I walked off the plane and through the terminal of the small airport, trying to decide whether to contact Gunner or just show up at the house. I understood Doc’s dilemma in the same way I would’ve if someone I worked with wasn’t being completely forthcoming with me.
Gunner and Razor owned property in the seaside village of Cambria, and if Losha was with him and Zary, it made perfect sense that this would be where he’d brought her.
I picked up the rental car I’d reserved and drove north, easily finding the walled and gated property I’d visited less than a handful of times. I stopped far enough away that I wouldn’t be spotted, mulling over how to proceed.
Before I came to a decision, I saw the gate open and a car pull out onto the road. When it went in the opposite direction of where I was parked, I followed.
The car turned a corner and slowed. From where I was, I could see Zary was driving and Losha was in the front passenger seat.
They stopped and she got out of the car, giving me a better look. If it were possible, she looked more beautiful than she ever had. She was dressed in jeans and a bulky sweater, and her long dark hair swayed in waves down her back.
I watched Losha open the rear passenger door while Zary got something out of the trunk. I held my breath when she leaned into the car. When she straightened up, she was holding a baby bundled in blankets in her arms. Losha brought her lips to the child’s cheek. I was at once moved and sickened. She was a picture-perfect loving mother of a baby she’d made with another man.
Zary opened a pram, and Losha leaned down to fasten the baby in it. From where I sat in the car, I couldn’t see her expression, but it was as though an aura of love and warmth surrounded her.
Never once had I seen her look at anyone or anything with such unabashed affection. It made my heart ache even though it was love for a child rather than another man.
But how could she not love someone with whom she’d created another life? My chest filled with unimaginable pain, knowing she must.
I got out of the car when the women had walked far enough away in the opposite direction, and followed them as they rounded the corner onto the main street of the town.
Whenever they ducked into a shop, I stopped and pretended to be looking at my phone like so many others walking down the street. I kept myself prepared for them to come in my direction, scoping out where I might find cover if they did, but so far they hadn’t.
Every once in a while, her laugh would waft through the air and settle on me like a warm woolen. I so missed the sound of it. If only I could walk up and greet her as an old friend might. Cup her cheek with my palm and bring a chaste kiss to her lips. If only I could just feel her near me.