Page 25 of Operation Rescue
He pulled away from the stop, driving slowly in the quiet, residential neighborhood. The neighborhood Erin had chosen probably for that very reason. “You think they really will look deeper?”
“I think the Foxworth name gets a lot of things done.”
Blaine thought about that. Wondered what it must feel like to have gone from the behemoth that was the military, ruled so often by people who’d never even been close to a uniform, to working for an organization like this Foxworth of his, where apparently they all had the same aim and goals and bosses who were behind them one hundred percent.
Even as he thought it something buzzed from the small console on the roof of the SUV near the rearview mirror. Rafe reached up and tapped a button.
“Crawford,” he said, speaking upward at what was obviously a built-in system.
“Hey, Rafe, Jace.” The voice was steady, calm. “Quinn just told us about your case. I’m with Walker in Arizona, but we can be back by this afternoon if you need us.”
Blaine glance over in time to see Rafe smile. Obviously this must be one of the local Foxworth people. “We’re good for now,” he said. “But I’ll give you a call if that changes. How goes it there?”
“Still checking out locations. Lot of nice people.”
“Our kind, then.”
“Yep. Hey, Walker says to stick around until we get back, even if you’re done. He’d like to see you.”
“You mean he wants to see Cutter.” Rafe’s tone was so exaggeratedly dry Blaine knew it had to be a joke.
“Well, that too,” the man on the other end said, and he was laughing.
“Later,” Rafe said, chuckling himself as he ended the call. He looked a little bemused, as if he wasn’t quite used to kidding around like that.
They were out of the residential area now, and things were looking more familiar. Some places had different names, housed different businesses, but the buildings were the same as he remembered, and that helped him make the turns necessary.
As he drove, passing those familiar places, he gave a wondering shake of his head. “I actually miss this place.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. I thought it was behind me. Especially after the divorce.”
He’d told Rafe once about how he and Erin had started, and he remembered how the idea of childhood sweethearts, the proverbial girl next door “except across the street,” had seemed to boggle the guy.
“Hey, it became a cliché for a reason,” he’d said.
But that had been back when they were still together, when Rafe had come to see him after his crash.
“Thinking about coming back?” Rafe asked now.
“I have been. Never thought I would, but… I feel like I need to be closer to Ethan. Maybe if I had been, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Maybe,” Rafe said. Blaine felt that steady gaze on him. “Going to give up flying?”
“I hope not,” Blaine said fervently. “It’s the only job I love.” He gave Rafe a sideways glance. “Although you sound pretty darned happy with yours.”
“I am,” he agreed. “So you’d be willing to fly civilians around?”
“Fly with a very low likelihood of getting shot out of the sky? You bet.”
“There is that,” Rafe said, sounding amused now.
Blaine marveled anew at the change in the man. But he supposed being reunited and rebuilding with the only woman you’ve ever loved could do that for you.
Too bad he’d never find that out for himself.
Chapter 13
