“You were out there for more than thirty minutes?” He yawned.
Chaz glared at him. “Yeah. Way to back me up.”
“Hey, you weren’t the one up there singing for an hour plus. Can we get out of here, please? It’s been a long day.”
The atmosphere in the truck cab grew tense as Chaz’s cold gaze went over him.
AJ wasn’t about to engage in a stare-down. He stretched his legs and spine so he sat taller in the seat. Taller than Chaz.
With a shake of his head, Chaz started the engine. The truck rocked up the incline to the street. They rode to the house in silence, not even the radio on.
Chapter Eight
A light rain fell toward the end of afternoon. Ignoring it, park patrons filled the Wilderness Cruise hut. The tarp roof covering the boat kept AJ dry, even when it turned to a downpour, which never lasted very long in Florida.
Even in the rain, the Wilderness Cruise was a popular attraction at Weeki Wachee. After the mermaid show, guests would inevitably stroll down the paved walkways, past the strutting peacocks. If they didn’t go to Pirates’ Grub or Mermaid Galley Restaurant to eat, or to the gift shop, those who walked down Tranquility Trail ended up on AJ’s boat. He would finish one cruise only to find another twenty people waiting. He loved being on the water. Captaining a boat made for an easy day, pointing out the herons and egrets, turtles and occasional manatees.
He waited for the downpour to slow to a drizzle, then jumped the chain and jogged to the hut. “What do you think? Ready for the cruise?”
A little boy punctuated the murmurs of agreeing adults by yelling, “Yeah!”
AJ laughed. “Well, let’s go.” As he bent to unlatch the chain, raindrops chilled his back, reviving him. “Watch your step. The dock can get a bit slick.”
He climbed aboard and sat in the pilot’s chair. The boy stood behind him. “What’s your name, young man?”
“Jimmy.” The boy stood tall, eye to eye with AJ.
“Jimmy. A good name for a co-captain.” He smiled at the mother, whose shoulder-length red hair made her look even prettier when wet.
“Co-captain?” Jimmy’s open-mouthed smile made him look like a monkey.
“Yes, I need a co-captain to help me navigate. Stand right there and keep your eyes open. Report anything you see to me.” He’d make this last cruise an easy one, and let the kid talk for him.
“Aye aye, sir.” Jimmy scouted the banks.
AJ chuckled as he steered the propeller. “Aye aye.”
The boy shouted out every bird and reptile he saw, and AJ added the proper name: heron, egret, alligator-nosed turtle.
AJ leaned toward the boy. “Watch closely now. Indians have been spotted in these parts.”
Jimmy’s eyes grew round. “Indians.”
The two teepees came in view. AJ launched into his normal routine about the Seminoles’ history, with the boy hanging on his every word. The kid was AJ’s favorite kind of passenger. Not sitting listlessly while AJ droned on about Weeki Wachee’s origins and not talking to the next person about how wonderful the mermaid show was.
A pelican landed on the tarp roof. The boy leaned out of the boat, his feet off the floor.
AJ grabbed his shirt. “Whoa, there, co-captain Jimmy. You don’t want to go overboard.”
The boy’s high-pitched squeals frightened the bird, and everyone, including AJ, watched its lumbering flight into the clearing skies. Clouds gave way to sun, and sizzling heat returned with its rays.
Jimmy pointed ahead as the boat rounded a bend. “What’s she doing?”
Murmurs rippled through the boat as all necks craned to see. A mermaid sat perched on a low-hanging tree limb dipping into the water, her tail swishing. She smiled as they approached.
She didn’t look familiar. This mermaid was much prettier. Her makeup wasn’t overdone like the others in the underwater show. Glossed by the sun, her long dark hair hung loose to her waist, and covered her front and back.
“I don’t know,” AJ muttered. No one told him there’d been a change in the program. To cover his confusion, he added, “Maybe she’s lost.”
He’d have to ask Harry when they docked. Why would they make a girl sit out here in this heat all alone? Especially one so beautiful? Something about her made it hard for AJ to look away. Just sitting there, she looked amazing. As the boat drew nearer, everything about her looked perfect, from her gorgeous face framed by long silky hair to her tail–he’d never seen one like it. Its colors seemed to change as she swayed it, and its sheen shifted from every hue of blue to green.
“Let’s give her a ride.” Jimmy went to the front and waved. The mermaid smiled and waved back.
“No leaning over the side, all right?” AJ reminded the boy.
The mother slid from her seat. “I’ll make sure.” She crouched next to the boy.
A sixtyish woman in the second row gasped. “She’s not wearing a top.”
Everyone, AJ included, turned to the mermaid. No way would Tobias allow that. Her costume must be specially made with nude-colored fabric to give that illusion. The old biddy. There was always at least one a day, trying to incite gossip by pointing out some scandal or injustice.
Jimmy pointed at the bank opposite the mermaid. “An alligator, too.”
“What?” Horror gripped AJ as he strained to see. The girl wouldn’t have a chance against an alligator in that heavy-tailed getup.
As if on cue, the reptile sunk in the water and swished forward.
“It’s headed for the mermaid,” a man behind him said with surprise.
“Oh, God.” This couldn’t be part of the show. AJ idled the engine. He’d never be able to get this lunker of a boat to the girl in time. She sat a good fifteen yards away.
He turned to a guy in his forties who sat to his right. “Take the wheel. Keep it steady.”
He dove into the clear green water toward the girl, wondering how in the hell he would get her to safety with that huge tail weighing them both down. Maybe he could use it as a buffer, to keep the gator at bay.
When he surfaced to catch his breath, two submerged figures aimed at him.
The alligator would win.
At least he might keep it busy until the girl could reach the safety of the others.
“Hurry, get to the boat,” he yelled at her, though her head was underwater, her tail rising to skim the surface, then below to propel her forward. She was a powerful swimmer, and moved really fast. The others swam with a slow grace, but this girl propelled herself through the water like a pro.
The large scaly reptile headed straight for him interrupted his thought. He leaned back in the water, ready to kick the alligator’s head to deflect it, if only for a moment. Maybe he could stun it long enough for the girl to reach the boat and the others to haul her aboard. If he could work in another well-placed kick, he would follow her.
“Look out,” a woman screamed as the gator closed in.
Something slammed into his stomach and whooshed him beneath the water. A second slam, more like a thud, and he thought it was all over. For both of them. The thing gripped him without hurting him somehow, but moved so fast, AJ thought his bones might break from the pressure of the speed. It felt like hurtling through the canal on an underwater express train, rolling as they went.
As his lungs felt near to bursting, they slowed and surfaced. Whatever held him released him by propelling him face-down onto a grassy bank.
Gasping for air, he scrambled up the side to escape it, but his arms and legs flailed, more spectacle than anything.
“What were you doing?” a girl’s rich, full voice asked.
He glanced over his shoulder, still grasping at the bank for leverage. He fell to the grass, stunned.
Instead of the ugly head of an alligator leering at him in a crocodile smile, the girl, even more gorgeous up close, leaned her hands on the bank and lifted herself up. Her wet hair clung to her chest and waist.
Too many questions flew through h
is head at once. “What?” he managed.
“You could have been killed. Why did you do that?” Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds flecked with onyx. Her long dark hair framed her porcelain face and rosebud lips.
His chest heaved. “You’re kidding, right? I saved you.”
She burst into laughter. Like bells tinkling, like music.
Fascination turned to irritation. He risked his life for her. “What? That alligator would’ve killed you.”
This made her laugh all the harder, her laughter like a melody he couldn’t quite place, though familiar.
The alligator drifted toward them on its side, like a log. Unmoving. Unconscious.
She smirked. “It won’t hurt you now.”
AJ glanced downriver to where the boat should have been. “What happened? Where’s the boat?” He held a hand to his head. He wished she’d stop laughing. The sound got inside his brain, jumbled his already knotted thoughts. And every time she looked at him, her eyes hypnotized him–their whites so clear and bright, the green shone like gemstones. Like no other eyes he’d ever seen.
Glancing upstream, she smiled. “Right where you left it.”
“No. I left it right there.” He still couldn’t catch his breath. Or his mind.
She twisted up and sat on the bank. “No, you left it around the bend. Remember?” As she turned her head, her hair shifted, revealing the curve of a breast.
AJ blinked, thinking his eyesight might have been affected by the impact. But he could see as clear as ever. The old biddy was right. “You’re not wearing clamshells.”
Her glittering eyes snapped to his. “What?”
His mind raced. If this girl was what he thought she was, he wanted to get closer. He slumped on the bank, letting his feet slide closer to her. “What are you doing out here? You’re not with the show.”
She tossed her head, and her hair swirled across her like a glossy curtain, tantalizing him. She edged toward the water. “No.”
The end of her tail rose, then swished beneath the canal. For a moment, he’d caught sight of it, the colors exactly as Grandpa had described–iridescent, ever-changing, like rich silk. He shifted closer for a better view. The transformation from skin to tail was seamless. Undetectable.
It was no costume.
“You shouldn’t be out here. You could get hurt.” Like a kaleidoscope, the colors of her tail mesmerized him. Drew him toward her.
“It seems to be more dangerous for you.” Her face alighted with a slow smile.
“But someone will see you. That’s the real danger.” The urge to touch her skin, her hair, her tail, her face. Look into those emerald eyes, like a kaleidoscope in themselves. The sensation overwhelmed him.
“Someone already has.” Her eyes flashed as she peered into his. As many girls as he’d been with, never had any been more self-confident. Or more powerfully alluring. The way she held herself, the look in her eyes–he knew those signals. Even as she slid her tail into the water, he knew she wanted him to follow.
His grandfather’s voice echoed through his head, making him afraid to reach for her for fear she’d drag him beneath with her. But she’d brought him here.
He crept closer. “Oh, God. You’re amazing.”
Her smile broadened. “Thank you.” Quick as a python strike, she rose from the canal, her lips like moist flower petals on his. In a splash, she was gone.
His chest pounding, he scrambled to the edge, but saw only the flicker of a fin, then nothing. “Wait. Come back.” His fingers dug into the roots of the grass, or he might have tumbled in after her, so strong was the urge to follow.
The boat drifted into view. Most of the passengers stood.
“There he is,” someone yelled, and too many moved to one side, making the boat tilt.
AJ waved. “Sit down, you’ll tip it over.” He pushed to his feet, but his knees went to the grass again. “Oh man. I’m going to get fired for this.” He forced himself up. “Sit down.” He held his palms out and made a downward motion.
Where had she gone? Had they seen her swim away?
“Hold on, we’re coming for you,” the fortyish man yelled, though in truth the boat continued to drift, the canal not wide enough for it to turn around.
AJ scanned downstream for any sign of the alligator, but saw nothing. Still, it could lurk below. The thought of the mermaid running into it again frightened him. He held his head.
“Where’s the girl?” a man asked.
“Where’s the alligator?” asked a woman.
“Are you all right?” called someone else.
AJ nodded. He didn’t know what to tell them. He couldn’t think straight. He must have hit his head when he jumped in. None of this seemed real.
“Please, everyone sit down.” The last thing he needed was for the boat to sink. The water wasn’t so deep here, maybe six feet, but too many older people and kids were on board.
When the boat came within a few yards of where he sat, AJ jumped into the water and swam.
“Hurry,” someone yelled. “Before the alligator comes back.”
As if he needed a reminder. Dizziness slowed him down, but his arms flailed toward the boat. Many hands reached over the side to lift him into the boat and guide him into the captain’s chair.
The assault of questions followed. Where’s the girl? What happened? Did you kill the alligator?
That last one, from Jimmy, almost made him laugh. “Please. I don’t know. Let’s just get back to the dock, all right?”
He flicked the ignition switch and revved the engine. His hands shook as he gripped the wheel. He wanted nothing more than to get off this cruise.
And find the girl again, whoever she was.
Chapter Nine
The commotion of the passengers gathered around AJ in the hut roused Harry’s attention as he made the rounds in his cart. After a walkie-talkie call, a second cart skidded to a stop outside the hut.
Tobias strode inside. “Everything all right, AJ?”
AJ sat straighter on the bench. His muscles were like Jello. “Fine. Maybe a little—”
“He saved the mermaid from the alligator.” Jimmy bounced. His mother took hold of his shoulders, and nodded when Tobias met her gaze.
Then everyone talked at once. He was so brave, one said, and others chimed in. Jumped right in without hesitation and He nearly drowned. Everyone praised the exhausted AJ as a hero for saving the girl. Despite the fact the girl could not be found, and they hadn’t actually seen him defeat the gator. From the stories they told, it sounded as though they had.
Tobias smiled at AJ, though beneath his smile lurked a certain skepticism. “And you didn’t recognize the girl?”
Jimmy tugged at Tobias’ slacks. “I saw her first.”
AJ grinned. “You were an excellent scout, Jimmy.” To Tobias, he said, “No, never saw her before.”
“And you don’t know where she went?” Tobias asked.
“No.” AJ’s hands still shook, so he rubbed them together.
The older woman who’d been quick to point out the girl’s toplessness spoke up. “He hit his head. He was kneeling on the bank, and she had already made her escape.”
Escape, yes. She’d escaped his arms, which ached to hold her. Escaped his lips, which would have pinned her down. Inescapably.
Tobias lifted AJ’s hair from his forehead. “Yes, you do have a nasty bump. See a doctor. We’ll pay for it.”
“I’m fine. Maybe a little tired.” To prove it, AJ pushed himself up from the bench.
“He could have a concussion,” a man said.
Tobias gave AJ a thin smile. “Take the day off tomorrow, then, and rest. Tell your grandfather I insisted.”
“Who do you think she was?” a woman asked.
Tobias smiled sweetly at them, his tone reassuring. “Girls hear about our mermaids and want to be one. Sometimes they can’t pass the rigorous training, and yet can’t give up wanting to be a Weeki Wachee mermaid. I’m guessing the gi
rl was one of the mermaid camp dropouts.”
The explanation placated the crowd, which broke into couples and families as they dispersed from the hut onto the sidewalk.
Tobias waved. “Sorry for any inconvenience, folks.”
“No, it was exciting,” a man said.
“We’re glad everyone’s all right, that’s all.” Jimmy’s mother held the boy’s shoulders. AJ noted the absence of a wedding band, which might explain why she lingered.
Jimmy added, “I was co-captain.”
AJ tousled his hair. “You did a great job, co-captain. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He couldn’t interpret the look Tobias shot his way. “Come on, I’ll give you a lift back.”
The air rushed against his face as the cart flew down the walkway to the main building.
Tobias waited as AJ stood on shaky legs. “I’ll call Walt to come get you. I’d give you a ride myself, but I have some things that can’t wait.”
“No problem. Thanks.” He followed Tobias inside, then made his way to the lockers.
Chaz crept to AJ’s side, his body tense as a bowstring.
For once, AJ felt glad to see him–the one person who would understand. When he’d checked that no one else lurked nearby, he whispered, “Tonight. Let’s go back to the bridge.”
Chaz’s gaze sharpened on AJ. “You saw one, didn’t you.” It wasn’t a question. Chaz could tell. AJ didn’t know how, but the guy had a sense for these things, as if he’d trained all his life to catch a mermaid.
“I have to find her.” AJ tried to keep the desperation from his voice, but the way Chaz smiled, AJ knew he’d picked up on it. As if Chaz knew he would do anything to see her again, touch her, hold her.
Chaz spoke in a low voice filled with satisfaction. “Yeah. We’ll go tonight. Nine thirty.”
“I’ll be ready.” AJ tried to ignore the lump in the pit of his stomach, the disgust of collaborating on anything with Chaz.
Chapter Ten
The Caprice slid into the driveway. AJ pushed open the door and went inside to his room before Grandpa could ask any more questions. Questions for which AJ had no answers. He lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Surfacing Page 5
