Page 1 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

DEATH AND SHADOWS

LISA PHILLIPS

CHAPTER

ONE

Spokane, Washington

Of course,tonight had one of those massive, creepy moons, where it hung all big in the sky. Aharvest moonor whatever it was called. Seemed more like the kind of night that would have werewolves out prowling the woods.

Chelsea Harrison didn’t look to the side. Instead, she kept her focus on the road in front of her. Taking the back way to the movie theater in the town over because there were always less people at that one. Gripping the wheel. Pretending it was Shauna’s neck.

Chelsea still couldn’t believe what she’d seen on her dad’s phone. She’d nearly been sick, and the feeling hadn’t gone away today. She’d had to sit through chemistry with Mr. Leerburg being all handsy, pretending things were fine, knowing exactly why Shauna was missing class. So gross.

He was her dad. Sneaking around was one thing, but with her best friend? So sick.

Chelsea just had to meet Shauna and get through this conversation without puking. Shauna thought they were seeinga movie because she thought Chelsea had no idea that her dad was screwing her best friend.Barf.This was the kind of thing that scarred a person for life. She was going to get her money’s worth out of therapy, that was for sure. All she had to do was get through the rest of high school, get into her dream school—Stanford, obviously—and she wasoutta here.

Once she had a good job that paid her a ton of money, she would find a therapist and figure out how to not want to stab her father in the eye. Same with her supposed best friend.

She slowed for the turn, ignoring the guy behind her when he honked.

Whatever, dude.

Like she didn’t have enough problems? She had an English essay due tonight and no idea what she was writing about. But this conversation with Shauna was the only thing she could think about.

Her engine clicked.

The squarish light on the dash came on, and the car started to slow.

Chelsea fought the steering wheel, crying out with frustration. Trying not to hit the oncoming car. She managed to get her car to the right, where she bumped onto the shoulder and slightly down into the dip. Ew, it was full of water.

Her engine clicked, and it didn’t stop.

She turned the car off, because what else was she supposed to do? Now she was going to be late for the movie date/night of reckoning.

Chelsea reached over for her phone on the seat beside her, where her mom told her shehadto put it while she was driving. Practically making her swear a blood oath to not text and drive. Chelsea only did it in an emergency, so whatever.

As soon as she grabbed it, her passenger door opened. A rough hand dragged the phone from her fingers, and she was too surprised to keep hold of it.

“What are you?—”

He crouched in the doorway, and she gasped.

A second later, her door opened behind her, and someone grabbed her. The seat belt released, and she flipped like a switch into a blind panic, kicking her arms and legs.

A hand covered her mouth. No, a cloth. And it smelledbad.

Everything went black.

CHAPTER

TWO

She had someone following her.Someone who wasn’t him.

Ramon ducked into the shadow of an alley and peered around the corner of the wall. Hiding was nothing new, even if he had every right to not have to hide ever again. Still, it was second nature to stick to the dark places of the world and move around unseen.