the shore.
Idiot, she thought as she neared the white sand of the beach again and the frightened feeling slipped away. What were you afraid of? That the sky and the sea were really listening to you? That those words were actually going to do something?
She could almost laugh at it now, and she was embarrassed and annoyed with herself. Talk about an overactive imagination. She was still safe, and the world was still ordinary. Words were only words.
But when a movement caught her eye then, she would always remember that deep down she had not been surprised.
Something was happening. There was motion on the shore.
It was the red-haired guy. He'd burst out between the pitch pines and was running down the slope of a dune. Suddenly inexplicably calm, Cassie hurried the rest of the way down the dock, to meet him as he reached the sand.
The dog beside him was loping easily, looking up at the guy's face as if to say this was a great game, and what next? But from the boy's expression and the way he was running, Cassie could tell it wasn't a game.
He looked up and down the deserted beach. A hundred yards to the left a headland jutted out, so you couldn't see what was beyond. He glanced at Cassie and their eyes met. Then, turning abruptly, he started toward the headland.
Cassie's heart was beating hard.
“Wait!” she called urgently.
He turned back, scanning her quickly with his blue-gray eyes.
“Who's after you?” she said, though she thought she knew.
His voice was crisp, his words concise. “Two guys who look like linebackers for the New York Giants.”
Cassie nodded, feeling the thump of her heart accelerate. But her voice was still calm. “Their names are Jordan and Logan Bainbridge.”
“It figures.”
“You've heard of them?”
“No. But it figures they'd be named something like that.”
Cassie almost laughed. She liked the way he looked, so windblown and alert, scarcely out of breath even though he'd been running hard. And she liked the daredevil sparkle in his eyes and the way he joked even though he was in trouble.
“Raj and I could take them, but they've got a couple of friends with them,” he said, turning again. Walking backward, he added, “You'd better go the other way-you don't want to run into them. And it would be nice if you could pretend you hadn't seen me.”
“Wait!” cried Cassie.
Whatever was going on wasn't her business… but she found herself speaking without hesitation. There
was something about this guy; something that made her want to help him.
“That way's a dead end-around the headland you'll run into rocks. You'll be trapped.”
“But the other way's too straight. I'd still be in sight when they got here. They weren't far behind me.”
Cassie's thoughts were flying, and then suddenly she knew. “Hide in the boat.”
“What?”
“In the boat. In the powerboat. On the dock.” She gestured at it. “You can get in the cabin and they won't see you.”
His eyes followed hers, but he shook his head. “I'd really be trapped if they found me there. And Raj doesn't like to swim.”
“They won't find you,” Cassie said. “They won't go near it. I'll tell them you went down the beach that way.”
He stared at her, the smile dying out of his eyes. “You don't understand,” he said quietly. “Those guys are trouble.”