The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) Page 19

  “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, wishing 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 reaching 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– What 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.

  ~

  Chapter Nineteen

  BREAK IN

  ~

  “Olivia,” I whispered, pressing the numbers into 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 drowned 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 whispered, 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 window 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.

  Then I saw the other side of her head.

  The back of her skull was sawed open, and I could see that her brain had been sliced into. Her dead eyes stared right into me, crying out for vengeance, and a tidal wave of anger came over me with a powerful surge of heat. I started to breathe hard, like I had already done what I had always planned to do.

  I shut the drawer, set my flashlight down, and started casting about for something heavy. I picked up a metal lab stool and raised it over my head, crashing it down hard on a piece of delicate electronic equipment. I swang it like a bat, going from machine to machine in a frenzy of righteous destruction. Glass panels shattered, and electronics sparked. I recognized a mass spectrometer, a centrifuge, and some kind of a cellular incubator. I pulverized them, destroying the chair in the process. When I stopped to catch my breath I noticed my knuckes were bleeding, and I brought them to my mouth.

  Suddenly, a red light came on, and a siren started blaring out a warning. I snapped out of it, racing to grab my purse. This time I pulled out the gun. A deadly calm passed over me, and even as I positioned myself by the door, I found myself making plans to finish what I’d started. In my mind’s eye I could see the place in smoking ruins, and I vowed to make that vision a reality. I’d have to ask Paul what he could teach me about explosives.

  When the guard burst in he was met with a pistol to the temple. “Down on your knees with your hands behind your neck,” I told him coldly, “Or I’ll blow your brains out.”

  “Don’t shoot,” he said, eyeing the weapon out of the corner of his eye.

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  He fell to his knees, and I stepped behind him, pressing the gun to his back. He didn’t need to know that the safety was still on. I had no intention of hurting a poor fool who hadn’t the faintest idea of what was going on. I was saving my retribution for my real enemies. I looked around, uncertain as to what I should do with him next. I finally decided to run for it.

  “Lay down on the ground,” I said in my most menacing voice, “And don’t move a muscle or I’ll shoot.”

  The instant he was on the floor, I bolted for the door, slamming it behind me. When I raced out of the main entrance alarms were sounding, and I headed back the way I came. The dense swirling fog was alternately exposing and concealing the dimly lit wildlands surrounding the lab. I saw a flash of headlights, and the outline of a black sedan speeding towards the guard station. The car screeched to a halt just as I rounded the corner and dove through the hole I’d cut into the fence.

  I popped to my feet and ran for a stand of trees across a small clearing. I moved towards the Rover, but my heart sank when I saw that another set of headlights were now illuminating it. Flashlights cut through the foggy gloom and I could hear men’s voices as they fanned out around the building. It was close to dawn and would be getting light soon; I knew I’d eventually have to run for it, leaving the cover of the trees.

  When one of the flashlights headed my way, I bolted out of the little grove and headed for the path I knew lie ahead. I cursed myself under my breath for not thinking my getaway through better, and I ran as fast as I could manage in the dark mist, careful not to trip and fall on the bumpy, uneven trail. I decided to make my way up the coast, hide in the dense brush, and call Paul to come and get me. I could always hike back out to the freeway to get picked up.

  The path led towards the cliff, turning into a narrow trail that wound through waving stands of Pampas grass and blackberry brambles. My eyes adjusted to the dim light, and after a few minutes I burst into a familiar small clearing. I stopped, peering into the swirling fog to look over the edge of the cliff. I’d reached Bradley’s favorite private surfing spot.

  There was the gnarled cypress stump that hid the rope, and I could hear the crashing of the surf on the rocks below. The fog seemed to get even thicker here, and I scanned about for the way to the dirt road where we had parked. Further along the path lie the burnt out shell of the Edwards mansion, and the creepy little campsite where Yuri had held me captive. I had no desire to ever see that place again.

  I wanted to call Ethan, but I couldn’t imagine how to explain my being back here, of all places. Ruby would still be there, telling him not to listen to me. I pulled out my phone and called Paul instead.

  “Where are you?” his voice was tense.

  “I’m in Santa Cruz,” I told him, “I’m in a little bit of trouble. I need you to come get me right away.”

  “Of course. Where are you?”

  I told him what freeway exit to take, explaining that I’d meet him there.

  “Where are you now?”

  “Just meet me by the freeway… okay? I’ll stay hidden until I see you pull over.”

  “But where are you right now?” he was insistent.

  A flash of light was coming towards me. “I have to go,” I hissed.

  I heard footsteps approaching in the gloomy dark and I raced down the deer path, images of running from Yuri flashing through my mind. Déjà vu, all over again.

  All at once the glare of another light appeared ahead of me, and I stopped short, turning back the way I came. When I got to the clearing I paused, getting ready to plunge into the dark underbrush. They were both coming close, converging on me, and I knew I’d make a ton of noise crashing through the bushes. I could see the faintest flush of dawn on the horizon, just beginning to illuminate the beautiful sparkling sea.

  If only I could be safe in its cold embrace, surfing with my sisters!

  The rope! Moving fast, I groped into the shadows at the base of the cypress trunk for Brad’s secret way down to the beach. I pulled out the coil and looked back over the edge, unable to see anything but a dark foggy abyss. The footsteps drew closer from both sides, and I wrapped the rope tightly around my wrist and went over the side. I slipped and fell for a few yards, finally coming to a stop in pain, the rough nylon biting into my arm as I pressed my body against the cool earth of the cliff wall.

  I could hear voices as the two lights converged, and I held my breath, as quit as a mouse. I waited, straining to hear anything over the sound of the high surf. I thought about Ethan, imagining how good it would feel to finally be home with him. Hang in there, I told myself, and be strong.

  Long minutes passed, and the sky started to brighten. My arms began to shake with fatigue, and I could feel a trickle of blood running down my arm and dripping off my elbow. I looked at my beautiful engagement ring, and squeezed my eyes shut, digging into the cliff wall.

  Surely the security guard had given up on looking for me, considering it an unfortun
ate instance of vandalism. They must think I’d gotten away by now. I had a little flush of satisfaction imagining the director’s face when he arrived at the lab and saw all of his fancy equipment in ruins.

  “Marina!” a familiar voice called out. “Marina! Where are you?”

  “Paul?” I whispered hoarsely, not sure how he could have gotten here so fast.

  “Marina, I know you’re nearby… come out… it’s me, Paul…”

  I was cold, tired and confused. I had no idea how much longer I could hang there, and I was starting to doubt I had the strength to climb either up or down. “Over here!” I called.

  “Marina?”

  “Over the side!” I yelled.

  I felt a tug on the rope, and I used my legs to help scramble up. Paul grabbed my arms and pulled me onto the path where I lay gasping for air. He checked my arms, and seeing the blood from the rope burn, his brow knit together with concern.

  “Are you injured?” he sounded scared.

  “I’m okay,” I sat up, “How did you get here so fast?”

  “Very clever hiding,” he said, nodding towards the rope. “Are you armed?”

  I nodded, “I have my gun.”

  “Let’s see it,” he held out his hand and I automatically gave him the gun. He checked the clip, snapping it back in and engaging the safety before he returned it to me. He pulled me to my feet by my uninjured wrist.

  “Let’s get back to the lab,” he said, not letting go.

  “No way!” I shrieked, pulling away. “Are you crazy?”

  He looked like he was trying not to smile, “I want you to show me what you found there.”

  I shook my head no, still in shock. “I need to talk to Evie first,” I said, unwilling to discuss the dead mermaid with him.

  “Come on… Don’t you trust me?” he asked earnestly, taking my arm and trying to lead me back towards the lab.

  I balked, “Seriously– Are you nuts? There’s too much security… We can’t get back in there now!”