I unfold my legs and lie flat on my back. I’m trapped.
Shouldn’t I be doing different things?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor. I dreamed about changing the world.
With Old Joe gone, I flip to my belly and paddle toward the surf zone. I’ve had enough time communing with nature. It’s time to catch some waves.
Movement on the face of the cliff leading up to Insanity catches my eye. The gondola climbs from the shore and makes the trek up to the top of the cliff.
I didn’t think anyone else was up. Barely past the ass-crack of dawn, this is my time to re-center myself and shed some of this overwhelming stress before the rest of Insanity’s inhabitants stir for the day.
A monster swell comes, and I race to catch it. My board rises at first, then falls as the wave drops out below me.
My speed picks up as I race down the face of the wave and sink into the serenity of carving the perfect line. The hissing of spray fills my ears as the back fin of my board cuts through the water. The crashing of the wave rumbles through the board, and I hold my hand out to trail my fingers in the water to my right.
Don’t fight it. Ride it.
Fucking perfect.
It’s an adrenaline-pumping run.
As soon as the ride is done, I spin around. Long sure strokes bring me right back beyond the breakwater, where I wait to do it all again. The gondola brings its passengers down to the beach.
High tide isn’t the best time to come down. The powerful surge crashes against the rocks, submerging the tide pools and making the rocks slick and treacherous. Only a narrow strip of rocky shoreline is open.
As for walking, fist-sized rocks freely intermix with the pebbles which form the beach. There’s no sand here. Walking is precarious at best. It’s a rough and rugged coast for a reason.
I catch another wave as the sun climbs up the sky. It sweeps across the land, heralding in the start of another day. I greet it as it peeks over the horizon.
I clasp my palms together, hold them in front of my chest, and greet a brand-new day as I catch another wave.
Namaste.
Old Joe is long gone, swimming up the coast in search of seal snacks. It’s just me, the sun, the wind, and the waves.
And isn’t that Forest’s annoying assistant, Mitzy, stepping out of the gondola? I can tell by the multi-colored rainbow of spiky hair. The girl takes eclectic to a whole other level.
She’s cute, rather pretty, but I steer clear of the feisty firecracker. She’s one raucous cacophony of dichotomous dissonance, and that’s just her aura. Her sharp tongue and biting words rub me the wrong way. Not to mention her energy is raw chaos.
She shields her eyes and looks out over the water. It takes her a second to find me. She waves, but I give her my back and head out for another run.
Two
Mitzy
A chilly breeze sends a shiver down my spine. California is supposed to be the sunshine state—the land of sun and sand. It’s more like shade and rock.
Shade from the hundred-foot cliff behind me turns that chilly wind to super cold and let’s talk about the no sand thing going on beneath my feet. I’m on a beach full of rocks. Not a grain of sand in sight.
Surely there’s a third thing, but I can’t think of it right now.
Insanity, home of the infamous Angel Fire mega rock band, is a ghost town in the morning.
I didn’t expect quiet.
I envisioned nonstop chaos as the band partied with scores of groupies from sunup to sundown and on through the night.
There are no loud parties. The scores of groupies are non-existent, but that’s probably because most of the guys in the band are married.
There’s Ash and Skye, Forest’s sister. They have little Zach who’s just starting to run around. Bent and Piper are married. No kids yet. Bash has Holly. That leaves Spike with his mess of facial piercings and the mysterious Noodles who hasn’t said one word to me since I arrived.
If anyone’s staying up past midnight, they’re not in the common areas of the sprawling mansion. I know because I wander the dark halls at all hours.
I’m not really up. I’m more like never-went-to-sleep.
My brain won’t shut up. I was up gaming and coding all night. A walk on the beach sounded like the perfect answer to get my brain to shut off. Now? I’m not sure. It’s a lot colder than I anticipated.
I see a surfer riding powerful waves. Noodles is out there, braving the dangerous surf. I guess one band member is an early riser.
He’s got that sinfully sexy vibe going on. First, he’s cut, like cut from marble, an exquisite testament to the male form. Broad shoulders taper to a narrow waist. He’s got the body of an athlete, all hewn muscle that fits in perfectly with his arresting eyes and a face that melts hearts. He’s hot. I may, or may not, have an unhealthy obsession with him. Although, he doesn’t seem to know I exist.
I lift an arm overhead and wave, but I guess he doesn’t see me. He heads back out through the treacherous surf, turns around, and catches another wave.
Skye and Forest told me there was no swimming allowed on the beach. I see why. It’s chaos out there.
Those waves lose none of their power as they slam into the rocky coastline, and there’s a strong riptide. Doesn’t seem to bother him, but he’s got that bad boy thing going on. Fearless and confident, two more qualities which bring the women in droves.
I’m a little bummed, to be honest. I hoped it would be low tide, but the water almost completely covers the rocky tide pools. It surges forward, racing up cuts in the rock, then draws back with a sucking sound. There’s one spit of rock that juts away from the shore.
I’m hard-pressed to call what I’m walking on a beach. Overhead, the cries of seabirds punctuate the roaring of the ocean. The rocks shift and crunch beneath my feet as I pick my way down the beach. I cast my gaze out to the water, looking for the crazy man riding the surf.
There’s nothing safe or sane about what he’s doing. It’s crazy dangerous out there. How the hell did he get in the water without getting pulverized against the rocks?
Out of all the band members, he’s the only one I haven’t had a chance to get to know. He’s always out surfing or partying with Spike. The two of them head out together and may or may not return the next day.
As far as what I’m doing at Insanity, it’s weird how life turns out. Not once in a million years would I have thought I’d be the houseguest of a mega rock band.
Technically, I’m Forest’s guest. He’s letting me stay at Insanity until my quarters are built on Guardian HRS’s compound.
I can’t believe my job. I’m the nerdy computer girl no one would give the time of day to in high school. Now, I’m raking in a six-figure income. I’m the lead technical engineer for Guardian Hostage Rescue Services.
Me.
It’s surreal.
I thought I had it good working as an assistant to a private detective. I’ve come a long way from manning the front desk of Kate Summers’ Detective Agency. Although, Kate’s the one who got me hooked up with Xavier, who got me hooked up to Forest, who saw what I was capable of under pretty stressful situations. He hired me to work for him at Guardian HRS.
A yawn escapes me, but my mind still spins. Those rocks jutting out from shore snag my attention. I bet there are tide pools over there.