Deep Betrayal (Lies Beneath #2) (22 page)

He looked confused by that. “That’s enough,” he said. “I think we’ve got our proof. Your range isn’t very good, but if you can get close enough to hear them, they can hear
you. Next time, no blank slate. We’re going to send them a message.”

“When’s next time?”

“You said your friend has a boat?”

“That’s what Jules said.”

“Then we’re taking them on a boat tour tomorrow. And they should bring their suits.”

The next time we came up for air, we were on the southeast shore of Madeline, right before Big Bay Point. Calder studied the shoreline, looking back and forth between several houses buried in the trees.

“There.” He pointed to the largest house with a bank of windows facing the lake. “That one.”

“You’re sure.”

“Absolutely. I can hear, what’s his name? Phillip? He’s got a big mouth.”

I took the bag from Calder, swam to shore, and ripped the plastic bag open with my teeth. Calder swam up and down the shore, waiting for me to get dressed. I left his clothes in a pile on a rock and started up the long, splintered staircase from the rocky beach to the house.

When I got to the twelfth step, I sat down sideways and waited, picking at the shrubbery that threatened to overgrow the railing. Below me, Calder was pulling himself up onto the sand. His transformation played out in my mind; I didn’t have to look. But I couldn’t help myself.

He was in a fetal position. His broad back and shoulders curled around the rest of his body, with just a hint of a silver, feathery fluke showing. The tension in his muscles made the crisscrossing scars stand out red and angry. His body
trembled like a timpani drum. He squeezed his arms around his knees, then exploded outward, his body going rigid and straight with a groaning strain and a wild pop.

No sound escaped his lips, but the pain on his face made me close my eyes and turn away.

When I looked back, he was standing, his torso tapering to slim hips and long legs, the muscles in his scarred shoulders jumping. He opened the bag and stepped into his clothes, his legs shaking as he carefully placed his bare feet on the rocky beach. He shook the water out of his hair and turned to face me.

“I forgot shoes,” he said, but I didn’t answer, too stunned by the beauty of his body. My insides twisted into a tight spring that, when released, was sure to send me sailing into the air. I only hoped he’d be there to catch me when it did.

He climbed toward me, looking exhausted. “Stairs are tough right now,” he said. “I need a sec to acclimate. Maybe we could sit for a while?” He sat on the step below me and rested his head in my lap. I pulled him up so our faces were even. It hurt—the stair digging into my back—but I didn’t care.

“Lily?” a voice asked.

Calder looked up as Jules and Rob came down the stairs.

“What are you doing down there?” Jules asked.

“Oh …” I looked at Calder for a little help, but he seemed to be enjoying something—my reaction or theirs, I couldn’t tell.

“Did you knock on the door?” Jules asked. “We didn’t know you were here yet. Were you swimming? You’re all wet.”

Seriously, Calder? A little help here. This would be an excellent time for that thought-projection thingy
.

“We couldn’t help but notice the view,” Calder said. “We thought we’d come down and check it out before going inside.”

“Us too,” Jules said, and she took Robby’s hand.

My eyes followed the gesture and then I looked up at Jules, who looked at me sheepishly. Her and Rob? Well, that was … unexpected.

“Come on,” said Rob to Calder. “I’ll get you something to drink.”

Calder followed slowly, kissing my cheek as he passed. Jules and I watched them go, and then she turned to me with a whip of her hair.

“You and Robby?” I asked. “Since when?”

“I tried to tell you before, but I chickened out. I thought you might be mad.”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?”

“Well, we got together just a couple days after you left, and I thought you kind of liked him. I thought maybe you’d been playing hard to get, but then you have Calder, so I …”

“Jules, you’re worrying over nothing. I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

“It’s nothing serious. It’s just fun to have someone to hang out with for the summer.”

“Sure. Whatever you say. You guys look great together.”

“Yeah, he’s great.” She watched Rob climb out of sight.

“Let’s get up to the house,” I said. “I don’t want to leave Calder alone with those guys for too long.”

“Yeah, God help their self-esteem,” Jules said.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Seriously, Lily. He’s so hot. What’s your trick?”

“I won him over with Tennyson.”

“No, seriously,” she said.

I threw my arm around her shoulder and we walked into the house together. I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Calder already in the thick of things—like one of the boys—laughing with Phillip.

“Hey, Hancock, Cal here says he can give us a tour of the islands tomorrow.”

I bet he did
. “Sounds great,” I said, wondering which of my friends would pose the greatest lure for a bloodthirsty mermaid with death on her mind.

T
he next morning I stumbled into the kitchen, where Jules was already up making French toast and bacon. Phillip and Rob were at the table, shoveling food in as fast as Jules could cook it.

“Are you two doing anything to help her?” I asked.

Phillip answered with his mouth full. “I opened the orange juice.”

“Where’s Calder?” Jules asked.

“Probably down by the water,” I said. “I think he slept on the dock.”

Jules raised her eyebrows and looked at Rob and Phillip, who stared at me for a long three seconds before going back to their food.

“He likes to sleep outside,” I said.

“Yeah, sure,” Jules said encouragingly. “That sounds great. We should all try that tonight.”

Tonight
. My stomach lurched at the word. Would they all be coming home tonight? What was I doing, using my friends as bait? This was twisted and wrong. They should at least be given the opportunity to choose. But who would choose to be a lure? I hated this plan. I had half a mind to call in sick.

“Eat something,” Jules said.

“I’m not hungry,” I said.

Colleen and Scott came out next, Scott’s hair sticking up in the back and Colleen’s mascara smeared under her eyes.

“Attractive, guys,” said Phillip.

Zach trailed out behind them, scrubbing his finger over his teeth. “Did anyone bring an extra toothbrush?”

“Hurry up and eat,” Jules said. “It’s already ten. Half the day will be wasted before we get out on the boat.” She flipped another eight pieces of toast onto a platter and blotted the bacon with a paper towel.

“Calder and I can start loading the boat up. Do you have a cooler?” I asked.

“Already packed,” Jules said. “It’s on the back porch.”

“And my uncle said there are life jackets in a plastic bin out there,” said Phillip. “There should be enough for everyone.”

“I’m on it,” I said, and I hustled out the back door. Calder was already waiting for me. He picked up the cooler without any effort, and I threaded eight life jackets onto my arms. Calder and I wouldn’t need them, but it was good to keep up appearances, not to mention comply with the law.

“I’m going to have to get some of that breakfast,” Calder said. “It smells amazing.”

“You’ll have to hurry,” I said, and then, “Are you sure about this? It doesn’t seem fair, not telling them what we’re doing.”

“You’re going to have to trust me, Lily. I believe in
you
. You need to believe in
me
. I won’t let anything happen to them. You’ve got two jobs: First, to keep them happy. Keep them laughing if you can, it will make the emotions stronger. Second, to send the message to Maris. Two jobs, Lily, and neither of them is to worry.”

“What’s the message going to be?”

“I’ll wait to tell you that.”

“Why?”

“A little faith, please.”

I wanted to push him on it. It would help if I had more time to get the message firmly planted in my mind, to repeat it to myself over and over until I could think of nothing else. But I didn’t have time to argue, because there was an explosion of laughter, followed by Rob, Phillip, and Zach pushing each other in a race down the stairs. Jules and Colleen walked serenely behind them. Scott brought up the rear, tripping occasionally because an armful of striped beach towels blocked his vision. A bee circled his head and then flew off toward the trees.

Calder and I had already pulled the rain tarp off the boat and loaded the cooler and life jackets on board. Phillip had the key on a flotation ring. He pulled a thin instruction booklet from his back pocket and flipped through the pages nervously.

“If you want,” Calder said, “I can manage the boat.”

Phillip looked only too relieved. “Yeah, that sounds great, since you know where we’re going and all.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” said Calder diplomatically. “You can drive us home at the end of the day.”

Us
, I thought again. Who would “us” be at the end of the day? Calder said to trust him. There was nothing else I could do. Well, yeah, I guess I could ix-nay this whole outing, but what explanation would I give at this point? Everyone had found their seat and kicked back. The guys were slathering on the sunscreen. Colleen dropped sunglasses over her eyes and tilted her head back to catch the sun. Jules handed Calder a muffin.

“You missed breakfast,” she said. “This was all that was left.”

Calder smiled one of those knee-weakening smiles, and Rob scowled. He repositioned himself next to Jules and threw an arm around her shoulders. His territorial behavior reminded me of a show I’d watched on Animal Planet.

Calder started the motor and let it idle. He untied the boat from the cleats, walking it away from the dock and then jumping on as the stern cleared the end. Rob and Zach leaned to their sides to give him room to step down and find his place behind the wheel. I had a sense of pride in how comfortable he was on a boat. I wondered when he’d mastered it. Why take a boat when you can swim? It reminded
me how little I really knew about him, his past, the people he’d known, the girls.…

Calder reached out for me and took my hand. He pulled me close and had me stand in front of him, my hands on the wheel, his hands over mine. I wanted to turn around and face him, but he had me virtually pinned in position. It didn’t help that his breath was gently grazing across the back of my neck and down my bare shoulder. It had to be intentional; it was almost cruel. I could imagine the smug expression on his face.

Seagulls sprang off the rocks, and although I was sure they were making an awful racket, it was impossible to hear them over the engines. It felt weird to be up so high. My view of the islands had always been at the water level—or below. With so much distance between our bodies and the water, the islands felt distant and impersonal. I barely recognized them.

The boat was fast. In no time, we rounded the northern tip of Madeline, and Calder pointed to a small strip of land to the Northeast. “Michigan Island,” Calder said, yelling over the motor. Zach was the only one who really cared about the name. He was bent over a chart of the islands, and he put his thumb on the finger-shaped image.

Scott opened the cooler and threw a Coke to Phillip. Rob held up a finger and Scott handed him one, too. Calder cranked the wheel, sending Rob off balance and his hand plunging into the cooler ice. I would have lost my balance, too, but Calder held me in place. Rob pulled out his hand and shook off the cold.

He shot Calder an accusatory look, but Calder laughed it
off. “You’ll need to get used to the cold if you plan on swimming,” he yelled over his shoulder. “It’s probably only about sixty degrees.”

“Sixty?” Phillip yelled.

Calder laughed again.

Zach shook his head. “Say goodbye to your balls, boys.”

Phillip tried to smile but looked out over the water with newfound concern.

“I thought we were supposed to keep them happy,” I said so that only Calder could hear.

“Oh, they will be. That’s Stockton Island,” Calder said, back to playing tour guide. “Lots of bears. Good hiking.”

“Where’s a good place to picnic?” Jules yelled.

“We just ate,” Colleen said. “God, girl, it’s always food with you.”

“I like to know where we’re headed,” Jules said.

Calder pointed to the channel between Stockton on our right and Hermit Island on our left. “Head for that split,” he said to me, and he left me alone at the wheel. I glanced over my shoulder as Jules and Colleen separated so Calder could sit between them.

Make them happy. That shouldn’t be too hard
. Calder took the chart from Zach and showed the girls our route. He dragged his finger across the chart, indicating our intended anchorage—the eastern shore off Oak Island. I’d never been to Oak before. Did he think his sisters were this far north? I guess with all the scouting he and Dad had done, he’d ruled out everything to the south.

Jules and Colleen hunched over the chart with Calder, their three heads close together. I sighed. I knew it was all
part of his plan, but it was hard to watch him working his charm on them. Even if he wasn’t getting anything out of it (there was no tingle of electricity in the air), I knew what Jules and Colleen were feeling. Their boyfriends were only inches away, but Calder could be a powerful force of amnesia when he wanted to be. I wondered what images he was pushing on them. The need to take a refreshingly cold swim, no doubt. The sun was hot. That idea shouldn’t take too much persuasion. Maybe images of happiness: puppies, chocolate, kisses. Army surplus stores?

Oh. That last one was for me. “Very funny,” I said, and I wagged my finger at him.

He raised his eyebrows at me and mouthed the words:
Watch. Where. You’re. Going
.

I looked back at the water in front of us. We were headed straight for a sailboat. I cranked the wheel and missed its stern by mere feet. The captain yelled and waved his fist at me. I yelled my apology, but I’m sure he didn’t hear. The sailboat rocked violently in our wake.