Page 18 of Drowning in Sins
“Two bags, and I want them when we’re back on the boat.” I crossed my arms.
“Deal.” He grinned.
“Woo!” Beth pumped her arms in the air as if she was raising the roof.
I rolled my eyes and walked to the bathroom. “I’ll take a quick shower and change,” I said, closing the door, and I quickly refreshed myself.
I wasn’t going to bother with getting super dressed up if we were going to be on the beach. A tank top and sarong over my swimsuit would suffice. I swiped on a little mascara and slipped into my sandals. My hair could air dry, since I was sure it would soak up the moisture in the air and love it.
The sun was setting before we even left the inn. In the few hours since we docked, Beth and Tyler made friends with a couple of locals who picked us up and took us down narrow bumpy roads before pulling over where a couple ofother vehicles were parked. I followed the group through the trees, the path on the ground made by others becoming more unrecognizable the darker the sky got.
I was glad I chose to wear flip-flops the moment I felt my feet walk through water. I slipped out of them, picked them up in one hand along with the part of my sarong that hung too low, and waded through the water.
The recognizable glow of a small bonfire could be seen before I realized there was a crowd surrounding it. Easily twenty people stood near the flames as the glow danced across them, turning their bodies into moving shadows.
The sun dipped on the other side of the mountain, casting this side of the island in a darkness like no other. My eyes focused on the sky as we walked closer to everyone. If it were possible, there were more stars here. You couldn’t get this view in the city.
I was too mesmerized by their twinkling to notice my surroundings. When I turned my head to my friends, their smiling faces were already across the bonfire. String lights flickered behind them, lighting up a keg and a couple of coolers.
Music carried across the wind as I approached the drinks, and I saw it came from an old boombox that was set up on a boulder, away from the water. I was barely in front of the coolers when a cup was handed to me, the foam at the top slowly disappearing. I raised a brow at the man filling cups from the keg and passing them out.
“If you don’t like beer, there are other drinks in the coolers. Help yourself.” His smile was easy as he passed out another.
I didn’t want to be rude, but I didn’t like the taste of beer. I also wasn’t about to accept a cup from a stranger when I hadn’t watched it being poured. So, I walked around with the cup and occasionally poured part of it out when nobody was watching. I could go thirsty for a little longer.
The moon seemed to grow brighter as the night passed, lighting up an area I hadn’t noticed before in a ghostly blue. I emptied the rest of my cup before tossing it into a bag that had been tied up for trash, then made my way through a row of trees.
Most of the rocks were steady, but it was still easier to walk barefooted across the smoother parts of the black surface. The wrong shoes and someone could easily slip and fall. The occasional wave came across the edge, filling small areas before running into the sandy beach where the others gathered.
The closer to the edge I walked, the more the ocean surrounded me. If I could ever describe a moment of peace, it was this. I breathed in the mist. The sweet smell of the forest behind me mixed with the salty air in front.
A bigger wave crashed over, causing a strong current to come across my feet. I dared to step closer. If the water carried me away, would the others hear my screams? Would I care?
I wasn’t sure where the morbid thoughts came from, but I stepped closer. Twenty feet from the edge. Then fifteen. Ten. I held my breath as I watched a rolling wave come closer, the way it folded into itself from one end to the other. But it barely came across the edge.
My focus had been on that close wave.
I hadn’t seen the larger one until it was too late. It threatened my balance as soon as it rushed over, and I nearly slipped from the current. The water was up to my knees now.
“Ros?”
I turned to see blue eyes behind me before I lost my footing.
Chapter Seventeen
KAI
There was no reason for someone to be this close to the end of the border of rocks unless they had a death wish. I’d seen enough idiots dare to get close to the edge in broad daylight. A big enough wave would carry them out to sea.
I wasn’t sure it was Rosalyn at first. As soon as she turned, I recognized her profile. She stepped farther, and nobody was paying attention. Where were her friends? How did she even find out about this secret beach?
I knew how dangerous it was here, because I dared to reach the end when I was younger. After my mom….
I shook off the thoughts and carefully stepped closer to Rosalyn. A little farther and I reached her.
I called out her name twice before she turned, and the current made her wobble. The water had me unsteady as it moved past us, then back out to the ocean, and I grabbed her arm just as she slipped and pulled her against me, planting my feet. A slightly bigger wave and we would’ve had to sit and wait for the water to pass.
Goose bumps rose on her arms beneath my grip. Her eyes widened in surprise as they stared into mine.
