Page 56 of Erase Me
“Running is pointless,” I told them.“There’s no hiding from them.They’ll find you.Your name is on the kill list.”
It was harsh to say the words, but it was the truth.And I knew Nadine understood what I was talking about.I walked to the nearest window and lowered the shade to what I remembered it to be.
“That’s why I jumped back in time.We have to face them and get their assassin to break protocol.”
“I knew this day would come,” Nadine murmured to her husband, cradling the baby more tightly in her arms.“Everything has been so wonderful.Too good to be true.”
She was still calm, but her tone now conveyed a mixture of apprehension and resignation.
Xander shook his head.“We’ll do whatever we have to do.”
“I could still go back.”
He shook his head.“That isnotan option.”
“He’s right,” I said.“Going back is not the solution.Even if you do, they’ll target Layla once they discover her existence.In one way or another, she's already influencing history.”
Nadine grew pale.
“And by eliminating her,” I said.“They erase me, as well.”
They both stared at me.
“But I have a plan.”
ChapterSeventeen
Reed
When I first arrived intown, I’d walked along the beach trail, scoping out the area and looking for good places to surf.A few hundred yards north of the San Clemente Pier, the trail passed a narrow valley and a road that came to a dead end at a friendly-looking park.Apartments and beach houses covered the bordering hills.A large play area, grassy fields, palm trees, and picnic tables filled the park.
This was Linda Lane.The beach—a haven for swimmers and boogie boarders—was accessed by way of a tunnel that ran beneath tracks from a small parking lot.At low tide, a person could walk along the water from Linda Lane all the way to the pier.Whether it was low tide or high, though, one could easily walk or bike on the trail from San Onofre Park through San Clemente to Dana Point.
Like T-Street Beach and the other beaches all along this stretch of the coast, Linda Lane had its own personality and charm.Quiet and peaceful, it was a great place for families.It had a neighborhood vibe, in fact.
But not today.
The quiet was currently disrupted by fire engines, an ambulance, and half a dozen police cars and Park vehicles.Emergency personnel stood by the tunnel access and a crowd of uniforms milled about on the beach.
A little more than half an hour ago, Vaughn had texted me, demanding that I meet him here.It was urgent, he said.A body had washed ashore.Someone I’d want to see.
As I drove the short distance from my apartment to Linda Lane, my mind was fixed solely on Avalie.I couldn't shake the feeling that whatever Vaughn was dragging me into, it was somehow connected to her.She’d left me in the Surf Ghetto just six hours earlier—not under the friendliest of conditions—and the mere thought of something happening to her bothered me.No, it was worse than that.There was a twist in my gut that didn’t ease up all the way to the scene.
Fortunately, Avalie wasn’t the dark, lifeless figure on the beach.
“The surfers spotted him a couple of hours ago, and the lifeguards pulled him out.”
We were standing with a crowd of bystanders by a wall overlooking the tracks and the beach.From here, there wasn’t much we could see of the corpse.
“How did you find out about it?”
“I’ve been trying to track him down all day, ever since you told me he was a no-show last night,” Vaughn explained, looking out toward the body.“I guess we can accept his excuse for not meeting you.”
Why did this guy have to be such an asshole?
“Someone on the beach recognized him as soon as he was dragged out.I think this was part of his regular route through town.”
“Who called you?”
