Page 150 of Hunter's Revenge
Malik guides me over to sit with him and twists to face me.
“Sorry I’m so squeamish.” Nervous laughter falls from my lips. “This is my first boat ride.”
“I could have guessed that, but that does surprise me given you come from Wilmington and live right by the boats.”
“I know, it’s so embarrassing. What’s worse is, I also can’t swim.”
Surprise fills his eyes, and he shakes his head. “No way.”
“Yes, unfortunately.” I shrug sheepishly, the same way I do when I make that confession. “I can float a little, but that’s it.”
“Don’t worry, I know people who live on islands who can’t swim.”
“That definitely makes me feel better.” I smile.
“I’ll teach you to swim.” His face brightens at the idea.
“Thank you, but please don’t teach me tonight.”
“Are you sure?” He leans forward for a moment and presses his nose to mine. “My unit in the Navy believed the best time to learn to swim is at night. You become one with the water because you have to trust it. Trust the waves, trust the current, trust the sea.”
“Sure, if you’re a fish.”
He laughs. It’s a real laugh, like he actually found what I said funny. I’ve never heard him laugh like that before, and I find myself wanting to tell some kind of joke so I can hear that laugh again. Except, I know that was probably a once-in-a-while opportunity. Hearing that laugh in such a natural way again and so soon would be as rare as seeing a unicorn fall out of the sky.
“Okay, no night swimming, then. How about we schedule some daytime lessons?”
“I’d like that even more.”
“Any reason why you don’t swim?” He quirks a hard brow.
I press my lips together and think back to when I’d witnessed the cruel hand of the sea and decided water was evil. “I saw someone drown once on the beach near the restaurant. It was an old man who’d dived in to save someone else’s child. The current was too strong, and I don’t think he was a good swimmer. But I suppose it was instinct that made him jump in. I remember watching the paramedics trying to save him, but they just couldn’t.”
“That’s awful.”
“It was. I’ve never forgotten it either. I was seven years old. Watching death at work like that was almost like a prelude to what awaited me. The year after, everything changed in a massive way.”
He holds my gaze, staring deep into my eyes, as if he’s looking into my soul. “Death is a force no one can reckon with.”
“I know.” I look away and gaze out at the shadowy waters ahead of us. “I always worried something was going to happen to my mother. Then it did. I was young, but I felt I was prepared for it. My father, on the other hand, got me the most. I’ve never been able to accept that he killed himself.”
“No one is ever able to do that. We can never know what people are going through when they make that decision.”
I return my focus to him. “I’ve tried thinking that way as I’ve gotten older and attempted to understand it. Except the warning in my heart will never allow me to accept and respect that’s what happened.”
“What does the warning tell you?” He searches my eyes.
“That he didn’t do it. That someone killed him and made it look like he took his life. It just doesn’t make sense that he would leave me alone when he promised he was going to take me to live with him.”
Malik studies me intently, as if weighing my words. “The difficult thing about being in our world is, secrets stay buried until they’re ready to reveal themselves.”
“What if that never happens?”
“Most times, it doesn’t. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. To be ignorant, I mean.”
“How can it be bad?”
“Because the truth always hurts worse than the lie.” His voice holds an air of wisdom that can only come from experience.