The Devil's Gate by Malcolm Richards

Author:Malcolm Richards [Richards, Malcolm]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm House Books
Published: 2019-08-30T22:00:00+00:00

19

THEY MET AT THE SHACK beach bar, which in hindsight had not been the best idea. It was busy with tourists catching an evening dinner and drinks, but there were locals here, too, filling the tables and sandy floorboards. And of course, they were staring. And whispering.

Carrie sat at a table in the corner, eyes flicking around the room as she attempted to focus on the surf rock music playing from the speakers. She'd only been here for twenty minutes but it already felt like a lifetime. She watched Kye at the bar, watched the way he smiled and chatted to those who knew him, some of the men clapping him on the shoulder and wondering what he was doing back here in the cove. The same question was on Carrie’s mind.

Her first instinct had been to decline his invitation. Yet here she was and now he was coming back over with more drinks and a smile; one that didn't reach his eyes, she noted, which were haunted just like her own.

“Here,” he said, setting a tall glass in front of her, then sitting down.

Carrie stared at the drink. It had been months since she’d touched a drop of alcohol but meeting up with a ghost from the past could never be done dry. She brought the glass to her lips, tasting the fizz of cola and the bitterness of vodka. She made a mental note not to down it as quickly as she’d done with the first.

Kye was staring at her. It had been almost seven years since she’d last seen him, but except for a few more weathered lines and a patch of premature grey in his beard, he looked much the same. He was handsome in a rugged kind of way; just like Dylan. But where Dylan had a steely countenance regardless of his mood, Kye's eyes were soft and deep, revealing some of the complexity beneath. He smiled at her, warm and disarming.

“He has your eyes,” Carrie said at last, her voice barely audible over the din of the bar. An image of Cal sitting across from the table at the hospital flashed in her mind and guilt ripped through her.

Pain flickered across Kye’s face and he glanced away. Someone called out his name. He raised a hand and smiled. When he turned back to Carrie, the smile was gone.

“Why are you here?” she asked him. “It's been years. So, why now?”

For a long time, he remained silent and staring. Then, taking a drink of beer, he set his glass down and said, “Dad’s sick. Cancer.”

“Oh... I’m sorry. How bad?”

“Stage four. They’re treating him but it’s not looking good. Anyway, it’s not the only reason. I thought it was about time we talked.”

Carrie leaned forward. It felt hot in the bar, like they had the heaters running despite the warm summer air. “It was about time six months ago. I gave up trying to call you.”

“Well, that one you can't blame me for. If I'd found out sooner that.

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