Page 56 of Riptide

“Xtra.” Marcus sighed.

“Yes. And there’s something on the back,” she told them.

“Amelia IV? What’s that supposed to mean?” Marcus asked, studying the handwriting.

“We don’t know yet,” Seth replied.

“What could it be? Is it the name of a lover? A boat?” Marcus suggested.

“No.” Kaimana shook her head. “I think it’s some kind of clue. A puzzle.”

“A location? An address?” Marcus guessed. “I could run it through our AI.”

“I think I know what it is,” she disclosed, her voice but a whisper. “Remember, he gave this to Joli…if she’d gotten caught with it, they would have known. So he made it an anagram.”

“What do you think it means?” Seth raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Evan loved all kinds of puzzles.” A corner of Kaimana’s mouth ticked upward. “I’ve thought so long about this. But today on the car ride, it just clicked with me. I could be wrong, but I think I know what it means.”

“What is it?” Marcus pressed.

“I’m alive.”

* * *

“This outfit is ridiculous.” Kaimana stared at herself in the mirror, tugging a strand of her hot pink bobbed hair. The black, shiny, spandex body dress she wore clung to her like a second skin.

“You look hot.” Seth wrapped his hands around her waist. Though her body relaxed into his, her expression fell flat. “Don’t let Marcus get to you.”

“It’s not that.” Her gaze caught his in the mirror. “I mean…maybe he’s right about us. I’ve never had to go after a bunch of sex traffickers. It’s not like I was alone when I served. That day on the beach—”

“No, Kai. Don’t go there.”

“That day on the beach. I should have fought harder. I was just trying to help and then—” She shook her head. “It’s not like I carry to the beach. All I’ve got are my car keys and my board when I go out.”

“Not everyone carries, Kai. And you were right not to bring it to the beach. There’re times in life when we make decisions to put ourselves in danger. Sometimes we win. Sometimes we lose. But that day you were just living.” Seth spun her in his arms, so she faced him. “It wasn’t your fault. Tonight? I know you are the best person to talk to Joli.”

“Yeah but—”

“You’ve trained to fight? Self-defense, right?”

“Yes.”

“You can shoot? I bet you’ve been trained in a few weapons.”

“Yeah.” Her lips cracked into a small smile.

“Don’t listen to Marcus. My guess is you could kick his ass. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Hell, he doesn’t even know either one of us.”

She laughed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I’ll always have your back, sweetheart. You’ve had mine.” Seth pressed his lips to hers, a gentle seeking kiss. He reluctantly pulled away. “Later. You are tempting but we’ve got to go. You ready to go get some info on Evan?”

“You know it.”

* * *

With the confidence of a pro, Seth strode into Xtra. He held tight to Kaimana’s hand as they approached the maître d.