An Ocean Between (Beachside Sweet Romantic Suspense Book 2)

by Rimmy London

  “Max, we hit a rock,” I yelled, pulling my hair behind me and securing it with a rubber band. I couldn’t wait to be under that surface, submerged in the deep, rejuvenating sea. With a breath I lifted my hips to the railing, ready to kick off and let go.

  “Stop!” Max ran into me almost at full speed and I fell to the deck, his weight crushing me before he jumped back. “What are you doing?” he yelled. I rubbed my hip. “Didn’t you hear me? Those aren’t rocks! And you can’t swim here!”

  I scanned my memory for whatever he might be talking about. “What?” I grouched, mad that he had ruined the first relaxing thought I’d had in days. With a steady grip on my hand, he walked with me to the railing. The sun had dipped lower, leaving the sky a darkening shade of lavender, and the sea no longer mirrored its light.

  I watched the ocean with him as a shadow circled our vessel, large and ominous. It turned and came directly for us, disappearing under the boat with a frighteningly strong bump. I gasped and clutched the railing with both hands. “Sharks,” I breathed, clearly making out two more shadows even as I spoke the word.

  “Yes,” he sighed, running one hand across his weary face. “As I said before, the sea around this island is saturated with not just any kind of shark. Great white sharks swim here by the dozens, huge and heavy from the seals they feast on.” He dropped his head to the railing, looking exhausted. “You can’t swim here… Givanni can’t swim here. There’s almost no escape from this place.”

  Crossing my arms over the railing, I watched the water with a new fear. The light had abandoned us enough so that the only sign of their presence was what they decided to show. I cringed at the next bump, swallowing as much of the terror as I could.

  Enrica padded softly next to us, having watched the whole scene in silence. I wondered if she had seen me about to jump into the water… and if she would have stopped me. A quick glance in her direction and I shrugged the thought off. Her eyes were elsewhere, the last minutes forgotten completely. Whatever change she had forced through her body, it was something I had learned to pay attention to. Max had chiseled his features into stone as well, and with a nod he let Enrica start with whatever was obviously on her mind.

  She breezed through the first sentence surprisingly well. “I am not sure if Givanni is alive,” she said. I felt the razor sharp edges of her words cut clean through my heart, leaving pieces behind that ached. “But whether or not he is alive, I am sure he is here. We have heard that much from Jordyn.” She glanced at me for an uncaring second, “This will not be easy Loriel.”

  My eyes lifted in complete shock. I couldn’t remember ever hearing her say my name, and even though it was probably insignificant, it made me feel like I had suddenly appeared. The shadow that had been given another dimension.

  She looked back at me for a moment, puzzling. “I know I shouldn’t ask this of you, Givanni would have both our heads for this.” She danced her eyes to Max briefly. “But you are here, and we—need you.” She choked a little on that last part, but Max took over.

  “Yes, we do. That decision has already been made, so let’s move forward. I think we’ve waited long enough. I say it’s time to move.”

  Chapter 14

  The darkness that had settled on the ocean wasn’t subtle. As we glided toward land, it brought mist and dread, so tangible it seemed to brush against my arms when I moved. The water’s surface bantered the moonlight unpleasantly with its ripples. I could only imagine what was causing the deeper swells from beneath. Its silent ally.

  Our craft creaked so purposeful that I was close to scolding it. But gradually a mass solidified amidst the fog, and I let my breath out at the thought of solid ground. The island was considerably larger than I’d imagined—I could feel more than see it. Strong and pressing, it was a significant piece of land. The sound of water slapping against rock had me wondering just how steep this side of the mountain was. It sounded like a vertical wall.

  Enrica bumped my arm, lifting her head with a jerk and pushing a rope into my hands. I followed suit and took hold of the rope. No doubt she would let me know if I wasn’t doing things right. But she didn’t return, although I could hear her scurrying around the deck. The lights were dimmed so low it was hard to see my own feet, and I wondered nervously how they would navigate their way to a manageable piece of shoreline. But sand rubbed against the boat's belly soon enough, and I released the rope. The grinding intensified, suddenly ripping against the wood until we stopped with a startling crack.

  Max swore, and from the strange echoing sound of water against wood, I doubted we’d be taking this vessel for our return trip. My stomach twisted, but my companions seemed to overlook it in the next instant.

  I followed their actions, taking up a pack when it was tossed at me and trailing to the bow. Max looped his feet over the railing quickly and hung from his hands for a moment before kicking away from the craft and releasing it—he disappeared into a black abyss. Enrica followed without so much as a glance, her feet inaudible either because of stealth or because they were drowned out by the beating heart that had settled in my ears.

  I swung my feet over the edge, taking more time than them as I slid my body over and hung from my hands for a few seconds. My head wanted to debate, and I could feel the irritatingly rational lecture that was coming. Without another thought I kicked my feet out, released my grip, and fell through the cool mist.

  My feet sunk into wet, sandy rock and my hands pressed into the muck as I landed in a crouch. I could tell I hadn’t made a sound, and I glanced at Enrica, but her silhouette trudged ahead. Max nodded approvingly at me before he turned, and I followed with my chin a bit higher.

  But my heart had never recovered from the drop onto our little beach, thrumming wildly in my chest. I was sure our enemy had heard everything, seen everything—and were just waiting for us.

  Enrica kept the lead, and after a good while of walking, she signaled to us with a brush of her hand. Max glanced at me, nodding his head. I rolled my eyes, not having a clue what it all meant. But when Enrica slipped off the first rock and caught herself—lying frozen for a moment, I realized she had given us a warning. Her eyes swept across the landscape before she pushed off the wet, grey stone again. The grip of my shoes was a relief, the way they clung to the dripping surface. Very quickly, the rocks became boulders with crevices between that could swallow me. They melded right into the cliff, but thankfully the surface was no longer covered in a sheen of water. I stretched my foot across a wide chasm and glanced behind us. The rocks below were darkened, with a solid line running across the entire beach—low tide. I swallowed, the image of what we would be up against at high tide all too vivid. Our boat was sure to be crushed when met with these boulders.

  I glanced up to see Max disappearing into a dark shape in the cliff, and I fumbled forward. Last to enter the cave, I noticed at once the way the noise of the waves hushed into a soft breath. A light pushed away the shadows—the small torch Max held like a tiny beast. It leaped and snarled, never relenting to the dark. I inched forward, feeling the minuscule warmth it radiated. We were gathered around a scatter of rocks that encircled blackened wood—the makeshift fire pit signaling that we had come to the right place. A thin layer of sand along the cave bottom showed foot and hand prints, some a solid imprint and others wiped away.

  I wondered how long Jordyn had been here, and what he was doing now. “Did he know when you would be coming?” I asked in barely a whisper. Max shook his head, but not in a hopeful way—he looked like he was clearing away the shock.

  “He should be here,” Enrica whispered, although louder than I’d dared. Concern lined her words, and she took a stick from the cave floor. Wrapping a strip of material around it she dipped it into Max’s torch, and the flame split in two.

  They started off quickly, taking either side of the cave and heading deeper. Trailing Enrica, I wished she would be talkative for once. It was easy to see how much faith they’d put in Jordyn, and on her face we
re emotions deeper than impatience. Chills ran through me, but I kept up with her silent stride. The cave was larger than it looked from the mouth, arching out impressively. Even the light couldn’t reach the top, or illuminate the end.

  A whistle echoed from the opposite side. “He’s reached the end,” Enrica said softly. “If we don’t find him…” Her words trailed off and her eyes flickered to me before darting ahead again.

  “What does he know? How long has he been here?” I let my words fall as smooth as possible, hoping the conversation would continue.

  Enrica licked her lips before pressing them together. “About a week, and he’s seen Givanni. We just don’t know entirely what his coded messages were referring to, so we aren’t sure if Givanni is still alive.”

  My stomach twisted so hard it was painful, and I wrapped an arm around my middle.

  “He can tell us hopefully where he is and if he is… well.” She glanced at me, finishing with a puff of breath. “Without him we have nothing.” Another few hurried steps and she stopped suddenly, a small flick of fire leaping ahead.

  I was drawn to a shape on the ground. It could have been another rock, but the light didn’t reflect off its surface. Enrica dropped the makeshift torch and reached the crumpled person before it hit the floor. Her silhouette against the black rock stretched to the ceiling, hair blocking her face as she knelt beside him.

  “Jordyn,” she breathed frantically, pulling him to his back. His head rolled to the side, coming to rest in an unnatural position. I felt my stomach turn, compassion for Enrica not able to calm all that swelled inside. Taking a breath, I tried to see life in his form.

  “Jordyn… Jordyn!” She shook him—hard. But his body was lax and swayed with every effort. Her hand whipped across his face and I jumped, but he had no reaction. Her head dropped to his chest in a brutal sob. Even in her anguish, she turned to press her ear against him, listening. But after a few seconds, she pushed her face into his shirt again.

  “I’m so s-sorry.” I choked, feeling suddenly that life had once again not been fair to Enrica. Max came from behind, his half of the flame splitting their shadowy silhouettes into two equally devastating scenes. I could hardly think straight, trying to breathe in enough of the cool cave mist to calm my unease. Enrica had said we had nothing without Jordyn, and he was dead.

  Max’s face was unbelieving, and his breath jostled the flame with each gust. With a quick glance, he passed me the torch, coming to kneel beside Enrica. Resting one hand on her shoulder he placed the other at Jordyn’s neck. After a moment I could see his hand sink deeper into the pale skin, searching for life.

  Something like a snarl came from Enrica, and she pushed Max’s hand away, shooting to her feet as the sound roared, echoing with the drop of her jaw like a war cry. Her eyes were intense as she looked past me, to some imaginary being. Without a word, she shot forward and I leaped aside, nearly colliding with stone.

  “Enrica!” Max was running too, their feet a blur as they ran almost identical in stride. They disappeared from the light quickly, and the darkness felt heavier once their voices were dimmed.

  I turned to the body, now lit by two fading torches. Breathe in. Breathe out. Silence settled in like an unwelcome guest. I glanced behind me, wishing they would return, but it was still. With a breath, I inched forward, finally kneeling and lifting the torch higher.

  Rocks scattered to my right and I swung the torch, searching with fire blinded eyes. But, there was only rock. My heart drummed. “Who’s there?” I screeched, terrified. The rocks ground together again, more slowly this time, and I searched for the sound. Lowering the torch I stared in amazement at Jordyn’s shoe as it slid against the rubble. His knee bent and a ragged groan hissed through his teeth. With a little effort he rolled his head to a forward position, and his eyelids lifted to show tiny slits of life.

  “Jordyn!” I knelt down beside him, hoping he recognized me as his head leaned in my direction. For a moment he stared, unblinking, and I worried that he’d lost consciousness again. But his lips pressed together. I shook my head, leaning closer.

  “Enrica?” He hissed. I rested a hand on his forehead, knowing that the cool clammy skin should have more warmth to it. His eyes stared into mine as he waited.

  “She…” I hoped he wasn’t good at detecting lies. “Was just here. I can go get her in a moment.” He swallowed with what looked like great effort, and I swung my pack to the ground, stabbing the torch in the cave bottom. With a jerk, I slid the zipper open and dumped the contents out. Snatching up the water bottle, it was hard to get my shaky hands to open it. Jordyn’s eyes were closed again and I lifted his head as much as I dared. With a grateful glance in my direction, he choked on the first swallow, turning his mouth away from the bottle. I flinched as his hand covered mine. Rough and dark with bruising, there was more strength in his grip than I would have expected. He drank until the bottle was nearly drained, finally tilting his head back and breathing in a healthy gust of air.

  I couldn’t stop all the questions bombarding my every thought. He knew. Jordyn knew if Givanni was alive… at least, that was what everyone thought. I took a seat amongst my supplies and threaded my fingers through my tangled hair a few times, perfecting the questions as they lined up. “I have to ask you, Jordyn,” I finally managed. When I looked back at him I knew there was a very real possibility he wasn’t strong enough to respond. “Have you seen Givanni? Is he… here?” Although watching me, he didn’t answer. “I know you’ve sent information, but Max and Enrica were a little unsure about some of it…” My voice trailed off and I met his stare, waiting and hoping this was explanation enough. I could feel my heart starting to pound in my throat.

  To my surprise he lifted up on one arm, leaning into his elbow and looking more capable than I’d imagined. I felt a surge of hope, sure that he would be the one to lead us out of this mess.

  “Let me ask you something,” he wheezed in a raspy voice. “You seem to know what I’m doing here.” My head dipped in acknowledgment. “But what in the world are you. Loriel Lane—what are you doing here? How could they bring you to your death?” His eyes were hard, looking foreign on his kind face. And as for a response, my head didn’t seem to be accepting his meaning. “You survived before, but don’t be so naïve as to think that will happen again. We have no transportation, no one to rush in and save us. In fact, I am the rescue mission.” He choked out a laugh.

  His cruelty was hardly necessary. Who cared why I was there? It was done, and bantering me about it would help nothing. “I’m not saying this to demean you,” he continued. “But you need to know that things are different this time. Any chance of success is unlikely. Max and I, we both have our debts to Givanni and we will do what we can no matter the cost.” He paused for a moment, the deep brown of his eyes softening. “Yes I have seen him, and yes he is alive.”

  Knowing he was still scrutinizing me, I tried not to react as deeply as I felt, but my every resolve had crumbled. Just the image of Givanni alive. His face in full color displayed in my mind, left me shaking.

  “He would kill Max if he knew you were here,” Jordyn continued, “but then again that might not be necessary.” My mind was still spinning as he ranted. “We will likely all die—you especially. What do they mean bringing you here? Do you know—do you really know who we are? What we’ve been trained for? What we’ve seen?” His eyes only flickered my way for an instant before he continued.

  “Of course not. Of course, you don’t. Never mind that you most likely have never scaled a mountain?” He glanced up and nodded. “No. And combat? Can you fight?” Another glance. “No. Navigation? Could you find your way out of here by the stars?” This time he didn’t bother glancing up. “Are you a killer Miss Lane? Have you ever shot someone and watched them die?”

  My eyes narrowed angrily as the image of a man slumped over a grey stone wall infiltrated my mind. This time when he looked at me he stopped with his mouth half open. Apparently, he had also been tra
ined to read minds. His breath released in a slow exhale, and a more familiar expression surfaced. “Yes… that’s something I wouldn’t have guessed.”

  Max’s voice rang out from the mouth of the cave and Jordyn leaned his head back against the rock. “Let’s hope you’re full of surprises Ms. Lane,” His eyes lifted and an expression of pure dread washed over him. “For your sake.”

  Chapter 15

  “Whatever we’re gonna do, we need to do it quickly,” Max stated. Our nights' sleep had been cold and miserable, each of us surging with adrenaline and drooping with exhaustion at the same time.

  Jordyn had taken to pacing the cave, looking a bit stiff around the edges. But for the most part, he was surprisingly strong. His smooth hair had been pulled back into the ponytail I remembered when I had met him in Italy, back when he’d come to our rescue. I hoped he could pull it off again.

  “Yes,” Jordyn answered, continuing his pacing. “The only chance we have is to keep to the cliff. There are too many men down the other side. But you said you don’t know where—where Enrica went?”

  Max shook his head angrily, wiping a hand across his face. “She wasn’t thinking Jordyn, I’m sorry. I doubt she even knew where she was going. I think we can both wager a guess, though.” Jordyn was nodding, and I supposed I knew as well.

  She was out for revenge.

  “If only she knew you were alright,” I said, wishing Enrica had stayed a few minutes longer. She’d been so out of control.

  Jordyn shook his head, looking a hint wild as strands of hair escaped from his ponytail. “We can’t think like that. If it’s one thing we know, it’s that Enrica can handle herself. All we can think about is how we are going to get Givanni out of here. I doubt he will live another night.” He glanced at my face and nodded. “Yes, I saw him—but that was yesterday, and I barely made it back to the cave myself. Their security patrolmen almost got a hold of me and I fell down half this cliff. But Givanni didn’t look well, and by the conversations I overheard he was becoming a problem they were tired of dealing with. He escaped once from L.A., using the ocean, so they brought him here where swimming was a death sentence. If Enrica caused any problems last night he might already be dead.”