The ocean has always meant something to me. Toni and I grew up a short distance away from Lake Michigan, and whenever life got too much we could run away to the beach and pretend we were in a tropical paradise. The Pacific had the same effect, only there was less pretense. It is vast, and the golden beaches of Malibu are as close to paradise as a person can hope to get on earth.
Toni and I used to love bringing Skye out to the beach near Malibu Pier, and I walked the rough paths from the Pacific Coast Highway through the bluffs that were covered in long green grass.
My phone rang when I was almost at the beach, and I pulled it from my pocket to see Sam Larabee’s name.
“Mr. Larabee,” I answered.
“Mr. Collard, I’m calling to terminate our relationship,” he replied. He sounded mad. “My advice would be for you to turn yourself in. If anything should happen to the individual I identified for you, may I remind you everything is on record, and I will turn any relevant evidence over to the police.”
“I didn’t…,” I tried, but it was no use.
“This call is being recorded to show I advised you not to draw this investigation out any longer than necessary and to immediately make yourself available to police to assist with their inquiries.”
And with that he hung up, and I lost my only chance of identifying my patron.
I could feel myself running out of road, and the familiar nausea returned as I crested a rise and was blinded by the glare of the sun shining off the vast ocean. It gave the illusion of going on forever.
Like hope.
Toni and Skye weren’t at the spot yet. I’d chosen it for our meeting because if the cops were meaning to use Toni as bait, I’d see them coming from miles away across the golden sand. But I was looking into the distance when my attention should have been on my immediate surroundings.
The attack was silent and sudden. Frankie Balls and his men rose from behind dunes all around me, and Cutter and Curse moved before I could react. Even as they came at me, I realized with horror they must have Toni and Skye.
“Get down!” Cutter yelled, cracking me on the skull with a club.
I couldn’t refuse and fell as the world went black.