to the ocean. A spike of fear raced to
her heart at the sight of it. Somehow, she understood she shouldn’t be dulling
her senses. That unidentifiable threat hovering at the edge of her memory was always
there, always just out of reach. August suspected whatever dark, dreadful thing
was following her, it was closer than she knew.
She glanced into Geoffrey’s eyes and relief replaced the spike
of fear. She placed her hand on his arm. A tingle of brilliant awareness raced
through her fingers.
“I’m more grateful than you know. This is difficult for me,
but you’re making it easier.”
His gaze slipped away, and then met hers again.
“I’m glad I could help. I need to do this for you. I owe it.”
His broad shoulders blocked out the light as he stood over
her, taller than she’d first thought. Looking up at him, she saw it again: something
haunted lingering in his eyes.
“Why do you feel indebted?”
Geoffrey moved past her and headed for the door.
“We’re all indebted for something.”
* * *
August spent a few hours flipping through magazines in the
living room. Some of the ads started to look familiar, but she suspected she’d
merely convinced herself of that rather than really feeling it. She gave up
when her head started throbbing and her stomach started grumbling in synch.
She found Geoffrey in his office, clacking away at the
keyboard.
“How do you feel about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?”
she asked from the doorway.
“They’re one of my favorite things.” He looked up from behind
the monitor. “Sorry. I disappeared, didn’t I?”
She managed a smile. “Don’t apologize. The last thing I want
to do is disrupt your life.”
He looked at his watch. “I have a conference call with the
Portland office in five minutes. It shouldn’t last long. I’ll be up soon. Make
yourself at home.”
She headed upstairs and poured herself a cup of water, but
went onto the deck to wait for Geoffrey. She didn’t feel comfortable rifling
through the kitchen without him.
August sat at a patio table and stared out at the lighthouse
in the distance. A biting wind blew over the deck railing, but the crisp, salty
air helped clear her mind.
“Yaquina Head,” Geoffrey had called it. The name didn’t sound
familiar, but something about it nagged at her. She watched the surge of light
at its peak sparking against the sooty clouds, instinctively counting. Four
seconds on. Four seconds off. Four seconds on. Twenty seconds off. The light’s
signature, she realized. Different from all others on the coast.
She made a fist with her right hand. How do I know that?
A clicking sound behind her gave her a start. A strange man
leaned against the patio doorjamb, lighting a cigarette.
She shot to her feet, knocking over her chair.
Chapter Six
“Who are you?” August staggered backward. Fear choked off her
breath and sent large black spots swirling in her vision.
She rapped the fiberglass elbow against the wooden railing and
bit back a gasp as pain shot through her arm. Delicately she cradled her cast
in her other hand.
“Seeing as you’re sitting on my deck, in my house, drinking
out of my father’s favorite coffee mug, I should be asking you that question.”
He took a long drag on the cigarette and slowly pulled it away
from his lips, looking her up and down like a hungry dog eyeing a piece of
meat.
“So who are you?” he pressed.
“I’m a friend of Geoffrey’s.”
“No kidding.” He burst out a sarcastic chirp of laughter. “You
look more like a friend of David’s, or a friend of Justin’s, but not a friend
of Geoffrey’s.”
Something about the look in his eyes made her skin crawl. They
were cold, yet guarded, and almost resentful.
“Does Geoffrey’s friend have a name?”
“You still haven’t told me yours.”
“Touché.” A sardonic smile touched his lips, but it didn’t
erase the antipathy from his face. “I’m Derek, Geoffrey’s brother.”
He was
her heart at the sight of it. Somehow, she understood she shouldn’t be dulling
her senses. That unidentifiable threat hovering at the edge of her memory was always
there, always just out of reach. August suspected whatever dark, dreadful thing
was following her, it was closer than she knew.
She glanced into Geoffrey’s eyes and relief replaced the spike
of fear. She placed her hand on his arm. A tingle of brilliant awareness raced
through her fingers.
“I’m more grateful than you know. This is difficult for me,
but you’re making it easier.”
His gaze slipped away, and then met hers again.
“I’m glad I could help. I need to do this for you. I owe it.”
His broad shoulders blocked out the light as he stood over
her, taller than she’d first thought. Looking up at him, she saw it again: something
haunted lingering in his eyes.
“Why do you feel indebted?”
Geoffrey moved past her and headed for the door.
“We’re all indebted for something.”
* * *
August spent a few hours flipping through magazines in the
living room. Some of the ads started to look familiar, but she suspected she’d
merely convinced herself of that rather than really feeling it. She gave up
when her head started throbbing and her stomach started grumbling in synch.
She found Geoffrey in his office, clacking away at the
keyboard.
“How do you feel about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?”
she asked from the doorway.
“They’re one of my favorite things.” He looked up from behind
the monitor. “Sorry. I disappeared, didn’t I?”
She managed a smile. “Don’t apologize. The last thing I want
to do is disrupt your life.”
He looked at his watch. “I have a conference call with the
Portland office in five minutes. It shouldn’t last long. I’ll be up soon. Make
yourself at home.”
She headed upstairs and poured herself a cup of water, but
went onto the deck to wait for Geoffrey. She didn’t feel comfortable rifling
through the kitchen without him.
August sat at a patio table and stared out at the lighthouse
in the distance. A biting wind blew over the deck railing, but the crisp, salty
air helped clear her mind.
“Yaquina Head,” Geoffrey had called it. The name didn’t sound
familiar, but something about it nagged at her. She watched the surge of light
at its peak sparking against the sooty clouds, instinctively counting. Four
seconds on. Four seconds off. Four seconds on. Twenty seconds off. The light’s
signature, she realized. Different from all others on the coast.
She made a fist with her right hand. How do I know that?
A clicking sound behind her gave her a start. A strange man
leaned against the patio doorjamb, lighting a cigarette.
She shot to her feet, knocking over her chair.
Chapter Six
“Who are you?” August staggered backward. Fear choked off her
breath and sent large black spots swirling in her vision.
She rapped the fiberglass elbow against the wooden railing and
bit back a gasp as pain shot through her arm. Delicately she cradled her cast
in her other hand.
“Seeing as you’re sitting on my deck, in my house, drinking
out of my father’s favorite coffee mug, I should be asking you that question.”
He took a long drag on the cigarette and slowly pulled it away
from his lips, looking her up and down like a hungry dog eyeing a piece of
meat.
“So who are you?” he pressed.
“I’m a friend of Geoffrey’s.”
“No kidding.” He burst out a sarcastic chirp of laughter. “You
look more like a friend of David’s, or a friend of Justin’s, but not a friend
of Geoffrey’s.”
Something about the look in his eyes made her skin crawl. They
were cold, yet guarded, and almost resentful.
“Does Geoffrey’s friend have a name?”
“You still haven’t told me yours.”
“Touché.” A sardonic smile touched his lips, but it didn’t
erase the antipathy from his face. “I’m Derek, Geoffrey’s brother.”
He was
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