specimen as he’d ever seen. Except for the perfect round hole dead center in his forehead.
“Billy, hey, call the cops,” he said to one of the guys behind him. “This guy’s done. Did any of you get the license plate of that car?”
JUST UP THE ROAD
Luka had chosen the bedroom to the front of the small beach house.
“That freaking roar would keep me awake.”
Mal laughed as she dropped her satchel on the bed in the room that faced the sea , then went over to open the French doors to let the sound of the waves in.
“You live in the city. It’s a freaking roar all the time.”
“Yeah, well, different kind. Anyway, I can’t wait until morning so I can take my boogie board out.”
“You live near the ocean, and you don’t surf?”
“Do you know how big those waves get? And no, I don’t. I fell off a surfboard when I was ten and nearly drowned. So don’t laugh, okay?”
“Aw, Luka, sorry, buddy. No, I’m not laughing. But I am fucking starving. What did you bring?”
“Beer and chips. Potato and tortilla. Cheese. More beer.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. I got essentials.”
“You were supposed to get supplies. Food, for crying out loud.”
“Potato chips aren’t food?”
“Not in any cookbook in the world. I guess we’ll have to go out.”
“No, Mal, not our first night here. I tell you what, how about you start a fire in that fire -pit, I’ll head out, get some groceries, and pick up an extra-large pepperoni for tonight.”
“Yeah, I can live with that plan.”
“Okay. You’ll be okay until I come back?”
Mal shoved him hard enough to knock him through the doorway and into the small, but charming living room.
“Like I need a babysitter. Get out of here. Try to be back before I die of starvation.”
Luka grabbed the keys to Mal’s SUV, his expression suddenly serious.
“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, Mal, you know that?”
“Get out of here,” she barked.
Nodding, Luka took off down the long gravel driveway and disappeared around a line of trees that stood sentry for Captain Kordalis’s property.
Wandering to the back of the house once again, Mal opened the doors that led off of the living room onto the main balcony. The cool ocean air felt like sprinkles of magic on her overheated skin. She moaned, her eyes closed, and just immersed herself in the moment. Peace. Nothing and no one needing her to do something, fix something, or chase something or someone.
Damn, it felt good to just be still and breathe .
A sling-back couch took up the corner of the balcony so she dropped onto it and leaned into it to let her body relax. She watched the ocean move under a strangely shaped moon that illuminated the landscape with its reflected light. With slow deliberation, the waves moved in, scattered its water onto the soft sand, then rolled away again. Ummm, Mal thought. I could really sleep here.
Sleep. God, she was going to sleep!
A low rumble in her belly told her that first, she needed some dinner. While it was well past dinnertime for most normal people, for her and Luka, there was no normal. Dinner came when they finished for the night, and that was often late. Like now.
Her head swiveled back towards the small kitchen. He said he b rought chips and beer.
“As good a start as any,” she murmured out loud and got up to head to the refrigerator for a cold beer.
Plopping onto a barstool at a high counter in the kitchen, she popped open a sweating can of beer. On the counter sat a police scanner and she glanced at it, then turned it on. With Luka gone, she was a little bored, so she began to toy with it. After several minutes, it began to intercept some signals. The calls were infrequent, and a few of them were no more than greetings between the female dispatcher and two male officers out on calls.
“Small
“Billy, hey, call the cops,” he said to one of the guys behind him. “This guy’s done. Did any of you get the license plate of that car?”
JUST UP THE ROAD
Luka had chosen the bedroom to the front of the small beach house.
“That freaking roar would keep me awake.”
Mal laughed as she dropped her satchel on the bed in the room that faced the sea , then went over to open the French doors to let the sound of the waves in.
“You live in the city. It’s a freaking roar all the time.”
“Yeah, well, different kind. Anyway, I can’t wait until morning so I can take my boogie board out.”
“You live near the ocean, and you don’t surf?”
“Do you know how big those waves get? And no, I don’t. I fell off a surfboard when I was ten and nearly drowned. So don’t laugh, okay?”
“Aw, Luka, sorry, buddy. No, I’m not laughing. But I am fucking starving. What did you bring?”
“Beer and chips. Potato and tortilla. Cheese. More beer.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. I got essentials.”
“You were supposed to get supplies. Food, for crying out loud.”
“Potato chips aren’t food?”
“Not in any cookbook in the world. I guess we’ll have to go out.”
“No, Mal, not our first night here. I tell you what, how about you start a fire in that fire -pit, I’ll head out, get some groceries, and pick up an extra-large pepperoni for tonight.”
“Yeah, I can live with that plan.”
“Okay. You’ll be okay until I come back?”
Mal shoved him hard enough to knock him through the doorway and into the small, but charming living room.
“Like I need a babysitter. Get out of here. Try to be back before I die of starvation.”
Luka grabbed the keys to Mal’s SUV, his expression suddenly serious.
“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, Mal, you know that?”
“Get out of here,” she barked.
Nodding, Luka took off down the long gravel driveway and disappeared around a line of trees that stood sentry for Captain Kordalis’s property.
Wandering to the back of the house once again, Mal opened the doors that led off of the living room onto the main balcony. The cool ocean air felt like sprinkles of magic on her overheated skin. She moaned, her eyes closed, and just immersed herself in the moment. Peace. Nothing and no one needing her to do something, fix something, or chase something or someone.
Damn, it felt good to just be still and breathe .
A sling-back couch took up the corner of the balcony so she dropped onto it and leaned into it to let her body relax. She watched the ocean move under a strangely shaped moon that illuminated the landscape with its reflected light. With slow deliberation, the waves moved in, scattered its water onto the soft sand, then rolled away again. Ummm, Mal thought. I could really sleep here.
Sleep. God, she was going to sleep!
A low rumble in her belly told her that first, she needed some dinner. While it was well past dinnertime for most normal people, for her and Luka, there was no normal. Dinner came when they finished for the night, and that was often late. Like now.
Her head swiveled back towards the small kitchen. He said he b rought chips and beer.
“As good a start as any,” she murmured out loud and got up to head to the refrigerator for a cold beer.
Plopping onto a barstool at a high counter in the kitchen, she popped open a sweating can of beer. On the counter sat a police scanner and she glanced at it, then turned it on. With Luka gone, she was a little bored, so she began to toy with it. After several minutes, it began to intercept some signals. The calls were infrequent, and a few of them were no more than greetings between the female dispatcher and two male officers out on calls.
“Small
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