book she’d found on one of the shelves by the fireplace. Patch had always loved a good mystery.
“Can’t say we did either.” McGuire chuckled, leaning over Savvy’s shoulder. “That water for some coffee?”
“Yup,” she said.
“Why don’t you take some out to Patch?”
She glanced at her brother. “Are you kicking me out so you can suck face with your girlfriend?”
“Something like that.” He dared to wink.
She chuckled as she poured the steaming water over the grounds, giving them both a good stir. Then she repeated the motion for good measure before hip checking the door.
The morning mist had yet to lift off the bayou. The sun hadn’t punched out over the horizon, but its light illuminated the swamp, making the dark moss turn a fluorescent shade of green. It really was a beautiful sight, until eyes popped out from the depths of the murky water.
She scanned the clearing until she found Patch, leaning against a tree, a knife in one hand, a stick in the other, as he carefully carved… something. He always had to be doing something with his hands. She’d often teased him about that. He’d push back about how she couldn’t sit still.
He jerked, glancing over his shoulder. “Good morning.” He smiled, pointing. “One of those for me?”
“Nah. I thought I’d bring it down to Rodney.”
“Ha. Ha. Aren’t you the funny girl?” He set aside his masterpiece, took the mug, and shifted, making room for her against the massive tree trunk.
“That’s what you get for asking dumb questions.”
He wrapped his free arm around her, leaned in, and kissed her… with intent. His tongue traced her lips before pushing into her mouth, grabbing hers, swirling around the taste of bitter coffee.
Somehow, everything tasted better on him.
“Hmmmm, that was nice,” he mused.
“About all you’re going to get.” She jerked her head. “But I think my brother might be getting a treat.”
“I never needed to know that.” He chuckled. “I take it you approve of Riven?”
“Hell yeah.” Savvy leaned into Patch’s strong frame, sipped her hot beverage, and soaked in the morning. It wouldn’t last.She knew that. But she’d take the small wins. Enjoy the precious moments. “She’s good for my brother.”
“They're good for each other.” Patch took another sip of his brew before setting the tin mug on the dirt, making sure it would balance without tipping over on the uneven ground.
“What do you think happened to those two men who went up the river last night?”
“Any number of things, except they didn’t come back down.” He leaned to the side, taking out his cell. He tapped the screen, opening a map app. “See these forks in the river here?”
She nodded.
“If they went up any of those, they could have gotten all sorts of muck or debris in their engine, causing them problems. If they ended up over here.” He pointed. “Well, that’s a maze that even I’ve gotten lost in, and they could have circled for hours trying to find their way out.”
“But if they had a cell with any map on it, they could’ve found their way out.”
“No service back there, but yeah, sure.” Patch pinched and swiped at the screen some more. “They could’ve set up camp over here. There are platforms on a ridge right about there for tents. Hunters, gator and python wranglers, all use them. Since we didn’t see them come back down, my guess is that’s where they went, unless they are too stupid to live, and if that’s the case, we might not see them again and probably don’t have to worry too much about them.”
“You believe they were acting dumb as a doorknob for Rodney.”
“I don’t know about that.” Patch set his phone on the ground, took her mug, placed it next to his, and tucked her between his legs. “Hired thugs don’t know everything, and if they don’t understand the inner workings of the swamp, they’d look likeidiots. But if they were military, or trained in covert operations in any way, well, you know how that goes.”
