Mind Games Read Online Free PDF Page A

produced zero results. He was certain she wouldn’t have just left.
    Suddenly something about that door being open didn’t sit well with him.
    He searched for his shoes. When he found them, he plunged his feet inside and ran out the door. The cold air stung his lungs. He headed toward the beach, picking up his pace while his lungs and body adjusted to the damp, cool air. The muscles in his legs barely had time to warm up as he took off running toward the jogging paths, hoping to find Sparrow.
    After thirty minutes, he grew concerned. She couldn’t have been gone that long. He stopped at a fork on the jogging trail. Would she have continued on the pristine, even path or would she have run off toward the beach? He hadn’t searched the beach for her, so he decided to give that a shot. At least he could follow the shoreline back to her oceanfront home and head her off if she was making her way back.
    The muscles in his feet and legs screamed against the sand as he trudged along at a jog. The breeze coming off the ocean slapped him in the face, making it difficult to move swiftly. He pushed himself to run faster, harder, but his lungs trapped the salty and cold air. He thought every moisture-filled air sac would dry up until his lungs burst. Icy sweat trickled down his temples, running off at his chin.
    In the distance he saw a woman. He took off with the stride of a sixteen-year-old at full sprint. Sand filled his shoes. His heart thudded in his chest and ears, keeping time with the crashing ocean waves. He drew closer and recognized her ponytail blowing in the breeze and the gray sweats she’d been wearing. When he reached her, he couldn’t catch his breath or open his mouth to speak. His lungs tightened, and his heart raced against the abrupt stop. Every organ in his body strummed. He lowered his head and rested his hands on his knees. He hunched over and choked in the cool air, coughing and feeling foolish, but grateful Sparrow was safe.
    When she didn’t acknowledge him, concern washed over him. Why was she standing there staring out into the ocean? A cool breeze pelted his backside and whipped Sparrow head-on, making her clothes stick to the front of her body, and loose strands of hair fell around her heart-shaped face.
    “Sparrow?”
    Her red-rimmed green eyes remained distant and fixated on the ocean. He removed his hands from his knees and raised his head, gulping in a few more breaths, then moved directly into her line of vision. Tears streamed down her face.
    “My God, what’s wrong?”
    When she didn’t respond, he wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the blustery wind peeling off the ocean. She continued sobbing, her arms stiff at her sides. He took a step back and put her ice-cold hands in his. He searched her eyes for answers. From a medical standpoint, she appeared in shock.
    He squeezed her hands, fully covering them to warm her. “What happened, Sparrow?”
    Her eyes rolled up to look at him. He released her hands and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She appeared confused, distraught, anguished. He grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. The beats were slow. He needed to get her home. He estimated her house less than a mile away. If he hadn’t taken off so fast he might have seen her sooner, but his mind and feet had taken him directly to the jogging path in search of her.
    “Come on.”
    He pulled her away from the water with some difficulty. She craned her head to look back at the ocean and struggled against his arms. He didn’t know if he had the strength to do it, but with all he had, he picked her up and carried her. She curled against his body like a child, resting her head on his chest. She’d easily given up the fight, and no longer resisted him.
    She tilted her neck back and looked up at him. “I heard her calling my name.”
    “Who?”
    She squirmed and pointed over his shoulder.
    “The girl in the ocean. She’s dead.”

Chapter 4
     
    The kettle whistled. Derrick poured