Page 89 of Tide and Seek
The drug was pulling me deeper under its influence.My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and the sound of the waves seemed to come from very far away.I wanted to fight them, but I was just too weak and my vision distorted.
“Hold up,” Stiles said, his voice bouncing off the walls.“Search his pockets.Make sure he doesn’t have a cell phone on him.We don’t need the cavalry coming in at the last second because they triangulate his fucking phone.”
Ethan knelt beside me one last time, his face twisted with guilt as he searched my pockets.“I really am sorry,” he whispered.“This is all wrong.I never wanted any of this to happen.”
Then they were gone, and I was alone.
The cave felt smaller now, the walls pressing closer in the dim light that filtered down from the opening above.The water around me was ankle-deep and rising, carrying the sharp scent of brine and decay.Pieces of kelp brushed against my legs like cold fingers, and I could hear the skittering of small crabs across the wet rocks.
I knew my only chance of survival was if I could get myself out of this cave.But I just couldn’t move.My head kept dropping forward as the fentanyl dragged me toward unconsciousness.Each time I forced my eyes open, the world seemed more distant, more unreal.The sound of the ocean was hypnotic, a constant rush and retreat that seemed to match my slowing heartbeat.
I nodded off at one point, and had no idea how much time had passed when I came to.It must have been a while, though, because my legs were cramping from being in the same position for too long.Alarm shot through me when I realized that water was creeping into my stony grave site.It swirled around my feet where I sat slumped against the rough stone wall.It was so cold it made my teeth chatter, but I couldn’t seem to make my body move, couldn’t coordinate my muscles enough to stand or even shift position.My hands felt like they belonged to someone else, heavy and unresponsive.
The smell of the tide pool was overwhelming in the enclosed space.Salt and seaweed and something else, something organic and rotting.The light overhead from before was dulled now, and the thought of that filled me with dread.That had to mean evening was approaching, which meant high tide.Somewhere in the space, I could hear the drip of water from the cave ceiling, each drop echoing like a countdown.
I tried to fight the drug, tried to force myself to stay alert, but my thoughts kept scattering like cigarette ashes next to a fan.I tried a few more times to get to my feet, but each time my legs failed me.The darkness at the edges of my vision was growing, and I felt chilled to the bone.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Max—about how broken he’d be if I died.I wanted so desperately to crawl out of this cave and return to him, but my brain wasn’t working right and my sense of direction was a mess.I would have given my last breath to see Max one last time, to touch him, hold him, tell him how much I loved him, and that even in death I wouldn’t forget him.
My last coherent thought before the fentanyl claimed me again was of Max slipping on the rose-gold band I now wore on my finger.I’d come so close to finding true happiness with him.
But in the end, evil had found me instead.
Chapter Sixteen
Maxwell
Royce was right—C.J.didn’t just want to give me a tour, she wanted me to take a class.I tried to get out of it by saying I didn’t have the right clothing, but she handed me a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt from her gift shop.Then she dragged me into her first class, where she twisted, bent, and basically tortured me for over an hour.If I never heard anotheromornamasteagain, it would be too soon.
Once the torment was over, I agreed to go to lunch with her, figuring Royce wouldn’t mind since it gave him more time to rest.She insisted we try a new restaurant that had just opened, The Cosmic Kale Café.That was fine with me.I liked eating vegetarian and knew I’d have plenty of options there.Lunch was great and C.J.was ecstatic over the engagement, but as much as I enjoyed her company, I couldn’t wait to get home to Royce.
When I walked into my beach house, I didn’t see Royce downstairs or out on the deck.Assuming he had to be upstairs, I took the steps two at a time, calling out to him, but there was no response.Frowning, I stood in the center of the master bedroom, noticing the bed was still unmade.That wasn’t like Royce.He was very regimented about making the bed.Maybe I was overreacting, but that one little detail set off alarm bells inside of me.
I left the master bedroom, and as I walked down the hallway, I noticed that the door to the attic in the ceiling was slightly askew.It wasn’t anything particularly noticeable, and nobody else would have given it a thought.But ever since the ladder had been down when we arrived, I’d always had a weird feeling about the attic.Had Royce checked on the attic for some reason?
Going downstairs, I decided to see if Royce had gone for a walk on the beach.But when I stepped outside, there was no sign of him.The beach was mostly deserted, except for a guy playing Frisbee with his golden retriever.I was so confused about where Royce could be that I didn’t even give the interloper the usual glare I might have.
It occurred to me maybe I should call Royce.I went back inside and dialed his number, and when his phone chirped on the kitchen island, a feeling of dread came over me.There was no way Royce would take off somewhere without his phone.I grabbed his cell, noticing two missed calls, one from me and one from a number I recognized as Detective Hartley’s.
My instinct was to call Hartley, but I didn’t want to jump the gun.Maybe Royce had gone to visit one of the neighbors.C.J.was still at her studio, but James could be home, and if Luke wasn’t surfing, there was a good chance he’d be home too.Maybe Royce had gone to tell James what he thought of him.That didn’t seem like something Royce would do, but I was getting desperate trying to figure out where he could be.
James’s house was closest, so I headed there first, following the path between our properties.When I got to James’s house, his BMW was gone from the driveway, and his car wasn’t in the garage.I still went ahead and tried the doorbell because why not?But no one answered.I peered through the windows but saw no signs of life.
Luke’s place was at the far end of the colony, and I walked there with growing anxiety tightening my chest.Surfboards leaned against the porch railing, a beach towel draped over a chair to dry.When I knocked, Luke actually answered.He looked pale, haggard, and not particularly thrilled to see me.
“Doc, what are you doing here?”He leaned against the doorjamb as if needing it to hold him up.
“Sorry to bother you,” I said.“Have you by any chance seen Royce?”
“Royce?”Luke wrinkled his brow.“No.”
“You didn’t see him at all today?Maybe out on the beach or something?”My heart sank at his blank expression.
“I haven’t seen him.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, anxiety eating at me.“Something’s wrong.He left his phone on the island and he’s just gone.That’s just not like him.”
“I wish I had some information for you, but I haven’t seen him.I’ve been in bed most of the day.I’m feeling a bit… under the weather.”
