Dancing Tides (167 page)

“
S
er
ious
l
y
.
Y
o
u
’r
e
think
i
ng
of
c
utting
thi
n
g
s o
f
f
w
ith h
e
r
no
w
?”

Co
r
d
w
hi
r
l
e
d
ar
ound
a
t the
sound of
S
c
ott
’
s voi
c
e
.
“
F
u
c
k
y
ou.
I
’
m in no mood to h
a
ve
a
c
onv
er
s
a
tion
w
ith a
d
ea
d
g
u
y
r
i
g
ht no
w
, o
k
a
y
?
”
Cord
st
are
d d
o
w
n S
c
ott
’
s ghost
w
ho
wa
s
e
v
e
r
y
bit
a
s mu
c
h a
solid
f
o
r
m
a
s he
hims
e
lf
wa
s.
De
spite
his tou
g
h p
e
r
so
n
a
, s
ee
i
n
g
S
c
ott
a
l
w
a
y
s
g
a
ve
him a
jolt, one
he
w
o
u
ld
a
dmit to no on
e
.
B
ut
r
i
g
ht now
he
h
a
d ot
h
e
r
mo
r
e
p
r
e
ssi
n
g
m
a
tt
er
s
to
f
o
c
us on th
a
n a
g
hostly
a
p
p
ar
ition.

“Y
ou think
I
wa
nt to b
r
e
a
k it o
ff
?
He
ll, I
wa
nt h
e
r
mo
r
e
th
a
n
I
w
a
nt
m
y
n
e
x
t b
rea
th of
a
i
r
.
B
ut
I
’
m not putting
h
e
r
i
n the
line
of
f
i
r
e
if
t
h
a
t son of
a
bit
c
h
c
om
e
s looki
n
g
f
o
r
m
e
.
I
’
m not t
a
king
the
c
h
a
n
c
e
. Rob
b
y
M
ac
k is
cra
z
y
.”

“H
e
w
ill, h
e’
ll
c
ome
f
or
y
o
u.”

T
h
a
t stopp
e
d Co
r
d in mid-m
a
d.
H
e
n
a
rr
o
w
e
d his
e
y
e
s.
“Y
ou kn
o
w
this
f
or
a
f
a
c
t?
W
h
a
t
?
Ar
e
y
ou p
s
y
c
hic
n
o
w
, to
o
?
”

“He’
s
h
ea
d
e
d to C
a
li
f
o
r
n
i
a.
”

Co
r
d
ra
n sh
a
k
y
f
i
n
g
er
s t
h
r
ou
g
h his lo
n
g
, loose
lo
c
ks.
“
F
in
e
.
I
n
ee
d to
g
o t
a
l
k to
Ke
e
g
a
n.
T
he
soon
e
r
I
g
e
t this ov
e
r
w
ith the
b
e
tt
er
.”

A
nd
w
ith th
a
t, he
sto
r
m
e
d o
f
f
to
f
ind
a
n
a
v
a
il
a
ble
t
r
u
c
k.

B
ut b
ef
o
r
e
Co
r
d
r
eac
h
e
d
the
v
e
hi
c
l
e
, M
a
r
t
y
ca
me
r
unning
up to him.
“T
h
er
e’
s a
m
a
n
wa
iting
f
o
r
y
ou inside
the
o
ff
i
c
e
, s
a
y
s it
’
s impo
r
t
a
nt he
t
a
lk to
y
ou.”

B
e
c
a
use
Rob
b
y
M
a
c
k
’
s
f
ac
e
pop
p
e
d into Co
r
d
’
s h
ea
d, he
pull
e
d out the
f
l
y
er
, sho
we
d it to M
ar
t
y
.
“
B
y
a
n
y
c
h
a
n
c
e
is t
h
is the
g
u
y
?
”

M
ar
t
y
shook his h
e
a
d.
“
N
o
w
a
y
.
T
his
g
u
y
is
a
lmost
a
s t
a
ll
a
s
y
ou
a
re
, m
a
y
b
e
a
c
ouple
o
f in
c
h
e
s sho
r
t
er
,
g
r
a
y
i
n
g
s
a
n
d
y
blond
h
a
i
r
, not
a
s l
o
ng
a
s
y
o
u
r
s.
H
e
looks like
h
e’
s
a
bout
f
i
f
t
y
o
r so. S
a
y
s
f
or
m
e
to t
e
ll
y
o
u h
e’
s
y
our
f
a
th
er
.
”