A Stone in Time

by Kim Allred

  The necklace had been in her lap the entire drive, her hand caressing it while driving. After she bought it at the estate sale, she had spent that first afternoon looking it over, trying to see if there was anything special about it. Carved into the back were some initials or words in a language she didn’t know, but it wasn’t unusual for treasured pieces to have the names of loved ones engraved into metal for eternity. After her initial inspection, she had placed it in her treasure box along with the matching earrings and summarily forgotten all about it.

  Now, a couple of months later, a mystery ship appeared with a captain who had stolen her heart, and they each had a necklace with a unique and rare stone. She shook her head and retraced her steps to the path. Her father’s voice rang in her head about history and facts and truth. The reasons she had become a journalist.

  AJ slipped the necklace over her head and tucked it under her sweater. As she reached the dock, she had her story all figured out. Finn would know what the stone was, and he would be able to provide the information she needed to give history to the necklace. Satisfied she was able to rationalize her visit, she couldn’t hold back her smile as she strode to the ship.

  Ethan pushed the Escalade to its limits on the city roads, ignoring speed limits, and they spilled onto the small country road that led them to the shore, never slowing down. His mind raced. So much time spent in his search. The years that had gone by. Now, AJ’s involvement in this plot was unthinkable. He had no hope of recovering the necklace—not here, not now. He would need to continue the mission at another time. His driving force now was AJ’s safety.

  The SUV shuddered as Ethan took each turn, his eyes darting to the rearview mirror, hoping not to find any carnage behind them. The fear in the man beside him clung in the air, but Ethan had no time to slow.

  Adam braced himself, one hand white-knuckled around the door handle, as though he could jump and live to tell the story. His other hand pushed hard against the dash, waiting for the impact. His eyes, large and unblinking, watched with horror the near misses with passing motorists, and the flash of terror from one poor soul who had thought to cross in the middle of the street before falling back from the speeding tank.

  Finally, they escaped the city. But if he had been expecting some respite from the speed, he was out of luck again. Trees rushed past—any one slip would hurtle them into a large fir. Images flooded past him as quickly as the trees. Adam tried to organize the facts from the last few days, but his well-honed legal mind failed him.

  He couldn’t believe he had gotten himself into this mess. He would never, ever go near another poker game. Not even for fun. His card days were over. He clamped his eyes shut and prayed to any gods that might be listening, promising to stay on the straight and narrow if they would guide him out of this disaster. There were other ways to get the rest of the money. If he survived the day.

  Adam’s eyes flew open when the SUV braked hard, lurching to the left and back to the right. He had to see what was going to kill him, and his sigh of relief rolled through the vehicle. A flash of a deer, eyes as wide as Adam’s, escaped into the dense trees and tall grasses.

  “You’ve got to slow down, man.”

  Adam’s words dissipated into the silence as the Escalade picked up speed. When Adam forced his eyes from the road to sneak a peek at Ethan, he couldn’t recall ever seeing a man with equal parts of anguish and deadly determination, not even with the desperate men he counseled at trial. Adam knew that this was when a man became the most dangerous—when he had nothing left to lose.

  The ship rolled against the dock. Darkening skies cast long shadows of the Daphne Marie along the pier. The sky had been clear when AJ parked, but in the bay, the fog appeared to be rolling in.

  At the gangway, AJ called out for Finn, her resolve diminishing the longer she waited for his reply. The ship was quiet except for the light creaking sounds protesting the restlessness of the waves, creating an occasional bumping and rubbing of the ship as it kissed the dock. Still no response from Finn. AJ edged up the gangplank until she could see the whole deck. She called out again. “Finn, are you here?”

  AJ hadn’t anticipated the fog. She hugged her arms around her, though she didn’t feel any chill. Maybe he wasn’t here. He may have gone somewhere with Mr. Jackson. Her spirits fell, and the heaviness of the silver chain tugged at her. She waited another minute before yelling louder, now inches from stepping onto the deck. “Finn, I just need a minute.”

  A rustling sound came from below, and someone moved quickly up the steps.

  When Finn’s head popped up, AJ’s stomach took a slight dip. Even in the fading light, she could see his crooked grin.

  “AJ, what the devil?” His smile faded. He looked around, and confusion replaced the welcoming grin. “Why did you come back?”

  AJ had been hoping for more of a welcome. It had been foolish to run over. “May I come aboard?”

  Finn took another look around the deck and walked to her, the pleasure to see her once again on his face. “You don’t have to ask. You’re more than a guest now, I should think.” He held out an arm to her. “Sorry for the poor welcome. I was just surprised by the change in weather.”

  When she stepped onto the deck, she extended her own hand. He grabbed it, pulled her close, and gave a her long, hard kiss, as if they had been parted for days instead of an hour or two.

  This was the welcome she had been expecting. She gave in to his warm lips and strong embrace. How wonderful it would be to have more of this in her life. She took what she could before taking one step back.

  Finn grasped her shoulders and looked her over. “I didn’t dare hope to see you again.”

  AJ shrugged despite the heaviness of his hands on her. “I didn’t either, but I found something I wanted to show you.”

  “And what might that be?” His voice was no more than a whisper with a note of urgency. He looked around the ship. “The fog is moving in quickly. Show me what you brought.”

  She reached into her sweater and pulled out the necklace. She waited for Finn to say something, but he just stared. Unsure how to read Finn’s expression, AJ went with what she had originally rehearsed. “I wanted to show this to you. It looks like yours. The stone is so unique. I was surprised when I saw your medallion.”

  Finn’s hand shook. He turned AJ’s hand, trying to move the stone into the light. “Where did you find it?”

  “At an estate sale. I’ve only had it for a couple of months now, maybe less. The woman who owned it had recently died.” AJ touched Finn’s hand, still clinging to her own. “Her granddaughter didn’t want to sell it, but, I don’t know…I saw it and I needed to have it.” She let the necklace drop from their hands and brushed her hair back. “I don’t usually look at jewelry, but it was as if it had called to me or something.” She quieted. She hadn’t meant to share so much. “Silly, isn’t it?”

  Finn stared at the pendant, then looked at her, a look of wonderment on his face combined with a glimmer of something else. Finn pulled her to him, holding her tight. AJ melted into the embrace, smiling with a small amount of satisfaction that he was happy to see her and the necklace.

  40

  The SUV slid to a stop in a parking lot. Within seconds, Ethan launched himself from the driver’s seat, racing toward a building tinted with orange from the fading sun. It took Adam only a few seconds to see where they were.

  The old Westcliffe Inn. He hadn’t been here in ages. The last remnants of sun ducked behind the clouds, leaving the front of the inn in shadows, the fading light playing tricks, making the inn appear as it had all those years ago. Adam never had the same interest in this historic old relic as his father had, nor had he found any curiosity in the childish wanderings of the tidal pools. When Ethan first mentioned the name of the inn, Adam hadn’t put it together. It wasn’t until Ethan told him of AJ’s interest that he remembered.

  Adam ran through the possible scenarios as to why they had come here. Struggling to disengage hims
elf from the seat belt, he needed to follow Ethan. He pulled free from the seat and spotted AJ’s car. Adam moved faster, muttering to himself. She’d better not be collecting what was owed him. After all the work he did, he wouldn’t be cheated out of his final payment.

  “Why is AJ here?”

  But Ethan was out of sight and probably out of earshot. When Adam found the diverging paths, he wasn’t sure which way Ethan had gone—until he looked to his left and pulled up, gasping, as he got his first look at the ghostly ship below. Now he’d seen it all. Ships were something he knew about, and that ship looked like it had just floated out of history.

  Although there was no fog at the top of the cliff, thickening tendrils of mist surrounded the ship, as if attempting to hold it in the palm of its vaporous hands. Adam shivered. He spotted Ethan halfway down the path, running like the devil himself chased him. Adam raced after him, the ghostly hounds of hell snapping at his heels. He didn’t know why, but he was overwhelmed with an urgent need to find AJ.

  Finn stepped back from AJ, her face full of questions. She held on to him, her fingers grasping his shirt, and for the first time since his mission began, doubt crept in. He wasn’t sure of his next step, but he understood why the mist had returned. AJ’s story had given him chills. Her love of antiquing, Adam being her brother, and that Adam had discovered she had the necklace. Finn knew AJ well enough that he understood Adam’s dilemma in procuring the necklace. How would he have explained why he was searching for the necklace without revealing the weakness that had put him in Finn’s employ?

  Everything made sense now, except for AJ being the one to find it in the first place. On the surface, it appeared to be a coincidence, but knowing what he did about the stone sent chills racing to his core. His concern for AJ doubled as soon as he saw the pendant, and his first reaction had been to pull her to him and hold her fast.

  “Do you think it’s the same?” AJ’s face reflected the mystery of it all, her love for history and antiques shining in her eyes. “The earrings weren’t as obvious with the smaller stones, but the size of the stone in the necklace, I was sure I was remembering it right.”

  Finn’s eyes refocused on her scrunched face, trying to put a puzzle together. He looked back at the necklace lying against her sweater. “Earrings?”

  “The stone. Is it the same?”

  “Aye.” Finn let out his breath. It seemed as though he’d been holding it for decades. The fog thickened around them. “I believe so. I didn’t know there were earrings.” Finn pulled out the cross from beneath his shirt. “It’s very old.”

  “I thought so, but I’ve never seen anything like it before. When I first saw your medallion, I remembered the stone, but I couldn’t recall where I had seen it.”

  Finn sighed and pulled AJ against him once more. He didn’t want to let her go.

  But he had no choice.

  “You and your stories. You would be intrigued by this one.”

  “What’s wrong?” AJ tried to pull away.

  “I wish we had more time.” Finn whispered his words against her head. He turned them around as if they were dancing, holding her head against his chest. He wanted to etch this moment in his mind, to carry it with him forever. “I need you to go, AJ.”

  By the time Ethan had slammed to a stop in the parking lot, he had it all laid out. He would follow his training. It was the safest way. He knew his goal and must follow each logical step to achieve that goal. His emotions could not play a part in this. They would only create mistakes, and there was too little time for any error in judgment.

  Had anyone been at the path leading to the dock, they would have heard his heavy sigh. He had been daring the ship to still be at dock, but any relief was swallowed by the sight of the dense fog enclosing it. He didn’t slow as he turned the corner, pushing hard to reach AJ, the necklace now an afterthought.

  Adam called out behind him, accompanied by faint footsteps, but he pushed it all away. Adam no longer mattered.

  As Ethan neared the ship, he saw her. For the briefest of seconds, an immense relief washed over him, but it was fleeting. AJ was standing with Finn, his arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace, lovers standing in the twilight without any knowledge of the danger around them. But Finn knew. He knew too damn well. So why wasn’t he making AJ get off the ship?

  Finn continued his slow dance with AJ in his arms, wishing this moment didn’t have to end. Had he not been turning, he would never have seen Ethan racing down the dock, another man behind him.

  Finn kissed the top of AJ’s head, and she tried to pull away, but he held her tight, stroking her back. There was no way he could get AJ off the ship. Not now. Not without Ethan getting on board. The stakes were too high. He couldn’t sacrifice everything he’d worked for after the hardships he’d endured these last months.

  He worked through his thinning options and kept circling back to the one thing that might work. He had no other option. His gut wrenched as he made an internal promise to keep her safe.

  When Ethan approached the dock, he was surprised to hear Adam close behind. It must be the runner in him.

  “What’s wrong?” Adam panted, still several footsteps behind Ethan. “Why are you in such a hurry? Are you sure AJ is in trouble?”

  “Yes, unbelievable danger.” Ethan’s voice was soft, as if winded, but in truth, he meant it only for his ears. He refused to slow as he came upon the ship, the fog so thick it seemed to frame the figures standing on the deck. “You have no perception of the peril.”

  Ethan stepped onto the gangplank and called out. “AJ!” But the mist swallowed his voice.

  41

  AJ found the strength to lean away from Finn, looking into his melancholy face. The necklace didn’t seem as important as the idea of saying goodbye to this man. She wanted to know more about him. His secret wall had just began to crumble.

  The look in Finn’s eyes woke AJ out of her trance. She stood straighter, catching the change in him and noticing the thickening fog for the first time. “What’s wrong?” AJ pushed away, but Finn refused to let go. It was no longer a loving embrace.

  “Do you trust me? Honestly trust me?”

  AJ stared back, confused. The answer seemed easy at first, but his darkening face made her rethink the question. “Why wouldn’t I trust you?”

  His dour expression conflicted with the uncertainty in his reply. “I need to know if you trust me. No doubts. I need to know.” His voice was firm and unwavering, his eyes beseeching her to tell him the truth.

  AJ searched her mind and heart for a consistent answer. She didn’t have enough information to provide one. The question wasn’t fair. His impatient gaze traveled over her face, desperate for her response. Down deep, her instinct told her this man meant more to her than she could imagine. In truth, it was a simple question. “Yes,” she said. Again, with more conviction. “Yes, I trust you.”

  AJ heard her name. Someone on the dock called out to her. She turned her back to Finn, his arms still around her. Through the mist, she made out the form of Ethan at the bottom of the gangplank. Someone ran up the dock behind him. It looked like Adam, but why would he be here?

  Finn’s arms tightened their grasp around her, probably a response to Ethan’s sudden appearance. She had been comforted by the embrace, but when she tried to step away to greet Ethan, Finn’s hold grew tighter. Her first reflex was to struggle but Finn relaxed behind her, and her body responded in kind. She stopped struggling, expecting to be released.

  Instead of freeing her, Finn reached for her necklace with one hand and held his medallion in the other. How similar they were.

  Ethan called out again, panic and desperation in his voice. Adam called out as well, and again she questioned why Adam was here. Something must be wrong. Her confusion grew as she looked down at the arms encircling her, at the two necklaces, finally back at Ethan, her welcoming smile fading when she saw his terror-stricken face. What could have happened? Time slowed. The mist made it almost imposs
ible to see past the ship.

  Ethan stepped close enough for the words to be clear. “Stop, AJ.”

  Stop. Stop what?

  Ethan screamed louder, “Step away, AJ. Step away.”

  She struggled to move out of Finn’s arms. Something was wrong. Maybe Ethan was still concerned about Finn and some illicit theft ring. She knew Finn had no part in anything like that. She wanted Ethan to know it was okay.

  But that didn’t explain Adam. Maybe something had happened to Mom.

  All the different possibilities rushed in, creating a wave of fear. Finn’s arms tightened more. She couldn’t breathe. Her fingers plucked at his hands. She had to step away, clear her head and get to Ethan. What was wrong?

  “Let me go.”

  Finn’s lips brushed her ear. “No. It’s too late. Trust me.”

  Ethan yelled again, his voice muffled. He seemed to fade in and out of the condensing fog. She couldn’t hear anything, but she could still feel the warmth of Finn’s arms, holding her tight against him. Ethan’s eyes grew wide in alarm, a silent cry shaping his lips.

  AJ pulled far enough away to see the look Finn gave Ethan, a smile she had never seen before—not fully triumphant, but tinged by another emotion AJ couldn’t place. Finn lifted his medallion to meet her pendant, his arms still refusing to release her.

  She looked back at Ethan. He backed up, resignation engraved on his face, a deep look of sorrow. For the first time, she doubted Finn. His arms tightened again as if preventing her from melting away, and she looked down.

  Finn touched the stone of his medallion to the stone in her necklace.