Page 18 of Sapphire Storm

“Let me guess. She put the moves on you and made it clearyour job was on the line if you said no.”

“Worse,” Roman answered. “She wants to pimp me out to her futureson-in-law behind my best friend’s back, so he stops cheating on her withstrangers.”

Ethan slumped against the refrigerator door. “That is quitea directive. I take it you refused?”

“I haven’t really given my answer yet,” Roman muttered. Thenquickly, and as if to distract from what he’d just revealed, he added, “MaybeI’m just hungry. I keep trying to have dinner and the world keeps doing new,horrible things.”

“You didn’t fill up on cake at Sapphire Cove?”

Silence from the other end.

“Come on. It’s a little funny.”

“Later, maybe.”

“Later you’re going to eat, or later you’ll laugh at myjoke?”

Roman Walker’s answer was an unearthly wail.

Ethan jumped, knocking one shoulder into the edge of thefridge. At first, he thought the guy was venting a night’s worth of frustrationand rage with a sudden primal scream. But then came the words “No, no, no,no, no, no” as Roman’s voice got further and further away from the phone.

Then the connection went dead.

He called Roman’s name several times, then tried calling himback twice, three times. Each time, voicemail answered.

He was already peeling out of his apartment’s garage when heremembered the wine. Normally he’d never drive this soon after even one glass,but Roman’s terrified screams were still ringing in his ears.

They sounded like the screams of a falling man.

7

The trailhead was at the dead end of a twistinghillside street packed with multistory houses perched high above PCH, some ofthem commanding expansive views of the ocean below. Ethan parked in its emptydirt lot, rushed to his trunk, and pulled out the Maglite he’d added to hisearthquake kit.

Next to the familiar signs warning of fire danger andpotential wildlife encounters, the only barrier was an easily scaled ranchgate, more decorative than obstructive.

Warm winds blew west off the desert, gaining strength asthey ripped down the ocean-facing hillsides. By the time he’d hoofed it to theturnoff for the first viewpoint, he’d worked up a light sweat. Holding theflashlight at his waist, spraying the trail ahead with as much diffused lightas he could, he looked for footprints. But the dirt on this section of thetrail was too hard packed to reveal any.

He’d thought about calling an ambulance on the way over, butif Roman had suffered an emotional breakdown and not a physical one, abattalion of EMTs barreling down on him and asking a hundred questions mightnot help his mental state.

He called Roman’s name once, twice.

Only the wind answered.

He knew the first viewpoint had a duo of picnic tables andbenches and a stunning view of the ocean far below. But the clump of shadowwaiting for him there didn’t make any sense. Moonlit ocean stretched to thehorizon beyond.

“Roman!”

“Don’t!”There was hysteria in his voice.

The closer Ethan got to the picnic area, the more he couldmake out what lay ahead.

Roman Walker was sitting on top of one of the benches, armswrapped tightly around knees he’d pulled to his chest, rocking back and forthwith the familiar two-step of panic. Or shock.

There was a small square of light off to one side of thebench. Roman’s phone. He’d dropped it. Or thrown it. Ethan’s money was ondroppedgiven the cries he’d heard before the call was cut short.

“Roman, are you all right?”

“Don’t, Ethan! There might be more!”

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