Lethal Game (GhostWalkers 16)

He shook his head. “It just seems like a very interesting shop. I wondered if it was at all popular with tourists.”

“Miss Crystal says it is, but she just might want it to be. She loves that store and all the memories she has of her days with her husband.” Sorrow crept into Marie’s voice.

Malichai felt guilty asking her questions about the magic shop. Burnell was most likely mistaken about what he’d heard. Anna too. They’d probably talked back and forth, convincing each other that someone wanted to kill the maximum number of people. Now, he was harassing Marie and making her sad.

“I’d better go for my jog and swim. That’s my therapy. I’m supposed to meet Amaryllis for breakfast this morning and then she’s taking me to the beach to teach me how to enjoy the ocean properly.”

Marie laughed. “She’s not leading you to your doom, Malichai. You’ll like it.”

“I don’t know, Marie, she keeps talking about surfer boy. I don’t know if I’m ready to meet someone she refers to as ‘surfer boy’ and then laughs that amazing laugh of hers.”

“I can’t wait to hear all about it.” Marie made a shooing motion with her hand and Malichai took the hint, walking down the dark hallway to the front door.

The day was going to be another beautiful one. He went straight down to the sand and began a brisk walk, getting a feel for the grains beneath his feet. Next a slow jog. His leg did seem as if it might be getting stronger. The doctors had agreed walking in sand and swimming would be good for him. They were certain both would help strengthen the muscles.

When he was running in the sand, he wasn’t convinced the muscles were his problem. Sometimes, when he tuned in to his leg, trying to feel the issues, it felt as if the bones had tiny fractures, little cracks that ran along like fault lines refusing to knit back together. When he thought that way, he would panic and have to stop, bend over and breathe deeply. Then he’d remind himself it hadn’t been that long since he’d been shot multiple times. It wasn’t the first time he’d been shot in that leg, although the first time he’d healed without a problem. Was having already been shot in that same leg causing some problem this time?

Amaryllis came up behind him, not making a sound, another reason for him to think she was a GhostWalker. With his head down, breathing deeply, he took her into his lungs before he actually saw her. She also moved through the sand easily, whether she walked, jogged or ran. She never stumbled or complained about how difficult it was. Running in sand was always a workout, yet she didn’t raise a sweat.

Amaryllis put her hand on his back. “Are you okay?”

“Little panic attack, nothing serious.” He answered her honestly. He tried to be as honest as he could with her. “Sometimes, I worry that my leg isn’t going to heal properly, and they’ll pull me. I’m a soldier. I don’t know any other life. My family is my team. I know that sounds crazy, but I can feel these cracks like spiderwebs spreading out over my bones.”

She didn’t laugh at him or try to argue. “Really? You should have told me. Come sit down on one of the lounge chairs.” She pointed to the chairs laid out along the beach. “No one is up this early.”

He straightened and looked out to the ocean, a smile forming. “Babe. Seriously? Who are all those nuts?”

“Surfers. They aren’t going to care if we use a lounge chair. They wouldn’t know what to do with one.” She took his hand and tugged.

It was the first time she’d taken his hand instead of the other way around. He was good with that and willing to follow her anywhere. She led him to a woven, brightly colored lounge chair and had him sit, stretching out his legs.

“Don’t make fun of me,” she said. “I’ve always been able to ‘feel’ what’s going on inside a person. Their muscles or bones. Most people don’t believe me, but I can.”

“Don’t know why they wouldn’t believe you. It’s a known fact that some people are born gifted. Do your worst.”

He felt her gaze on his face. He couldn’t stop himself from looking at her. All that made him want to do was kiss her. He framed her face with both hands. “Don’t look so scared, honey. I believe anything you want to tell me because you’ve always been honest with me.”

Her gaze skittered away from his. He wanted to comfort her and tell her it didn’t matter if she’d escaped from Whitney’s hellish experiments. Good for her. He couldn’t do that because he wasn’t supposed to know about Whitney’s experiments. He was a soldier on vacation.