The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) (29 page)

“Cruz is gonna go nuts,” I said, looking around for him.

“He’s also gonna make you something awesome to wear!” Shayla gushed.

We sat down and speculated on Megan’s chances, agreeing to
get
together after the awards ceremony to celebrate. I thought about Ethan, wondering if he’d be there with us.

Megan turned to Shayla, “Let’s talk about something else! I don’t wanna jinx it …
Tell
me
all about your jet-set life.”

Shayla checked the time nervously, “Speaking of jets, I do have to be back to the airport
soon
.”

“Exactly what
are
you going to Hawaii for?” I asked her.

She smiled coyly, “To meet Gabe.”

“Gabe?” I smiled, remembering the cute pro-surfer, “How did that happen?”

“I’ve been doing a lot of swimsuit stuff lately, and Matt and I were in Australia last week for an appearance. We went to check out a local tournament, and we ran into him. Matt took off to go surfing with his posse… and me and Gabe ended up spending the day together. We just sorta hit it off,” she cringed a little, “I feel kinda bad though… Matt took it pretty hard.”

Megan gasped, “You
dump
ed
Matt Stone? The world’s most eligible bachelor? Whoa.”

Shayla shrugged, explaining, “Matt turned out to be a massive tool. All he ever cared about was getting his face in another tabloid– I found out that he was
actually
tipping them off to where we were going to be! What a total jackass!” She was indignant.

“I guess some people can never get enough attention,” I observed.

“Fame,” mused Megan, “It’s addictive.” 

“Yeah well, I need it like Cruz needs another hole in his head,” Shayla grouched, making me laugh. “Marina was right. It’s overrated.”

“Speak for yourself!” Megan
exclaimed, “Bring it on!”

We laughed, caught our breath, and then laughed some more in disbelief about how much had
happened in the past year. They were both
amazed at how two girls from small town Aptos had come so far, so fast.

“It’s all thanks to you,” Shayla said, making me cringe.

I looked up into Megan’s speculating eyes. “Let’s go find the boys,” I said, leaping up from the couch.

Cruz was standing at the buffet table, scarfing down toast points with caviar. He waved us over, pointing, “Try the truffled tarts– They’re to die for.”

“Blech! I don’t care if I never see another truffle again,” said Shayla, “All I ever ate in France were truffled eggs! It was the
first
thing I learned how to order– eggs and pommes frites.”

Our eyes met and we laughed, remembering.

Megan told Cruz the news of her nomination and his delighted squeals filled the entire backstage area. Just as Shayla had predicted, he immediately launched into plans to design a gown to end all gowns.

He stopped, his eyes flying open wide, “I
am
coming as your guest… right?”

Megan laughed, “There isn’t anyone I’d rather have by my side.”

“OH MY GOD! I’m gonna walk the red carpet!” I thought Cruz might explode.

We all visited for the next hour, mostly listening to Cruz regale us with comical stories about
design school and
our afternoon
photo shoot.
Megan finally excused herself to rendezvous with the young man waiting for her in her dressing room, and we gave Shayla a lift back to the airport in Evie’s limo, sending her off with hugs and kisses.

I watched Shayla stride off to her destiny, wish
ing
her luck on her romantic quest. I visualized her and Gabe chasing endless summers around the world, and I wished I was on my way to see Ethan. Shayla was heading right
to
where she needed to be, and the thought made me happy.

I got in late that night, burrowing beneath the blankets. Megan’s wise words kept running through my mind. She was right about me– My default setting was private
.
I kept my problems to myself, rarely reach
ing
out for help. Ethan’s insecurity was aggravated by my tendency to be closed off. I could see how he might find it maddening.

Ethan was quick to suspicion; always anticipating the blow that might never come, whereas I’d spent a lifetime pussyfooting around my father’s pain, never wanting to add to it by sharing any troubling truth with him.

We were certainly equally matched in the issues department. Two flawed people, thrown together by fate
– W
hat a pair we made! We were either going to teach each other a lesson, or make each other miserable. I
realized that I
needed
Ethan
to stay human, but I loved him for
much
more than that.

When I considered his good qualities, everything came crystal clear. Ethan was reliable and
consistent
, purposeful and deliberate. He was thoughtful and responsible, protective and kind. He possessed a natural elegance, a beautiful, easy grace that came without a trace of narcissism… Plus, he smelled incredibly good.

I realized that I’d been blinded by my resentment of Ruby. The things that I loved about him vastly outweighed his faults.

Ethan would always bear the scars of his childhood, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t go forward together. His mother would be gone tomorrow, and I’d go to see him. We’d finally be alone to hash things out, and come to a new understanding. I might not be able to fix him, but he certainly wasn’t going to change without me.

Maybe he could help me fix myself.

Love was blossoming all around me, and I smiled when I thought
about
what a great pair Shayla and Gabe would make. Cruz and Megan were reveling in one success after another, and much to my surprise, even Evie and my father were getting caught up in passion’s sweet, sticky web.

Megan had asked me what I wanted from life, and if I answered truthfully, all I really longed for was Ethan by my side. I wanted the things we’d fantasized about so often– a simple life, living together in the house we’d build by the sea. My father used to say that nothing worth having ever came easily, and I decided I
would
fight to
fix our relationship and
turn our dreams into reality.

It truly was time to go on the offensive
, both for my sisters, and for Ethan
.

Decision made, I fell asleep far easier than I had in weeks.

~

C
hapter
N
ineteen

BREAK IN

~

“Olivia,” I whispe
red
, pressing the numbers in
to the keypad. I was
answered by the click of a lock and a flash of green light.
Inside
the laboratory, the pounding of my heart
nearly
drown
ed
out the
sound of
gurgling
water
.
I followed the
flashlight’s beam
to
a
bank of cabinets,
pulling the drawer open a few inches to reveal
a spectacularly finned tail spread out on the cold metal.
“No…” I whisper
ed, praying I was wrong. When I opened it
all the way,
I was unable to stifle a cry.

There
,
cut apart and
flayed open like one of Max’s specimens,
was the
mutilated
corpse
of a mermaid
.

~

I sat bolt upright in bed, hyperventilating, shaking like a leaf, and bathed in sweat. A sickening feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach.

“Please be a dream…Please be a dream…” I whispered
,
groping for any possible explanation. Stumpy was curled in a ball alongside my pillow
, and
he raised his head to regard me, dropping it back down with a little squeak.

“It was only a nightmare,” I
told myself, hugging my arms across my chest
, but I didn’t really believe it.

I got up out of bed and began to pace back and forth, trying to shake the horrible image from my mind. I knew I’d never rest until I knew for certain, and I found some comfort in dressing methodically, putting on a warm sweater and a knit cap. I slipped out of the room and stopped at the closet in the hallway, digging into my father’s toolbox for a pair of wire clippers and a flashlight. I racked my brain for anything else that I might need, feeling in my bag for
the
gun. I zipped it up and headed for the door.

“Marina?” I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Amrita’s voice, “Is something wrong? Where are you off to in the middle of the night?”

“Nowhere,” I lied, looking down at the purse in my hands
.
“Uhm, I mean… there’s something I need to do.”

She switched on the light, and her brow knit together, “I thought I heard a cry.”

My mind raced, “It must have been Stumpy… Would you mind looking after him until I get back?”

She looked confused, “Certainly.”

I bolted out the front door and headed down to the parking garage. Yuri’s huge frame loomed out of the darkness and gave me my second shot of adrenalin for the night.

“I have to go somewhere,” I answered the question in his eyes, warily skirting around him to get to the Rover. I jumped in and drove to the gate, rolling the win
dow down to look him in the eye.
“Let me out,” I demanded, my voice tense.

He hesitated, and for a moment I wondered if he was going to refuse me. He finally dropped his shoulders and opened the gate, watching me pull away with a pained look in his eyes. I shuddered, thinking about Rosa’s warning. I was going to have to deal with him later.

It was still dark when I got to the lab, and I parked behind some brush on the frontage road to make my approach on foot. The guard kiosk was lit up, and I could see a man inside engrossed in a newspaper. I circled around behind the building, avoiding the lights, and found a good spot to sneak in the back. I pulled out the clippers, grunting with exertion as I cut a small hole in the fence to squeeze through.

I ran to the building, pressing myself against a wall in the shadows, pulling the knit cap down around my ears and tucking my hair into it. I positioned the Taser in my purse so I could easily access it, and peeked around the corner to the main entrance. The parking lot was empty, and satisfied that I hadn’t been spotted by the guard, I scurried over to the door. The faster I got in, the better my chances of avoiding a confrontation.

I kept my head down, avoiding the security cameras, and swiftly punched in Max’s code number, relieved to see the green light come on. I slipped in, pausing for a moment to listen. It was quiet in the eerily lit hallway; I had made it inside unnoticed. I went straight to the fortified door of the secret lab, and my shaking hands punched in the code from my dream. Six, five, four, eight, four, two– it spelled Olivia, and I held my breath, wondering if it would work. I almost wished it wouldn’t, hoping my terrible vision would turn out to be a mere dream.

There was a click, and the green light came on. I took a breath and stepped in, afraid of what I might find.

I stood quietly, taking in the surroundings. An entire wall of the laboratory was taken up by an enormous
aquarium
, the steady drone of the pumps cycling a constant flow of seawater in and out. There was an entire bank of shiny new testing equipment set up alongside what looked like a fully equipped operating theatre.

A railed pallet sat under a rack of lights, and I flashed back to the memory of Nerissa, strapped onto a similar bed when I first laid eyes on her. The hair on my arms stood up straight, and my stomach lurched. This was an evil place, full of bad intentions. I could feel the malevolence oozing from the cinderblock walls. Somehow, I knew for certain that I must destroy it.

The steel cabinets from my vision mocked me, and I took a flashlight out of my purse, shining it on the numbered drawers. I pulled the handle from my dream, and I was greeted by the same horrific sight I’d seen before. I cried out, and my knees buckled beneath me, crumpling me to the floor.

Overcome with dizziness,
I lay on the cold floor gasping like a fish out of water, finally catching my breath enough to sit up. I pulled myself together and stood, fighting back the nausea.

I had to know, so I forced myself to look at her again.

Trying to look past her desecrated body, I pulled the drawer out far enough to see her face. First I noticed her hair, hair that was so white it was nearly blue, reminding me of the twin mermaids in Hawaii. Her face was turned to the side, and even in death, I was struck by her transcendent beauty.