Amos said, “You need to give Sol a heads-up.”
“In a minute.” Jenna started toward Zia, who had walked back across the rear yard, frowning into the harsh afternoon light. Clearly waiting for her or Amos or Noah to give him a hard time.
Soon as she got within range, Zia started in with, “My wife keeps telling me I’m a master at doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons. She . . .”
Jenna embraced him, silencing the man. “You are a very good man.”
Amos walked over. “If the lady is giving out hugs, I volunteer to be next.”
Jenna stepped back far enough to see all three of them. Standing there, ignoring the heat, watching her. Making sure she was okay. The first thing on their minds. “That agent would have come looking for me. Sooner rather than later. Every single one of Dino’s kin would be falling over themselves, blaming me for everything under the sun.”
Amos nodded. “Lady’s got a point.”
She told Zia, “If you hadn’t made your search, he might have caught me when I was alone and vulnerable and scared. Your alert helped me more than I will ever say.”
Zia was watching her now. “So . . . we’re good?”
“We’re better than that.” She hugged him again. “You know I’m half owner of this boat.”
“I think I mighta heard that somewhere.”
“Anytime, anywhere. I’m serious. You, your family, the entire San Lu police force. It’s yours for the asking.”
Noah asked, “Do I have a say in the matter?”
Jenna kept her gaze on Zia. “No.”
CHAPTER21
That evening, Noah was washing up after a solitary meal. The sun was below the western horizon, the sky filled with streaks of copper and gold. He was weary in a manner that took him back to nights in LA. Usually he’d arrived home well after dark. He remembered what it was like, pulling into the drive of a home where he had never really felt comfortable. He’d be talking on the speakerphone, making plans for the next day. Working over a last-minute problem. Something. The house would be lit from within and without, a pristine sculpture that left him feeling like he didn’t belong. The good feeling of work done well was gradually replaced by tension. Preparing for whatever might be awaiting him inside that huge front door.
He felt that way now.
The boat gleamed soft and ruddy in the fading light. Noah pushed through the screen door and crossed the rear lawn. He did a slow circuit around the barn, studying his craft from every angle. Only now it did not feel like his. It felt . . .
The agent’s hard-edged attitude was compounded by the previous night’s unanswered questions. He turned and stared out over the far ridge, wondering what he had heard, who had been out there dirt-biking without lights. At three in the morning.
There was something else at work here. Something big.
Noah took his time, circling the barn, inspecting the boat’s pristine hull. The walk took him straight back, clearly as if he were standing on the periphery of a half-finished set. Working through what needed to happen for a successful shoot, and when. Only now he worked over the missing element. Something that left him uneasy within his own skin.
He climbed the wooden stairs and stood on the upper platform, surrounded by Ethan’s tools. The banker-woodworking artist was due back the next morning. The air was filled with the scent of fresh-cut wood. The lower deck and interior flooring were coming along well. No question. The boat was taking shape.
Others might see a total disaster zone, a construction site surrounded by refuse and tools and unfinished jobs. But Noah’s professional career had depended upon his ability to look beyond all that. Determine everything that was needed to complete the job, on budget and on time.
See the finished project. And beyond.
Which was what Noah was doing now. Looking beyond the build. To . . . What?
Work had reached a point where he could see the finished craft. Money was the big issue now. Not just how much they needed to complete the work. Upkeep and maintenance on such a craft was hugely expensive.
But that wasn’t what troubled him.
He had a momentary image of them launching the boat. Climbing on board. And setting off.
Together.
Despite the day’s lingering heat, Noah shivered.
