“It was a surprise,” Hale says, taking a sip of his coffee. “Eat up, sweetheart.” He pushes my plate toward me, and I can’t speak. I can hardly move. How did he know they were my parents? How did he know where we would be?

“Hale was just telling us how much his family owns here on Wickett, and here I thought all the locals were old retired surfers.” My dad breaks out in a laugh that Hale overenthusiastically joins.

I stare out the window, watching for Logan, wishing I could run out to him now. Can he see us? How can I get a message to him?

“Eat up, Sierra,” my mother says. “Your father and I have a twelve o’clock tee time.”

“Hale, you guys want to join us for nine rounds?” My dad smiles at the boy sitting across from me, and my stomach twists. I think I might actually be sick.

“No, thank you. I actually have a little afternoon surprise planned for Sierra,” he looks at me with a wink and smile as he takes a bite of my omelet.

A thick lump builds in my throat. Fear has me completely paralyzed, and the thought of being alone with him makes my eyes prick with threatening tears. But I push them away. He has too much on Logan. I have to play the part for him.

“You feeling okay, Sierra?” my mom asks.

Pressing a forced smile across my face, I shove a bite of eggs into my mouth. Then, I nod. “Yeah, I’m just a little nervous to see what he has planned.”

“You’re going to love it,” he adds, and that single bite of food threatens to come back up.

Hale pays for breakfast, privately of course, which makes my parents fawn over him even more. He has money, which must be the only thing that matters to them. As we walk out of the restaurant, my skin pricks with terror. My parents kiss me goodbye and hug Hale before walking away.

He puts an arm around me and takes me in the opposite direction.

We’re out of earshot when he starts. “Good girl.”

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, pushing back the tears again.

“Call it an insurance policy,” he says as he presses his lips against my head. I jerk my head away, but he only squeezes me closer. “I can’t have you bringing your daddy into this, making things all messy for me. And in return, I won’t have your boyfriend framed for murder.”

“You sold Tyler those drugs, and that’s what killed him.” We’re alone on the boardwalk when Hale presses me against the wall, acting like we’re about to kiss when he threatens me, his harsh voice in my ear. “You keep talking like that, sweetheart, and your boyfriend will fry. It won’t be hard for me to have him put away for this. He fits the bill.”

“You won’t get away with it,” I answer back.