Page 67 of Sunset Cove
Marty wasn’t able to sleep. He laid in bed, restlessly flipping and turning, listening to every sound. Every hour or so he’d get up and peek through the window, sure that he’d catch sight of an FBI team circling the building.
He never saw anything out of place, but more than once, as he stared out into the darkness, he considered trying to slip away. Claire would be upset, but she’d understand. The real issue was that the window was stuck. Even when he’d tried to crack it for some fresh air, it wouldn’t budge.
Marty gave up, and around six that morning, finally drifted off to sleep. He was deep in a dream when there was a knock at his door.
He jolted awake, heart racing, grabbing his bag before peering into the peephole.
“Housekeeping!” a voice called out.
The adrenaline was making him nauseated. He cleared his throat and raised his voice, trying to sound like Lucy. “No thank you!”
It was a poor imitation, but the woman moved on. Marty stood there, staring out of the peephole for a minute before making up his mind.
This whole thing was ridiculous. He couldn’t spend another day locked up in this hotel room with two FBI agents breathing down his neck. Claire didn’t deserve to have her hotel go down the drain over him. Lucy certainly didn’t need to get any other sweet but misguided ideas about how to help him.
Marty threw on his jacket and returned to the window, peering around the edge of the curtain.
It didn’t look like anything was going on, and there wasn’t a soul outside. He undid the lock and forced the window open, pushing so hard part of the frame cracked under the force.
He didn’t care. The window was finally releasing him, so he climbed out, landing with a thud on the grass below. With the hood of his jacket popped over his head, he quickly moved toward the road.
There was no one waiting for him outside, no team dressed in black, no helicopters, and no scent dogs. It was just him, the birds, and the boats off in the distance.
Maybe he had overreacted. Marty’s shoulders relaxed the further he got from the hotel. It wasn’t until he was walking alongside the parking lot, hiding amongst the trees, that he saw something unusual. A black SUV had pulled up to the front door of the hotel, unloading six men before pulling away.
The hair stood up on Marty’s neck. Was this it? Was it really happening? Or had he finally lost his mind?
He wasn’t going to wait around to find out. Marty picked up his pace, keeping his head down, and promptly walked into the side of a truck.
“Do you mind telling me why you just busted one of my windows?” said a voice.
Marty looked up, peering into the open window of the truck. The guy looked angry – annoyed, even – but he didn’t look like FBI.
“Sorry,” Marty said hurriedly, trying to walk around, keeping his head down.
The truck lurched forward. “Not so fast.”
Marty looked up, just in time to see a second black SUV arrive and unload another six men into the hotel.
The driver of the truck turned to see what Marty was looking at. “Friends of yours?” he asked.
Marty felt a panic setting in. He was having a hard time breathing and was seeing spots. He shook his head.
The driver of the truck frowned. “Are you...Lucy’s friend?”
Maybe this guy was FBI? That would be clever – flush him out of the room, then have him walk right into the arms of an agent… “Never heard of her.”
“Listen kid, I’m the manager of the hotel whose window you just broke. If you try to run off, I’ll call the police.”
Another SUV came rolling through, and Marty ducked low so he wasn’t spotted. Once they passed, he leaned into the truck window. “You’re Chip?”
“The one and only.”
Marty felt like he was going to throw up. The newest carload had unloaded, these agents running to the side of the hotel. They were getting into place. “You’re the one Claire likes.”
Chip cocked his head to the side. “What?”
“Give me a ride. Please. Let me in.” He tried the door handle, but it was locked.
Chip shook his head. “You’re out of your mind.”
“If you don’t help me, Claire’s going to be arrested.”
Chip scowled at him, but a moment later he unlocked the doors. “Get in.”
