I pinched my eyes shut. I couldn’t tell her, not in her condition. “Nothing. I’d just feel safer if you were indoors until I get there.”
“Okay?” Her voice was questioning, but the soft crunch of gravel, and then the soft slaps of her shoes against pavement told me she was at least walking toward the building.
“Where’s Georgia?”
“She’s taking her exam.” There was a pause. “Is the guy here?”
“He might be.”
Her footfalls stopped, the silence deafening. “You just said it was nothing. This isn’t nothing.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “My dad is on the way.”
She pushed air through her nose. “He is? Where are you?”
“I’m just leaving Reno.”
“Just leaving?” She sucked in a gasp. “Can’t I have my mom come get me?”
“No. It’s better if my dad picks you up.” I didn’t want to terrorize her by explaining. “Just get inside.”
The sound of doors opening and closing came through the phone’s speaker. “I’m in the lobby now, but I don’t see the white van.”
“Good.” I gripped the phone so tight my arm ached. “How was your final?”
“I passed. Easy peasy.”
I pictured her there, sitting in the lobby, waiting, alone and defenseless. My foot hit the gas and pressed harder.
She abruptly screamed, then the phone made a crunching noise, and the call ended.
“Ash?” I looked at the phone’s screen in disbelief, then tried to redial. It rolled over to voicemail. My skin burned, morphing with scales. I let out a grunt and punched the dash, denting it.
I dialed my Dad again while I raced down side streets. “He’s got her, Dad! He’s got her!”
“What?” The loud rumble of the truck came through the line, the noise growing louder with increased acceleration. “I’m almost there. Where is she?”
“She was just in the main lobby! Hurry!”
At the sound of a police siren, I hung up and set the phone down.
“Pull over,” the voice boomed from the loudspeaker.
I screeched to a halt and jumped out, arms up. The cop spoke into his radio, then pulled his gun. “Stay where you are, young man.”
“It’s an emergency,” I sang. “I need you to escort me.”
He lowered his gun. “Emergency?”
“My fiancé has just been kidnapped.”
“What’s her name?”
I stepped forward. “It’s Ashlyn Lanski. I was just talking to her on the phone, and she screamed. Then the phone died.”
“Okay.” He wrote it on a pad of paper. “Where is she?”
“At South Lake Tahoe High School.”
He spoke into the radio attached to his collar. “Calling in a missing persons.” He leaned toward me. “Age?”
“Eighteen.”
“Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn Lanski.”
“Red hair… slight build,” I added.
Something crackled on the line. “Ashlyn Lanski? Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said, almost jumping out of my skin. “We’re running out of time.”
“That missing case was solved already,” the voice continued.
“Poseidon,” I groaned. “She’s been abducted for real this time.”
The cop’s eyes narrowed. “Wasn’t she that Olympic hopeful? Wait. You look familiar, too.”
“Forget all that, and escort me,” I sang.
His eyes glazed over and he stuffed the pad of paper into his pocket. “Follow me.” He returned to his car, and the siren blared as he sped off.
I jumped into Ash’s car and turned the key. The tiny motor chugged to life then died.
“What?” I turned the key again, listening to the engine sputter, but not catch. “You’ve got to be freakin’ kidding me!”
The cop car disappeared out of sight while I turned the key and pumped the gas. Then I noticed the gas gauge pointed to empty. My fist pressed against the horn, blaring loud and long. It didn’t matter. The cop didn’t look like he would return. I lifted my hand, but the incessant noise didn’t stop.
“What?” I bashed my fist against the steering wheel to make it stop.
My phone lit up next to me. There was a missed call, but from a number I didn’t recognize. Why wasn’t Ash calling me back?
Posideon, I’ll kill him if he so much as touches her.
I yanked the lever to open the hood. The phone buzzed against the console. Dad’s name appeared on the screen. I answered.
“What’s going on?”
“Fin?” Dad asked. “What’s that noise?”
I got out and walked away from the car, stuffing my finger into my other ear so I could hear. “Just tell me Ash is okay.”
“She is. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then what happened?”
“Her friend snuck up and startled her. She dropped her phone and it broke. She’s been trying to get in touch with you ever since.”
I turned and glared at the car. I’d overreacted once again, and now some poor persuaded cop was on his way to rescue a girl who’s first abduction ended up being a hoax. Great.
“Good,” I said, just wanting to get off the phone. “I’ll meet you at home soon,” after I get gas.
I hit END when a text illuminated on my screen.
UNKNOWN: It’s a big sea to leave your guppy all alone in.
Three pictures came in one after the next, all of them of Ash. Alone. Standing in the parking lot. Talking on the phone.
He’d been there.
Watching her.
My skin heated. That son of a bass was going to pay.
TWENTY-NINE – ASH – June 1 – 1:24 p.m.
The car sputtered and Fin cursed under his breath as he drove me home from school. Ever since yesterday, he’d been quiet — deathly quiet.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Fine.”
I bit my lip and decided to drop it. I figured he blamed me for what happened with the fiasco yesterday, and he’d been tightlipped about what he found out in Reno.
I marked an X over another day in my planner. Only one more and I’d be finished. Officially an adult. Oddly, I thought I’d be happier about it.
“So, I heard about your secret bachelor party.”
He turned to me, baby blues hidden under sunglasses. “What bachelor party?”
I turned up the side of my lip. “The one Jax and Jacob are not so subtly planning.”
Georgia had already gotten wind of it and wanted to crash it, that was until she couldn’t find Natatoria in a Google search. She then redirected her energies into planning a bachelorette party for me. Any other time, I’d be all for it. But with our little one coming, the idea of putting on a slinky dress and high heels made me tired. Besides, without persuasion, no clubs would be open in the middle of the afternoon.
“They want to go out one night this week. Blow off steam.” He side glanced at me. “But I said no.”
I dipped my head. Not leave my side was more like it. “Is this a plot to get permission?”
“What?” He wrinkled up his brow. “No, never.”
I gave him the stink eye. “Because there’s a stripper?”
“What?” He pulled a face. “No. Never!”
I could think of a few mermaids in Natatoria who’d love to entertain them with a wag of their tail and a dash of pheromones, but I was just relieved we were talking again.
“Then what are you going to do?”
He leaned back in his seat. “Badge thought we’d chase dolphins, or do some deep sea fishing. You know. Mer against mer competition stuff.” He pulled up to the house and parked. “I don’t have to go.”
“You’re the groom. Why wouldn’t you go?” I smiled.
“Are you really saying yes? Or just saying yes to make me happy? Because there is the matter of…”
He let the words hang there, like a disease. Mr. White Van was in the middle of everything now — every move, every c
onversation, every decision. I hated him.
“Look… now that we have our new pool, I can stay there.” I perched a brow.
He gave me a sultry look. “How can I trust that you won’t snoop?”
“With the same trust I’m giving you that you won’t be entertained by a tail wagging stripper.”
He clenched his jaw, his face growing serious. “I’m not saying this because I don’t trust you. I’d just feel better if you stayed in the palace in Natatoria with everything.”
Angered, I turned to look out the side window. First I hated going through the passage between Tahoe and Natatoria, reminded once again of the horrible things Alaster did to me. But being in Natatoria without Fin after everything Tatiana told me about what happened to her, especially now that I was expecting, terrified me. But I wasn’t surprised he’d insisted on me staying there, especially after yesterday’s events, and I didn’t want to argue.
“Okay,” I said reluctantly.
“Are you sure?”
I gave him a smile. “Yeah. It’ll be fine. You have fun.”
His whole body relaxed as he blew out a breath and stepped out of the car. He walked around to open my door with a refreshed countenance. “Where are all the girls?”
I scanned the dock, then remembered. Today was my dress fitting. Biting my lip, I tugged my shirt over my protruding abdomen. Whether I liked it or not, our little merling was starting to make an appearance, and I was worried the dress wouldn’t fit.
“I’m trying on my dress today. They must all be inside.”
“Oh?” Fin pulled me into his arms and squeezed, lingering extra long. “And I’m not invited.”
“Of course you aren’t.” I spanked him on the butt. “You can’t see me in the dress before the wedding.”
He kissed me, then deepened the kiss. “I can’t wait until you’re officially Mrs. Finley Helton.”
I relaxed in his arms. “Me neither.”
We kissed again, but uneasiness prickled down my spine. Once he let me go, I scanned the area for Mr. White Van, seeing no one. Ever since the abduction, I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched.
“You okay?” Fin asked.
“I’m more than okay. I’m perfect,” I said to hide my worry. “You go now. I’m sure there’s a lot to do, considering you’ve had to babysit me all morning.”
He smirked as he handed me the keys, then kissed me one last time before jogging across the lawn and down the path, disappearing somewhere between the trees. Within seconds, I saw him cross the parking lot and walk up to his parents’ house.
He turned and waved to me. I waved back, but the uneasiness grew stronger in his absence, and I quickly walked to the house. The typical hustle and bustle between the houseboat and my parents’ was absent. Were they all inside for my dress viewing? Talk about ruining the surprise.
Once I stepped onto the porch, I heard “Shhh,” from inside. I turned the knob and someone yelled, “Surprise!”
A crowd of thirty ladies gathered in my parents’ living room: Tatiana, Georgia, Girra, Galadriel, my mom, Gran, Fin’s mom and Desirée, along with a handful of the other mermaids who’d been helping out. In the center of the room was a mountain of presents.
“What’s this?” I asked dumbfounded, dropping my backpack to the floor. They hugged me one by one.
“A shower, dear.” Mom hugged me last and ushered me to sit on the couch.
My eye caught the spread of food on the kitchen table just beyond: sandwiches, sliced fruit, and a huge cake, all making my mouth water.
Tatiana sat next to me, handing me the first present. “You were surprised, weren’t you?”
“I… yeah?”
“Be honest. You didn’t have a clue?” She waggled her eyebrows.
“Not a clue.”
The first gift, from my mermaid sisters, was a book filled with pictures of bedroom furniture from Crate and Barrel.
“This is an amazing dream book,” I started.
“Dream book? Pfffft,” Girra said. “That’ll all be delivered next week. Oh how I love that mall place.”
I swallowed, trying to keep from looking so surprised.
Mom leaned over, eyeing the book. “Oh, my.”
“Thank you, that’s very generous,” I finally managed to say.
Tatiana put a gift bag on my lap. “This is from me and Jacob.”
I felt something silky hiding in the tissue and pulled out a black nightie, if you could call it that. My cheeks burned at the lack of fabric. Someone whistled as I stuffed it back in the bag.
“Tatchi,” I said brusquely under my breath.
She laughed and nudged my arm. “Tell Fin, you’re welcome.”
I gave her a sideways glare and reached for the next present.
After several minutes, the coffee table was overflowing with linens, dishes, towels, cutlery and appliances, yet I still wasn’t done. My stomach growled audibly.
“The bride needs food. Stat,” Tatchi snapped.
One of the mermaids jumped up and snagged me a plate of food, which I quickly devoured.
Lucy walked in the front door with a scowl on her face. “Why didn’t you pick me up?”
“Oh, Lucy,” Mom said solemnly. “I totally forgot with Ash’s surprise shower today.” She jumped up to hug her, but Lucy shrugged her away, walking off toward the kitchen.
With my supersonic hearing, I heard her mumble, “Yeah, because she’s more important,” under her breath.
“This is from Pearl.” Girra handed me another bag filled with tissue, and I snapped to attention.
I looked around the room. “Where is Pearl?”
“She’s watching Nicole.” Tatiana propped her lips up in a grin. “Hopefully they’re getting along.”
I lifted my brows, knowing just how much of a sacrifice that would be, considering Nicole’s attachment to Tatiana. “Tell her thanks from me, and that I missed her.”
I felt inside the bag, feeling something satiny again. She wasn’t gifting me lingerie, too, was she? Deciding to be a good sport, I took the item out.
“I wonder what this is.” I smirked.
The garment unfolded into what looked like a white gown, but not something that would fit me. Something just the right size for a baby. Once I realized what it was, I shoved the garment inside.
“What is it?” Girra asked. “I didn’t see.”
“It’s… private.” I turned to Tatchi and mouthed, “baby outfit.” Her eyes rounded. She knew just as well as I did that Mom, Gran and Lucy didn’t know about the baby yet.
“Is it another nightgown?” Galadriel leaned forward. “Let me see.”
I hid the bag behind my back. “What’s next?”
“It’s for the merling,” one of the mermaids announced loudly from the back. “A birthing gown.”
“Sterling, as in silver?” Gran asked while touching her ear. “That didn’t look like jewelry to me. What is it Ashlyn?”
“Birthing gown? Let me see it,” Mom prodded.
“Shhh, Rose. We’re not supposed to talk about it,” someone chastised.
Then things sunk in, and Mom’s head whipped around to me. “Are you pregnant?”
Oh, crap.
“No, Mom,” I lied. My glance darted to Desirée, terrified she’d see how horrible I was at keeping the mer secret with humans. “It’s just not my size.”
“Oh, fish poo.” Galadriel jumped to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”
While Tatiana leaned forward to grab another package, I heard Galadriel yell for Jacob from my parents’ porch.
“We have to keep cool,” I mumbled to Tatiana.
Mom walked over, hand on her hip. “What’s in there you don’t want us to see?”
I looked up terrified our bubble of bliss had popped, recognizing the hardened expression I knew well — the one determined to get her way.
“It’s nothing, Mom.”
Something crinkled from behind my back. I turned just as Lucy
pulled out the gown. The room quieted. “This explains the prego test I found in the trash.”
My stomach dropped.
“Ash,” Mom whispered.
I swallowed down my tears. Where was Jacob or Fin, already? Tatiana looked at me with a panic stricken face. We had to cover this up. We couldn’t look like idiots in front of Desirée.
“It’s well wishes for a future child. A custom we have.” Desirée walked forward. “Where we come from.”
Mom turned to her. “Where you come from? You’re not American?”
“No. We’re Nat—”
“Scandinavian,” Tatiana interrupted, then laughed. “Yah, didn’t ya know?”
I hit her arm and laughed. “Great accent.”
“Then what’s the positive test I saw in the garbage?” Lucy asked.
I wanted to jump up and wring her neck.
“I don’t know. It’s not mine.” I rebuked myself for not hiding the test in Fin’s garbage can instead of ours. “Can you hand me the next present?”
“In here,” Galadriel said behind me. “Just sing away the last twenty minutes.”
“No, it’s okay,” I started to say, but I was too late.
Jacob sang to the crowd. Gran, Lucy, Georgia and Mom’s faces lost all composure.
Desirée’s appraising eyes made my stomach turn. This was a disaster.
“What… what were you saying?” Mom asked me.
I blew out a breath and fell backward into the cushions of the couch. “I’m starved. Let’s eat.”
The mer in the room didn’t move for a moment, tension still thick in the air. I jumped up anyway and headed to the table. After I had finished eating, I opened more gifts than I knew what to do with, and I leaned back exhausted, wanting everyone to leave so I could take a nap.
“This is for you.” Desirée handed me another sack of coins and gems.
I looked up at her in surprise, then stood and hugged her neck. “Thank you, Mother. For earlier, too.”
“Of course, my sweet.” She rubbed my back.
“Wow.” Mom’s eyes widened as she sifted through the gifts. “Everyone has been so generous.”
I nodded in agreement, feeling extremely blessed.
Girra walked over. “Well, aren’t we going to see the gown?”
I coughed, thinking she’d meant the birthing gown, then I remembered. My wedding gown.
Evermore Page 15
