Gabe looked into the empty rowboat. “What cargo?”
Kristine raised her hand. “That would be me. You and I are in the disposable boat.”
He smiled. Interesting way to put it. There had been times in his life when he felt, well, not disposable, but certainly replaceable. Being the middle of seven boisterous boys could result in feeling a little lost at times. Especially since he had always been the quiet one.
He was getting his time in the spotlight now, and he didn’t really care for it.
He grasped Misty’s arms and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Take care of yourself and our baby, hon. I love you.”
“I will. I love you too.”
After a nod to his mother, he sprinted to the dinghy, then hopped inside. He held out his hand to Kristine, helping her into the little rowboat.
When she was seated, he called up to Jayce, “Let’s go, Captain.”
Gabe watched the shore recede and then gradually disappear behind them. His mother and Misty stood together at the end of the dock the entire time.
It seemed like they’d been sailing for hours, but in order to put enough distance between the fishing boat and the shore so a fire wouldn’t be spotted, they’d have to be well out to sea. At last, Jayce eased up on the throttle, and they slowed down.
“You know what’s going to happen, right?” Kristine said.
“Yeah. You’re going to go all dragon on my ass.”
She giggled. “Pretty much. Listen, I did this for Jayce before I was really prepared for it. I just had to trust that what others were telling me to do was for his good. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
“You’re not doubting it now, are you?”
“Oh, hell no. I have no problem frying your ass.” She winked.
He laughed.
“No. I just wanted to know if you’ve ever witnessed it. Have you? A phoenix rising from its own ashes, I mean.”
“No. When Ryan went through it, he was on the job in a high-rise fire. Jayce, well, from what I heard, he was locked in a cage?”
“That’s right. He was already unconscious in a smoke-filled basement, so it wasn’t like I had to look into his eyes or anything. This time, you’re right here. To be honest, I’m a little nervous.”
“Well, don’t be. I’m ready and willing.”
“I know. But just the same, I think it would be a little easier if you face away from everyone.”
“Oh. You’re thinking it might be hard on my brothers to watch me go from parboiled to crispy?”
One side of her mouth quirked up in a half smile. “Yeah. I imagine they’d rather not witness the gory details.”
“Hmmm…I never thought of them having a problem with it.”
She placed a hand over his. “I thought you might not. Gabe, you don’t even realize what an integral part of this family you are.”
He laughed. “You’re right. I don’t.”
Her expression became serious. “Well, you are. Jayce tells me you’re the one everyone turns to if they need a favor and would rather skip the exhaustive details. When you guys came to New York to help me, the rest wanted to know who I was, why I needed help, the whole nine yards. You just said, ‘Where do I need to be and when?’”
Gabe smiled and nodded, remembering the time all his brothers banded together to help a stranger, despite their father’s direct order to not get involved.
“Well, it’s that kind of thing they all know about you. If they need to fly and know they’ll have to duck in somewhere private to change, they just ask you to leave your window open. You do it and even put out some extra clothes. No questions asked.”
He nodded. He hadn’t even realized the boundlessness of his own trust, but it sounded as if everyone else knew he’d be there for them. All they had to do was ask. “Okay, so for their sakes, I’ll face away from Jayce’s boat.”
