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This place was going to be different--she was going to inia here she stayed Although she had her own things--furniture and accessories--in all the years she was there she had only rented the place She traveled, went undercover, visited her brother and his family on weekends and holidays Her town house had been temporary for years and she ay as much as she was there But this--the house with the view--she was going to e for the year She had earned it

It was Saturday afternoon and the sun was shining for a change There was one person in Thunder Point she knew and hadn’t yet seen Someone she really owed And it looked like a perfect day for a jog through town and across the beach

As she ran, her otten almost all of the woh a break in the fence, but her success had been coured her out He beat her and confined her, tying her to a chair in his house She was further foiled when Jacob sohter, Mercy, bringing her back to the camp Later, when it was all over, the FBI learned he had simply done a computer search for Devon’s address

At the time, Laine had been his prisoner So had Mercy It had been Jacob’s plan to escape with his daughter and whatever ether And then he planned to burn the place to the ground, leaving any others, like Laine, behind He torched the warehouse holding thethe fire could spread into a full-on wildfire that would threaten the whole valley--so enough for his escape

Laine had rab Mercy, but in the process she’d been shot in the shoulder By the time help arrived in the form of Rawley, Spencer, Cooper and Devon, she was nearly unconscious from blood loss--her brachial artery had been nicked

Of course Laine had known Devon and Mercy from her time in the caht be She found out later--it was Rawley Goode, a Vietnaether a rescue plan in ot the details after she was conscious and recovered enough to take it all in

She jogged across the beach By the ti pretty hard She found the proprietor sitting on the deck in the sun, though he wore a jacket He had his laptop open and was studying so closely

"Hey, there," she said "How’s the house co?"

He looked up and smiled at her "About ti ahead of schedule, thank God Sarah’s had about enough of living in one room"

"When’s the baby due?" she asked

"July We should be in the house by June at the latest"

"That’s awesome, Cooper"

"How about your place?" he asked

"It’s looking good My stuff caht behind e facility I’ a few ood view"

"Oh, yes A big deck and a big kitchen and a couple of fireplaces If I’m not happy every day, I can’t blame the real estate Hey, any chance Rawley is around?"

"Last ti in supplies He should be in the kitchen"

"Thanks I’ll see you on the way out"

She went through the bar and into the kitchen Raas crouched, rearranging soer," she said

He stood and turned toward her He orn jeans, boots, a heavy shirt over a T-shirt and a red cap She kneas in his early sixties but because he was skinny and his face was deeply lined, he looked a little older She caught the light in his pale blue eyes as he recognized her Only one corner of his ?" he asked

"Co her shoulder "I’ here?" he asked "Don’t you have spy work to do?"

She smiled, looked down, shook her head "I’m on leave," she said "I need more time before I--" She cleared her throat "I’m not a spy I" He smiled at her and put his thu "Well, not exactly I’ator And I think we should downplay that role a little bit"

"Whatever you want, chickadee," he said "Good work," he added

"You saved ot in that caing down soainst your shoulder on account a’ the bleeding Yeah, he’s the one I’d say saved you I’irl and I wasn’t about to let some lunatic take her away from her mother"

"Some old vet," she repeated "A Green Beret with two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star"

"Window dressing," he said with a shrug "It’s the by-product of staying alive"

"You’re one of the most decorated men I know"

"It was a bad time, back then, but we all did our best," he said "And there’s a ruave a nod "I’ve been notified I was recorinned at her "Notified of what kind of award, exactly?"

"FBI co inI’ll try to keep to myself I’d appreciate it if you’d do that, too"

"No probleet it"