03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales (31 page)

We changed out of our suits and packed up our
gear as the breeze began to pick up. Brad scrambled up the
precipitous trail while I attached our bags and boards to the rope
for him to haul up.

“Geez!” Cruz complained, “I wasn’t expecting
‘outward bound’ today!”

“Just hold onto the rope,” I advised him
sternly, surprised when he scrambled up almost as quickly as Brad
had. I turned to see the fog had now completely overtaken the
little cove, bringing a damp rush of briny sea air along with
it.

I took my time climbing up, and when I got to
the top I found that Brad had already loaded our gear into his
Woodie. We all climbed in, glad to be out of the chill.

“I should get this back into the garage
before my father gets back,” said Brad, driving down the gravel
road. “I don’t really want to deal with him today.”

He turned onto a paved road that went
alongside the highway, and turned again onto a long driveway,
heavily lined with trees. The fog’s misty gloom made it look eerie,
and the skin on my arms tingled with gooseflesh.

We broke out of the trees, pulling onto a
large circular driveway, illuminated by the long afternoon rays of
the sun, and bathed in swirling eddies of fog. Brad pulled up to a
keypad mounted on a post and punched in some numbers, and I could
see a metal gate that led to an underground garage slowly roll
open.

Something about the paving on the driveway
looked familiar, and I glanced up to see the multiple chimneys of
the big house looming in the fog. My heart nearly stopped when I
suddenly realized where we were, and before I could react we began
our descent into the parking garage. I clawed at my seatbelt,
turning frantically to see the gate slowly roll closed, trapping us
inside.

I was shaking violently when the car came to
a stop. The last time I’d stepped out into this garage it was from
the back of a van, and I had been handcuffed to Lorelei.

I was back at the Edwards mansion.

CHAPTER TWENTYTWO

TRUTH HURTS

Brad pulled the wagon into a parking spot,
stopping with a jolt. I could see one of Evie’s convertibles parked
next to us.

Cruz turned around with a smile, “Wait ’till
you see– Marina?”

My panicked eyes locked onto his, “Take me
home now,” I demanded, “I want to go home!”

“Whoa,” he said, reeling back a little,
“Chill out! I just wanted Brad to show you his dad’s house for a
few minutes– you really should see this place!”

“NO! I want to go now!” I knew I sounded
hysterical, but I couldn’t help it. Fear had triggered a powerful
surge of adrenalin, and I clawed at the door, jumping out; it was
fight or flight, and I was ready to do both.

Brad got out and faced me, “Are you alright?”
he looked perplexed, “Won’t you come in and get something to
drink?”

I backed away, looking at the hallway that
led to the two prison cells. I remembered everything as if it had
happened yesterday, and the smell of the garage brought all the
horror crashing back down on me.

“Cruz…” I tried to steady my voice, but it
quaked with fear, “Please… I need to go home…”

Cruz came around the back of the car, “Geez
Marina… What’s wrong?”

I looked over my shoulder at the metal bars
of the closed garage gate. I felt like I was trapped in a cage, and
I cast my eyes around frantically, desperate for a way out.

“Marina?” Cruz came towards me with a
concerned face, “Are you okay?”

Panic and fear were clouding my mind, but I
managed to sputter out, “I don’t feel well… I’m sick.” I clutched
my elbows with my hands, but I couldn’t stop the trembling.

Brad came over to us, his eyes filled with
concern, “Can I get you anything? Water? Do you need to come in and
lay down or something?”

“NO!” I cried, turning to Cruz, “Just– just–
please take me home.” Cruz and Brad exchanged a look.

“She does look pale… why don’t you drive her
home,” Brad said to Cruz, “You can meet me later… I’ll wait for you
here.”

The two of them took my things out of the
Woodie and loaded them into the back seat of Evie’s car. I stood
there, hugging myself tightly with gritted teeth while they
embraced goodbye. I went around to the passenger side, giving Brad
a wide berth, and stood waiting for Cruz. He looked at me with
questions in his eyes, “OK… let’s go.”

I climbed in, tensely waiting for Cruz to
start the engine. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.
I held my breath as Cruz backed out, watching while Brad punched a
code into the keypad. The gate slowly rolled open, and I avoided
Brad’s eyes, looking up into the lens of a security camera just as
we pulled out. We drove away from the house, and I twisted around
to get one last look at the fog shrouded mansion of my
nightmares.

Cruz glanced nervously over at me, “Do you
need a barf-bag or something? You look green!”

I shook my head no, and it was only when we
got out onto the freeway that I felt like I could draw a breath
again. The top was down to accommodate my surfboard, and the roar
of the wind made conversation nearly impossible. I leaned back in
my seat, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The awful
truth was slowly dawning on me.

The Edwards family hadn’t given up on me, far
from it. They had found a way to get my muse powers to work for
them without my even knowing it. They had used an attack on Lue and
Ethan’s land to put a family member into national office, a
position that was conveniently vacated by a terrible car crash. I
always had a feeling that Congressman Hill’s death was no accident,
but now I realized that it wasn’t my anger that had killed him. It
was crystal clear to me that I had unwittingly used my muse powers
for them. But why?

I wanted Ethan desperately, only he was out
on his dad’s boat until sunset.

My mind raced as I recalled meeting Brad and
his aunt for the first time. It was Barbara who had recommended me
to the gallery, but it was her nephew who had bought my paintings,
giving Barbara a perfect excuse to meet me. Stella’s ghost had been
right. She tried to warn me that Edwards and his sister were
working together. I just didn’t realize that Barbara Watson was
related to the Edwards family.

My stomach lurched when I realized that Brad
had to be in on the whole thing. I felt betrayed, and imagining how
Cruz would feel made me really want to throw up. I had to figure
out how to break the awful truth to him, and wondered how much I
should tell him. Then I remembered Olivia. If Marissa was right,
and she was working with the Edwards family, what exactly was she
after? It was like trying to solve a puzzle that was missing many
pieces, and I had no idea where to start.

We pulled up in front of Abby’s house and
Cruz turned to scrutinize me, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not sick,” I said, looking at the house,
“We have to talk. Can we go someplace?”

“Marina,” he said sourly, “Do you mind
telling me what
that
was all about?”

I took a deep breath, “I will, but I want to
keep Abby out of this... Can we go somewhere?”

“Fine,” he was irritated, “But I have to get
back to Brad. I can’t believe you were so rude to him!”

“Cruz, please… Let’s go get some coffee,
okay? I need to talk with you in private.” I wanted to take him
away from Abby, take him someplace safe where I could break the
news to him. I suppose I was being cowardly, doing it in public,
but I figured it was my best chance to get him to hear me out
without storming off or getting too emotional. What I had to tell
him was going to hurt, but he needed to know.

Cruz was confused, but he agreed to go with
me, backing out of the driveway and taking us down the street to a
nearby diner. We took a window seat and ordered coffee.

“OK,” Cruz said, “What’s going on? Why were
you so rude to Brad?”

“His last name is Edwards, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, so?”

I grimaced, “I guess I just assumed it was
Watson, like his aunt.”

“And?”

I looked at him solemnly, and in slow
measured tones I told him, “Cruz, that house… Brad’s house… It was
where I was held when I was kidnapped. His father was behind the
whole thing.”

“WHAT?!” he blurted out, “You said it was
some paranormal researcher dude!”

“I lied.”

“Marina,” his tone was condescending, “You
must be confused. Brad’s father is a real estate developer. There’s
no way a rich dude like that would get involved with
kidnapping!”

I drew a slow, deep breath, not certain how
much it would be safe for him to know. I wasn’t sure there was
anything I could say that would make him believe me about Brad.

“It– it’s complicated.”

He leaned back in the booth, skeptical eyes
narrowed. “Why then? Why would they want to kidnap you?”

I hesitated, “Because he wanted my help to
catch Lorelei… and other mermaids.”

He scoffed at me, “What for? I mean, they’re
already as rich as God, and I can’t see them breaking the law to
make a few extra bucks off a side show!”

I paused, looking out the window to gather my
thoughts. If I told him the truth about the muse powers, would he
believe me? If he did believe me, I knew he would question his
talent, his judgment… everything. It would send him into a tailspin
of self-doubt. If he believed me about Brad’s duplicity, he’d
question his own lovability.

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes.

His face softened, “Are you sure you’re not
just mixed-up?”

“Cruz… You can ask Evie. She was there… She
took me out of that house. Boris and Ethan were there too.”

“OK,” he said slowly, like he was talking to
a child, “Let’s call Evie right now.”

“NO! We can’t! I mean, we have to wait until
we can get her alone!”

“Why?”

“She’s in danger too.”

The look in his eyes shifted to one of
complete disbelief, “Uh huh,
right
.”

I gathered my thoughts, trying to keep my
voice steady, “Please listen to me! Her friend Olivia– the one
she’s coming back from Paris with– is working with Brad’s father!
She’s been in on the whole plot from the beginning!”

He rolled his eyes at me, and I realized that
everything I said sounded preposterous, “Plot? Do you have any idea
how ridiculous you sound? Now Evie’s friend is in on it too?
Puh-leese! Do you really expect me to believe that?”

I dropped my head into my hands, not sure
what to do. I’d never felt so alone in my life. “You have to
believe me… Cruz… They made me help Barbara Watson get elected…
Brad introduced us. He was the one who bought my paintings… I think
he might be in on it…”

His face hardened, and he visibly recoiled at
the suggestion, “What is
wrong
with you? Do you really think
that everyone is out to get you?”

I bit my lip and looked out the window again.
A man walking by looked in at that exact same instant, and when our
eyes met I recognized him with a start. It was the man from the
Louvre, the one who had followed me and Shayla around Paris.

I gasped, watching as the man looked away and
rounded the corner. I jumped up with my heart pounding in my
throat, “Cruz! They’re following me– we have to get out of
here!”

Now he looked at me like I was completely out
of my mind, “Marina, are you on drugs or something?”

I started pacing like an animal in a small
cage, “They saw me! On the cameras in the garage! They know that I
know… Oh God… Oh God…”

“Whoa, easy,” Cruz started to look scared,
but he was scared of me, not for me.

I could feel the jaws of the trap closing,
and I fought to beat back my panic. I wanted to run to Ethan, but I
couldn’t. I steeled myself, trying to seem rational.

“I need you to take me to my car. RIGHT
NOW.”

Cruz paid for the coffees at the cashier,
watching me fearfully, like I was a ticking time bomb. My mind was
racing, trying to figure out what to do next. When we got into the
convertible and pulled onto the road a familiar looking black sedan
with darkened windows materialized right behind us.

I looked in the side mirror, “Cruz, make sure
this car doesn’t follow us to Abby’s…Okay?”

He nodded with exaggerated movements, clearly
humoring me, as he started taking some random turns through the
complex little neighborhood. We lost the car and turned onto the
main road again.

“See?” he said.

We drove along in silence, turning onto
Abby’s street.

“What the…” he adjusted his mirror, and my
blood ran cold. He didn’t even need to tell me. I spun around,
surprised to see the sedan right on our tail, not even trying to
conceal the fact it was after us… after me.

“They’re coming to get me,” I said, my heart
pounding with fear, “You have to get away from me.”

Now Cruz looked surprised, and then
concerned, gunning the engine and taking several more rapid turns.
This time the car stuck to us like glue.

“Fasten your seatbelt,” Cruz cried, “It’s
going to be a bumpy ride!”

He passed Abby’s and took another series of
sudden, screaming turns through our neighborhood, watching the
rearview mirror in horror as the black sedan followed suit. We got
out onto a main road with the car still right on our tail.

“Pull over!” I yelled, not wanting to see
Cruz get into an accident. “And drop me off!”

The worst part about getting caught the last
time was watching Lorelei go through the whole ordeal. I could
never forgive myself if anything happened to Cruz.

“No way!” he yelled, gunning the engine as he
turned onto the freeway on-ramp. We sped down the ramp into
traffic, Evie’s convertible fishtailing as we screamed around the
curve. Weaving in and out of cars like they were standing still,
Cruz checked his mirror, finally taking the downtown exit and
pulling over at a gas station, engine idling.