Chapter
Olivia glanced over her shoulder, but it was too late. The lip of the wave pitched over her head, burying her in a mountain of icy water. Every cell in her body screamed for air as she somersaulted, her surfboard leash wrapping around her legs. Not knowing which way was up, she paddled blindly for the surface. At last, the breaker rolled away, leaving her coughing up mouthfuls of seawater as she climbed back onto her board. She shouldn’t have been out in such massive surf, and neither should the stupid drone that had distracted her from the incoming waves.
“What’s that idiot doing?” she yelled to her friends, who had surfaced nearby.
Olivia pointed at the miniature helicopter and the pilot on the shore. He guided the craft closer until it hovered right above the water, staring at them, and sending a chill down her spine. Why was the guy messing with them?
Sam climbed onto his surfboard beside her with a confused expression as he glanced at the machine.
But when he gazed beyond, at the incoming surf, his eyes opened wide, and he gasped before shouting, “Outside, Liv!”
Olivia looked toward the horizon, where another grey wall of water headed for them. As it grew into another mountain, it blocked out the sun before pitching over the surfers.
“Too big,” she squeaked and pushed her board underwater, pressing it ever deeper to escape the power of the wave.
After another vicious rinsing, she lay on her board and stared at the empty blue sky. No drone, but she could see the owner down the beach walking away from them, the flying machine close behind him. Why had he flown his drone so close, making her disobey Martin’s first rule and turn her back on the sea? She had nearly drowned. Liv took a deep breath and stretched her arms into the long paddle heading for the tiny patch of sand that looked miles away.
But her shoulders ached. She had to rest… just for a second.
As the pulsing in her arms faded, Liv looked for the drone pilot again. Halfway down the beach, he blended in with the trees above the sand. His camouflage outfit was doing its job, and she had to squint to make him out. A black animal suddenly burst from the brush behind him and galloped after the drone, trying to catch it in his mouth.
“Bear, leave it!” Olivia shouted. But the dog couldn’t hear her, and being Bear, he wouldn’t leave it even if he had heard her.
Intent on his mission, Bear plunged through the shallows, ignoring the man waving his arms and appearing to be shouting. Then he stopped gesticulating, sprinted through the water, and kicked Bear, who toppled over, disappearing beneath the surface.
“No!” Liv felt the kicking in her own gut. “You fricking moron. He’s just having fun.”
She needed to get in before the jerk did more damage. Her arms slapped the surface without rhythm as she coughed up mouthfuls of seawater. Calm down. Deep breaths. Smooth strokes. No panicking. Smooth, deep strokes. Olivia reached land and scrambled through the shore break, kicking off the kelp entangling her legs. Where were Bear and that stupid man? Only a few gulls swooped low over the empty beach.
“Bear. Here, boy!”
She glanced out to sea, where two miniature-looking surfers were paddling over a cresting roller. Another enormous set was lining up. She had done the right thing coming in. As she stared at the sea, Liv pulled off her neoprene hood, shook out her long black hair, and collapsed on a rock. The lines of waves and the billowing white water were mesmerizing. She could gaze at it forever, but the northern California October breeze made her wetsuit cold, and she needed to get into dry clothes. On the walk to her tent, she passed a few forts some bored surfer had built out of the driftwood thrown on the beach by the ferocious Pacific storms. The structures gave the place a medieval feeling, along with its empty beaches overlooked by dark forests. There had to be elves skulking in the shadows of the eerie forts.
Balancing on the top of a flat rock near their camp, Liv tugged off her wetsuit and stood naked. A few minutes of breeze caressing her body—what bliss. One advantage of surfing in such a remote place. Hopefully, drone guy had left the area.
A puff of air tickled her naked back, and a man’s arms wrapped around her, yanking her off the rock. She screamed as she swung her fists behind her, but it was useless. The arms tightened, and she couldn’t move. A chuckle from the wetsuited body holding her made Liv turn her head and stare into a pair of familiar blue eyes.
“What the hell are you doing, Sam? You nearly made me pee. You’re lucky I didn’t slug you.”
“What else is a guy supposed to do when a stark-naked, stunning, shivering woman stands in front of him. I was just trying to warm you up.” He shrugged and let her go.
“Yeah, right. Your wetsuit just made me colder.” She pushed him away and crossed her arms over her breasts. “Martin would have a fit if he saw us right now. I better get dressed before I die of hypothermia.” She hopped to her pack, grabbed a hoodie and track pants, and pulled them on as Sam turned away.
He looked toward the forts and beyond to the yellow, pink, and purple wildflowers nestled in grassy patches that gave way to an old unused airstrip. Both ends of the beach were blocked with freighter-sized rocks surrounded by smaller boulders. Brown blobs lying on boulders had to be seals, as an occasional bark would drift by in the breeze.
“Where’s Bear?”
“I don’t know. I saw him trying to catch that drone when I was paddling in. That drone man kicked him so hard that he knocked Bear over. The boy’s not that bright and is probably still following the drone.”
As Sam disappeared into the brush, he pulled down the top of his wetsuit, and Liv stepped toward the beach, inhaling the sulfur scent from the piles of kelp scattered on the sand. The smell had once offended her, but now it was just another part of her new passion—the ocean.
“I wish I was a fisherman, tumblin’ on the seas. Far away from dry land and its bitter memories,” she crooned. Fisherman’s Blues was Martin’s favorite song, and the lyrics haunted her as she searched for his Shepherd Rottweiler. She had to find the boy. Not only was he the most awesome dog in the world, but if she lost him, Martin would never forgive her. He was already accusing her of being cold-hearted and turning her back on the world.
“Aren’t you getting changed?” Liv shouted at Sam in the bushes.
“Nah, I came in to make sure you were okay. It was pretty hectic out there. Also, I didn’t want to pee in my wetsuit—too many sharks. I’ll help you find Bear, then go back out.”
“Okay, I’m following that guy north. You can catch up.” Olivia picked her way through the kelp and sand, calling for the dog, but the only response was seals barking and gulls shrieking.
Sam appeared beside her, still in his wetsuit. His dark hair tousled into curls framing a model’s face with smooth Hispanic skin and sharp cheekbones that accentuated his piercing blue eyes. He was truly eye candy. She looked away and shouted for Bear again.
But he put his hand on her shoulder and tilted his head. “What’s up, Liv? You’ve been acting a little weird this whole trip.
“Nothing.” Olivia glanced sideways at Sam. Usually, it was easy to talk to him, but it felt awkward telling him her feelings toward Martin. “We had the big relationship talk the night before coming up here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think he’s jealous of me hanging out with you and is afraid to trust me. The thing is, I’m not sure I’m ready for the relationship he wants and don’t really have the time. I’m perfectly happy with it just being friends with benefits.”
“That’s ridiculous. If you love the guy, go for it. I know you’re focused on work and struggling with old Langston, but Martin’s a cool guy. I never did understand how it works between you two. I mean, you’re an ambitious lawyer, and he’s an anti-establishment journalist. That sounds like excellent fodder for a lot of arguments, but you guys obviously care a lot about each other.”
“You might be right. But he has a picket fence idea about life, and I’m not sure that’s for me. He’s even talking about children!”
“That’s great. Seriously. You’re nothing like your parents… I mean… you have a heart. I see how much you get out of Bear and taking care of him. Grab love when you can, woman.”
Liv sighed. “Mm. I bet you believe in Santa too. The whole warm fuzzy family thing. I don’t think I’m cut out for that. But what about you and Naomi? A few days ago, I overheard you on the phone with her, and it sounded like she was pressuring you to find another job.”
“What the hell? You were eavesdropping?”
“No, no, no. I was coming to ask you something and heard it outside your office. Sorry.” She gave him an apologetic smile before turning to search the brush. “Where is that stupid dog?”
“Naomi says we need more money. She hangs with a pretty yuppie crowd and doesn’t feel like she’s keeping up.”
“Why doesn’t she get a job?” Olivia said as she stared at the ground, tracking the giant paw prints mixed with hiking boot treads.
“Too busy being a mom for Suzette. I get that, but I don’t know what to do. I enjoy working with you.”
The emphasis on that last sentence added to Olivia’s confusion as she glanced up at Sam. He looked different. Was he more than her best friend, or was she just messed up because of what Martin wanted?
“Here, Bear,” she shouted.
They reached the end of the beach, where the dog prints stopped. The guy must’ve jumped onto the big rocks to get to the next beach, and the silly dog followed. Hopefully, that meant drone man hadn’t hurt him too much. Staring at the boulders, she struggled with what Sam had said. She didn’t understand relationships but wanted to help him somehow. He was practically her only friend.
She leaned against the rock blocking their way and said, “Sometimes I just want to go back to the university library and study case law again, don’t you? Those days were so simple.”
“Yeah. I wonder what life would be like if Naomi hadn’t gotten pregnant. I love being a dad, but you’re right—it’s all a little complicated now.” He looked away as he spoke.
Was he wondering about their relationship as well?
“It looks like Bear’s gone on to the next beach. Why don’t you go catch a few more waves before it gets too dark? These October evenings don’t last long.” Olivia didn’t want to talk about relationships. Not in the middle of paradise.
“I shouldn’t leave you on your own.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be alright. What was it my father said? This place is just for surfers and pot growers.”
“What?” Sam gave her a puzzled glance. “How did he know about it?”
Olivia snorted. “My parents came up to Eureka about a year ago on a business trip and drove around Cape Mendocino and Pacific Harbor. Mom wouldn’t stop raving about the stark beauty of this place, but my father said it was like a stoned Deliverance. Remember that movie about a guy who gets stuck in the middle of nowhere in the Deep South, and some guys sexually abuse him?”
“Yeah, pretty disturbing. At least no banjos are playing here.”
“It was one reason I wanted to come up here. If my father didn’t like it, it had to be good.” Olivia shook her head. After years of trying to understand her father and trying to be the perfect daughter, she was about to give up.
“Such a rebel.” Sam elbowed her in the ribs as he stared out at the perfect waves with a yearning gaze. “Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”
“Of course.”
Sam saluted and trotted back to his surfboard as Olivia hoisted herself to the top of the rocks.
She waved, mumbling, “I always am.”
Balancing on a rock slick with algae, she watched the break that had defeated her earlier. It looked tiny, but the waves seemed to collapse in slow motion, which meant they were getting even bigger. She couldn’t see Adrian or Nelson, but a boat was floating outside the break. Was that the same vessel they’d seen the night before while sitting around the campfire, sipping tequila? Strange to see anyone out here in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully, it didn’t belong to drone man.
It had been such a fun post-surf session with Nelson, Martin’s brother, hamming it up after too much tequila and heckling Adrian for smoking pot. She had smiled so hard her face ached.
The new beach resembled the one they had been on, only the forest beyond the sand was denser, with a steep dry riverbed cutting through it to the coastal range rising behind. No airstrip, only woods that in the late afternoon light were mostly shadows. Liv jumped off the rocks and followed a faint trail along the top of the sand. Feeling a little clueless, she trotted along until she reached the end of the path at a piece of beach that looked like something had flattened it somehow.
Could the strange markings be from boats landing? The rocky point protected the place. No way—it was too far from anything.
She looked along the sand, up the riverbed, and glimpsed Bear, his nose in the air, smelling something as he disappeared into the brush.
“C’mon boy. Don’t go in there,” Olivia yelled as she chased after him into scratchy blackberry bushes and wild sage. “You better not be chasing a mountain lion or something.”
Brush jabbed through her track pants as she waded around a pile of logs, blocking her way. On the other side, she saw Bear galloping down a well-beaten track.
“God. Please don’t be a grower’s patch.” She sped up the sloping track, trying to get to the dog before he broke into a marijuana farm.
The path widened as it carried on alongside the river. What if it was a trail to something even more dangerous than a pot grower’s patch? Something Bear must not go near. She had to stop him before he got anywhere near it.
Olivia was about to give up when he stopped and sat panting outside a makeshift chicken-wire gate. Déjà vu hit Olivia as she approached the gate. The day before, when she and her friends were trekking across the coastal range searching for Pine Flat, Bear had stumbled into a marijuana field. They were in luck. The grower was Adrian, a guy who loved dogs, and he ended up showing them the shortest route to the legendary surf spot at Pine Flat. They probably wouldn’t be as lucky a second time.
“Bear. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
He ignored her and slipped around the barrier, disappearing into the brush. Olivia stood staring at the gate topped with barbed wire. What now? She held her breath and listened for any sort of animal fight, gunshots, or vehicles, but all she could hear was the wind in the tops of the trees. What was she going to tell Martin? I’m sorry, but your dog ran away and got shot by a crazy drug lord?
Flames of panic burned through her as she paced in front of the strange gate.
“Calm down, Olivia. He’ll be fine. Deep breaths.”
What if it was a cartel site? Adrian had said cartels were taking over pot growing in the Cape Mendocino area and bringing in other heavier stuff. Wasn’t that was one reason he wanted to stop growing?
Liv looked down the path, searching for movement. Only dark shadows waited—she was not going down there. They were so far away from anything, so deep in the forest, she couldn’t even hear the surf anymore. Leaving their beach had been a dumb idea.
Something scuttled through the bushes next to her, making her duck behind a tree. It sounded too small to be Bear or a person—must be a squirrel scampering away. She peered through the brush to the gate and the forest beyond. It looked like she would have to dodge under the barbed-wire fence to find that stupid dog.
“I don’t mean that, Bear. I love you.”
She waded through weeds to the fence, pulled two strands apart, and tried to squeeze through, but the wires snagged on her hoodie. Stuck, bent over in poison oak and wild sage, she couldn’t see a thing.
“C’mon, c’mon. This is so lame,” Olivia grumbled as she reached up to loosen the snag.
The thunder of dogs running made her freeze. Bear exploded from the brush, looking scared out of his mind with huge white eyes and a lolling tongue. He ignored her and squirmed under the barbed wire just as two Dobermans appeared out of the darkness.
Holy shit!
She ripped her hoodie away from the fence and joined Bear as he raced down the path, escaping the demonic-looking dogs who stopped, growling at the gate. A man’s faint voice filtered through the forest. He had to be calling the mutts, but it didn’t matter—Liv and Bear needed to get out of there.
Come on, woman, move. He might be some scary cartel freak, high on crack, ready to riddle you with a machine gun. No one would ever find the bodies. Who cared what was beyond that gate? Whatever it was, she wanted nothing to do with it. Something was rotten in paradise.
Liv sprinted down the track, around the strange log pile, and continued her panic run until, breathless, both she and Bear slowed to a trot. By the time they reached the boulders blocking the beach, the tide had made the climb almost impassable. Olivia watched the waves piling in and timed the interval between the larger sets. They should wait for a lull and then go for it… But it was getting dark and they couldn’t wait much longer. Plus, that guy could be right behind them.
“I think we better go now, boy.” Olivia grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled him to the top of the rocks.
But another breaker engulfed them when they jumped onto the next beach. Olivia ignored her soaked clothes as she stumbled up the sand, out of reach of the grasping white water. Through the dimming evening light, she searched for Bear.
There he was. His black head was just above the surface as he bodysurfed the next wave to the beach. She waded into the churning foam and grabbed the scruff of his neck, pulling him up, away from the water. The two collapsed on the dry sand, out of reach of the shore break.
“Good surfing, buddy. C’mon. Let’s go. It’s getting dark.”
Olivia stumbled upright and jogged down the faint trail. Back to camp—back to Sam’s smiles and warmth. Her legs ached, and Bear was dawdling when their tents finally appeared through the fog that was turning everything black and white.
Everything was quiet—no fire burning, no lanterns, and no men.
Just mist drifting in with the night.
