33

The chilling of winter's approach made Alice's teeth clenched together, her arms wrapping up her upper body to ward off the effects.

She was by the beach, under that Rohira tree again, watching as the waves of the ocean rolled in and out. This time she was alone, swarmed by the falling leaves of the tree and a rolled up quilt from Callum's collection.

Despite her shivering, she scooped up a ball of ice cream into her mouth. Savoring the deliciousness of the dessert was one of her pastimes ever since Callum introduced her to it. Her head dropped back to the bark as she inhaled. There was nothing she appreciated more than peace and quiet.

There was a sudden echo, loud enough to scatter the birds from the tree. Her head snapped in the direction of the noise. Up to Callum's house.

From where she sat, she could see the balcony so when a man emerged from the gym with a gun in hand, she stiffened. He seemed to be looking straight at her. There was instant unease in her gut.

Then the face bec