Page 98 of Tide and Seek
“Okay, okay!”Ethan threw open his door, hands up.“I’ll show you.Just don’t—please don’t shoot me.”
“Hurry up.”I was out of the van in a flash, the gun trained on his back as he stumbled toward the beach.I scrambled for my phone, my hands fumbling with the screen.My fingers shook so badly I could barely hit the right buttons as I dialed 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“I need fire rescue near Ocean Whisper Estates in Malibu.”The words tumbled out in a rush.“There’s a man trapped in a sea cave.The tide’s coming in fast.He’s going to drown if you don’t get here now.”
“Sir, I need you to slow down.What’s your location?”
“Ocean Whisper Estates,” I repeated impatiently.“Past that, actually.I’m at the rock formations at the north end.Please, you have to hurry—”
“Is the person conscious?”
“I don’t know.I haven’t found him yet, but I know he’s in there and he’s in trouble.I’m going to try and get him out, but he’ll need medical attention.Please, just send someone right away.Send everyone.Fire rescue, lifeguards, whoever can get here fastest.”
“Sir, what’s your name?”
“Maxwell Thornton.Please—”
“Mr.Thornton, help is on the way.Can you see the person from where you are?”
“I don’t have time to talk.I have to go.I have to help him.Please, just hurry.”I tucked my phone in my pocket without hanging up.Maybe the call would stay connected, maybe it wouldn’t.That wasn’t my focus right now.Getting to Royce, that was all I could think about.
“Show me the way,” I yelled to Ethan.
With a resigned glance at the rocks, he moved forward.“This is fucking suicide.I’m telling you it’s too late.”
“Move,” I snarled, pointing the gun at him.
As we neared the rocks, the sound of the waves was deafening, crashing against the rocks with a violence that made my stomach clench.Spray misted the air, cold and salt-sharp against my face.
Ethan unwillingly led the way, and I followed, my dress shoes slipping on the uneven ground.The rocks loomed larger as we approached, towering formations that rose fifteen feet above the beach.But at their base, where the stone met the sand, dark openings gaped like mouths—caves carved out by centuries of waves.Water was already surging into these lower passages, white foam churning as the tide forced its way deeper into the rock.
“He’s down there.”Ethan pointed to a narrow gap between two massive boulders, their surfaces slick and black with moisture.“But the water’s already—”
I shoved past him, not waiting to hear the rest.The opening was partially hidden behind a jagged outcropping, wider than it first appeared—big enough to slip through without having to turn sideways.Inside, I could hear water echoing off stone walls, could smell the dank, organic scent of trapped seawater and decay.
“Royce,” I shouted into the darkness, my voice breaking.“Royce, can you hear me?”
Only the sound of waves answered, rushing in and out with relentless rhythm.
I scrambled down the rocks to the opening.The water was already waist-deep at the entrance, surging with each wave that crashed against the rocks.I could feel the current trying to pull me back out, and foam churned white and violent in the narrow space.The lower parts of the rock formation were almost completely submerged now, the caves filling rapidly as the tide forced its way deeper into every crevice.
The power and violence of the water were chilling.The Pacific was a beast, wild and unforgiving.One good wave could smash me against the rocks, could pull me under and hold me there until my lungs gave out.I was a strong swimmer, but I’d never been in conditions like this.Instinct screamed at me to retreat.To get the hell out of there.
But Royce was in there, and I had to go get him.
I took a breath and pushed forward into the gap, the cold water stealing my breath as it hit my chest.The current immediately grabbed at me, trying to drag me sideways.I braced my hands against the slick stone walls, my dress shoes finding no purchase on the algae-covered rock beneath the water.
A wave surged in behind me, and I was suddenly underwater, salt burning my eyes and nose, the force of it slamming me against the rough stone.Barnacles scraped my palms as I clawed for grip, my lungs already screaming for air.Then the water receded and I gasped, coughing, pushing deeper into the cave.
“Royce.”My voice echoed off the walls, barely audible over the roar of water.“Royce, I’m coming.”I prayed Ethan hadn’t lied about which cave they’d put Royce in.Maybe he’d misled me simply to shut me up and get rid of me.
The passage narrowed further, and the water was up to my shoulders now, each wave lifting me off my feet and battering me against the rocks.The smell was overwhelming—rot and salt and something else, something organic that made my stomach heave.My hands throbbed from scraping the rocks, my clothes soaked and heavy, dragging me down.
Another wave hit, and this time I went completely under, tumbling in the churning water, completely disoriented.My head brushed against stone, and I couldn’t tell which way was up, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t—
I kicked with desperate strength as the water pulled back, surfacing with a gasp.In the dim light filtering down from the entrance, I could just make out a shape drifting against the cave wall, Royce’s body half-floating as the tide churned around him.
