JULY 10

MAUD

On the morning of the Pacific King Whale Watching Company's 50th anniversary, I sat across from Nicki Watson in my favorite coffee shop.

My heart had skipped a beat when he'd first arrived. I hadn't seen him in a month, and I knew straight away that there was something different about him. His skin was a little more tan and blond hair slightly longer, but it wasn't his appearance that made him different. It was something beneath the surface, something I'd yet to identify but knew existed.

As we made idle small talk while waiting for our drinks to arrive, I decided that maybe there was less warmth in his eyes, that he seemed guarded. I wondered if the time he'd spent back home in Seattle changed him, or if it was Friday Island that changed him first. I wondered if I was partially to blame.

Despite these questions (which I didn't dare to ask), I provided Nicki with the entirety of my insight relating to Apex and the developments with Albert. Zachary and I had spent the last few weeks biding our time, waiting until we had the perfect opportunity to set our plan into motion.

"I'm going to confront Albert before the Pacific King celebrations tonight," I said to him after our drinks arrived. "My friend is going to be there to record it all."

"Your friend?" Nicki's terse voice contrasted the mellow indie music playing from the speaker on the wall above our heads. "Don't you mean the guy who was stalking you?"

"Don't fight me on this." I curled my fingers around the warm mug of my chai tea latte. "I know you want to, but I've made my decision. This is happening today."

Nicki's brow constricted. "If you knew I'd fight you, then why bother telling me? Why would you tell me if there wasn't at least a part of you that wanted me to try and stop you?"

Sighing, I folded my hands on the wooden tabletop. "Because you're you. I wanted you to try and understand."

He dragged a hand through his floppy blond hair. "Some guy shows up outside your house in the middle of the night, and you decide it's a good idea to trust him. That doesn't make any sense to me."

"I don't trust him," I clarified dryly. "You don't need to trust someone in order to work with them."

"You do when the stakes are high. Does anyone else know about this?"

By anyone, I knew Nicki was referring to our friends. I hadn't talked to any of them since the banquet at the Whaling Museum. "No. It's better that I handle this on my own."

"You're not a lone wolf, Maud," Nicki said. "I mean, isn't the slogan of this island's high school wolf strong, pack strong?"

"Yeah, but it's not my life philosophy."

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Just don't do this alone, okay? Can't you see how-"

"This is happening," I interrupted, rising to my feet and taking a step towards the exit. "I just wish I knew I had you in my corner."

The door of the coffee shop slammed shut behind me, the little bell clanging wildly. I hardly got ten yards before Nicki challenged me once again.

"Where are you going?" Nicki fell into step beside me. In the bright morning light, the little white scar on his left eyebrow was barely visible.

"To do what I have to do."

I was too determined to lie to him, but it wouldn't have made a difference anyway. He always seemed to see right through me.

"I'll come with you."

"I need to do this on my own," I answered and increased my pace. I couldn't let Nicki's selflessness stand in my way. I couldn't risk him preventing me from challenging Albert.

"I'm only trying to help," Nicki pressed, calm yet indignant.

I rounded on him, a fire burning in my chest. "Guess what, Nicki? I don't need your help, and I certainly don't need you to ridicule my plan on how to protect my family. You have two parents who love and support you, and yet you complain about them hoping that you go on to be a hotshot doctor. Grow the hell up."

Nicki stopped dead in his tracks, and I looked away, not wanting to see the hurt flash through his blue eyes. I refused to let him make me feel guilty, though. He didn't understand what was at stake. Nothing I could say would make him understand the pain Albert caused. The pain he could still cause my Grandfather. They were best friends.

I looked straight ahead as I left Nicki standing on the corner of the cobblestone street. I half-expected to hear the persistent thud of his footsteps behind me, but this time there was only silence.

*

"What are we doing here?"

Zachary Healy turned down a long gravel lane, where the gaps between the pine trees on either side were thin and seemingly knotted together. Further down the lane and through a wall of green, I caught a glimpse of the sea.

After putting the truck in park, Zachary removed the keys from the ignition. "There's some business that I need to finish. Deadlines are creeping up on me. "

And deadlines were also creeping up on me.

Within the next hour, we would confront Albert. Now wasn't the time for Zachary to be finishing up other business.

I arched a skeptical brow. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Zacharhy replied hastily, his words at odds with the tension in his jaw. "I'll meet the deadline. I always do."

Suddenly, his phone vibrated on the center console with the words NO CALLER ID occupying the screen. He was quick to slide it into his jacket's pocket.

I frowned, trying to piece together why something felt incredibly off about his actions. Scientists believed that animals had acute senses that allowed them to survive in their environment. Those senses helped the animal evade a predator or track down prey. I began debating which of those two Zachary was.

Seeming to sense my trepidation, Zachary put a hand on my shoulder. "Give me fifteen minutes, and then it's down with the traitor," he assured me.

I swallowed hard. "Fine. Your fifteen minutes starts now."

Smirking, Zachary exited the car and continued down the lane without locking the car.

Fifteen minutes crept by, and there was no sign of Zachary. A restlessness stirred inside of my muscles, and I decided that I had nothing to lose by going to look for him.

I focused on my footing, taking care to not walk too loudly down the lane. The sun was beginning to set, and the bright orange rays gleamed on the nearby water. Up ahead, the lane widened to reveal a cedar-shingle boathouse and a run-down fishing boat sitting at the end of a rickety dock.

I slowly walked over to the boathouse, feeling like I was moving through one of my own dreams. The planks beneath my feet creaked with each step, and I noticed that some were decaying. It seemed like no one was actively looking after the property.

As I approached, I saw that there was a shattered window next to the entrance with shards of glass glittering on the wood. I bent down and carefully picked up a piece to inspect it. A thick layer of dust coated the surface. I wasn't sure what compelled me to do it, but I slid the shard into the back pocket of my jeans. It was instinctive.

Finally, I turned my attention to the door. I reached forward, taking hold of the steel handle, and shivered as the cold seeped into my fingers. Every nerve in my body was screaming at me to turn around. Zachary had asked me to wait, but I'd chosen not to listen. Was it because I didn't like being side-lined or because I felt like he was luring into some kind of scheme?

For a moment, I found myself wishing that Allix or Syd was with me. They both always seemed to know what to say and how to counterbalance my rash decision-making with rationality, but I didn't need them.

I was the one person I could really count on.

The air inside the boathouse was cold and musty. I took hesitant steps forward, and as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, my other senses adjusted as well.

That was when I started hearing the voices.

At first, I thought that I was imagining it, that my mind was playing a cruel trick on me, but I was quick to overcome my denial. Muffled voices emanated from the other side of a closed-door at the end of the hall. I risked another step towards the door, and the wood creaked dangerously loud.

The voices miraculously didn't stop.

As I continued creeping forward, I could finally make out Zachary's husky voice.

"How did you think this would end?"

The second voice was too soft for me to try and identify, but it was distinctly female. It was also very distressed.

I stopped directly in front of the door, my breathing quickening as I waited for Zachary's response.

"You're not my only client who took an interest in her. Red carpet smiles aren't going to help you now."

I didn't even realize that I was reaching into my back pocket until the glass pierced my skin, and I yelped like a wounded animal. The voices stopped this time.

Realizing that I'd blown my cover, I pulled the door open with my good hand.

As I surveyed the tiny room, the severity of my situation paralyzed me. I was a deer caught in the headlights of a tractor-trailer.

"Brenna?" I croaked.

The actress stood at the far end of the room, her hair loosely braided with mascara running in little rivers beneath her crystalline eyes. I made it two steps forward before I saw Brenna's eyes turn into saucers.

"Zachary, don't!" Brenna cried out.

Turning to look over my shoulder, all I saw was a flash of silver before something hard struck my left temple. Pain erupted in my head like a grenade, exploding every thought and emotion. The fall to the floor seemed to be in slow motion, steadily growing closer until my cheek pressed against its rough surface. The sounds around me - a scream, maybe a ringing phone - softened as though I'd jumped into the deep end of a pool.

An inky darkness bled into my vision, expanding as I blinked and blinked in an attempt to clear it away. But then the darkness was suddenly all I could see.

My eyes remained open, and I felt like I was staring up at something that resembled an enormous, dark television screen. Perhaps this was that brief transition between the movie ending and the beginning of the credit. But maybe this time, the credits would roll on forever.