Tracing Hearts (23 page)

Julia sits quietly, most likely not recognizing her new name. I nudge her gently.

“Uh, w-what?” she stumbles through her words.

“Are you looking for work?” Shelby asks.

“N-no,” she looks at me for…inspiration? “My father is very wealthy. He keeps telling
Henry
that he doesn’t need to work, but my husband’s a proud man, aren’t you, baby?” Her endearment makes me grin like a loon, and I almost miss a stop sign. “Careful, honey,” she adds sweetly while fluttering her eyelashes.

After several more minutes, we arrive at our destination. Clearwater Beach is apparently the hotspot for tourists and locals alike. With entertainment, a children’s area, tourist traps, and restaurants, you couldn’t ask for more, not to mention the long, sandy beach. We park in a lot and pay the fee. Then, hand in hand, we walk the strip. As we near Pier 60, Julia’s eyes light up, when she spots vendor after vendor selling handmade crafts and trinkets from the sea. She practically drags me from one table to another, her eyes not missing a thing. It’s fun to see this child-like side of her. She seems so fascinated by the whole scene.

“Hey, check out who’s here,” Jamie says, pointing to our left. “It’s Jack Sparrow!”

Sure enough, strolling leisurely around the grounds, there is a man dressed up like the infamous, Disney pirate.

“That’s
Captain
Jack Sparrow,” I correct him, and we all laugh out loud.

Even though I’ve held Julia’s hand practically this entire time, I long for some alone time with her. The sun is starting to set now, and what better place than a beach for romance?

“Hey, guys, I think I’d like to show Emily around our new favorite beach. Can we catch up to you in a bit? Say in about thirty minutes?” I hope that at least Jamie will take a hint. My hope is well placed, when I see him wink at me.

“Sure thing, man. Shelby and I will meet you back at the surf shop in half an hour.
Have fun
.” His tone is all knowing, and I smile appreciatively.

“Thanks,” I say, then I lead Julia toward the water.

“Clever,” she says with a smile.

“Is it so unreasonable to have a little alone time with my wife?”

She snickers. “I guess not, even if it
isn't
reality.”

“Well, our names might not be real, and our relationship status might not be either, but I can assure you, the feelings are.”

I witness, firsthand, a heart melt, when I view the expression on her lovely, sun kissed face.

“Sebastian, that was the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“
Hank
,” I correct her, and she rolls her eyes.

“Way to ruin a moment,
Henry
,” she says with a wry smile.

We decide to sit for a while, near the water’s edge. The moon lights up the gulf just as it did a few nights ago. We shared our first genuine kiss on this very beach, and I can feel the pull of the sea once again. I want so badly to make love to her right here, but I don't think the good people of Clearwater would appreciate that. I put my arm around her shoulders, and she leans against me. This is as close to heaven on earth as any man can get.

“Sebastian?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I say something?”

“You can say anything. You should know that by now.”

“I’m really happy, I mean considering our circumstances. I’m glad you dragged me into it.” I stiffen. With all the vacation-like atmosphere, I’d almost forgotten the danger still lurking around any corner. I lift my arm from her shoulders, and she looks at me worriedly. “What’s wrong? Did I say something to upset you?”

“No. It’s just that I haven’t forgiven myself for involving you in something you could’ve avoided and neither should you. It just reminded me how selfish I am.”

“Sebastian, no. Please stop blaming yourself for any of this. I never have. I’d rather be here, with you, for whatever time we have, than stay back in North Carolina and rot in nothingness. My life was boring and mundane. You’ve brought life back to me.” She turns to face me, gripping my face between her hands. “Don’t you see? Fate brought us together twice before this. Once, when we were paired up to write letters to each other, the second time, when you came to visit me in Ohio, and now. No matter how many times we lose each other, we end up finding each other again. This was meant to be.” She presses her lips to mine in a desperate plea, and my arms automatically wind their way around her. My God, I can’t let anything happen to this girl. I love her.

She pulls back, wiping my bottom lip with her thumb. “I love you, Sebastian Vaughn. And I love Henry Smith too. I’ll love whomever you are, as long as you stay the same person in here.” She places her flattened hand over my heart, and I grab it, kissing her palm very gently.

“I love you too, more and more each day. Every time I think I couldn’t love you more, you prove me wrong. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if Mr. Schulz hadn’t given me
your
letter to respond to. God, Julia, I love you. I’ve been in love with you since you walked into my life twelve years ago.”

We kiss, we laugh, we cry, but most of all, we’re happy. I can't believe I waited this long to confess my feelings for her. She’s all I’ve ever wanted and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

Thirty minutes is up in no time, so we head back toward the meeting spot. As we take our leisurely journey, I can see dozens of people still milling around. Some are packing up their wares, and some, like we did earlier, head toward the water—maybe in search of a little romance. Suddenly, Julia stops dead in her tracks. A terrified looks mars her face.

“Oh, my God!” she says with a horrified expression, while her hand flies to her mouth. I take a step in front of her, ready to shield her if necessary. Then I look in the direction she’s gaping. I don’t see anything odd.

“What’s wrong?” I ask frantically while holding my position. She begins to back away from whatever has frightened her. “Julia!” I shout a little too loud, hoping to bring her out of her state.

“No, no, no. It can't be. He’s coming this way. We have to go.
Now
.” She turns and starts walking briskly in the opposite direction, and I follow but soon, I hear a voice from behind us.

“Julia?”

What the
?

I turn around to see a young man quickly approaching. I stop, ready to face whatever he has in mind.

“Julia, is that you?”

I witness the man stop, look at me, and then stupidly try to pass me.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” I say with malice.

“Who the fuck are you?” the man says with a sneer.

“I’m the wall you’re going to have to get through to get to her.”

The man dodges to his right, and I counter. He looks beyond me to get a better look at her.

“Julia, I know it’s you. Just stop!” he calls out.

“All right, that’s enough,” I say, right before I push him backward, full force, with both hands. He recovers quickly and comes at me again with a right hook, which I easily dodge. Then, I clock the guy in the jaw, knocking him off balance and a little backwards. Without a second thought, I hit him with a jab to his stomach. Once doubled over, I use both hands together to come down hard on the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. To hold him in place, I step on his neck.

“Who the fuck are you, asshole?” I growl.

He spits out sand and tries to talk. “Ju-li-a.”

“Let him go, Sebastian,” Julia’s voice says from somewhere behind me. I turn my head to see her. She’s standing with her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Hello, Cameron.”

Julia

“So, you
do
know this guy?” Sebastian asks. I nod, keeping my eyes fixed on Cameron. “Wait, did you say Cameron? As in
Cameron
?” I nod again. He sighs, irritated, I’m sure.

I give Sebastian an eye roll and a hand gesture, letting him know he can let him get up. He removes his foot from atop Cameron’s neck, and he immediately jumps to his feet, ready for whatever Sebastian decides to do next.

“What are you doing here, Cameron? Are you following me?” Of course, as soon as I say it, I realize that’s not possible.

“The question is, what the fuck are
you
doing here? Do you realize your dad is looking for you and is worried sick? What the fuck are you doing here anyway, Julia?”

The sound of my real name causes me to cringe, and I look around to see if anyone heard him say it.

“Quiet! Don’t call me that!” I whisper shout.

“Don’t call you your name? Julia?” He repeats it, and I’m starting to get paranoid. Jamie and Shelby could find us at any moment, and Cameron is saying it loud enough for everyone on the beach to hear.

“Hey, man. She said to shut your mouth,” Sebastian interrupts. They eye each other, and it looks as though there may be another fight, but they both just stare. Finally, Cameron looks at me.

“What’s going on? Why are you here, and who the hell is he? Your body guard?” Cameron chuckles as if the notion of Sebastian defending me is ridiculous. In reality, I know who’d win any fight against my ex-Army man.

“Look, I’ll explain another time. We really have to go I need to—”

“Julia, just tell me now!” And just as he says my name one last time, I see Jamie and Shelby headed straight for us. What if they overheard him? I hold my breath as they make their approach.

“Everything all right over here? I heard a couple guys were fighting and came to see if you need any help, Hank” Jamie says to Sebastian, then he eyes Cameron up and down.

“Yeah, and why did he call you Julia?” Shelby asks, looking back and forth from me to Sebastian.

“Uh...” I look to Sebastian for inspiration.

“He thought she was someone else,” Sebastian says.

“Who?” she asks again.

“Um, I have a cousin named Julia. We look a lot alike and this is her ex-boyfriend,” I chuckle awkwardly and shrug.

“
What?
” Cameron says, obviously confused by my lie.

“Cameron, can I see you over here for a minute? Please?” I smile sweetly and gesture away from the crowd. His puzzled look continues as he steps in my direction. Before I turn completely around, I see Sebastian’s face. He’s scowling at Cameron, ready to pounce if he steps the slightest bit out of line. I try to reassure him that I’ll be fine, then I look at our friends, indicating he should do some damage control. Cameron and I start walking.

“Julia, What the—”

“Shh! I’ll explain, but you have to stop calling me that.”

“Ugh! Fine! Now, what the
fuck
is going on?”

I sigh heavily. Where do I begin and how much do I say?

“It’s a long story,” I say as we get farther and farther from them.

“I’ve got time.” His voice is laced with frustration.

I look back at the group. Sebastian is very animated, and he looks like he’s telling them about the fight. I can hardly hear them now, so I can assume they won't hear us either.

“We’re hiding,” I simply say.

“Hiding from what?”

“Some people.”

“What people, Jul—” I give him a don’t-even-think-about-finishing-that-word look, and he stops mid-sentence. “What the hell do you want me to call you then?” He’s really agitated.

“Emily.”

“Emily?” He scoffs and runs a hand through his hair. “Fine,
Em-i-ly
.” He over exaggerates my new name. “What people are you hiding from? And don't even say you can’t tell me because that’s bullshit.”

“I don’t exactly know.”

“Huh? How can you not know? Just come out with it already. You can start with, who’s that guy you’re with? Is he your boyfriend? Were you cheating on me with him?”

Now, it’s my turn to look irritated.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, accusing
me
of cheating! I stuck with you. Even when I found out about the
first
time, I stuck around. Then came the second time. You begged me not to leave, and I was stupid enough to stay…again! And then, there was the third girl—”

“I know, I know, okay? I said I was sorry,” he interrupts my monologue. I cross my arms in front of my chest like a petulant child. I’m pissed. “Okay, look, I don’t want to fight. But, I do want to find out what’s going on so please, let’s just talk, okay?”

Reluctantly, I agree and absentmindedly draw lines in the sand with my toes.

“The guy I’m with is Sebastian. He wasn’t my boyfriend when we came here, but he is now. He got into some kind of trouble, and we had to leave the state and go into hiding. The people we’re hiding from are dangerous. That’s really all I know.” I didn’t want to tell him about the witness protection program and the fact that we were attacked in our hotel room only nights ago. He just doesn’t need to know all that.

“My God, Ju…” He catches himself and sighs. “Emily. How did you get into this mess? Was it a bad drug deal? Is that why you’re running?”

“No!” I say, clearly angry that he’d think I’d get myself mixed up with a guy who’d do that.

“Okay, okay,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. “I had to ask. Your dad and Toria obviously don’t know anything about this, do they?” I shake my head. “Why don’t you tell them? He’s going crazy trying to find you. He’s called my cell phone several times asking if I’ve seen you.”

My heart aches for my dad. I can just imagine him getting little to no sleep, making phone call after agonizing phone call, trying desperately to get some sort of clue as to where I am. I bow my head in guilt.

“I can’t tell him, or anyone else, for that matter. And, neither can you.” I look up abruptly and straight into his eyes. “Promise me. Promise me you’ll forget you ever saw me here. You can’t tell anyone, Cameron. I mean it. It could end badly for me if you do.” I can hear the desperate tone in my own voice, and I just pray that he understands the urgency of my words. He exhales forcefully as his hands latch behind his head.

“I don’t know.”

“Cameron, please! You have no idea how important this is.” I grab onto his shirt, fisting the fabric tightly in my hands. “Your word could mean the difference between life and death for Sebastian and me.”