by McKayla Box
“People are looking for you,” I say. “For what you did to Jake.”
He laughs. “No shit. Why do you think I've been waiting to come find you? I knew I couldn't just walk right up to your front door.” His smile dims. “I had to wait for just the right moment.” He pauses. “And the only thing I did to Jake was defend myself from that motherfucker.”
“Then why run and hide?” I ask.
He doesn't say anything.
“Because you're a fucking coward,” I say. “That's why.”
He takes a couple of steps toward me. I back up, but there's almost nowhere to go. I'm at the end of the jetty. It's ocean behind me and to either side.
Trapped.
He laughs. “Feeling like you've got nowhere to go?” He shakes his head. “Sweetheart, you never seemed all that bright to me. Not sure what Trev sees in you. You must be tremendous in the sack.” He rubs at his chin. “Have to say, I'm curious about that.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “What do you say we go for a walk and you can do me up there behind the bathrooms? Just so I have some idea of what he sees in you?”
“I'd rather die,” I say.
He laughs and nods. “Well, that's good to know. Since that's what's going to happen.”
My heart hammers inside my chest.
His ugly smile vanishes completely, replaced by a look of hate and disgust. “You've been nothing but a problem for me since I saw you.”
I don't say anything.
“And, you know, at first, I wasn't going to waste my time on you,” he says. “I just thought I'd lay low and wait for the right opportunity to bash Trevor's fucking head in. Send him on his way with his buddy. But then I thought about it and I decided...no. That actually wouldn't give me any satisfaction. It would be too easy.” He adjusts the cap on his head. “That's when I thought of you, sweetheart. I figured if I got rid of you, that would make him miserable. That would be the most painful thing I could do to him.” The smile flickers on his mouth again. “So here I am, bitch.”
I am trying not to panic. I don't want him to see that I'm scared. But I am. I'm terrified. He has me cornered. He's bigger than I am. Stronger. Faster. I have no chance to get by him.
“So that's your big plan?” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just, what? Kill me? And then the cops will want you for what you do to me and what you did to Jake? You're an idiot if you think you're going to get away with that.”
He chuckles. “And, yet, I've been able to hide from them since your pal took a header. I think I like my chances, sweetheart.”
“There's no way,” I say. “None. Everyone will know it was you. My friends. My family. They won't let you get away with it.”
He rubs at his chin. “Yeah. That's a fair point. Maybe I'm wrong after all?” He looks at me from under the brim of the hat. “Unless...” He pretends to think. “Unless it looks like an accident. Like, let's say you were out walking on the beach and you ended up going for a swim. By yourself. And you just...drowned.”
Something jagged and cold settles in my gut.
He's thought this out.
All of it.
“I mean, I know you're a badass surfer and all,” he says. “But even the best swimmers sometimes have trouble in the ocean. They get tired. They get caught in a strong current. And...accidents happen.” He smiles. “Yeah, I think they'll by that. And by the time they figure anything out? If they figure anything out?” He shrugs. “I'll be sitting on a beach in Mexico, drinking beers and not thinking about you ever again.”
The way he says everything, with no emotion, it frightening. He really is a psychopath.
He takes a couple more steps toward me. “Trevor's gonna be so sad. His little fucking soul mate. Gone. He's gonna cry his eyes out.” He laughs. “I will admit. I'm gonna be sorry to miss that.” The amusement dies on his face. “But not that sorry.”
I look past him toward the beach. It's almost dark now. The sand is empty.
I look to my left. There's no one up on the pier.
There's nothing to my right except more ocean.
I need to calm myself.
To think.
I know that I can't run past him. There isn't enough room and he'd catch me. I can't get around him because of the jagged rocks on either side of the jetty.
There's really only one place to go, one place that will give me a chance.
And that's behind me.
Out into the ocean off the end of the jetty.
I just need a a couple of seconds to be able to turn and go. To get a head start.
I inhale, breathe out through my nose, try to calm my nerves.
He adjusts the hat again. “So, sweetheart, I think it's time. Since you aren't gonna take me up on that offer for a quickie.” He shakes his head. “Time to get rid of the biggest fucking headache I've ever had.”
It's now or never.
I cup my hands around my mouth and make sure I look past him. “Hey! Out here! Help me!”
He freezes for a moment, then turns around to see who I'm yelling at.
But there's no one there and I make my move.
I pivot hard, take two quick steps, and launch myself off the jetty and into the ocean.
My arms and legs are already moving when I hit the cold, dark water. I kick as hard as I can, trying to stay above the water rather than go below and it feels as if I'm swimming within seconds of landing in the ocean. I'm aiming for the pier, which is a good hundred yards away.
And then I hear the splash behind me.
I kick harder. I reach as far as I can with my arms with every stroke. The water is rising and falling beneath me. I know I'm moving fast and I have a small head start.
But I know he's bigger and faster than I am.
I stay steady, my arms churning through the ocean. The pier is closer now. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I get there.
I veer to my right, aiming more toward the shore. Maybe if I can get to the sand first, I can run and find someone in the parking lot. My phone and keys are now most likely lost to the ocean.
And then I heard the splashes behind me.
I don't want to look, but I can't help myself.
I turn and look over my shoulder.
He's coming, gliding through the water like a submarine, right toward me.
The panic rises up inside of me and I kick harder than I ever have, my arms turning over wildly in the ocean.
Desperate.
I don't wanna die.
I feel his fingers brush my foot and I scream into the water, kicking my feet wildly, hoping to hit him in the face.
My lungs are burning.
And then a hand closes around my ankle.
I scream again, this time into the air, piercing the night.
He yanks me back toward him and I roll over as I'm pulled like I'm caught in a riptide.
His hat is gone and he's reaching out for me with his other arm.
I'm on my back and I pull my free leg toward my chest, then push it back out as hard as I can. My heel catches him square in the face and his grip loosens on my ankle. He grunts and I'm free for a moment.
I roll over again and start thrashing toward the shore, screaming, rather than putting my head down in the water.
And then his hand closes around my left ankle again.
And then my right one.
He has me.
He jerks me backward and before I can do anything, he wraps me in a bear hug.
“So feisty,” he says in my ear, gasping for air. “That was harder than I thought.”
I'm kicking at him beneath the water, but he has me pinned in exactly the right position. I can't make hard enough contact to hurt him. I can feel his legs churn behind me as he treads water, keeping us afloat.
I scream again, but only get half of it out before his hand clamps over my mouth.
“I will be so fucking happy to never hear that voice again,” he says in my ear.
I can feel his breath on my ski
n.
The panic is sapping my strength. I can't move my arms because he's squeezing me so tight. My legs are heavy and tired.
I can't believe I'm going to die in the ocean.
“Goodbye, bitch,” he growls in my ear.
I squeeze my eyes shut, not knowing what's coming. If he'll hit me and knock me out, if he'll hold me under. I just know it's coming.
And then I hear something I'm not expecting.
A splash to our right.
I can feel him shift behind me toward the splash.
And then he shoves me away from him.
I'm so surprised that I don't move. I sink into the water for a moment, then kick myself upward, treading in the water, keeping my head above the ocean.
I see the arms and the legs working furiously through the water toward Kane.
Kane is floundering, trying to swim backward, away from the human torpedo.
But it's no use.
The arms cut through the water with ferocity, propelling the swimmer forward.
Even in the dark, I can see him.
I can see Trevor going right for Kane.
FORTY FIVE
Trevor rises out of the water, lunging toward Kane in mid-stroke, and his fist connects with the middle of Kane's face.
I'm gasping for air, treading water.
Kane moves backward in the water, trying to kick himself through the water and create some distance between himself and Trevor. But Trevor lunges again through the water and lands on top of him, smothering him.
And they both go under.
It's suddenly quiet.
It's just me and waves crashing in the distance.
The panic starts to set in again.
They haven't come up.
I swim toward where they went under.
And they both explode up out of the water.
I lurch backward.
Trevor is behind Kane, his arm locked around his throat. If he was a lifeguard, it would look he was rescuing him, both of them on their backs.
But he's not.
He's trying to choke him.
“Don't!” I scream. “Don't!”
Kane's feet thrash in the water, spraying me with the ocean.
Even in the dark, I can see the focus on Trevor's face. His right arm is like a vice across Kane's throat, his left hand holding it in place. Kane is grabbing at his arm, trying to pry it free. But Trevor won't let go and Kane can't get any leverage in the water.
“Trevor!” I scream. “Stop!”
Kane's feet start to slow.
“Please!” I yell. “Don't! Please!”
I remember how I felt strangling Athena, how I got locked in on what I was doing, and how Bridget had to pull me off.
I swim at them.
Kane's hands fall from Trevor's arm.
I'm right next to them. “Please. Please. Don't kill him. Not like this.”
Trevor's jaw is locked and the muscles in his shoulder and biceps are bulging.
I touch his shoulder. “Trevor. Stop. Just stop.”
He grunts and looks at me.
Kane has stopped fighting.
The muscles in Trevor's arm spasm and he loosens his grip.
“Bring him in!” I yell. “Hurry!”
I turn without waiting for a response and swim hard for the shore. The waves pick me up and carry me the final thirty yards. My legs are wobbly, but I get myself up and turn around.
Trevor is right behind me, on his back, towing Kane in. He drags him through the waves, through the shallow water until he's on the hard-packed, damp sand at the water line. He gets out from under him and rolls away, exhausted.
I push Kane onto his side and he immediately coughs, spitting water everywhere through his nose and mouth. His face is covered in blood. I'm not sure if it was from the kick I landed or the punch Trevor hit him with. His eyes flutter open for a moment and shift toward me.
I take a deep breath, relieved that he's not dead.
His eyes close and he rolls onto his back. He's not quite out, but it's close.
Trevor pushes himself off the sand and comes over to me. “Are you alright?”
I nod. “Yeah. I'm okay.”
“My dad hired this guy,” he says in between breaths. “An investigator. He talked to someone who though they saw him earlier tonight. It was near your house.” He takes another deep breath, his hands on his hips, the water dripping off of him. “I drove to your house and your dad told me you were down here. I sort of panicked. I didn't tell him because I didn't want to freak him out in case I was wrong. I flew down here and saw your car in the lot. Then I heard the screams and I just started running.” He touches my arm. “Are you sure you're okay?”
I put my arms around him and hug him. My wet clothes are heavy and uncomfortable hanging on my body. I'm shaking and I'm not sure if it's because I'm cold or because I'm still scared.
Both, probably.
I look down at Kane.
Trevor puts his arms around me.
I hug him tighter. “I'm okay.”
FORTY SIX
I'm wrapped in a towel.
The parking lot is lit up with police lights.
I'm grateful.
After we catch our breath, I ran up to Trevor's truck and grabbed his phone to call the police and my dad. He stays with him on the beach and I'm half afraid he'll try to kill him if he wakes up. But I run back down to the sand and he's still standing over him.
The police come. Lots of them. They get him to his feet and cuff him. He's still dazed and bloodied as they walk him up the sand.
I talk to a police officer and tell him what happened. I see Trevor doing the same with another officer. I'm not sure who gives me the towel, but at some point as I'm talking to the officer, someone puts it around me.
My dad arrives and runs to me. He wraps me in a bear hug, kissing the top of my head.
I tell him I'm okay.
Trevor's dad shows up, along with another man I've never seen before. The investigator he hired, I assume. I'm not sure.
The officer I'm talking with asks me if I want to go to the hospital to be examined and I tell him no. I'm cold and I'm tired, but otherwise I'm okay. He nods and walks away.
I stand there, shivering beneath the towel. My dad won't let go of me.
“You're sure you don't need to go the hospital?” he asks.
“I'm fine,” I say. “He didn't hurt me.”
“I knew something was wrong when Trevor came by,” he says. “I just felt...something was wrong.”
“He wasn't sure he was right,” I say. “He thought he might be overreacting.”
“Thank god he wasn't.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
I see him standing with his dad, the investigator, and the police officer. His father is talking.
Trevor is looking at me.
I get my hand free from the towel and give him a little wave.
He shakes his head and that corner of his mouth turns upward. He waves back.
“Pres, you're sure you're okay?” my dad asks again. “You're positive?”
I step out of his arms and look at him. “Positive. I'm okay.”
And I am.
I'm relieved.
Because Kane is in handcuffs. For what he did to Jake and for what he tried to do to me.
Tried and failed.
I fought back.
Again.
And won.
“I'm okay,” I say again, more to hear myself say it than for my dad. “Because it's over.”
FORTY SEVEN
“I wasn't sure you'd wanna come down here today,” Trevor says.
“Please,” I tell him. “No way I'm letting Kane take this away from me. No fucking way.”
He laughs.
It's the next night and we're sitting on the beach. We've spent the better part of the day together. I leave for Santa Barbara tomorrow.
And I'm not sure how I feel about that.
“Good,” he says. �
��I'm glad. Would suck to not be able to come down to the beach with you anymore.”
We're sitting on a towel and I put my head on his shoulder. “That will never be the case.”
He puts his arm around me.
I slept better than I thought I would. I'm not sure if it was the exhaustion from what happened or the relief that it was over, but when we finally got home, I showered, crashed into my bed, and passed out. I woke up, had breakfast with my dad, and we went and got my car from the parking lot with the spare key. We stopped at the phone store and I got a new phone since mine was at the bottom of the ocean somewhere. We came home and I started packing my things. My dad wants to leave in the morning so we have the full day in Santa Barbara to get me squared away.
Trevor picked me up at noon and we went and had lunch at Juanito's, then drove to the beach to surf.
We haven't left. He brought a cooler full of food and drinks for us. I'd told him I just wanted to spend my last day in Sunset Beach with him at the beach. We surfed for a couple hours, got out to eat, then went back out for awhile. Now, the sun is setting, we've finished all of our food, and it's quiet. The waves are small and steady under the pink and orange sky.
I could sit like this forever.
Except I know that I can't.
“I have good news,” he says.
I look at him. “You do?”
He nods. “Yeah. My dad texted me while we were out on the water. Derek is dropping the charges.”
“What? No fucking way!”
He laughs and nods. “Yeah. I'm not sure exactly what the deal was, but apparently his parents called my dad this afternoon. They heard about Kane and everything that's gone on. I guess Derek told them everything, including the stuff that happened with you and then how you found out it was Kane that attacked him. I don't know all of the details, but they told him that they were going to ask the district attorney to drop the assault charges and that if he won't, Derek won't testify.”
“Holy shit!” I say, squeezing his arm. “That's awesome!”
He nods. “I know. I had to read it a couple of times to make sure I understood him right. So I guess I'm clear for now.”
I throw my hands around his neck and kiss him. “This is maybe the best going away present I've ever gotten.”
