Page 40 of Erase Me
“No worries!That was a great first effort.You’ll get the hang of it.Let’s paddle back out and try again.”
I figured it would probably take her a dozen or more tries to get the hang of balancing on the board for any length of time.But I was way off.The second time she caught a wave, all I could do was stare and admire.She positioned herself skillfully on her board, as if finding that balance was the most natural thing in the world.Her movements were fluid and confident.She rode the wave until, as it broke around her, she kicked out and dropped off on her own.
Avalie paddled back out, clearly excited.The next few rides were nearly as good, if not better.The wind was picking up, and the swells were growing.I saw the moment she spotted the perfect chance, a rising wall of water with a promising peak.Our positioning looked ideal.Paddling powerfully, she propelled herself forward, effortlessly popping up and catching the wave at its peak.
As she glided across the face of the wave, her form was impeccable.It was as if she and the ocean were in perfect harmony.As she approached the shore, she carved a series of graceful turns, riding the swell with finesse before kicking out and sinking into the water.
“Holy shit,” I said under my breath.
I rode the next wave, but nothing I did matched her.I reached Avalie in the shallows by the beach.
“Were you pulling my leg about teaching you to surf?You could be teaching me.”
“Ha!”she laughed.“I told you last night.I have no patience.It makes me a quick learner.”
I remembered the story she shared with me about her reluctance to learn how to ride a bike, as she believed she had to do it perfectly from the very first attempt.
Avalie held on to her board but didn’t leave the water.She nodded toward the beach.“Do you know that guy sitting near our things?The one in the black polo shirt and khaki pants?”
Vaughn.What the fuck was he doing on the beach, watching us?
“Yeah, I see him.What about him?”
“He’s been keeping tap the entire time we’ve been out here.I even spotted him by the restrooms when I came out.He was giving me some pretty creepy looks.”
“I’ll be right back,” I told her, carrying my board out of the water and leaving it in the sand close to the water’s edge.
Aside from his pants and shirt, Vaughn was wearing polished loafers with no socks.He stood out like a sore thumb here, but he wouldn’t have been out of place on the deck of a boat with a cocktail in one hand.All he was missing was a captain’s hat.
“A little underdressed for the beach.Don’t you think?”
“I think I look pretty good, don’t I?”
“Yeah, I’ve always been partial to tassels on shoes.”
The thought ran through my mind that he had information on Avalie or the device I’d asked him to trace.At the same time, I was pissed off that he was exposing the link between us.
“You know how to contact me, Vaughn, and this isn’t it.”
“Who said I was here for you?”
“Okay, then why are you here?”
“This isn’t a private beach, you know.In fact, there are no private beaches in California.But you wouldn’t know that.You just come sailing through time to do a job.Here one week and gone the next.So we might as well get this straight.This is my town.My beach.My turf.”
This guy was starting to get under my skin.“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Watch your body language, cowboy.Your girlfriend is watching.”
I glanced over my shoulder.Avalie was sitting in the sand next to our boards.
“Speak, Vaughn.I have no time for this.”
“She’s a babe, but what happened to all those new rules the big bosses shove down the facilitators’ throats every other week?Tell me if I’m wrong, but I thought those were meant for you boys especially.I, being the team player I am, study them carefully and then file them away for reference.”
Now, I was working hard to stay cool.In about five seconds, I was going to knock this bozo flat on his ass.
I knew what he was talking about.There were guidelines...okay, rules that prohibited jumpers from forming high-risk relationships or getting too involved with locals.Yet, as an experienced senior agent with a perfect record and the backing of a family within the organization, there was no way I needed to be taking orders from some handler.
