Page 90 of Retribution
EPILOGUE
Three months later
Bodega Bay, California
The ocean breezetousled Dakota’s long hair, and Cobra reached out and caught a few strands. The silken tendrils curled around his finger like a clinging vine. He breathed in the rich, briny smell of the sea and pressed Dakota closer to his chest until her body molded to his and his to hers. She leaned her head back against his shoulder then buried her bare feet into the sand. Gulls soared and swooped over the water, their raucous cries echoing above the breaking waves.
“Watching all those seagulls reminds me of Hitchcock’s movie,The Birds,” Dakota said. “It’s kinda freaky, you know?”
Cobra chuckled and squeezed her tightly. “Not for me. I fuckin’ love the sound, especially when the beach is empty like it is now. The tourists have gone home for the season and all you got is the sound of waves, the wind, and those fuckin’ awesome birds.”
Dakota tilted her head up and looked at him. “That’s why you picked Bodega Bay to crash for the winter. You know this is the place where Hitchcock filmed the movie.”
He dipped his head down and kissed the tip of her nose. “I know because you’ve told me that more than a few times.”
She scowled at him. “Smartass.”
He laughed then cupped her chin in his palm and kissed her deep and slow. “Love you, sweetheart,” he whispered against her mouth.
“Me too. I’m so happy,” she murmured.
“Yeah.”
Dakota looked back at the water. “I’ll never get tired of sitting with you on the sand watching the ocean. You were right—it’s magical.”
“Sharing it with you makes it even more special for me.”
Smudges of coral, lavender, turquoise, and orange blended together in the sky as the sun began its descent into the depths of the horizon.
“This is my favorite part of the day at the beach. Time just seems to slow down and the fuckin’ colors of the clouds just blow my damn mind. For me, it’s always a Zen moment,” Cobra said as he stared out at the water.
“It is beautiful. I’ve always loved sunsets, but the ones over the ocean are incredible,” she said.
He watched her take out a paper bag and pull out a cellophane-wrapped piece of saltwater taffy.
She reached up and touched his lips with the candy. “Want one?”
“What flavor is it?” he asked.
“Pistachio. It’s super good.”
Cobra took it from her fingers, unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth.
“How do you like it?” Dakota asked as she took out another one and put it in her mouth.
“Pretty good. Damn, woman, since you’ve been working at the taffy shop, you’ve been bringing home bags of this stuff.”
“I’ve got a confession to make—I’m obsessed with it,” she groaned. “This is the worst job I could’ve taken. I can’t stop trying all the flavors.”
He rustled his hand along the top of her hair. “You’re such a cute goofball. I guess it beats me bringing home fish from the cannery every day.”
“True, but I do like it when you bring home crab and albacore. I never thought I’d love seafood so much.”
When they’d arrived in Bodega Bay in early September, they stayed at a motel for a few days until Cobra met Rocky. The dude was a biker and he’d admired Cobra’s purple Harley, so the two of them spent the next couple of hours talking about motorcycles. Rocky then told Cobra that he and his old lady had a houseboat in the marina where they lived six months of the year. The biker and his wife were from Texas, and they were planning to head back home to visit their four kids and he asked if Cobra would like to stay on the boat while they were away. The charge was the monthly slip fee, HOA, and utilities, all easily affordable based on what he and Dakota were bringing in from their jobs. So Cobra jumped at the chance, and when he’d come back to the motel later that day to tell Dakota, she couldn’t pack fast enough.
The sky darkened and the wind picked up and he felt Dakota shiver in his arms. “Are you cold?”
“A little. It can get real chilly when the sun goes down.”
