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“Only about an hour.” He pointed over to a plate covered with foil on the counter. “That’s yours. I couldn’t wait. Monk made pancakes and bacon. The smell woke me up.”
Ava took the foil off the plate; the food was still warm. “I’m going to need another run after this.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. Coffee?” he asked.
“I’d love some.”
As hard as she tried not to think about her sister every minute of the day, every time she felt happy, guilt reared its ugly head.
“Everything okay?” he asked, setting the cup in front of her.
“I know we talked about this last night, but whenever I start to feel happy, I can’t help feeling guilty about Aine, Pen, and Tara.”
“For every
smile, there are ten tears,” he said. “I get it. Better than most.”
Ava stretched and rubbed her tummy. “I’m soooo full.”
“Ready to run?” Tabon put his hands on her waist and lifted her off the barstool. “Let’s work off our pancakes so we have room for whatever Monk makes for dinner.”
“We can go as soon as I clean up.”
“Doing dishes relaxes Monk, remember?”
—:—
This time, Razor didn’t stop and suggest they turn around until Ava did, and by then, they’d gone more than seven miles.
While they ran, they talked about Yachats, and how much he’d loved growing up in the small coastal town.
“I really like it here, too,” she told him.
“Most people complain about how cloudy and cold it is.”
Ava shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me. There are too many other things about it that make it special.”
Razor smiled. “Having you here with me, makes it more special.”
When they stopped to stretch before heading back, Razor saw he’d missed a call from Monk and stepped a few feet away from Ava to return the call.
“What’s up? We were just about to head back.”
“Someone got to Dash Finnegan last night. He’s dead.”
“Fuck,” Razor spat under his breath. He looked up, and something caught his eye—an SUV parked in one of the scenic overlooks.
“Shit. We need cover. There’s a four-wheeler in the garage.”
“Roger that,” said Monk. “I’ve got your coordinates and am on my way.”
Razor looked up again and spotted a drone.
“This way,” he said, walking inland, toward the cliffs where there was a trail that would lead them through the sea caves. “Monk is on his way to meet us.”
“Why?” Ava asked.
“Just keep moving, sweetheart.”
