Drake smiled. 'You know, I actually thought about it when I was younger. Nearly approached them too, but didn't really want to be the center of attention like that. I just had this nagging fear someone would find me if I did.'
"Obviously not an unjustified fear." I thought of how they did eventually find him, capture him, and keep him locked up and powerless like a dog.
'Don't be so sad. I'd go through it all again if that's the only way I could've found you.'
We had a total tourist moment, taking pictures with the World's Tallest Man and the World's Shortest Woman before joining the stream of pedestrians again.
My worry about the world eased away, and I found myself feeling normal, just enjoying a sunny afternoon at the beach with my boyfriend.
"Dude, is that really you?" A tall, lanky guy with sun-bleached hair jogged toward Drake with a surfboard in hand. "Man, where the hell have you been? You disappeared after the competition, and no one's seen or heard from you since. Dude, you were primed to win that day. What gives?"
Drake plastered a smile on his face and bumped fists with the guy.
Brad's smile, at least, seemed genuine. "Rick, how the hell are you?"
"Hey, Brad, haven't seen you out on the waves lately. Busy with the writing? Making national headlines?"
"Something like that."
Rick looked at me. "And who's this?"
Drake stood protectively by me. "This is my girlfriend, Sam. Sam, this is one of my old surfing buddies, Rick."
I shook Rick's hand. "Nice to meet you."
His eyes drifted to my belly then back up. "You too. How long have you and Drake been together?"
Before I could answer, Drake interrupted. "A while. And yes, the baby's mine. I'm going to be a dad."
Rick's eyes grew big, but he composed himself quickly and slapped Drake on the back. "Congrats, dude. That's awesome. You'll make an epic father. You can teach your little dude how to catch the perfect wave."
A glow lit in me as I imagined Drake holding our child on a surfboard, teaching him or her the secrets of the ocean.
"So what happened to you guys?" Rick asked.
"I ran into some trouble that day at the competition. It's a long story."
"Well, you're back now, and at least that ass-wipe Max didn’t win. We should hang, catch some waves. You game?"
"Would love to, but my surfboard is trashed, and I don't have the cash to replace it right now. Besides, I've got some pretty big things on my plate. I'm just giving Sam the tour before we head home."
"Too bad, man. You were the best of us. Oh, funny I should run into you. A few days ago, two big guys in black came by looking for you at the surf shop. Got a bad feeling about them. None of us had seen you, so we couldn't tell them anything. Not that we would have. What's going on, man? You got yourself some trouble of the bad kind?"
I slipped into Rick's mind. "Do you remember what they looked like?"
I didn't listen to his answer. Instead, I memorized the images he pulled forward so I could draw them later.
Chills ran down my arms. "People have found us? Already?"
'Guess so. Shit. I'm sorry, Sam. We never should have come back to my old stomping grounds.'
"It's not your fault. Where else would we have gone?"
"Hey, thanks for telling me, Bro. Appreciate it. But we've got to get going. Can you do me a favor and pretend you never saw me today? I don't know what these guys want from me, but I have a feeling it's nothing good."
Rick slapped Drake on the back and fist-bumped Brad. "Take care, man. I never saw you. Peace, Bro. Nice meeting you, Sam. Take care of my boy."
Rick walked away and soon became engrossed in conversation with two girls in bikinis who seemed very interested in his surfboard.
Once Rick was out of earshot, Drake said, "I think it's time we head to the police. We need to at least try."
I nodded. "Okay, let's go."
I ignored the smells tempting me from the shops. My stomach rumbled. Now would be the time I got my appetite back.
As we rounded a building with a large mural, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A man dressed all in black stared at me from the corner. He didn't avert his gaze when we locked eyes. A chill traveled down my spine, and the baby kicked hard into my ribs. I grabbed Drake's and Brad's hands and pulled them around the corner and out of sight.
"Someone is watching us."
We hustled back to the car. I scanned minds to see if we stuck out to anyone, but didn't find anything. The man was gone. Had Rick made me paranoid or was someone really following us?
"Sam, who did you see?" Drake asked once we were safely in Brad's car and headed toward the police station.
"Male. Black pants and shirt. Bald, but not old—his head looked shaved to the skin. Brown eyes, I think."
Brad glanced at me. "Could you draw him?"
"Yes." I grabbed my purse, pulled out my sketchpad and pencils. The supple leather brought back memories I tried hard to push aside. Instead, I closed my eyes and pictured the man in my mind. After a few minutes, a sketch of him covered the paper, detailed enough so any of us could recognize him.