Page 19

“So, how did it go?”

Cobble had been waiting on the porch of his “borrowed” bungalow, gazing out at the ocean. It was a gorgeous spot that Tucker Devons had found. What a shame Cobble had been too on edge all morning to be able to completely enjoy it.

But Andy was here now, and his heart lifted.

She walked the last few steps toward him, straight faced, but apparently, she couldn’t keep up the ruse.

At his question, she broke into huge smiles.

“They liked it. Even after they pulled everything apaht. With a few fixes, we’re a go,” she told him enthusiastically. “ And we’ll have everyone’s help, too. Nobody backed out, not even Chuck.”

Cobble grinned, feeling relieved. “I’ll bet he was fit to be tied.”

“You might say that,” Andy agreed, walking up the two steps to slip easily into his arms and give a sigh of contentment. “But once he’d been completely ovah-ruled, he donned his team hat and joined in on the logistics. And…” she got an impish grin on her face, “I was right about him and Agent Tertia.”

“You’re kidding?” Cobble couldn’t help but laugh. “She must be a brave one. Are you telling me she’s not only able , but willing to put up with Chuck’s shit?”

“Uh, huh.”

Wow. Maybe the dark days for Chuck were coming to an end; not that Cobble knew exactly what had caused his cousin to become such a taciturn personality. It was a shame they’d lost touch for long stretches over the years, or maybe Cobble would have a better understanding of today’s version of his cousin.

This present rendition of Chuck certainly wasn’t the hell-raiser with whom Cobble had grown up. This Chuck was jaded, sullen. Somewhere, during the time that he and his cousin had been traveling their own paths, Chuck’s devil-may-care youth had been lost to him. Cobble had a feeling it was all wrapped up with this fucked-up, prolonged case.

Chuck never let on, but Cobble’s absence had clearly affected him.

Perhaps Elody Tertia would be good for him; bringing Chuck’s clouded soul back out into the sunshine. Then when Cobble was finally in the clear, blinding light would burst back into his cousin’s life.

“I adore Elody,” Andy continued. “But she certainly has her hands full with Chuck.” She chuckled. “You should have seen her today, standing up to him when… Oh. I didn’t tell you. She volunteered to be our red-herring at the FBI. Baskins is going to do his thing on Monday morning and loudly arrest her.”

“I’m liking her more and more,” Cobble imparted. “And from what you were about to say, I take it that Chuck didn’t like her putting herself in that position?”

Andy scoffed. “Understatement. But I don’t know what he’d worried about. At least in custody, she should be safe. Whereas the rest of us will be putting our asses on the line, running around pretending to be buddies with a rogue agent or agents.”

Cobble knew that, and he didn’t like it one bit. He worried about Andy. She never hesitated to put herself directly in the line of fire.

But he couldn’t go all caveman on her like Chuck had on Tertia, or she’d rip him a new one.

Maybe…

“Youze are thinking of telling me to be careful, aren’t yah?” Andy guessed astutely with a look on her face he couldn’t quite read.

“No. Yeah. Maybe… Do you blame me?” he questioned, tightening his hold on her. “We haven’t had a chance to start our real lives together yet, and one mistake might take you from me.” Cobble shivered internally at the thought.

“Ditto,” Andy said, staring into his face. “This set-up is just as dangerous for you, if not more so. Ever since you first threw this at me, I’ve been trying to think of ways to keep you out of the fray.”

“I know,” Cobble conceded, then interjected some humor. “And you can’t imagine the number of times I’ve tamped down the urge to throw you over my shoulder and hide you under the bed.”

“Smart decision that you didn’t,” Andy chuckled. “But I wouldn’t object to under the covers ,” she quipped.

Cobble took a deep breath and chuckled at her innuendo, trying to let his concerns take a back seat to the beautiful day. He started over on a milder note.

“So. Everything goes into motion on Monday morning?”

“Yup. As soon as Baskins makes his fake-arrest of Tertia, Cavateral will do his part, then we’re off and running.”

That part of things cheered him up. Cobble was so tired of waiting

“And your SOS crew?”

“They’ll integrate into both the DOJ and the FBI’s actions, having been given permission to be part of the proceedings from the two directors.”

“Perfect,” Cobble tried to reassure himself. “With all these operatives on our side, what can go wrong?”

Andy laid a finger on Cobble’s lips. “Don’t,” she said solemnly.

“I know,” he responded with an uncomfortable snicker. “You said it before. No jinxing. Are you agent types always on edge about cursing things?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Not that I’m discounting it could be a thing, but I’m going to go with skills winning out over the supernatural.” He kissed her raised digit, then lifted his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Still uncharacteristically nervous about this?”

She buried her face in his chest and nodded.

“Me, too. But imagine that in a few short days this will all be over and we can finally be together, full-time.”

He felt her suck in a breath and square her shoulders. “You’re right. I should be looking on the bright side.” She raised her head to regard him, completely changing lanes. “So, in this not-so-nebulous-anymore, future life of ours together, where do you think you’d like to begin our next chapter?”

Cobble blinked. He hadn’t really thought about it. Sure, he’d pictured a house, kids, Andy at his side, but… Where would that be?

“I don’t know,” he responded honestly. “My parents are in Vermont, yours are in Minnesota. So either of those places would make them happy. But your job is here in Boston, as are Rory’s life and friends. And don’t teenagers have the last say in these kinds of things, anyway?” he joked.

“Seriously? Not an issue,” Andy laughed. “If I know Rory, she’ll be so happy for me ‘getting a life outside my stupid work’ as she so often calls it, that she’ll follow us anywhere if she thinks it will help me evolve.”

Cobble chuckled heartily. “We probably don’t need to test that theory,” he answered after a moment’s thoughts. “Since I don’t have a vocation, it seems the easiest thing to do would be for us to settle here.”

Andy let out a huge sigh and her shoulders relaxed. “Is it bad of me to say I was hoping you’d be okay with that?” she admitted. “I wasn’t going to force you if you had other ideas, but I can’t imagine separating from SOS.”

Cobble turned to teasing. “Are you kidding? Your ‘stupid work’ is a huge part of your identity,” he snickered. “But seriously, at one point one of us stated that SOS would hire me in a blink.”

Cobble knew he’d been the one to cockily say it, but Andy hadn’t contradicted him, so… Might there be a place for him at SOS?

“Funny you should mention that.” Andy looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. “I’ve already chatted with Del, and he’s actually pumped to have another potential operative on staff.”

Cobble spluttered. He certainly hadn’t expected that to come out of her mouth. “Without even meeting me?” he squeaked.

Andy stuck her tongue out, sassily. “What can I say?” She polished an invisible badge on her chest. “I’m just that good, and the man trusts my judgement.”

“Wow.” Cobble let out a gust of air. “That’s…amazing.”

It would take him a while to wrap his head around it. He hadn’t thought that latching on to a new vocation—that wasn’t carpentry—would be so fast and easy. He owed Andy. And in that regard…

“How can I possibly thank you?”

He knew his gaze heated as he posed the semi-rhetorical question.

Andy got a look in her eyes with which Cobble was intimately familiar, and being one-hundred percent on board, he leaned down and boldly captured her impertinent lips.

What had been meant to be a quick kiss, turned into a full-on make-out session on the porch.

His hand edged its way into her waistband and downward to where he found her slick with need.

Her fingers expertly lowered his zipper and wrapped around his thickness, knocking the breath from his body as she started stroking.

Cobble wondered for a moment if the old porch railing would still be strong enough to hold Andy’s slight weight if he stripped off her slacks and plunged into her waiting warmth right there, but…

He lifted his head reluctantly. “Should we be doing this outside, in public?”

Andy looked around the deserted area—lightly treed with several small, vacant cottages dotting the five acres-plus of land—and snorted. “There isn’t a single human within a half-mile of here. I didn’t see anybody on my way out this morning or on my way back in. I think we’re safe.”

She went on tiptoes and lifted one leg to encircle his hip while attacking his face once again with her lips.

Cobble loved it, but…

“Would I be impertinent if I said we should probably take this indoors anyway, to christen my king-sized bed in its new home?”

His temporary digs weren’t bereft of everything . When Andy had come to Pennsylvania to relocate him, she’d already rented the moving truck, so it was a no brainer that they’d loaded it up and moved his few fondest possessions here. That included the mattress upon which he and Andy had already spent countless hours.

“I dunno, doll. It’s kinda naughty, thinkin’ we might get caught,” she teased, but Cobble could tell the idea of a little semi-public sex excited her because she’d lapsed into her Brooklyn accent, her breathing had sped up, and her pupils had dilated.

His naughty minx was clearly thinking about getting fucked outside, and when she tightened her grasp on him, his doubts slipped away.

Cobble’s cock throbbed. He needed to reward that.

“Mmm, your wish is my command,” Cobble growled.

He wasted no time stripping her out of her black pants and lacy white panties, then cupping her pert, bare ass with both hands, he lifted her to the perch he’d previously eyed, and…

Yes! Perfect height.

They proceeded to stress-test the poor, ancient railing, giving it everything they had.

Luckily, all versions of wood had held up quite nicely.

****

“This is probably one of the most beautiful spots I’ve been stashed since I’ve been on the run,” Cobble said a half hour later after cleaning up and heading out with Andy to walk the rock-strewn shoreline. “I certainly wouldn’t mind settling down in a cool place like this. I bet Rory would love it, too, especially because it would put her closer to your friend Prez’s kids.”

Inhaling the salt air deeply into his lungs, Cobble felt at peace. This wasn’t a lido, a swimming beach with soft sand that they slowly traversed hand in hand. But there was something very soothing about the roughness of this particular spot; the wildness of the surf along with the sound of the outgoing tide tumbling stones with each retreating swell.

“Don’t get any ideas.” Andy playfully slapped his arm. “I doubt Tuck will put his development plans on hold to sell us that bungalow.”

“I wasn’t imagining he would,” Cobble replied thoughtfully. “What did you say he was building here?”

Andy shrugged. “Condo’s maybe? Townhouses?”

Cobble posed a question. “I’m not remotely interested in apartment living,” he speculated, “but if his plan is for multi-story townhouses with small yards, what would you think about an end unit?”

Andy blinked up at him. “Seriously? I thought you’d want a place in the burbs where you could have a big vegetable garden and some dogs.”

Cobble grinned. “I might have been daydreaming a little while you had your meeting, and because of where my mind went, I got busy on-line. Did you know that just seven miles south of here there’s a farm that lets people lease their own plots of land to work? Any size? I’d be down with something remote for a crop.” He reached a hand out and swept it across the ocean vista. “Especially if we have this view. And what better place to have dogs, than here?”

Andy snorted. “Do you know how many baths we’d have to give them after they swim in the salt water and roll in mud-flats?”

Cobble wasn’t deterred. “So, we’ll get your friend Tucker to put an outside shower on our unit. Does he like dogs? Will he be easy to convince?”

Andy laughed. “Tuck’s got a grouchy old bulldog named Jeb whom he adores. I’m sure we can talk him into letting us have a mutt.”

“A pair of mutts,” Cobble corrected mischievously.

He wasn’t completely set on the number of animals he might want, but it was so much fun speculating about the minutia of their future.

Cobble hadn’t had a chance to muse like this—about what was to come—in a very long time.

He wasn’t going to miss out on that now, because…

What if things went sideways with the op they were planning?

Yup . He’d let his imagination run rampant on his future with Andy.

He’d be able to dream at least for a day or two more.