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“Who wants to go for a swim?” she asks, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
I glance her way. “A swim? Where?”
“Duh, in one of the lakes, of course. It’s still warm enough. Come on. We could do with some fun.”
Tino nods. “Yeah, man. We could definitely do with some fun.”
I frown. “We don’t have any swimming gear with us.”
Mackenzie sends me a flirty little wink from over the top of the car. “Who says we need it?”
I don’t need any more convincing. “Yeah, let’s do it. We need to blow off some steam.”
“I have my car.” Kirill jerks his chin toward where he’s parked. “I will follow.”
“Sounds good.” I bang the roof of the car a couple of times with my palm. “Everyone back in. We’re going swimming.”
I know of a spot that’s midway between the town and Verona Falls. It’s secluded, with a small beach, and it’ll be perfect for what we want. I wonder why we haven’t done this more—gotten out of the confines of the university campus—but then I remember why. Mack’s been hiding out, and even now there’s a possibility some asshole is out to get her. It’s hard to imagine anything bad happening to her like this, though. It’s a beautiful day, and she’s with all of us. There’s no way we’re going to let anything bad happen.
Besides, she’s the one who suggested we do this, so she can’t be worried either.
I pull onto Main Street and glance in the rearview mirror to check Kirill is behind me. I’m still kind of pissed at that text, but I’m also relieved he’s in one piece, and it looks as though he’s sorted shit out with his dad. None of us wants Grigoriy fucking Stepanov hanging around—my father included. That man is bad news. Hopefully, he’ll return home to Russia now.
The drive is pretty, with the fall leaves on the turn, and I glance over to where Mack sits in the passenger seat, her chin propped on her palm, watching the scenery go past. We reach the turn off, and I signal before turning off the road and onto a track. Things get a little bumpy—this car is definitely not designed for off roading—and the track narrows, with trees and bushes either side. I hope my dad won’t notice any scrapes to the paintwork.
Finally, it opens up, and in front of us stretches the blue expanse of the lake. It doesn’t even have a name, just a number, like the settlers who first discovered this place gave up on naming the lakes because there were simply so many. Someone has built a little wooden jetty that sticks out across the water. The lake is so still, the bright colors of the foliage around it are reflected on the surface.
I stop the car, and Kirill pulls up beside me.
We all jump out.
“Wow, this is gorgeous,” Mackenzie says, beaming. “Why have we been stuck inside those cold stone walls for so long?”
She knows why, but none of us says it. We don’t want to ruin the suddenly jubilant mood that’s settled upon us. We kick off our shoes and prepare to rid ourselves of other clothes.
Tino lets out a whoop and runs toward the jetty, dragging off his t-shirt as he goes. I watch Mackenzie’s gaze widen as she takes in all the newly revealed tattoos that litter that Italian asshole’s body. He’s not going to get all the attention. I walk backward, heading toward the water as well. I’m focused on Mack, stealing her eye, and give a little shimmy.
She notices me and grins, and so I edge up the bottom of my t-shirt, like I’m giving her a striptease. Then I lower it and reach for the button of my jeans instead.
Behind me, Tino lands in the water with a splash. From somewhere nearby, birds launch into the air with a squawk and the crashing of leaves and branches.
Kirill comes charging out of nowhere, grabs Mackenzie around the waist, and hauls her onto his shoulder. She screams and batters his back, but she’s laughing, too.
“Put me down, you lunatic!”
But he doesn’t and instead runs with her to the end of the jetty and jumps in, still carrying her, fully clothed. Her scream turns into a shriek, and then silences as they both hit the water, narrowly missing Valentino.
A second later, their wet heads emerge from the surface.
“Oh, my God,” Mack yells, “you are so dead!” She drives her hands through the water, splashing Kirill full in the face.
I can’t help it. I erupt in laughter watching them, until I realize I’m missing out on Mackenzie soaking wet and continue to tear off my clothes.
“Incoming,” I yell as I run forward and launch off the jetty, my knees tucked to my chest. Water explodes around me, and then I’m under, my hearing becoming hollow, my eyes squeezed shut. The cold punches me in the chest. I taste the silty grit of the lake water on my tongue, and my toes find the dank, muddy bottom. I use it to gain some purchase and then push upward, toward the light.
My head breaks the surface, and drops of water immediately hit me in the face as the others all splash me.
“Oh, it’s like that, huh?” I say and give as good as I get.
