Chapter 12
“Those eggs really were incredible,” Blaine said as he and Rafe got ready to head out.
Rafe shrugged, and said only, “Don’t ask me to do anything more complicated or you’ll regret it.” As he spoke he didn’t look up from his phone, where apparently he had a checklist set up.
Blaine hesitated a moment, then went on. “I’m sorry you had to hear all that, earlier.”
“I’ve heard worse.” Rafe looked up at him then. “I’ve said worse.”
Blaine had a hard time picturing this man losing his cool that much. Not after seeing his utter unflappability under fire. But then, he was usually pretty calm himself.
Except with Erin.
“That lady you made it up with?” he guessed.
“Gets to me like no one else can,” Rafe admitted.
At the light sound of toenails on the floor Blaine looked around to see Cutter approaching. “That dog…” he began.
Rafe chuckled. “Let me guess. He stared you both down while you were…discussing.”
Blaine’s head came up sharply. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“Because that’s one of his other skills.”
“What, he’s a…a peacekeeper?”
“That too, but he reads people, especially people who are—or should be—connected.”
“Connected?”
“You know what I mean,” Rafe said with a steady look.
He did know, but his gut shied away from that “should be” part. So he tried to focus on the dog, who stood there now, looking up at him with that same, assessing gaze. He had to admit, it was a bit unsettling.
“And,” Rafe added, “if he decides you need to be reconnected, you’d best listen to him.”
“You make him sound like a matchmaker or something.”
“I could tell you tales,” Rafe said, shaking his head as if he found it hard to believe his own words. “But personally, I’ve learned to take his advice. It has always paid off.”
“This is a dog we’re talking about, right?”
“Or an alien in a dog suit.”
Blaine stared at him. “Who are you and what have you done with the Rafe Crawford I used to know?”
Rafe laughed. “Nobody was a harder sell than me. But I’m telling you he knows. About humans who should be together, I mean. He corralled us and guarded the door until we talked it out. And when I tried to run—again—he stopped me. The hard way. Put me on my ass.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, from the most unfanciful guy he’d ever met, in uniform or out.
Blaine shifted his gaze to the dog again.
Those dark eyes, seemingly flecked with gold, sort of like that piece of amber he’d given Erin that she’d loved so much she’d had it made into a necklace, just stared at him.
As if the admittedly clever animal could see down to his very soul.
And suddenly what Rafe had said didn’t sound quite so silly.
Erin came into the room from the kitchen, where she’d been tidying up. “Please,” she’d said when Rafe said he was used to cleaning up his own mess, “nobody ever cooks for me. Let me say thank you this way.”
“All right,” Rafe said with a nod. Then, with a glance at Blaine, he added, “We’ll be heading out momentarily.”
“I feel like I should go with you.”
The worry in her voice tugged at Blaine all over again. But Rafe said calmly, “Somebody needs to be here, both in case the police find something, or Ethan comes back.”
Her mouth—that lovely, soft mouth—twisted rather painfully. “I think I gave up on him just coming home.”
“He might reach out,” Blaine said, a little surprised at his own need to soothe her.
She looked from one to the other before saying suspiciously, “What’s the other reason you don’t want me to go with you?”
Blaine let out a tired breath. “You’ve already been to or talked to most of the people we’ll be reaching out to.”
“So?”
“So maybe they…didn’t want to talk to you for some reason.”
“Because I’m some hysterical mother?” she asked, her tone kicking up a notch. As it did, Cutter let out a low sound, something between a tiny growl and a whine. Remembering what Rafe had said, he looked down at the dog, who was looking at Erin much as he’d looked at Blaine earlier.
Somehow that made him able to keep his tone even. “I didn’t say that. I’m only saying that he—” he jerked a thumb toward Rafe “—is a lot harder to say no to.”
She seemed to consider that for a moment. “Especially if they’re bad guys,” she finally said, her tone bleak.
He wanted to hug her, reassure her, but he didn’t trust himself to touch her. Even now the connection between them pulled at him.
Connection.
He looked down at Cutter, who was again looking from him to Erin in that rather unnerving way. He didn’t think he’d share what Rafe had told him about the dog’s other talents just yet. Maybe ever. Because when this was over and Ethan was back home and safe, he’d be out of her life again.
But maybe not so far away.
It wasn’t the first time he’d had the thought.
That when he got out this time, it would be for good.
And that he would relocate, to somewhere close enough that he could see more of Ethan, become part of his son’s life again.
He hated only seeing him every few months.
He remembered too well the chaos of his own teenage years, and if this was any indication, Ethan’s was even more tangled.
He needed to be closer. It had been too long.
The two and a half years since Erin had left him felt like forever—and yesterday.
You thought it would be easier now, that you’d been apart long enough that she wouldn’t get to you anymore. He nearly snorted with audible laughter at his own thought. How’s that going for you?
He felt a nudge to his leg, and looked down to see Cutter still staring up at him with that unsettling gaze. He leaned down to touch the dog’s dark head, and froze. He’d forgotten that crazy effect the animal had. The comfort and easing just stroking his fur gave.
One of his other skills, Rafe had said. Just how many hidden talents did this furry beast have, anyway?
He straightened up, looking at his fingers as if they held the answer to that effect. But he was unable to deny he did feel a little better, a little steadier.
Rafe came over to them. He looked at Erin and asked, “You have something Ethan wore that hasn’t been washed yet?”
She blinked. “I…yes, I’m sure there are a few things, in the laundry room.”
“Get them,” Rafe said, and followed her down the hall, with Cutter glued to his side.
When she handed him a couple of shirts and some underwear, he crouched down in front of Cutter and held them out.
“Search,” he said, and the dog poked his nose into the wad of clothing.
He seemed to sniff deeply, then pulled his head back and looked at Rafe, who stood up again and handed the items back to Erin.
“He’ll know?” Erin asked. “Just from that?”
“He’ll know his job is to find him.” Rafe’s mouth quirked. “Now, if I’d said ‘target,’ that’d be a whole other thing.”
Blaine could imagine. Target had an entirely different connotation.
“Let’s roll,” Rafe said and headed for the door, Cutter now at his heels. Blaine looked at Erin, who still didn’t look happy about staying back, but she nodded resignedly.
“We’ll find him,” he vowed. “Sooner or later we’ll find him.”
“All the sooner you can manage, please,” she said, her voice sounding the same as her expression looked.
He nodded, saw Cutter was still in the doorway, looking back at him, and headed that way.
He didn’t realize quite how wound up he’d been until they were in the car and pulling out of the driveway. Rafe had told him to drive again, given his familiarity with the area, including a couple of the places on the list.
They were at the stop sign on the corner when he looked at Rafe and, only half joking, asked, “So did the dog here make you change your mind about where we should stay?”
Rafe actually looked startled. Then a little sheepish as he said, “No. That one’s on me. But the reason’s still valid.”
“Yeah.”
They were going to check in at the sheriff’s office for the area first, to “stay on their good side,” Rafe had said, “And see if they’ve turned up anything since we called.”
He pulled away from the stop, driving slowly in the quiet, residential neighborhood. The neighborhood Erin had chosen probably for that very reason. “You think they really will look deeper?”
“I think the Foxworth name gets a lot of things done.”
Blaine thought about that. Wondered what it must feel like to have gone from the behemoth that was the military, ruled so often by people who’d never even been close to a uniform, to working for an organization like this Foxworth of his, where apparently they all had the same aim and goals and bosses who were behind them one hundred percent.
Even as he thought it something buzzed from the small console on the roof of the SUV near the rearview mirror. Rafe reached up and tapped a button.
“Crawford,” he said, speaking upward at what was obviously a built-in system.
“Hey, Rafe, Jace.” The voice was steady, calm. “Quinn just told us about your case. I’m with Walker in Arizona, but we can be back by this afternoon if you need us.”
Blaine glance over in time to see Rafe smile. Obviously this must be one of the local Foxworth people. “We’re good for now,” he said. “But I’ll give you a call if that changes. How goes it there?”
“Still checking out locations. Lot of nice people.”
“Our kind, then.”
“Yep. Hey, Walker says to stick around until we get back, even if you’re done. He’d like to see you.”
“You mean he wants to see Cutter.” Rafe’s tone was so exaggeratedly dry Blaine knew it had to be a joke.
“Well, that too,” the man on the other end said, and he was laughing.
“Later,” Rafe said, chuckling himself as he ended the call. He looked a little bemused, as if he wasn’t quite used to kidding around like that.
They were out of the residential area now, and things were looking more familiar. Some places had different names, housed different businesses, but the buildings were the same as he remembered, and that helped him make the turns necessary.
As he drove, passing those familiar places, he gave a wondering shake of his head. “I actually miss this place.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. I thought it was behind me. Especially after the divorce.”
He’d told Rafe once about how he and Erin had started, and he remembered how the idea of childhood sweethearts, the proverbial girl next door “except across the street,” had seemed to boggle the guy.
“Hey, it became a cliché for a reason,” he’d said.
But that had been back when they were still together, when Rafe had come to see him after his crash.
“Thinking about coming back?” Rafe asked now.
“I have been. Never thought I would, but… I feel like I need to be closer to Ethan. Maybe if I had been, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Maybe,” Rafe said. Blaine felt that steady gaze on him. “Going to give up flying?”
“I hope not,” Blaine said fervently. “It’s the only job I love.” He gave Rafe a sideways glance. “Although you sound pretty darned happy with yours.”
“I am,” he agreed. “So you’d be willing to fly civilians around?”
“Fly with a very low likelihood of getting shot out of the sky? You bet.”
“There is that,” Rafe said, sounding amused now.
Blaine marveled anew at the change in the man. But he supposed being reunited and rebuilding with the only woman you’ve ever loved could do that for you.
Too bad he’d never find that out for himself.