Tox grabbed a handful. “That’s not so bad. Ren,” Tox snapped his fingers trying to recall, “that LT in Coronado....”
Ren chuckled, “Rash.” Emily made a face. “Pretty sure it was because he was impulsive, but there may be more to the story.”
“I’m named for a cookie,” Herc shook his head, “but when they call you Shorty and you’re not short in height, people wonder.”
Tox wiped the crumbs from his hands. “Have fun proving them wrong. Nail the chattiest chick at the bar. That’ll clear things up real fast.”
From seemingly out of nowhere, a shortbread cookie smacked him in the side of the head. The icing causing it to stick for a moment before dropping into his extended hand. Tox looked sharply to the source, but Twitch was engrossed in something on her monitor. He gave her a narrow-eyed glance as he took a bite.
“Tox!”
“Sorry, Emily. Now I just think of you as one of the guys.”
Emily sat back against Nathan’s chest, the offense forgotten.
Finn entered the room with a duffle slung over his shoulder. “You girls gonna be okay on your own?”
Tox stood and slapped him on the back. “Beat it, spook. We’ll call you if we need you.”
“Copy that. It’s been a pleasure.” And with that, he was out the door.
Charlie marched through the room into the kitchen, planted a Hollywood kiss on Maggie, then turned back to the group.
“Okay, your destination is the U.S. Naval Research Lab outpost in Norfolk. Lots of letters of the alphabet awaiting your arrival. I have cars ready nearby. Nathan, you take the case with Chat. Tox and I will take the lead car. Ren and Twitch, you follow. Wheels up from Charleston 0600.”
Nathan walked Emily down the wide deck stairs, around the high grass and dunes, and to the long flat beach. She could barely make out the water, but the wind had kicked up and she could hear the rumble of the waves crashing and the slosh of their retreat.
“I don’t want to leave you.”
“I don’t want you to leave, but it’s okay. I’ve gotten pretty good at looking out for myself.”
“I know that. I do. But you shouldn’t have to.”
“Dad and I are going to stay another day. Dad wants to catch up with Charlie, and I want to walk on the beach.”
“Just walk?”
“Well, with you gone, walking is about the most exciting thing I can do on the beach.”
Nathan dipped his head into the crook of her neck and kissed his way down to her clavicle. He palmed her breast beneath the cozy cardigan. “I’m not gone yet.” Nathan pulled off his barn jacket and spread it on the sand. Emily hiked her skirt up and positioned herself on the coat. As he dropped his pants and boxer briefs to his ankles, Nathan disappeared under her flowy skirt. Emily shouted out his name, her cries swallowed by the surf. Nathan emerged with a devilish grin and brought Emily astride him. She impaled herself on his length and wrapped her legs around his waist as Nathan bent his knees to cradle her as they moved. They came together as Nathan roared. And there in the howling wind, beside the raging surf and under stars that blinked as clouds rushed by, Nathan held Emily until she fell asleep.
Emily awoke feeling out of sorts. She knew Nathan had carried her into bed, and she also knew he was gone. She chided herself for feeling so dependent that his absence made her physically ill. She had one day to herself, and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. She plotted a mental agenda as she shed her clothes from the night before and popped into the shower. Her need to steady herself on the tile wall as the water beat down had her wondering if this was some residual side effect from the drug she had been given; her equilibrium was off. When her head cleared, she dried off, slipped into cozy yoga pants and a sweater and followed the smell of bacon and cinnamon.
Maggie turned and smiled, looking like the star of a baking show with her bright apron and tray of warm sticky buns. Emily breathed deep and took a step forward to snatch a treat, then the room spun. She groped for the chair back nearby and finally steadied herself on the kitchen counter. Maggie set the tray down and calmly rested a hand on her back.
“Sweetie? You okay?”
“I think so. I’ve just been dizzy.”
“When did it start?”
“This morning. Well, I guess I’ve noticed it for a day or two. I could be coming down with a bug. Or it’s some type of residual effect of the drug I was given.”
“Charlie always says when you see hoofprints—think horses, not zebras.”
Emily didn’t pretend to misunderstand.
“I’m not pregnant.” She pointed to her arm. “I have an implant.” Her eyes followed her finger to her right upper arm. More specifically, to the small healed cut on her upper arm. “Oh my God, they removed it. They must have thought it was a tracking implant.” Emily looked at Maggie, who was beaming at her. “I think we need to visit Dr. Hardy. Great name for a doctor, isn’t it?”
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.” Emily covered her face with her hands.
“Emily.” Maggie’s voice was soft but stern. Emily looked up. “Herc came to me when his father, my son Angus, got his high school girlfriend pregnant. My neighbor Helen had a baby at forty-eight. She has a grandchild older than her youngest. My skunk of a first husband left me with three babies under the age of three.” Maggie cupped Emily’s face and thumbed away the tears. “Every baby is a miracle. You’ll realize that soon enough.”
Emily shook her head. “It’s too soon.”
Just then, Hercules stomped into the room in his boxers and a T-shirt wrinkled from sleep. “Smells awesome in here, Mhamó.”
Maggie shook her head. “They also have terrible timing.” Both women laughed.