Page 15 of Night Watch
“Good luck.” Sierra tipped her head at the water. “Did they locate anything?”
“A crowbar.” Erik’s attention went back to Kennedy. “You done here?”
“Yes. I’ll log the crowbar into evidence and take off.”
“Can you process it for prints right away and get DNA samples off to Emory? For my shirt too?” The center’s DNA expert was used to working late hours, and if not, once Emory learned this was personal to Erik, she would come back to the lab to get the samples running.
“I’ll need to feed Asher first, but then, sure. Glad to. And I’ll text Emory too.”
Erik flashed a smile of thanks but moved across the deck when Kennedy set the crowbar on the edge. Charlie swam up behind her.
Sierra picked up the evidence bag. “I’ll call you guys with the results.”
“Thanks again for coming out.” Kennedy tossed her fins onto the deck and climbed a ladder to the water-worn wood. “Mind if I tag along to watch you work. I’d love to see your lab.”
“No problem.”
“You need to have that hand looked at.” Erik tried to reply without emotion but ended up sounding controlling and domineering.
“Good point. I’ll do that.” Kennedy flexed her injured hand then looked at Sierra. “Can I come check in on you at the lab afterwards?”
“Perfect. That’ll give me time to feed the baby.” Sierra spun and gave Erik a pointed look before going into the house.
Terrific.He was being that open-book she claimed he was being.Cool it.
He gestured at the patio door. “We should get inside too.”
Kennedy looked like she wanted to argue, probably because she was dripping wet, but she stepped ahead of him and stripped out of her wet suit and down to her compression shirt and neoprene shorts.
Charlie poked his head inside. “I’ll head out around the outside so I don’t get your floor all wet.”
“No problem,” she said. “As you can see, I’m already dripping everywhere and so is Erik.”
Charlie ran his gaze over her, and Erik didn’t like the interested look in the guy’s eyes.
“Are you sticking around for a while or headed back to Quantico?” Charlie asked.
“I’ll be here for a month or so.”
Charlie cocked his head and studied her more deeply. “Maybe we could get together and do some recreational diving.”
“Sounds great.” She cast a beaming smile in his direction.
Erik nearly shouted at her to stop encouraging the guy, but she could encourage any guy she wanted to. Just not Erik. First, he didn’t need any encouragement. Second, it was a bad idea overall. Even if he could start trusting women again, Kennedy would be leaving town as soon as she finished the lab project, and he was committed to his brothers and the business. And honestly, he loved living here with his family. Especially since he was now an uncle and would likely have more of his siblings’ children to spoil in the near future.
“I’ve got your number from the callout,” Kennedy said to Charlie. “I’ll be in touch when this all settles down.”
“Looking forward to it.” That self-satisfied smile crept across his face again, grating on Erik.
Why couldn’t the guy be an uggo? Why did he have to be so dang good-looking?
Charlie departed, and Kennedy looked at Erik. “Mind stowing my gear while I get changed?”
“No problem.” He resisted demanding to see her hand up close.
She didn’t need him turning into the mother she’d just lost. He didn’t need that either. Though he had to admit with his mom, he’d seen enough mothering cast in his direction and could probably do a good job of it.
He carried the gear to a hose on the deck and washed everything with fresh water, then took it all to the outside storage closet. He hung her wetsuit on a special hanger, careful not to tear the neoprene. Her tank went on a shelf, and he hung the hoses to dry too. By the time he finished, she was downstairs wearing jeans and a body-hugging knit shirt in an emerald green that made her hair almost glow.
