Page 116 of Doyle

“Hey there, DK.”She wore her blonde hair down, a tan on her skin, her green eyes luminescent. He put his hand over hers on his chest, warm and real.“I miss you.”

He couldn’t speak and his throat burned.

“You miss me too, right?”

He nodded, his hand hard on hers.

She stared at him, searching, but his body had turned to stone. Then she let go, got up.

Juliet!

No words from his mouth. She stood at the door, smiled at him.

He was choking, his breath gone.Juliet.

And then, just like that, she disappeared.

He gasped and opened his eyes, and dawn streamed into his room, the rain gone, sunlight skimming the wood floor. He sat up, his feet on the cold, his heart hammering, and clung to the side of the bed, his gaze out the window.

Cumbre de Luz still rose in the distance, but a great swath had furrowed a deep scar in her face. Still, the light landed on the rainforest, turning it a rich emerald, and the dawn swept lavender and marigold across the sky.

“His mercies are new every morning.”

Doyle closed his eyes, savored the moment, took in a deep breath.God, I don’t want to walk in yesterday. And I don’t want to be stuck. Help me see Your goodness in the land of the living, find that joy of following You even if I don’t know where I’m going.

He looked up, and suddenly...yeah,he knew exactly where he was going. Pulling on fresh jeans and a T-shirt, he slipped on flip-flops, brushed his teeth, tunneled a hand through his hair, and headed down to Tia’s room.

So it was early. This apology was long overdue. He knocked.

The door creaked, eased open. He pressed it wider.

Her bed lay mussed, her slicker on the floor. And his gaze fell on her tennis shoes, toed off at an angle next to it.

Huh.He turned and looked out over the courtyard. The fountain had filled almost to overflowing with yesterday’s rain, and a few pigeons pecked in the yard. In the distance, a rooster crowed. Maybe she’d gotten up early?

Except a stone sat in his gut, and then he remembered...

Last night when Declan left, Doyle hadn’t heard the alarm beep. Either to arm it or in alert. And then he heard the security guy’s voice:“I’ll disable the alarm and leave it unlocked for when you return.”

He headed downstairs and into the dining hall.

North sat at a table, drinking coffee, texting. He looked up at Doyle. “You good?”

“Have you seen Tia?”

He shook his head. “I just got up. Heading out for my shift at the church?—”

“What about the grotto?”

“Ham pulled Skeet off the main entrance and sent him there last night. Glad I wasn’t pulling that duty.” He set down the phone. “I think Ham relieved him this morning. Skeet was asleep in his cot when I got up.”

“And West?”

“My guess is at the chapel.”

“Who was... Was anyone watching the gate?”

“The gate is secure. Alarm set.” He picked up his phone, swiped open the app.

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