Bad Karma

by J. D. Faver

  “Your sister looks young to be a college graduate.”

  Sky chuckled, glad to get the spotlight off her recent past. “I wasn’t kidding when I said she was brilliant. She graduated from high school at fifteen and just earned her Master’s degree at twenty. She’s a super geek.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  “Me, too.”

  He smiled. His voice, deep and rich, seemed to wrap around her. “Welcome to the island, Skyler Danforth. I hope you find what you’re looking for here.”

  An icy finger traced a path down Sky’s spine. She shivered, rubbing her arms as Zach gave her a questioning glance. “I hope so too.”

  A bright yellow, four-wheel drive truck appeared in the distance. It rolled down the beach toward them at a steady speed. Zach stepped away from the house and waved his arms.

  Sky watched as the truck pulled up and three men got out. All three were tall and had the same red hair as Zach. The driver, a barrel-chested man with tattooed ‘sleeves’ embraced Zach in a bear hug, lifting him off his feet. After a fair amount of back-slapping and grunting the four men approached her.

  “These are three of my six brothers, Skyler. Calvin is the big guy and the twins are Warren and Woodrow.”

  Sky’s hand was enthusiastically pumped by all three.

  Zach then directed them into the truck and they began unloading the furniture.

  “You’ll have to show us where you want everything.”

  She grinned. “You guys are a godsend. It will take me a few minutes to get back up the stairs.”

  Zack gave her a one-sided smile. “Let me help you with that.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs to the deck fronting the first level of the stilt house.

  A tingling sensation started low in her gut and swirled up through her chest. Being swept into Zach’s strong arms and held against the warmth of his muscular chest was playing havoc with her hormones. She couldn’t recall having a man carry her as though she weighed nothing.

  Zach placed her feet on the deck and stepped back.

  Sky felt her cheeks flaming, as they always did when she felt uncomfortable. Shyness was her cross to bear.

  “Oh, my!” Cassie appeared in the doorway. “Nice ride!”

  Zach introduced his brothers to Cassie and the women were relegated to the task of directing furniture placement.

  When all their belongings had been unloaded from the truck, Skyler thanked the Bailey men. “I don’t know what we would have done without your help.”

  “No probs,” Calvin said. “We were glad to help.” He motioned the twins into his truck. “Come by the Bait Camp later and your first drink is on the house.”

  A sick feeling roiled in Sky’s stomach. “No, uh, thank you, but we don’t drink alcohol.” She bit her lower lip.

  “Come and have a soft drink, then.” Calvin gestured toward Zach. “Take a tip from Mister health-nut here. He always has the water.”

  Zach winked at her, causing a wave of heat to rise from her core.

  Calvin and the twins took their leave and he drove away with Warren waving out the window.

  Zach leaned back against the deck railing. “You don’t drink at all?”

  Sky shook her head, fighting down a sudden surge of fear “No…I don’t seem to be able to handle anything alcoholic.”

  He gave her a cute, one-sided grin. “No loss. I don’t need to alter my reality. But I can take you girls over later for a soft drink.”

  Cassie came out onto the deck. “My sister is tired. She needs to rest.” Her voice sounded terse, a harsh way to speak to someone who had gone out of his way to help them.

  Sky held up her hand. “I’m fine, Cass.” She drew a breath and turned to Zach with a smile. “But we do need to unload boxes and make beds.”

  He shrugged. “There’s food too. Why don’t you relax and I’ll take you to dinner later.”

  “Thanks anyway,” Cassie snapped. “We can manage.”

  Skyler met Cassie’s dark gaze. “Yes, thank you for everything, Zach. We appreciate your help, but we’d better take it easy tonight.”

  “Suit yourself.” Zach looked a little puzzled, but turned and loped down the stairs. He stopped once he reached the sand. “If you need anything, let me know.”

  Sky raised her hand in farewell, but he’d already headed for his own home. She felt a strange since of loss, as though in a void, but a fresh Gulf breeze reminded her that she was anywhere but a void. She drew in a healthy lungful and glanced back toward the house next door.

  He’d said he owned his home. It appeared to be well-maintained. She noticed a jet-ski chained to one of the concrete pilings supporting the two story structure and an olive-green four-wheel drive Jeep parked in front.

  “Cute guy,” Cassie said. “I’m sorry I was a little snippy, but I was feeling protective. I think he must be the consummate Island Boy.”

  “They were all very nice.” Sky turned to the house. “We need to get organized.”

  Cassie rubbed both palms over her stomach. “We need food and we need to drop off the rental truck.”

  “The refrigerator’s empty. We’ll have to shop.”

  “Let’s do it then before we get bogged down in something else.”

  Sky looked down the beach. There didn’t seem to be anyone paying attention to the new arrivals. She tried to shake off the spine-chilling notion that someone watched. “We should be able to get back here before dark.”

  ~*~

  Zach observed his new neighbors leaving. The younger one climbed inside the moving truck and Sky took her place behind the wheel of the silver Audi. The younger one waved at him as she drove away.

  Pretty girls.

  Both had dark honey blonde hair, softly curling around their faces. Skyler, the older sister, was more curvaceous while Cassidy, the younger one, was taller and more slender. Both had clear blue eyes and fair skin. More than likely, they would get sunburned when they encountered the strong south Texas sun.

  Zach turned to his house. By lending his new neighbors a hand, he’d given up the opportunity to go out with Mack on the shrimp boat owned by Chloe Solis. His dolphins would have to do without him today. He’d catch up with Mack later at the Bait Camp bar and see if he could have a rain check for tomorrow. The dolphins would have to wait.

  He glanced again at the house next door. He had a feeling that his new neighbors brought a truckload of secrets along with their possessions.

  He had to admit that he couldn’t see the lovely sisters being involved in anything dishonest, but there was definitely something they were hiding, like their real reasons for making a move to South Padre Island.

  Zach spent the rest of the afternoon working at his computer, but found his mind returning again and again to the honey-blonde Skyler Danforth. He shook his head. Don’t go rushing into another heartbreak.

  ~*~

  CHAPTER TWO

  Relocation

  Where is she? Where did she go?

  He drove by the duplex again, but it didn’t look as though she’d come home. He’d scared her the other night when she’d been walking home from the park with her dog. He’d sped up and swerved to take her out, but she’d jumped onto the grass and he’d had to pull back into his lane to avoid a parked car.

  He thought she would have been fatigued after her run, but she’d surprised him with her renewed agility. He’d supposed it was the adrenalin kicking in when he’d scared her.

  But her dog wasn’t so fortunate. He’d felt the impact and heard it yelp. He pulled away fast, glancing in the rear view mirror to see her kneeling in the street beside her mutt. Bad luck for the dog.

  He hadn’t really wanted to kill Skyler. Not yet.

  He wanted her to suffer. He’d wanted to toy with her for a while...and then, when he grew tired of the game, he’d collect his dues.

  He parked a block away, where he could watch her approach. Whenever she drove home he would see her. He turned the radio on low. Eigh
ties music, his favorite. He closed his eyes and thought of holding Kira when they’d danced to the tune that was playing.

  Kira had always been a special woman. She had belonged to him from the start. Now she’d been taken from him and he wouldn’t let her killer get away with it. He wouldn’t allow the woman who’d snuffed out Ben’s innocent young life to go unpunished.

  ~*~

  Sky lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She could hear the surf. The sound should have been soothing. She supposed it was for most people, but she wasn’t most people. She was too scared to sleep.

  Every sound caused her to start.

  This move had been a mistake. She should have stayed in Springhill. She should have had the courage to remain. She couldn’t run forever. This person...this man would find her and then it would be done. No more running away. No more hiding.

  Sky turned over and plumped her pillow.

  Most of all, she shouldn’t have involved Cassie. Cass was so young and her life wasn’t terminally screwed up. She hadn’t made any wrong choices. This was all on Sky.

  She sat up in the dark, listening to the surf roll in. The house they’d rented was close to the water. The beach was right in their front yard.

  Sky put her bare feet on the cool floor and tugged on the jeans she’d dropped beside the bed earlier. Without turning on the light, she went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She blinked when the refrigerator light illuminated her; spotlighted her standing alone in the kitchen. She quickly grabbed the water and shut the door, fighting down the feeling that she had been seen. Twisting off the cap, she lifted the bottle to her lips and let the cold liquid roll down her throat. She replaced the lid and crossed to peer out from behind the draperies that covered the wide expanse of glass at the front.

  Soundlessly opening the sliding glass door, she carried the water out onto the deck, keeping to the shadows.

  The smell of the ocean assailed her nostrils, sharp and tangy. Dampness in the air settled on her skin like a cloak. The sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore was louder here. She stayed, still as a statue, clinging to the darkness cast by the overhanging eaves of the house.

  The sand glowed white in the moonlight and the water looked black. The foaming surf rolled in and fizzled out on the beach with a rush.

  She wasn’t moving, wasn’t breathing, only hearing. Something to her left scraped against something else. The hair on her arms stood on alert. Who was there?

  Her eyes wide open, her heart beat against her ribs hard enough to cause her whole body to quake.

  There! Some movement out of the corner of her eye. It was on the deck of the house to her left. Zach Bailey’s house. What is he doing?

  Sky clung to the shadows, watching Zach move around on his deck. She took a cautious breath and let it out slow. Nothing sinister. Just a guy hanging out.

  He had his shirt off and he looked good. Lean, sinewy muscles in his arms and chest worked as he lifted a large object into place.

  A telescope.

  Sky had to smile at that. A wave of relief washed over her, released her gut from the knot of fear. What kind of guy hung out on his deck looking through a telescope? She surmised he hadn’t accompanied his brothers to the bar after all.

  ~*~

  The next morning, Zach smacked the alarm off at five. He took a deep breath and sank back onto the pillow. He closed his lids and sighed, then shot out of bed, tossing his boxers into a hamper before stepping into the shower.

  The needle prick of the water brought him fully awake.

  He had to forgo his usual shave in favor of pulling on a tee and some shorts and running out the door into the pre-dawn darkness. When he made it to his car, he looked at the house next door for a moment, wondering if the Danforth girls had enjoyed their first night in their new home.

  Skyler was her name. He said it aloud, liking the way it felt in his mouth.

  Zach drove to the marina and climbed onto the Fair Weather, the boat owned by Chloe Solis, his former crush.

  He still experienced a warm feeling stirring his gut when he saw her... except for the cold fear that quickly followed any remaining feelings of lust he held for her. The fear was inspired by her husband, Rafael, the sheriff. A thoroughly nice guy. He only had one blind spot. He had absolutely no sense of humor when it came to his lifelong love, Chloe.

  After Rafael had resolved the recent series of murders, which had resulted in assorted body parts washing up on shore, he’d gotten down to the serious business of marrying Chloe and claiming her three year old daughter, Lacy. Chloe and Lacy Palmer had become Chloe and Lacy Solis and now, Chloe was pregnant with the next little Solis.

  Zach took a deep breath, inhaling the cool and salty air from the Gulf. From the start, loving Chloe had been a no-win situation for him, but he hadn’t been able to keep from falling over the edge. Now he was trying to find his footing again.

  He parked the Jeep close to the Bait Camp and sprinted down the adjoining wooden pier to where the Fair Weather berthed.

  “That you, Zach?” Mack called out from the cabin.

  “Yeah, Mack. I’m here to do dolphin duty.”

  “Just in time. I’m heading out right now.”

  For the next few hours, he helped Mack with the nets and hauling in the catch. While Mack headed the shrimp, Zach leaned over the side and observed his pod of dolphins, the group he had tagged earlier in the year and whose family dynamics he was recording. His research study called for him to gather data concerning their changes and communications over the next five years.

  Mack dropped him at the marina before heading to the shrimp wholesalers, waving goodbye as he chugged up the Intracoastal Waterway to sell his catch.

  Zach climbed back into his vehicle and drove back to his house. He saw the silver Audi pulled up close to the house next door.

  He dropped his keys in his pocket and tried to decide if he was up for another rejection. Why not? I haven’t reached my quota for the day.

  He mounted the stairs and rang the bell. He waved when Skyler peeked out through the curtain covering the sliding glass door. He thought for a moment she'd looked frightened. Maybe he’d startled her.

  She opened the door and stared up at him, the clear blue eyes questioning his presence.

  “Hello, Skyler. I just thought I’d check and see how you’re doing. Do you need anything?”

  Her expression warmed as she gazed up into his eyes. “We’re fine. It’s nice of you to ask.”

  He couldn’t tear his attention away from her full lips as they turned up into a smile. Her voice sounded deep and smoky. A very sexy quality.

  He gave himself a mental shake. “I’m sensing that you’ll say no if I ask you out to dinner again, so I’ll ask you to come over to my house for dinner tonight. You and your sister.” He smiled at her. “Don’t say no.”

  Skyler laughed. She glanced back over her shoulder. “I guess we can do that.”

  “Sky, can you help me?” Cassie called out from the interior of the house.

  Sky looked back at Zach and then called back, “I’ll be right there.”

  Cassie let out a little yelp and Sky spun around. She started toward the bedroom that Zach and his brothers had loaded her personal belongings in the day before.

  He hesitated a moment and then rushed inside toward the sound. Sky limped all the way to her bedroom, where they found Cassie standing barefoot on the bed massaging her fingers.

  “Hey, Zach. I’m trying to electrocute myself.” An open box and the parts of a ceiling fan were scattered around on the bed.

  Skyler covered her face with her hands. “Just forget it, Cass. It was a dumb idea.”

  “Not if it will help you sleep.”

  He shook his head. “Please get down from there.”

  “But I read the directions,” Cassie protested.

  Zach held out his hand and she gripped it as she jumped off the bed. He frowned at her. “I’ll get my voltag
e meter. Even if the breaker is turned off, there might still be a charge.”

  “Zach, you don’t have to do this,” Skyler protested.

  Cassie held up her hand. “Yes, he does. Sky hasn’t been sleeping well. I thought maybe the white noise of a ceiling fan would help her to get some rest.”

  Zach raised a quizzical brow, but held his tongue. Whatever was keeping the lovely Skyler Danforth from getting a good night’s sleep was none of his business, but at the very least, he could keep her little sister from frying herself.