Page 41 of Erase Me
“You have nothing better to do, is that it?Your job is to spy on me?”
“Nope.Spying is beneath me.I monitor.I facilitate.I make sure missions don’t go off the rails.”Vaughn stood up.“But as I mentioned earlier, like it or not, I live in 2023, here in sunny Southern California.If you’re not thrilled that I’m here, gazing at the ocean and...coincidentally, I might add...catching sight of you and your girlfriend going all lovey-dovey with each other, well, that’s on you.Since this ten-mile stretch of beach is obviously not big enough for the two of us, I’ll leave you to it.Watch out for sharks, my friend.”
As Vaughn turned toward the parking lot bordering the beach, I was tempted to clarify that Avalie wasn’t my girlfriend, but I wasn’t about to shout after him.Besides, it would be a waste of time.Vaughn would interpret things as he pleased.
I kept my eyes on him until he vanished from my line of sight, giving myself time to cool off.
When I looked back at Avalie, I found she was back out on the water.Retrieving my board, I waded into the ocean to join her just as she skillfully caught another wave, riding it with effortless grace and kicking out when she was only a few yards from me.
“You knew that guy?”she asked as we paddled out together.
“Unfortunately.”
“A friend of yours?”
I shook my head.“No, a disgruntled local employee.”
“Upset that you took the day off?”
“No.He’s worrying about losing his job.”
“Should he be worried?”
“No, the home office looks after longtime employees who do their job.”
“Will you put in a good word for him?”
“Yup.He’ll be fine.”
“So, you have that much influence?”
“Thinking about applying for a job?”I teased.
“Maybe.You never know,” she said casually.
Then, without hesitation, she turned her board and caught the next wave.
ChapterTen
Avalie
There wasno getting around it.I was feeling torn.Worse than torn.Basically, I was fucked.
Here was a man I might need to kill in the next few days.And yet, the more time I spent with Reed, the more I found myself drawn to him.It seriously didn’t help the situation at all that he was considerate, funny, romantic and, let’s face it, undeniably great in bed.I never expected to be thinking that we could have an actual relationship.
The reality was, though, that this kind of thinking was a red flag in itself.There was serious trouble ahead, no matter how I looked at it.
I was here to save people.He was here to eliminate them.Our intentions placed us in direct opposition to each other.I came back in time to protect.He came back with a mission to kill.There was no doubt in my mind that both of us were prepared to kill to accomplish what we came to do.
So, why did I have to like him?
Yup, basically fucked.
I left Reed unloading the car at his place and walked up the road to my apartment.The convenient excuse of having to return to my imaginary friend Pat was still working.My only promise was that I’d call or text him sometime tomorrow.
It wasn’t a lie when I told him I was beat.Despite being in good physical shape, the thrilling but demanding experience of surfing had left me totally drained.The waves, the paddling, the constant need to focus and balance had taken a greater toll on my body than I’d anticipated.
There was also the throbbing bruise on my side that I’d been trying to ignore all day.And now the spot was tender as hell.
