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Evidently, Natches was already considering that fact. Dawg chuckled at that thought as he moved to help Rowdy with the door.
“She’s still not pretty,” he told his cousin. “But at least I didn’t smell the smoke. ”
Rowdy grunted. “Smoke wouldn’t have mattered to Natches, Dawg,” he pointed out.
And that was the damned truth. Even last year, when she was lighting up every time Natches came around her, their cousin hadn’t been able to stay away.
“She’s still not pretty,” he said again.
“What’s your problem with her looks?” Rowdy paused as they propped the door up and Dawg went in search of a hammer and nails. “He won’t have to use a bag for her head. Hell, Dawg, I don’t care what she looks like. Natches isn’t ice anymore. He was scaring the shit out of me with that cold attitude of his. We’re not far from losing him
forever, if you haven’t noticed. ”
And Dawg had noticed. Natches had been drawing further and further away over the years. He pulled the hammer and nails from the kitchen drawer and moved back to the door.
Her looks shouldn’t bother him, and Dawg knew it. Crista had just torn into his butt the night before over a similar comment.
“It’s not just her looks,” he finally admitted.
“Then what is it?”
“It’s her eyes. Look at her eyes, man. They’re dead inside. That woman isn’t even alive, and you can see it in her face. Her expression and her eyes. She’ll destroy Natches. ”
Rowdy was quiet for long moments then. The sounds of the hammer striking wood and the four-inch nails sinking into the frame were the only comment Dawg received.
Finally, the door was secure, and Rowdy was just staring at it.
“She’s not dead inside,” he finally said, his voice soft.
“Same as. ” Dawg shrugged. “You didn’t work with her last year. She’s cold inside, man. She can get nervous as hell, she can get scared, and she did a fine laugh tonight, but there ain’t no love in her for anyone. ”
Rowdy shook his head at that. “There’s too much emotion. ” He looked at Dawg then. “Just like Natches. And she’s determined to hide it. You can’t see past that need we both have to keep protecting our little cousin, Dawg. Sometimes I think we forget he’s all grown-up now. ”
“And just as alone as he ever was,” Dawg growled.
Rowdy shook his head. “Not anymore. ”
SIX
He didn’t take her back to the hotel, just as he’d told Chaya he wouldn’t. She didn’t remember Natches being this damned stubborn. Not that he couldn’t give the proverbial mule a run for its money. But practically kidnapping her wasn’t something he had done before.
“Why bring me here, Natches?” she asked him as they stepped into the comfortable living area of the boat, and she stared around in interest.
“Because we’re not finished. ” He closed the door, locked it, and reset the security system.
She felt her heart race at the sound of the muted little beep from the security console. Somehow the boat seemed much more intimate than the apartment had. It wasn’t just that the space was less open and smaller; it was as though a part of Natches himself was infused within the interior.
Dark browns and desert tones made up the color scheme of the furniture. The carpet was a creamy white. Small dark maroon pillows rested at the arms of the couch, and a rug of the same color was laid at the door. Heavy desert brown shades covered the windows, and the splash of golden light that fell from the table lamps softened the room.
The kitchen was separated by a combination table and bar. Laminate flooring stretched to the curved metal staircase at the far end of the kitchen and beyond, to what Chaya assumed were the bedrooms.
She turned back to Natches when he didn’t explain further, and watched him warily. He reminded her of a caged beast straining against his restraints. It was there in the wild glitter of his dark green eyes, in the taut planes and angles of his face.
“Why the hell did Cranston have to send you here?” he finally asked, the guttural tone of his voice causing her to flinch.
“That was my question as well. ” She shrugged, watching him carefully as he strode past her to the refrigerator in the kitchen. “His answer was that I was his best bet. He didn’t tell me what the bet was though. ”
“Driving me bat-shit crazy?” he asked as he twisted the cap off a beer and tipped it to his lips.
