Page 69 of Ruin

As my eyes locked into his, something pulled my gaze to the shoreline behind the cliffs just beyond the dock. “Arik…what is that?” I stammered as I raised my hand to point toward the red mass floating along the shoreline.

Arik turned to look as Sam jumped from the boat into the water that crept up against the sand toward the object. His pace slowed as he neared it, until he finally took a knee, and his head dropped into his hands.

“Stay right here,” Arik demanded as he lifted me from his lap. Our beautiful moment was now gone and replaced, again, with mystery. Maybe even disaster.

You would think I would be used to these kinds of surprises by now.

I watched as Arik and Sam circled the object. Waves crashed up against it, tossing it back and forth as if held tightly against the warm sand. All I could make out was tattered, wet red fabric that was rolling in and out with the tide. I lifted myself from the chair and made my way to the side of the boat until I was planted firmly on the creaking wooden dock.

I stood, hands on my hips as the sun began to set in the distance. My cold skin was beginning to warm again and my clothes were finally dry…enough. I took a deep breath letting the sea air filled with salt fill my lungs, hopefully cleansing all the smoke I inhaled at Ambrogio’s.

Arik suddenly appeared before me on the dock, shocking me as I backed up in fear. He gripped my waist and pulled me in to keep me from falling backward off the dock and into the sea. I grasped my chest.

“Arik. I don’t like that. It reminded me of that night,” I said through deep breaths as his face remained cold and serious.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Sam hovering a few feet from the mass of fabric and who knows what else. He was on the phone, his hand rubbing against his face as he paced.

“What the fuck is going on?” I questioned as I stared intently at the scene.

“Claire. You need to go inside. The authorities are on their way,” Arik answered calmly as he rubbed my shoulders and dropped his head to meet my eyes.

“Are you trying to trance me or something, Mr. Medici? Is that something you can do?” I asked with a laugh.

“No, Claire. But I do need you to go inside. You do not need to be out here,” Arik said firmly as he grabbed my hand and pulled me off the dock swiftly.

“Arik! What is going on?” I yelled as I pulled my hand from him.

“There is a body that has washed ashore,” Arik replied as his eyes broke from mine, and he watched the distance.

My head turned as I heard sirens getting closer. He was not kidding. A body?

“A body? On the beach? Your beach? Is it…one of yours?” I said, whispering as if someone could hear us.

Arik’s face looked puzzled. “Why would I call the authorities over a body…never mind. You do not need to see this, Claire. Please, let me take you inside,” he pleaded as he grabbed my arm firmly to the point where I wondered if a bruise would form.

“Mr. Medici, Sir,” an officer yelled as another conti led him down the terrace steps and onto the beach.

“Fuck,” Arik hissed as his eyes darted between me and the officer.

“Yes, officer. Over here,” he shouted as he waved his arm and released me from his grip.

“Hello, Miss,” the officer greeted me, his thick accent settling on his words like molasses.

I nodded toward the officer as anger seeped across my face when I turned back to Arik. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but his hands on me like that was not okay.

“Officer. Sam is the one who called. He is with the body. Claire and I just returned from a boat ride and discovered it,” Arik said smoothly, his voice cut through the tension like silk.

“Can you make out who it is, Mr. Medici?” the officer asked as three more officers approached us on the beach from the villa above.

“Yes, I can,” Arik stammered as his eyes reached for mine.

He looked pained in a way I had never seen him before. My pulse quickened as I waited for what felt like an eternity for his response.

“It is a guest of the hotel. Miss Jennifer Mora.”

The sorrow in his voice whipped through my ears as disbelief and shock curled their fingers around my thoughts. My stomach flipped and my vision narrowed as ringing in my ears drowned out everything around me.

“What?” I screamed as I turned from Arik and ran toward the shore, making my way through the warm water to the stretch of sand beyond the cliff.