or the intense quiet. Regardless, she was determined to swim.
Olivia placed the pants on top of her shoes and the blouse on top of the pants, all on the wooden strips of the pier. A single light shone down on the water while others lit the way to the pier’s edge creating hazy halos of light against the ink black sky. It was strange how calm she was considering that only hours ago, the thought of getting in this water terrified her. Now, it beckoned. Olivia scooted to the end of the pier until her toes overhung the weathered boards.
Nineteen-year-old Jesse sat in the quiet of the tiki hut awning at the surf shop. A row of lounge chairs stretched out beside him, all chained to the deck by Owen, the shop’s owner. Owen knew Jesse loved the peace and quiet of the beach at night. He wouldn’t mind him taking a break there before going home. Tonight after closing, Jesse stayed at the garage where he was employed so he could work on his own car. He did a bunch of system checks before he started tearing down the motor. Looked like it was going to be a complete rebuild. But he’d ask Wally, his boss, what he thought before he went any further.
Jesse was drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola when he first saw the girl. Like a beautiful ghost, she glided out to the end of the pier, her long blonde hair flying behind her. He sat a little straighter when she began undressing. Jesse’s pulse picked up a beat.
At first, he’d figured she was just some tourist intrigued by the island and the water at night. But he caught the hint of something different about her, an intensity, a purpose. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but she certainly held his interest, especially now that she was stripped down to her bikini.
The swimwear showed off her long legs and a tiny waist. She took care situating her clothes, her body folding at the hips like a dancer to place the garments on her shoes. “Something’s wrong about this,” he muttered under his breath. She was all alone at midnight, getting ready to do what, exactly?
Jesse’s heart pounded as he stood up. Determination—and a bit of apprehension—propelled him onto the beach, his mind trying to fill in the blanks and wondering how a pretty girl would feel about being approached at midnight by a stranger. Maybe she had plans to meet someone out there on the pier—a moonlit swim for two teen lovers. Then she leaped off the end of the pier into the water, her hair trailing her thin body like ribbons behind a kite. Jesse broke into a run. This wasn’t swimming. No, not swimming. The splash echoed over the quiet beach. Jesse weighed his options. Swim out or run to the end of the pier and jump in. Swim. He raced out as far into the surf as he could go, then swam with all his might using the weathered posts as a guide.
He found her holding onto one of the pier’s pilings as he rounded the end of the dock. Her eyes were wide with fright, and her hair floated around her like sheets on a clothesline on a windy day. She kicked her legs to the side, her features suffused with terror.
“I got you,” he said, swimming closer.
She started to reach for him, but a rogue wave hit them full force. She gripped the rotting pier post tighter. A sound, something between a sob and a scream came from her mouth.
A thin ribbon of blood threaded its way into the lamp light.
Her eyes flashed to his, a silent question about how she’d managed to get cut floated to him.
“Barnacles are sharp as razors. The posts are covered in them.”
Her gaze darted to the post, legs kicking behind her.
“How ’bout I help you get out of the water? Predators feed at night.”
She glanced around her midsection as if sharks would materialize at his words.
Jesse reached a hand to her. “Best we get you to shore. I swear you’re safe with me.” A fifteen-foot hammerhead had been caught off that pier not more than a year before. He wouldn’t mention that.
He kept his eyes on hers. They were beautiful eyes. He expected they’d be a different color in the daylight, brighter maybe. But the shape, the layers of lashes, the perfect placement on a delicate face, all of