Dawn Patrol

75

Boone lowers all the window shades and turns on one lamp by the side of the sofa. Then he goes into his bedroom, opens the drawer of his night-stand, and takes out the. 38 that he's saving to shoot Russ Rasmussen.

“You guys need to take hot showers,” he says. Then he runs water into a kettle and puts it on the stovetop. “I'll make something hot to drink.”

Petra is surprised that the place is so neat and clean.

Everything stored in its place-the efficiency of small spaces. A surprisingly good collection of pots and pans hangs from a rack above a small but good-quality butcher's block, on which two expensive Global knives are set on magnetized strips.

The man likes to cook, Petra thinks.

Who would know?

Unsurprisingly, the white walls of the living room are decorated with framed photos of waves, which give Petra an involuntary shudder after what they've just been through. She can't know it, but the pictures are of local breaks-Black's, Shores, D Street, Bird Rock, and Shrink's.

“I'll get you guys something to change into,” Boone says, walking into his bedroom.

Tammy jumps when a big wave goes off like a cannon, sounding like it's crashed right on the cottage.

“Are you all right?” Petra asks.

“I want to talk to Teddy.”

“I'm not sure that's a good idea,” Petra says.

Boone emerges from the bedroom carrying a stack of sweatshirts, sweatpants, and socks. “They'll be big for you,” he says, “but they'll keep you warm anyway.”

“Warm is good,” Tammy says. She takes a blue hooded La Jolla Surf Systems sweatshirt and a pair of black sweatpants and goes into the bathroom. Boone and Petra hear the shower running.

“God, that sounds good,” Petra says.

“Yeah, it does.”

“I still have salt water running from my nose,” she says. “I must look a fright.”

“You look nice,” Boone says, meaning it. “Listen… you did good out there. In the water. I mean, you were great. You didn't panic.”

“Thanks,” she says.

Boone says, “Would you like some tea?”

“That would be lovely.”

“I have herbal or Earl Grey.”

“Earl Grey is perfect.”

“Just plain, right?” Boone asks. “No milk or sugar.”

“Actually, lots of both, please,” she says. “Perhaps it's the near-death experience, but I feel greedy.”

“Nothing like almost dying to let you know how good life is,” Boone says.

Yeah. How good life is, with her full lips and warm neck and sea gray eyes there for the reaching out and her looking in his eyes, her mouth already tasting his, and then the pot whistles like an alarm and their lips don't touch.

“Life imitating bad art,” she says.

“Yeah.” Boone pours the water into a mug and hands it to her.

“Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

“How about you?” she asks.

“I'll make some coffee.”

Tammy comes out of the bedroom.

It's the first time Boone has really seen her.

She's tall. Not Sunny tall, but tall, with long, lean legs. Her face has clean, strong, natural lines and her eyes, although they look smaller without makeup, are still catlike. But it's a different breed of cat-wild, feral, but somehow calm. She's a striking woman, and it's easy to see why Mick Penner and Teddy fell hard for her. She sits down on the small couch in the middle of the living room and puts her feet up on the coffee table.

Boone says, “Have something hot to drink first. Warm you up inside.”

“Go change,” Petra says. “I can take care of her.”

“She can take care of herself,” Tammy says, getting up. She goes into the kitchen, chooses the herbal tea, and makes a cup. “Go get some dry clothes on, Tarzan. I'll make the coffee.”

Boone goes into his room to change.

“I need to talk with Teddy,” Tammy says.

Petra's gobsmacked. Certainly Tammy realizes that Teddy revealed her hiding place to Dan Silver-in fact, served her up on a plate to save himself. She says, “I'm sure Dr. Cole is fine.”

After all, he did what Dan wanted.

“I want to talk with him.”

“Let's check with Boone about that,” Petra says.

“You're going to do him,” Tammy says to Petra.

“I beg your pardon.”

“If I wasn't here? You'd jump him in the shower.”

“We have a professional relationship.”

“Uh-huh.”

“He's a barbarian.”

“Whatever.”

Whatever, Petra thinks. But is it possible? Am I really feeling something for Daniels? Is it some sort of animal attraction, or perhaps just a residue of the gratitude I'm feeling for him for not letting me die on the beach? Of course, he put me on the beach in the first place. The incompetent boob.

But he was pretty damn competent when the bullets were flying, wasn't he? He was pretty damn competent in the freezing water in the dark, wasn't he?

Boone comes back into the room.

“I'll think I'll have that shower,” she says.

“Yeah, get warm,” Boone says.

She takes some clothes from the stack and goes into the bathroom.