Heather Graham Bundle: The Island / Ghost Walk / Killing Kelly / The Vision. Heather Graham
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through the trees and bushes that grew around the borders of the club and the reflecting pool by the front steps.
Suddenly she thought she heard footsteps coming up behind her.
She told herself there was no reason for the sound of footsteps to frighten her. The club was still full of people, one of whom might have chosen to leave at the same time.
Was it in her own mind though, or were these footsteps echoing her own almost perfectly?
She paused, turning back.
The breeze lifted her hair and felt cool against her neck.
No, it felt chilling.
“Hello?” she called. “Anyone there?”
There was no reply.
The bushes, which seemed so benign by day, suddenly seemed thick and dark, able to hide a million dangers.
She straightened her shoulders and gave herself a mental shake. “Hello?” she called again. Once more there was no reply.
She started walking again, looking toward the front of the lot, where the security guard should have been in his little glass-windowed booth.
She couldn’t see him. He might have been sitting, with his head in a book, perhaps.
Or someone might have taken him out.
“Oh, right,” she murmured aloud, disgusted that she was letting her mind go off in such a paranoid direction. He was there somewhere. Or maybe he had gone off to help someone who was having car trouble.
Her car was only another fifty feet or so away.
She stared at it, hugging her purse against her side, reaching inside until she found the comforting shape of the pepper-spray canister.
The parking lot was well lit, but bright lights always allowed for shadows.
And those bushes, so big and lush, admired by everyone who came.
She didn’t like them anymore. Not one bit.
Aim for the car, she told herself. She had to get over this feeling.
The sounds from the club had faded completely. Click, click. She could hear her heels against the asphalt again, and then…
Footsteps, following.
She turned back once more.
This time she was almost certain she saw a shadow go flying behind a tree.
“Hello?” she called.
No one answered.
The car was nearly in front of her, and she made a hasty decision.
Screw rationality.
Run.
She did, and she was ready, keys in her hand, to click open the lock and jerk open the door as she reached the car.
Quickly she slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut. She started to exhale, then remembered to hit the automatic lock.
She let out a sigh and leaned back, allowing herself to feel a little ridiculous. When she looked to the side, she could see the guard in his little booth.
She closed her eyes again, took a deep breath and opened them. She frowned. The guard was gone again. She leaned to look out the passenger window to see where he had gone.
That was when someone loomed up in the driver’s window.
BEN KNEW THEY SHOULD LEAVE, but he was really enjoying the evening. Amber was smiling and playful, almost like she had been when she was younger.
She was a good kid, he reminded himself. Talented, driven. He was lucky.
“Did you notice that yacht anchored on the other side of the Sea Witch?” Mark asked Ben.
“Huh? Sorry…I was drifting, I guess,” Ben apologized.
“It’s a night for that, isn’t it?” Mark said.
“I don’t think I’ve noticed any new boats around,” Ben said.
“She’s a real beauty. I’d love an invitation on to her!”
“What is she?”
“Motor yacht. Looks like she’s fitted for anything in the world you could think of doing out on the water,” Mark said.
“Oh, yeah? Some guys out on Calliope over the weekend had a boat like that,” Ben said.
“Were you on it?”
“You bet. It really was fitted out for anything in the world.”
“Well, if it’s the same guys and you know them, get me an invitation,” Mark said.
Ben nodded. “There were three of them. A guy named Lee Gomez owns her. His friends were Keith Henson and Matt Albright.”
“Yeah? What do they do for a living?”
“Family money bought the boat.”
“There you go. Can’t beat family money.”
“Nope. Better to earn it yourself,” Ben protested.
Mark laughed. “You see it your way, I’ll see it mine. Doesn’t matter—I don’t have any family money coming my way, so I guess I’ll have to go with that damn earning it thing. Well. I’m going to change and get out of here. If you see those guys, though, hang on to them and call me.”
“Sure thing,” Ben said. He looked over at Amber. She had been lying on one of the nearby lounges, but now she was staring at him. She looked a little ashen, or maybe it was just the light.
“You think it’s them?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Could be. I think somewhere along the line I said they were welcome here anytime. I thought you liked them.”
“Uh, yeah. I’m going to shower and change, Dad. You about ready?”
“Yup.” He rose and set an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go home.”
She didn’t shake him off. She suddenly seemed glad of his arm.
SOMEHOW BETH REFRAINED FROM screaming, then was glad she had.
It was just Manny, tapping at her window.
She turned the key in the ignition, then rolled down the power window. “Hey, Manny.”
“Hi, gorgeous. I hear we’re having a salsa night at the Summer Sizzler.” He sounded pleased.
“Yes, do you like the idea?”
“Love it. Maria will be dancing?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful. Well, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He started to walk away, but before she rolled the window up, he turned back to her.
“Did you go out to the beach and see Eduardo Shea?” he asked.
“I did.”
“What did you think?”
She was startled by the question. “Um, he seemed to have a lot of love and respect for the Monocos, and he also seemed to like my idea. I think he likes the fact that most of our members can afford dance lessons if they like the taste they get at the Summer Sizzler.”
Manny was studying her strangely, she thought.
But everything that night had seemed strange. It was definitely her, she decided.
Manny shrugged. “Sounds good.”
“I hope so. Actually, some of our members have already taken lessons at the studio.”
She was curious to see if he would ask