by Leigh, Jena
“Like a boss, I’m sure.”
“Naturally,” she said. “But I still hate the things.”
Actually, she’d be quite happy to never see another firearm in person ever—ever—again.
“Damn. And here I’d planned to sign you up for an NRA membership as a gift for your birthday next month.” She settled back onto the red blanket, her bronzed skin glistening with sunscreen. “Speaking of which. You still haven’t said how you want to celebrate. I’m thinking we need to go shopping on the Champs Élysées and find you a hot Frenchman. Or maybe we should hit up Hollywood Boulevard, looking for celebrities. Oh, I know! London! You’ve always wanted to go there, right?… What’s with the face? Come on, Lex. My best friend can zap me anywhere on the planet in the blink of an eye. You know I’m going to find every way I can to con you into abusing this new power of yours.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Jessica Huffman had joined the group by the pier. Her first act upon arrival had been to pull Connor off to one side. They were currently arguing about something amidst the pylons.
Her aunt wasn’t the only one Alex had been avoiding since her return. She hadn’t spoken to Connor since that late night phone call after Declan took him home.
After two days of Alex refusing to take his calls, he’d resorted to hitting up Cassie for information.
Vee had been declared missing over the weekend. According to Connor, Jessica hadn’t told anyone about what had happened that day on the dock. Probably a wise decision on Jessica’s part.
Who would have believed her?
Alex had gone by the dock only once since returning home—and had been surprised to discover that Vee’s remains had disappeared. Alex suspected that the Agency had probably had something to do with it. She wondered what, if anything, they would tell her poor family…
Her stomach twisted. Connor had left the group of cheerleaders and varsity athletes and was walking resolutely in their direction.
What did he think he was doing?
Surely he wasn’t coming to talk to her. Here. On the beach. In full view of the who’s-who of Bay View High.
It would be social suicide.
Alex’s phone rang.
She reached into the large straw bag sitting in the sand beside their blanket and fished out her new phone, answering it distractedly.
“Hey, Kenzie,” she said.
“It’s Kenzie?” Cassie leaned toward the phone. “HI KENZIE!”
“Christ,” said a masculine voice on the other end of the line.
“Declan?” asked Alex.
“I think I’m deaf,” he said.
“Yeah, well,” said another voice in the background—Kenzie’s. A scuffling sound traveled over the line and her voice developed an echo. They’d put her on speakerphone. “Serves you right for grabbing the phone, butthead… Just set the phone on the console, Nate.”
“What’s up, guys?” she asked.
Connor had covered half the distance between them and showed no signs of stopping.
“Declan wants to know where you’re at,” said Kenzie.
“Thank you, Kenzie,” said Declan. “I can speak for myself, you know.”
“Fine. Then speak.”
“Where are you, Lex?” he repeated.
“Um. I’m at the—”
“What does that moron think he’s doing?” Cassie asked. She’d noticed Connor’s trajectory and now sat propped up on her elbows, watching his progress.
“Dammit, Decks!” Kenzie yelled into the phone. “Slow down! And watch the road!”
“Beach,” Alex finished. “I’m at the beach.”
“What does what moron think he’s doing?” asked a third voice. It was Aiden’s. “The road, Declan! Christ. If I die in this car and you miraculously survive, I’m coming back to haunt your ass.”
“Hey, I was all for letting Nate drive,” said Declan. “Kenzie’s the one who nixed it.”
“Never again,” said Kenzie. “Ever. You should see some of the nightmares I’ve been having.”
“Again,” said Nate. “My driving was excellent. Us driving off the bridge was Declan’s fault. Not mine. He’s the one who dragged his feet with the jump.”
“Same spot as last time?” asked Declan, ignoring his brother.
Last time? The only time Declan had been here with them was the first day they’d met. And she’d only ever noticed him on the boardwalk and the pier. Not on the beach.
And certainly not on the supposedly isolated strip of beach where Alex had stupidly decided to remove her tank top, thus revealing her scar and leaving her clad in only a string bikini, so that she could work on those stubborn tan lines.
“Wait. You were there?” She cringed. “Never mind. Of course you were… No, Declan, we’re closer to the pier this time. Why do you want to know?”
Connor had dropped to one knee in the sand beside their blanket and was grinning at her.
Caught off guard and distracted by the phone conversation, she smiled back at him before she could stop herself.
Cassie sent her a look.
Oops.
“Hey, Alex, Cassie,” he said. “How’s it going?”
“Don’t go anywhere,” Nate was saying. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“But—” she protested.
Too late. The line was dead.
“Did you take a volleyball to the head?” asked Cassie.
“No,” he said, confused. “Why do you ask?”
Cassie sighed. “What do you want, Connor?”
“Just wanted to see how you guys were, is all. After what happened last week… I don’t know.” He looked sadly at Alex, puppy-dog eyes in full effect. “I was worried about you. Wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”
“We’re fine.” Cassie leaned to one side in order to look past Connor’s broad shoulders. “But judging from the attention you’re getting right now, your social life is about to flat-line.”
Down by the pier, the others had halted their game and were now watching them with interest. Jessica, meanwhile, had her arms crossed angrily over her chest, apoplectic with rage. Alex had started to wonder if the girl’s face was even capable of showing an emotion other than annoyance, or if it had become permanently stuck like that.
Connor shrugged. “If they’ve got a problem with it, screw ’em.”
Cassie appeared mildly impressed by his indifference.
“Lexie,” he said. “I know you’re still angry with me. And you’ve got every right to be… All I’m asking is that you give me one more shot.”
This was exactly why she hadn’t answered the phone.
“I’m sorry, Connor. I just… I need some time.”
“It’s alright.” He stood and began moving slowly backward down the beach. He flashed her a confident smile. “You’re worth the wait.”
As soon as he was out of earshot, Cassie chimed, “Just say, ‘no,’ Alex, dear.”
“You make him sound like a drug.”
“That’s exactly what the guy is, for you. He’s your addiction,” she said. “Trust me. Just say no to crack, spray-on tans, and Connor. All three have the potential to end badly. Especially where you’re concerned.”
“Ladies,” Aiden said in a slow, goofy drawl from behind Cassie. “Mind if we join you?”
Aiden, Nate and Declan were approaching from the direction of the boardwalk. Somehow, the trio had done the impossible and grown even more attractive in the four days since she’d last seen them.
Then again, maybe it was simply the fact that this marked the first time she’d been able to observe the guys without the threat of impending doom hanging over their heads. Frown lines weren’t good for anyone’s features.
And relaxed and happy seemed to be a really good look for them.
Alex glanced back in the direction of the pier.
Most of the girls were blatantly staring.
She smiled.
Miranda Pierce, eat your heart out.
/> “Where’s Kenzie?” asked Alex. “Wasn’t she with you?”
Aiden dropped down on the other side of Cassie.
“Red left us in search of coffee.” Nate settled in next to Alex, taking the last open spot on the blanket and forcing Declan to find a seat in the sand. “Said she needed a caffeine fix.”
“At six p.m.?” said Cassie. “Won’t that keep her awake all night?”
“I asked her the same question,” said Aiden. “She just marched off down the boardwalk shouting, ‘Death before decaf!’”
“Someone should put that on a t-shirt,” said Declan.
Alex smiled.
Declan smiled back, bumping her shoulder with his. “Hey, you,” he said softly, below the level of Nate and Cassie’s conversation.
“Hey, yourself.”
“You haven’t been by the cabin,” he said, fiddling with his car keys. “Everything alright?”
“Fine,” she said. “Just needed a break, you know?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I figured.”
Kenzie was walking toward them with a massive iced coffee in one hand.
“Death before decaf!” Cassie shouted with a smile, raising a fist in the air.
“Death before decaf!” Kenzie echoed. “Nice to see a little caffeine-lover solidarity. So few people out there understand.”
She plopped down in the sand beside Declan.
“So have they told you yet? Or do I get to be the one to break the happy news?” asked Kenzie between sips.
“Told us what?” asked Alex.
“That Bay View High has two new transfers,” she said, breaking into a brilliant smile.
“What?” said Cassie, sitting up a little straighter. “Who?”
“Mackenzie and Declan O’Neill, at your service, miss!” she said with a mock salute. “That’s O’Neill with two L’s, by the way.”
“Hey, that’s great!” Cassie smiled wide.
“Man, I love getting to use a fake name,” said Kenzie. “I’ll be incognito! At school! How awesome is that?”
Cassie’s expression became a guise of mock severity. “I do hate to be the one to tell you this, Kenzie… But you see, you’ve made a major tactical error by being seen with us in public. We’re not exactly on speaking terms with the cool kids these days.”
“Damn,” said Kenzie. “There goes my lifelong dream of being made Prom Queen. And I look so cute in a tiara… Tragic.”
“Not that I don’t think it’s great, cause I do…” said Alex. “But why in the world are you two transferring to our high school?”
“It’s to make the Agency happy,” said Nate. “They wanted us to be able to watch you more closely, so… we’ve temporarily relocated to Florida.”
“Hooray for sunshine and sandy beaches,” said Aiden.
“What?” said Cassie. “You’re moving too?”
“Yeah, well. My last place is now in ruins, I lost my job at the docks when I went MIA over the weekend… and Grayson owes me one. Least he can do is rent me a room for a while. And anyway, I’ve been living in the cold and dreary Pacific Northwest for too long. Time for a fresh start in the sunshine state.”
That revelation had Cassie as happy as a lark. Alex really needed to find out what was going on with those two.
“Declan, I thought you’d already graduated,” said Alex.
“I did,” he huffed. “Trust me. I’m not looking forward to going back, but it was either me or Nate—and I’m still 18 for another month, so I’m the youngest. Agency thought I might still be able to pass as a high school junior.”
“Having you guys around ought to make things a little more interesting,” said Cassie. “I’m all for making things more interesting.”
“Just… maybe not quite as interesting as last week,” Alex amended.
“No. Definitely not that interesting,” Cassie agreed.
“What? Not a fan of living in an action flick?” asked Aiden.
“You know, it’s funny,” said Cassie. “Getting kidnapped twice in one week really ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Is it still considered kidnapping when it’s a government agency doing the abducting?” asked Kenzie.
“Semantics.”
Kenzie leaned toward Cassie and whispered something in her ear. They both smiled wide.
“I happen to think that’s an excellent idea,” Cassie replied.
“Alright! All you hooligans off the blanket. Now. Up. Move it or lose it!” Kenzie jumped up, set her coffee in the sand, and began shooing the others off of the bright red stretch of fabric. Everyone scrambled to get up, voicing their protests.
Kenzie and Cassie grabbed either end of the large red blanket and held it up in between them, standing apart, as if they were about to fold it—which conveniently blocked the group from any potential prying eyes in the direction of the pier.
Suddenly, Alex knew what they were up to.
Down the shore, in the opposite direction, a solitary couple lay basking in the sun, the man sound asleep and the woman too engrossed in her paperback to pay them any mind.
Declan stood staring at them, arms crossed over his white t-shirt, the bottoms of his jeans and his black boots half buried in the sand. He was dressed almost the same as he had been on the first day they met. The only thing missing was the gray military jacket.
If they were going to do this, the time was now.
She sighed. So much for boring.
“What? Are we leaving already?” asked Declan, misinterpreting their movements.
Alex got to her feet and shimmied out of her jean shorts, leaving on the tank top. No way she was taking that off in front of him again. She turned around, leaned in close to Declan and took him by the hand.
“You know what, Decks?” she said in a soft voice. A slight tingle shivered through her palm. Just a few more seconds… “I’m really glad you came by. There’s actually something I’ve been wanting to do since that first day we met.”
Declan smiled lazily down at her.
Poor guy didn’t have a clue.
“You remember?” she purred. “That day you dropped me in a lake? Twice?”
Alex released Declan’s hand, took three steps backward and nodded to Nate and Aiden. They closed in on him, grinning.
“What are you doing?” Declan asked warily. Realizing too late that he was their intended target, he tried to turn and make a break down the shore.
Nate and Aiden were too fast.
Declan soon stood hostage, only a few feet away, Nate gripping one arm, Aiden the other.
“What the heck are you guys—” He finally noticed Alex, standing by the blanket, a wicked grin on her face. “Oh, no. No, no, n—”
His last word of protest was clipped short by Alex’s tackle. As they fell toward the sand, Nate and Aiden released their hold… and Alex jumped.
They splashed down in the salty water after having reappeared, tangled together in the air, thirty feet from the shore, and too close to the surface for Declan to even think about teleporting himself anywhere dry.
Back on the beach, the others were cheering.
Declan surfaced and slicked his hair back.
Alex smiled at the sight of a very angry, very wet, Declan O’Connell.
Oh, yeah. Revenge was sweet.
“I suppose this makes us even?” Declan looked back at her from under an arched eyebrow, his ire slowly fading.
“Not by a long shot.” She smiled and started back for the shore.
A strong current of cooler water surrounded her. She swam with the flow, the water providing little resistance as she sailed onward toward the coast.
“Oh, come on,” Declan groused from behind her as he struggled against a sudden onslaught of unusually large waves. “Cut it out, Aiden!”
“What’s that, cousin?” Aiden called back. “Can’t hear you!”
Alex laughed as the helpful tide sent her coasting back toward the beach.
Maybe she wouldn’t ever
be normal again. But in moments like this one, Alex was willing to concede—normal was terribly overrated.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25