Chapter 16

“Right here in the ocean? I mean, loud and proud?” Esther asked Tucker as the chilly wind blew. “Is that safe?”

They’d decided to take time out from worrying about the email address and anything else involving the H2O-Yo mess and practice Esther’s mermaiding. But as she looked at the ocean, so rough compared to the manmade lake, she wasn’t sure this was a good idea.

Tucker chuckled, shedding his pants and shoes, because Body Beautiful wasn’t afraid of anyone seeing him in just his britches. “It’s where all good mermaids began, Esther. We didn’t always have manmade lakes. I’ll be right here next to you, but we have to practice. You have to learn how to mermaid, pretty lady.”

She gripped his arm as she stared out into the vast ocean in front of her cottage, now dark and rippling with frothy waves. “Speaking of being a mermaid, when you saved my clunky butt from drowning last night, did you grab my neck?”

He gave her an odd stare, his chiseled face twisting under the moonlight. “No. Not that I recall. I recall grabbing for you around your shoulders, or maybe it was your waist, I think. Definitely not around your neck. Why would you ask that?”

She shivered at the memory of last night. “Because Armand said someone tried to strangle him, and I know this sounds dramatic, maybe even crazy, but when I was sinking and couldn’t get myself to propel upward, not only couldn’t I see because of my bountiful mermaid hair, but someone gripped my neck. It was quick, and then I was being swept upward.” She shrugged. “I dunno. I think I’m just connecting dots that maybe don’t necessarily connect.”

Now Tucker gripped her arm and swung her to face him. “Esther! How could you forget to tell me something like that? If someone from the pod tried to harm you, it needs investigating.”

“It was all so chaotic! One minute your father’s yelling at us, the next we’re shooting off in a fit of anger, and then it was like an underwater tidal wave exploded.”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes. The tidal wave. You can do that, you know. It doesn’t make it any better that my father did it out of anger, because it’s dangerous when your emotions are so out of control. But if you’re ever in jeopardy, it’s useful. Water hitting at that speed can crush all the bones in someone’s body, Esther. It’s not much different than folks jumping to their deaths. On impact, it will crush you. You’re immortal, but not infallible.”

She shivered, tucking her sweatshirt under her neck. “Okay, forgetting for a moment the hands around my neck, why would I ever be in jeopardy?”

“Oh, you know, sharks, whales, interlopers.”

“Sharks?” she squeaked. Sweet Jesus. She’d never even thought about the rest of the ocean’s inhabitants.

“It happens so rarely, it’s like hen’s teeth, Esther. I promise. We mean no harm to our sea-dwelling brethren, but there’s been a time or two when a shark’s come just a little too close for comfort. A tidal wave helps deflect and disorient, and it gives you time to get away.”

She stared up at him, unable to voice how crazy this all sounded. But she had to keep reminding herself, so did have a tail and fins.

He chucked her under the chin and grinned. “There’s more…” he teased, pulling her to him, letting his bare chest press against hers. The heat of him seeped into her, warm and soothing, hot and exciting all in one embrace.

She plucked at his skin with a light pinch, loving the feel of it beneath her fingers. “More? I knew it! It’s X-ray vision, isn’t it? Oh, what will I do when I can see all the other little mermaids with their perfect bodies naked?”

Laughing, he shook his head. “Hardly. First, we can communicate underwater, as I’m sure you heard the other night. You’ll learn that in time. But also, bubbles. You can turn bubbles into bullets. All ya gotta do is blow.”

Now her mouth fell open before she forced herself to snap it shut. “And you found this out how?”

“How do you think mers kept all those invasive sailors away? Also, something else to give thought to. Underwater, your strength increases by leaps and bounds.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, you could probably manage to grab on to a whale and swing him like a baseball bat.”

She continued to stare at him in wonder. “I’m going to collapse under the weight of all my superpowers if you don’t cut it out.”

With a chuckle and a grin, he flashed his hand at the water. “Then how about we get started?”

“Are you afraid we’ll get caught?” she asked, looking around at the deserted landscape of the beach. As the day dimmed and went dark, she fought the fear of discovery.

“Well, it’s almost seven o’ clock in the evening, and there hasn’t been a soul out here almost all day, according to Marty. Also, it’s pretty cold, which doesn’t inspire folks to take walks, and all the summer people have gone home. Plus, we have this,” he pointed to her faded dock. “We can hide under it if we need to. I’ve done it before.”

Nodding, she decided there was something else to address. She’d thought about this all day as they’d gotten Armand settled, eaten dinner with everyone, and pondered their next move. It was time for some honesty, so that nothing held her back from immersing herself.

As she pulled reluctantly from his embrace and stepped out of her yoga pants, she dropped them on the towels on the sand. “Time for some full disclosure, in case I freak out on you again under there.”

He stopped what he was doing and cocked an ear. “Esther, you don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable or not ready. I understand. I know there’s something wrong…something tragic…but I don’t want you to feel forced to talk about whatever it is.”

Sighing, she looked out at the purple and blue horizon as the day ended and took several deep breaths before she said, “My parents drowned. I was with them when it happened. I guess you could have looked it up online, if you’d wanted to. I’m sure somehow there’s probably an article up about it by now, though, there was no Internet when it happened. Anyway, I was with them. There was a sudden thunderstorm, and we were out in our tiny motorboat—an early fall picnic. One of the last one’s we’d be able to have until spring, my dad said. I don’t remember much of it other than how loud and scary the thunder was, and all the rain. So much rain and wind, and my mother, checking my life preserver before we tipped over. I don’t even remember how anyone found me, or even who found me. My grandfather said is was another boater, caught up in the storm, too. The only thing I do remember is how cold and wet I was for what seemed like a hundred years…and alone. I felt very alone.”

Tucker pulled her into his strong arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Christ, Esther, I’m sorry. Sorrier than I’ll ever be able to express in words. But I have to give it to you for being so brave last night. It took incredible strength for you to get in the water. You’re so strong.”

She shook her head, letting her cheek rest against his bare chest. “It took me over twenty years to take a Mommy and Me swim class. I’m not sure that’s brave.”

“I disagree,” he said, threading his fingers through her hair. “But what say you and this vast body of water make some peace with one another? It can be an amazingly beautiful place. Especially when it’s shared.”

Tears stung her eyes, but she nodded. He was right. She had to figure out how to do this without so much residual fear. “I’m all yours.”

“You aren’t yet, but you will be,” he teased cryptically, letting her go to run into the small waves crashing against the shoreline, the water splashing against his muscular silhouette. “C’mon, mermaid! Let’s take a swim!”

She wished she had the guts to ask him what that meant, but her spine literally collapsed at the mere thought.

Instead, she watched him enter the water by her private dock…and that was when she felt an invisible tug. A strange, deep-seated need to touch the water, feel it slice across her skin, let it work its chilly fingers through her hair. And as she pulled the rest of her clothes off, she didn’t hesitate to run directly into the water and join Tucker.

Winking at her, he ran ahead until he was deep enough out to dive into the frothy waves.

You’d think at this time of year, it would be enough to give her hypothermia, but she didn’t feel the cold at all. Instead, she felt invigorated as the salty water stung her eyes and danced on her lips. Following Tucker, she ran farther into the water, until the tide lifted her and pulled her toward him.

And then she dove deep, like she’d seen her father and grandfather do so many times, like they’d once taught her so long ago—before she was afraid, and when everything in her life had been perfect.

Just like it had last night, her tail sprouted, shedding her limbs with the ease of melting butter. She felt the width of her fins catch the underwater current and move in sync with her arms, her hair floating about her shoulders as she pushed through the water. There was no panic this time, she didn’t even think about breathing, she just did, and it was incredible, freeing, perfect.

Tucker popped up in front of her, his smile wide as he gave her the thumbs-up and pointed forward, indicating she should follow.

The ocean wasn’t at all like the lake, so clear and blue. It was murkier here, but still just as exciting, with seaweed swirling about her. As they passed through seaweed and groups of fish, Tucker spoke.

“Let’s give this a try, Esther. All you need to do is blow like this,” he instructed, pursing his lips and spitting out a bubble that zoomed past her face, growing as it went. “The harder you blow, the faster they hit. Try it.”

It seemed so simple, but it was a lot harder than it looked, as per the bubble she blew that nearly took off Tucker’s head.

Her eyes went wide, but he just laughed. “Aim your sphere of death that way.” He came through loud and clear in her head and pointed forward, moving to hover near her.

Pursing her lips, she tried it again, only to find she was a little erratic and her aim kinda sucked in a slightly crooked, zigzag way.

Tucker swam under her and grabbed her waist, pulling her deeper until they were on the ocean floor.

Holy shitballs, they were on the ocean floor.

“I think a little practice is in order. But let’s try something else,” he suggested with a grin, swimming away from her.

Without even a moment to consider, Esther spoke without ever opening her mouth and without realizing it. “Not tidal waves? Seriously? Do you mean tidal waves?” A small fissure of excitement skittered along her spine. How many people could say they could make tidal waves?

Tuck nodded as a fish swam around him, and he dodged its nosy presence. “Remember to steady yourself and roll with it, Esther. Just roll right into it. Let it carry you, don’t try to carry it.”

Pulling his fingers together in a ball, he swiped right, spreading his hand open wide, and as he did, the water exploded in front of her, creating that wave that had panicked her so last night.

But this time she was ready and held her ground, flapping her arms and riding the wave just as Tucker instructed. When it hit her, she rolled, bending at the waist and tumbling head over tail directly into the eye of the wave. She almost lost her way when the force of the water shoved her with such power she nearly toppled, but then Tucker was there, grabbing her hand and pulling her back down to the ocean’s floor again.

“You try,” he encouraged, closing her fist with his hand and guiding her arm as though she were going to throw a baseball. “Take it slow, don’t bowl for dollars, rather hit it like you’re playing badminton.”

As he pulled her arm out straight, he whispered, “Let ’er rip, Esther!”

Giving her arm a huge push, she let her fingers open wide—and the water just exploded.

Okay, it didn’t just explode, it whooshed, making a muffled rumble so loud, it hurt her ears, but beyond that rumble, she heard Tucker’s hearty laugh. When the water cleared, and he was right in front of her, he grinned and hauled her close, dropping a kiss on her lips.

“Well done! You’re a natural, Esther. We just need to fine-tune it.”

In hindsight, she couldn’t say what made her wrap her arms around Tucker’s neck as they hovered deep in the vast ocean while seaweed and kelp fluttered past them. Maybe it was her excitement at finally getting the hang of something, or maybe it was because he was so regal as a merman, but she did exactly that.

She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his, and when she did, all sound completely stopped. Nothing moved but the two of them, floating together as their mouths fused and their merforms wrapped around one another. He drove his tongue between her lips, demanding she meet its silken glide, making her dizzy with the impact and force of his kiss.

Her body responded in kind, heating up until she thought she’d pass out, her fins swishing at full tilt, and all of the magic she’d read about a first kiss in fairytales came true for her.

Tucker wrapped his arms around her, strong and sure, his moan deep and husky in her head. He drove a hand into her hair, twisting it around his hand and pulling her even closer, leaving her melty and needy.

But somewhere, far off in the distance, she heard barking. And Tucker must have heard it, too, because he pulled away from her, giving her a confused look before pointing up, meaning maybe they should surface.

Taking her by the hand, he shot upward like a torpedo with Esther by his side, and they surfaced just under the dock.

Her head whipped around as the water cleared from her eyes. “Is that Mook?”

“Hey, Surf and Turf!” Nina’s husky voice rang out against the wind. “We got something. Quit playing hide the fish and get the fuck up here!”

* * * *

“Let me watch it again,” Tucker said, hitting play on the video Nina’s brother-in-law, Sam, had sent to them. Ex-FBI, now a vampire and married to her half-sister, Phoebe, he’d somehow gotten his hands on Tecton’s video surveillance of not just the night Gomez took his life, but two weeks prior to his death, as well. Yet, that was as far back as the videos went, which was, according to Sam, very common, to erase them after they’d been viewed.

Just as Armand said, it showed him locking the door to his and Gomez’s office

After each of them had reviewed hours of tape, including Wanda, everyone was shaking their heads, having found nothing.

But then Tucker shouted, “Hold on! Look.” He pointed to someone in a suit entering Gomez’s office. “Those sneakers on this guy here. Look at them. Damn it! Why do I know those sneakers?”

Esther leaned in and peered closer at the video as she sat beside Tucker at her small dining room table, while Carl played with Mook and Marsha, and the women all scoured their laptops, re-watching the video over and over.

“Isn’t he the IT guy? He’s dressed just like the rest of them we’ve identified so far.” She looked at the list of names Sam had sent with each employee from each department, trying to compare faces with the sometimes-fuzzy images of IT employees wandering up and down the halls.

This particular man’s head was turned away from the camera, almost as though he knew it would capture his image. He was dressed in a suit much like many of the Tecton IT employees wore. And according to emails between the IT guys, this man was just doing routine maintenance.

“But why is he wearing sneakers? They all have dressier shoes on. See? Watch this guy’s feet, coming from the IT department just the day before Gomez was killed.”

Everyone gathered around Tucker’s computer to watch, but Nina made a face. “Maybe dude hates stuffy shoes? I fucking hate heels. I can identify. These two hens wear ’em every day, but I’d rather shit acid.”

Esther snorted at Nina’s joke. “But he has a point. If there’s a dress code at Tecton, this guy shouldn’t be wearing sneakers.”

Tucker slapped his hand against the table in frustration, making her bowl of fake red apples jump. “But I’ll be damned if I know why I recognize them. They’re pretty average except for the shape of the heel. It’s pronounced…” He shook his head as though to clear the cobwebs. “I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s absolutely nothing at all. Maybe I’m simply making something out of nothing.”

Archibald dropped a plate of delicate cookies in front of Tucker. “Make something out of this, mate,” he said in a cheesy Aussie accent, his grin wide.

“Aw, Arch, I think you’re starting to like me,” Tucker teased, reaching up to tweak his cheek.

“I do no such thing,” he protested with a grin. “I made them because they had to be made, cheeky man. Now, eat. Rest. Catch your breath. Food always helps swish away the cobwebs.”

“Or make a bigger cobweb,” Wanda moaned from her chair, putting her hand to her belly and rubbing. “You absolutely have to stop making scones with clotted cream for breakfast or I’m going to need someone to stick a pin in me.”

Marty smoothed Wanda’s belly with a gentle hand and laughed. “But think of this little miracle you’re growing, eating all those scones.”

Wanda nodded her head, her eyes watery. “It is a miracle. A miracle indeed.”

Nina had told Esther about Wanda’s journey, about her baby zombie, about how she’d become a halfsie to begin with, and hearing her story made Esther mist up.

Now, in moments like this, when the women and their cohorts were all together, were when Esther missed her family more than ever. It had been small, but mighty—which made her that much more determined to figure out who’d done this. Because her uncle’s stellar reputation was at stake, and she couldn’t rest until it was rescued.

She liked these people. She liked how they rallied behind, supported, even taunted one another, and she’d miss the activity in her house when they vacated her guest bedrooms and Arch took his cooking skills back to Wanda’s.

Rising to stretch and maybe clear her thoughts, she meandered into the living room, where the lights were dim and she could look out at the inky expanse of the ocean. Sighing, she listened to the sounds of everyone laughing, eating, talking about everyday things, and her throat tightened.

“Little Fish?”

“Mean Vampire?”

“You okay? You do know we’ll fucking figure this out, don’t you? I don’t want you pouting over here, thinkin’ we won’t get this shit together. Because we will.”

Esther turned to look up at Nina and smile. She liked all the women, but Nina was her favorite—even as cantankerous as she was. “It’s not that. I was just enjoying the sounds of life in my cottage. It’s nice, don’t you think?”

Nina stared down at her. “If you don’t have vampire ears, it’s peachy. When you have vampire ears, it’s GD fucking annoying.”

“You stop,” Esther teased. “You don’t mean that, and you know it. You like the noise. It means you’re part of something. Don’t take that for granted.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Nina cocked her head, her gloriously wavy hair falling down around her shoulders. “Is that what this shit’s about?”

“What shit?”

“Why you’re so quiet. Because you don’t feel like you’re a part of something?”

Sighing, she cast her eyes down at her tennis shoes. “Maybe a little. I miss my family today, I guess.”

Nina chucked her under the chin with a long finger. “Well, here’s some shit to think about. Now that you’ve met us, you’re a part of this group forever. Whether you like that crap of not. Believe me, I can’t stress that enough. Whether you like it or not.” Then she chuckled.

“You’re friends with everyone you guys help?”

“We’re framily,” Marty chirped from behind her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to give it a brief squeeze. “Nina made that up, but it fits. Everyone we’ve helped is now a part of our group. The entire lot. I think it’s thirteen cases strong now, not counting our own, of course, with all manner of the paranormal, too. I’m sure Nina told you about the dragons, and demons, and cougars. But each one is special. Each one a bond that just seems to happen. Maybe because it’s so chaotic and we all become each other’s safe place to fall, but it’s a bond nonetheless.”

“Hysterical bonding. It’s sort of a branch of hysterical bonding.”

Nina shrugged her shoulders under her dark hoodie. “You know, I used to think that shit. Yeah, this whole ‘turned into something paranormal’ is full of adrenaline, lots of noise and some seriously fucked-up shit sometimes. But we don’t have to see each other when this shit is done. All the crazy might have forged our friendships, but it ain’t the glue that holds ’em together ten years later. So if you’re worried we’re gonna dump your ass when this is all said and done, gird your fucking loins. Because you’ve got no choice in this anymore. Dinners and shopping, fucking trips to the stupid outlet mall, holidays, birthdays, Groundhog Day, whatthefluffever, these nuts find a way to celebrate it, and you’re in—always. Period.”

Esther gulped, her chest so tight, it felt like someone had put a thick rubber band around it. But she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t say anything for the gratitude blooming in her heart.

Instead, she took Nina’s and Marty’s hands and squeezed them.

And they squeezed hers back.