Page 4 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

“Today is bringing all kinds of surprises.” He swung a leg over the edge and sat on the lip, trying to find the energy to climb down.

“Want me to go catch him? I mean, he did push you off that roof.”

“You saw?”

“Thought you were gonna die.” She stepped back so he could hop down, and he scanned her wide-leg jeans and cropped T-shirt, over which she’d pulled a black leather jacket. Hair loose and barely touching her shoulders, all that thick dark hair was straightened to within an inch of its life. Though they had similar coloring and features, she was a whole lot more edgy than Kenna. But then, she had reason to be that way after everything that had happened to her at the hands of their enemy.

What was it she’d said? Right. She’d thought he was gonna die.

Ramon hopped down off the dumpster. “You and me both.”

“You need a minute?”

Ramon said, “I need about a week.”

“We don’t have that much time. I have a problem.” She glanced around. “We should get out of here.”

Did she offer to help him walk? Of course not.

It probably wasn’t that she didn’t want to help him out if he needed it. More that she didn’t touch him at all, ever. Like it was some kind of unwritten rule. Simple enough to understand.

Things were a whole lot more complicated on his side.

“Fine, let’s go.” Ramon limped because that was all he could do. “What did you find in the mailbox place?”

She glanced at him, but he didn’t look at her.

“You know about that?”

He shrugged one shoulder.

“Of course, you know that.” Zeyla sighed. “Kenna sent you to check on me?”

“What do you think?”

She glanced at him again. “I think if you’re gonna hang around, then you can help me locate the owner of the severed hand I just found.”

Ramon flinched. “You found a…what?”

CHAPTER

THREE

“It’s here.”Zeyla crouched near three metal trash cans. A street over, behind a sandwich shop that was closed for the night.

Except now Ramon was hungry for some reason. Perhaps to distract himself from watching her retrieve a box from behind the trash cans—and from the achy pains in his back and shoulders, and pretty much everywhere.

He blew out a breath. “You hid it and then came and found me?”

“I saw you take a header off that roof, stashed it, and ran over.”

Ramon caught himself before he rolled his shoulders, which would hurt, and stuck his thumbs in his pockets. “Did you know it was me?”

“I kind of hoped it was the man that’d been following me the past few days.” She straightened, holding a package. “Apart from you.”

As if she’d been aware he was following her. He didn’t believe it. Though, he figured she might have assumed as much when going off on her own. She’d know Kenna wouldn’t want her to be unprotected.

“You okay?” She scanned him from head to toe. “We could swing by a hospital and let them check you out.”