Page 43 of Crew

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Later that night, Crew was on patrol after taking over for Ford. Although the day had been boiling hot, the setting sun had brought a cool evening. He looked at the tablet that showed the camera views and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He hoped it would be a quiet night, but he was ready if it wasn’t.

The farmhouse was dark and quiet, and the animals were in for the night. These were the kinds of nights that he’d loved when they first moved into the farmhouse several years ago, when the sky was lit with stars and the whole world seemed to shut down with the sunset.

Now, it just set him on edge.

What, if anything, was Colton planning?

When could they get back to normal and stop constantly looking over their shoulders?

He caught Zara’s sweet scent before he saw her.

“I brought you some coffee,” she said, handing him a mug.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said. He kissed her and took the mug. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Who needs sleep?”

He chuckled. “Well, you were a little grumpy at breakfast this morning.”

“Avi ate all the chocolate chip waffles. Anyone would be pissed.”

“So it wasn’t because you’ve been burning the candle at both ends?”

She pursed her lips, then smiled. “Probably. But I’m going to blame the waffles. I was not made to be a night owl; I’m an early bird at heart.”

He took a drink of coffee and stared into the darkness toward the field that had been on fire earlier that day.

“Do you think Ford’s right? That we’re just waiting for the next attack?”

“He’s not wrong to be worried. I sure as hell am. But running ourselves ragged trying to figure out what Colton will do next isn’t going to do any good.”

Zara tilted her head, studying him. “So what’s the plan?”

“The plan is to keep doing what we’re doing—stay vigilant, make good choices, and be as ready for whatever they might throw at us as we can.”

“It’s hard not to feel like we’re being watched,” she said, staring out into the fields. “But I always feel safe with you.”

For a moment, the weight of the day lifted, and it was just the two of them.

He put the mug and tablet on a picnic table and pulled her close. “I’m always going to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

“What about raccoons?” she asked.

“What is it with raccoons lately?”

“Well, what if we recruit them to our security team? Imagine it, a bunch of cute raccoons armed with tasers, ready to take out Colton and his herd at the drop of a hat.”

“Why would you give raccoons tasers?”

“Their hands are small,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t think they can fire guns.”

He chuckled. “Maybe we can get the chickens to help too.”

She laughed softly, the sound like a balm to his frayed nerves.

“Chickens and raccoons,” she said quietly. “I think we’ve stumbled onto an unbeatable security force.”

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