Page 148 of Tell No Lies

What a sore loser.

Keeping my pace just fast enough to stay ahead, I enjoyed being outside and just a few blocks from the ocean. Only two miles, and I would be in front of it, with nothing separating me from its massive expanse. I counted the houses I passed, every step I took, and each time Gage cursed at me for going too fast.

Finally, I stood on the sand of the tip of the peninsula, waiting for him, pretending to have been there forever. “I want a large mango-strawberry.”

“Yeah, yeah. How long have you been bottling that in?”

“Since I got grounded.”

“Grounded? Your brother grounded you? Does he think you’re five?”

I stepped on each heel, removing my shoes and socks. The call of the warm sand was too much to resist. “It’s more like lockdown.”

He followed my actions and joined me where the water kissed the beach. “You commit a crime?”

“Not really. Things have been a bit crazy lately, and he just wanted to make sure I’m safe.”

“From?”

I wiggled my toes in the heavy sand, allowing my feet to sink in farther. “Someone wants to hurt me.” Without looking up, I knew he was staring at me, probably waiting for me to say I was kidding. “I don’t know who, so don’t bother asking.”

There were a few beats of silence before I heard his feet shuffling in the sand. Suddenly my feet were out from under me, and I was swept up in his arms. My screams heightened the farther he crept into the water. I knew what he had planned, and I really, really didn’t want him to succeed. My hands roamed, trying to find a way to stop him. I pulled at his shirt, but nothing fazed him.

In a blink, I was fully submerged. Luckily, my grip hadn’t broken, and he’d come in with me.

My feet finally found the ground, and I stood, wiping the water from my eyes. Gage stood a few feet to my right. Without hesitation, I threw myself at him, forcing us into the water again.

His hands locked on my arms and forced us up. He kept his hold as he marched us out of the water to where our dry shoes sat mocking us.

For the first time, it registered I’d been laughing through all of this. The taste of salt water remained after my attempt to spit it out. My laughter found new life when I looked at Gage glaring at me.

“I wasn’t supposed to go in with you.”

“You really thought I would let you throw me in? No way, sir. I go in … you go in.”

“I don’t want to run back soaking wet.”

“You started this!”

“Let’s just sit here for a few minutes and dry a little.”

“Fine. You’re such a baby.”

I pulled him down to sit next to me, high enough on the sand that the water could only taunt us. The sun was still high in the sky, and I wondered if I could make Gage stay here long enough to enjoy the sunset. There wasn’t anything better in the world than watching murals paint themselves across the sky in the minutes before the sun finally dropped beyond the horizon. My spot on the balcony had a nice view, but here, there was not a single thing blocking me from the scene.

Gage was silent next to me. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking about, but maybe I wasn’t the only one in love with the here and now. I didn’t know what made him show up when he did, but I was so grateful. I leaned toward him and pulled his elbow out. After slipping my arm through his, I settled down. A heartbeat later, he tugged my elbow, urging me closer.

☼ ☼ ☼

A strange sound startled me awake. My room was darker than it normally was when I would get up. The sound repeated. I looked to my nightstand and watched my phone shimmy on its surface. Who on earth would text me this early?

Now that I knew I wasn’t in immediate danger, I fell back onto my pillows and lazily reached an arm over the side of the bed. After a few seconds of blindly fumbling around, I grabbed it and brought the screen to my face.

Mike. What did he want at this unnatural hour?

My eyes blinked several times as they adjusted to the brightness when I unlocked my phone.

Mike “The Babe” Thomas: Morning, babe. Date night w/ B and Liv tonight.