CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Rain cut through the night, the gusting winds blowing it across the drenched ground at a forty-five. It sliced through Saylor’s clothes like tiny knives as she stepped out of Zain’s truck, the lingering beam from his headlights outlining the sheer magnitude of damage from the missiles the previous night.
While she’d known nothing had survived the twin blasts, seeing it piled in a charred, chaotic mess brought it all home. That she’d lost everything.
Her apartment.
Her stuff.
Her damn mind.
Not that it couldn’t be replaced. Rebuilt. But there was a hollowness to the place she hadn’t felt before. A sense of belonging that had been lost, along with her favorite pair of boots.
Zain grabbed the few supplies they’d brought along, motioning her toward the twin Zodiacs bobbing against the dock. He shielded her from some of the gusts,ducking beneath the hardtop on her boat before glancing over at the debris. “This can’t be easy.”
She chuckled, more from the absurdity of the situation than anything else. “Staring at the burnt remains of my life or the prospect of facing my ghosts?”
“All of it.”
She shrugged. “In the grand scheme of things, I’ve definitely had worse days.”
Zain brushed his fingers along her jaw. “You don’t have to do this. You’ve got nothing to prove.”
“Except, I do.” She silenced him with her finger over his mouth. “Not to you, or Coast Guard, but to myself. How can I ever make peace with the past if I’m too afraid to face it? Right a few wrongs?”
Zain kissed her finger, then leaned in. “By living. Nothing pisses off old wounds more than finding a way to love the scars.”
She pressed her cheek into his palm, staring into those gorgeous blue eyes, hoping this wasn’t the last time she’d see them. Because she knew, without a doubt, that if anyone had to make a sacrifice on this mission, it’d be Zain. “Does that mean you’re going to stop doing all those night maneuvers?”
He chuckled, getting insanely close. “Let’s not go too crazy, but I’ll make you a deal. You get us there and back in one piece, and I’ll cut it down to once a night.” He touched his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “As long as you’ve got my six.”
She dragged him back to her when he eased up. “Kiss me like you mean it, and you’ve got a deal.”
He smiled, then struck, crushing his lips to hers ashis fingers combed through her hair, holding her head captive against him. She ate at his mouth, sure her hair would have burst into flames if it wasn’t already wet.
Zain brushed his thumb across her lower lip when he pulled away, the gleam in his eyes nearly taking her to her knees. “We’ll pick up there once we’re back.”
She nodded, afraid if she answered, her damn heart would do the talking. Confess how far gone she was. That she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it.
Footsteps sounded behind them, twin boots pounding along the wet pavement, splashing through the puddles as they raced from Chase’s truck over to her boat.
Chase stopped short of getting onboard, giving her Zodiac the once-over. “Call me crazy, Saylor, but I thought we’d be taking the Zodiacwithoutthe bullet holes.”
Saylor grinned at Chase as she waved him and Greer aboard. “None of the bullets did any structural or mechanical damage. Just a couple holes and a slightly deflated outer ring, which I already patched.”
Chase eyed her. “And the hole in the windshield?”
“Consider it temperature control.” She nodded at Zain when he motioned to the lines tying them to the pier. “We’ll be fine.”
“You just don’t want to run the risk of ruining both vessels, right?” He waved the question away. “Don’t bother answering because the only other option is that you’re worried this is a one-way trip.”
“If I thought it was a one-way trip, I’d take the other craft. Give myself that luxury. Personally, I see this babyas good luck. She got me and Zain out in one piece. She can do it, again.”
“You got shot.”
“It was a scratch, and it could have been much worse. But this trip…” She pointed to the seats directly behind her. “Everyone wears a life vest and stays under the hardtop unless I say otherwise. I know it’s a tight fit, but the water’s too rough to chance being more than an arm’s length apart. And if something happens, and you end up in the water, just focus on staying afloat until I can circle around. I won’t leave anyone behind.”
Greer tightened the straps, looking as if she was having second thoughts. “And if you’re the one who goes over?”
