It didn’t look like anything was going on, and there wasn’t a soul outside. He undid the lock and forced the window open, pushing so hard part of the frame cracked under the force.

He didn’t care. The window was finally releasing him, so he climbed out, landing with a thud on the grass below. With the hood of his jacket popped over his head, he quickly moved toward the road.

There was no one waiting for him outside, no team dressed in black, no helicopters, and no scent dogs. It was just him, the birds, and the boats off in the distance.

Maybe he had overreacted. Marty’s shoulders relaxed the further he got from the hotel. It wasn’t until he was walking alongside the parking lot, hiding amongst the trees, that he saw something unusual. A black SUV had pulled up to the front door of the hotel, unloading six men before pulling away.

The hair stood up on Marty’s neck. Was this it? Was it really happening? Or had he finally lost his mind?

He wasn’t going to wait around to find out. Marty picked up his pace, keeping his head down, and promptly walked into the side of a truck.

“Do you mind telling me why you just busted one of my windows?” said a voice.

Marty looked up, peering into the open window of the truck. The guy looked angry – annoyed, even – but he didn’t look like FBI.

“Sorry,” Marty said hurriedly, trying to walk around, keeping his head down.

The truck lurched forward. “Not so fast.”

Marty looked up, just in time to see a second black SUV arrive and unload another six men into the hotel.

The driver of the truck turned to see what Marty was looking at. “Friends of yours?” he asked.

Marty felt a panic setting in. He was having a hard time breathing and was seeing spots. He shook his head.

The driver of the truck frowned. “Are you...Lucy’s friend?”

Maybe this guy was FBI? That would be clever – flush him out of the room, then have him walk right into the arms of an agent… “Never heard of her.”

“Listen kid, I’m the manager of the hotel whose window you just broke. If you try to run off, I’ll call the police.”

Another SUV came rolling through, and Marty ducked low so he wasn’t spotted. Once they passed, he leaned into the truck window. “You’re Chip?”

“The one and only.”

Marty felt like he was going to throw up. The newest carload had unloaded, these agents running to the side of the hotel. They were getting into place. “You’re the one Claire likes.”

Chip cocked his head to the side. “What?”

“Give me a ride. Please. Let me in.” He tried the door handle, but it was locked.

Chip shook his head. “You’re out of your mind.”