I playfully nudged him in the ribs, still he hugged me to him. Resting on the blanket, we watched the sun slowly melt into oranges and purples until it sizzled against the ocean. I wondered if the sky looked the same on the other side of the world. If once we arrived in Jerusalem, if we would see the sun again until the baby was born.

I relaxed back against the blanket, looking up at the sky. The stars were visible on the eastern half of the sky, but they were still burned out by the sun in the West. Jared grabbed my arm, and I froze.

“What is it?”

Jared smiled and pulled out his Glock. “You almost laid on my sidearm.”

“You brought your gun? Worried the grains of sand would shell?” I smiled.

“When the others start shelling, it’s impossible to know who’s a threat and who’s not. That’s why we can’t get to the Sepulchre fast enough as far as I’m concerned. I almost wonder if they didn’t blow the Beemer on purpose. If they knew our plan—and I’m sure they did—if they didn’t kill you in the process, they thought it would keep us from leaving. Bex has a harder time sensing them, so I know with my…distraction, it could be dangerous.”

I nodded. “It’s not fair that with everything else we’re dealing with, your senses are overwhelmed, too.” I frowned. “Now that I think about it, none of this is very fair.”

“Considering the circumstances, I think it’s clear we have some fans up there. We have Eli and Samuel vying for us. That’s a huge advantage in and of itself.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” I grumbled.

My cell phone rang. It was Beth again. I closed my eyes tight while Jared took the phone and pushed the silence button. He buried it into the tote I had carried with me to the beach and then pulled me against his chest.

“You can tell her goodbye before we leave. She’ll only feel this way for a few days and then you can comfort her. She’ll probably tackle you and forget all about it.”

“No, she won’t.”

Jared took in a deep breath and wrapped his arms tighter around me. “I’m just trying to help.”

“I know. I know you are. It’s just that I feel I’m hurting her intentionally. It’s not fair that she is the only close friend that isn’t in the loop.”

“Do you really want to expose her to all of this? More importantly, do you think she can handle it?”

I shook my head. “No. I know you’re right. I don’t want to tell her, I just feel like a jerk. ‘Jerk’ doesn’t even cover it. I’m a bad friend—a bad person.”