Some asshole went to her house. I pace around the beach house and try not to become a complete madman. It’s been, what, two days, and there are people at her house? It’s not a matter of shutting it down from LA anymore. The vultures are already here.

Even if I leave, I can’t draw them away from her. I was the crack in the door. Emily is the prize. They won’t stop until they draw blood.

When I can think straight, I make a call to a friend. Other than Beau, he’s the person who could make the most difference in this situation.

Liam North answers on the first ring. “I didn’t think I’d hear from you,” he says, sounding half-worried, half-amused. “Aren’t you on vacation in the middle of nowhere?”

“Things in Eben Cape got a lot more interesting.”

“How? Did a circus come to town?”

“The paparazzi did.”

“They always come around when you ask them to visit.”

“I didn’t ask them.” I outline the situation with Emily. He listens. No more jokes when I get to the part about how that jackass went to her house. “I need people out here.”

“How many?” There’s a quiet scratching in the background. He’s taking notes.

“A full team. The biggest team you can put together. I don’t want anybody setting foot near her house again. Not even on the access road.”

“You think they pose that much of a threat?”

“I don’t know. But I’m not going to wait for one of them to cross a line to find out.”

In forty-eight hours, Liam North’s people descend on Eben Cape. There are more of them than I imagined. So many, in fact, that I think about sending some of them back. Then Liam North explains to me that in order to secure the access road, they needed twice as many people. He goes through a list of parameters they used to calculate the number of personnel. I stop him when he starts getting into the number of hours on shift vs. percentage of secured area. These guys are clearly professionals worthy of their reputation. They know what they’re doing. It’s my job to trust them. And to pay the very large bill.

They waste no time blocking off the road and setting up a checkpoint. More guys head back into the area surrounding Coach House. It’s an old, sprawling property, stretching down to where Beau and Jane live now. All of it needs to be monitored.

I’ve always thought it was bullshit that there’s only one road leading up to the cliff. If somebody got into an accident, you’d have to drive your car through the ditch or the woods. Now I’m glad it’s just the one road.