Page 86 of Undertow

17

LYING WITH THE TRUTH

Julia tells me to meet her at the marina.

Her flat text response when I let her know I was fired offered no clues, but I have every reason to believe she won’t be the only member of my greeting party.

As I near the ocean, my already heightened nerves take a more visceral direction. Crystal water reflects the afternoon sun to form flickering blue glass that stretches toward the horizon. Birds swoop and chatter among the docked boats, while a warm breeze washes sticky ocean brine through my nostrils and coats my skin.

Someone once told me the ocean is a rare gift that engages all five senses, even from afar.

That same trait makes it a curse for someone terrified of it.

I ignore the flood of adrenaline as I search the marina for any sign of Julia or other members of the family. A small run-down building nestled at the apex of multiple docks screams of purpose, and I start toward it. Two silhouettes behind the grimy glass window confirm my suspicion that if Julia is here, she’s not alone.

I brace for my next performance as I approach the open door.

“Julia?” I poke my head through the opening.

Her intimate smile when she sees me lodges in my chest. It quickly flattens back into stern resolve.

“Hey, Shaw. Come in.”

I nod to Adrian, the owner of the other silhouette I saw. “I’ll get Mama H,” he says.

Through the other window, I spot the older woman huddled in the shadows outside the building. Her demeanor is stiff as she discusses something with a man I don’t recognize. The stranger projects the menacing aura of a cartel member, although his affiliations aren’t immediately obvious.

“You okay?” Julia asks once we’re alone.

“Fine.”

“I’m sorry you were fired. Did they hurt you?”

“No.”

Her relief makes every scar on my body burn through my clothes.

Adrian interrupts Mama H’s meeting, and she shoots a look in our direction before returning her attention to the man.

I flinch at sudden pressure on my hand and glance down to find Julia’s fingers lightly clasping mine.

“Just tell her the truth and you’ll be okay.”

I nod, wishing that were true. I know what happens to people when they’re not useful. Merrick’s warning hasn’t left my head since I left his suite.

“So you got yourself fired,” Mama H says as she ducks into the office.

Julia releases my hand, and I straighten to face her mother.

“They caught me trying to contact Hana. Apparently, the executive chef is very particular about who he allows in his kitchen. I don’t think they suspect anything or I doubt they would have let me go with just a pink slip.”

Although I considered several lies on my journey back to Undertow, I landed on the one closest to the truth. If Tyler doesfollow up with “his source,” at least my story will resemble the rumors.

Tension sucks the air from the stifling room as Mama H searches my face.

“You got your paperwork?” she asks finally.

I nod and fish my phone from my pocket. After pulling up the severance letter in my email, I hand the phone to her. She skims the document, and my shoulders ease when hers do. She hands the phone back to me with a curse.

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