Page 34 of Riptide

“You have a lot of faith.” Kaimana turned to face him.

“Sometimes, that’s all you need. Sometimes, that’s all ya got. You dive into that faith, and you hold on,” he told her.

Kaimana stared into his eyes, searching for the faith that she so desperately needed. Like trying to catch feathers in the wind, keeping her confidence in finding Evan had become increasingly elusive. Each day he remained captive was another day closer to his death.

“I try to have faith. I talked you and Garrett into believing,” she told him, her voice soft.

“We all have our moments of doubt. It’s part of keeping the faith. Just when you want to give up, you push through it.”

Kaimana opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a loud doorbell. “Who’s that?” Panic raced through her.

“It’s okay. This…this is a good surprise.” Seth disappeared into the house.

Her stomach tightened at the mention of a surprise. Kaimana didn’t do surprises. Surprises meant lack of control. And at this particular time in her life, she could use a little more control, not less.

She glanced to the sunset and back to the luxury rooftop pool and patio area, then shook her head and laughed. What am I thinking? I’m more out of control than ever.

“You are going to love this.” Seth’s voice called from the kitchen.

Like a little kid opening presents, he held his treasures up in the air with both his hands, large paper gift bags dangling from ribbons in his fingertips.

“Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

“You really do have an optimistic attitude, don’t you?” Kaimana had never met anyone like Seth. Happy. Funny. She sighed. Also dangerous, risky.

Kaimana found a white canvas chair, sunk down into it and laughed. “Okay, what’s the surprise?”

“It’s what I didn’t tell you about the party.” His eyes widened in mischief.

“That it’s filled with a bunch of adrenaline junkies having sex?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Easy now. I don’t know what Evan told you about Altura but it’s not about the sex. Well, not always anyway.” He chuckled.

“Sure it isn’t.”

“It’s not. I mean if that’s what you’re into in the moment, go for it. No one’s gonna tell you what you can or can’t do. Which is exactly the point. Whether it’s skydiving or climbing cliffs, these guys are going to push the limits. Put that stick shift into gear and put the pedal to the metal. It’s a mental thing. So at night…” Seth shrugged and set down the packages. As he rummaged through them, he continued. “Some of us let go. Lose control. Some of us get full control if you get me.”

Seth winked at her and shot her a devious smile. Kaimana crossed her legs and tightened them as she imagined him trying. She brought the straw to her lips and attempted to cool down.

“Ah, here we go.” Seth retrieved his item from a bright red bag.

“Is that a—”

“A mask.” With the lips painted red and rouged cheeks, the gilded anonymous face stared at her. A feminine gold lamé scarf was tied to the golden piece.

Kaimana reached for it and studied the intricate metalwork on its surface. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s a masquerade party. You are Paris Cornell,” Seth told her. “You come from an ultra-rich Philadelphian family who has a penthouse in New York City. A member of Xtra. You met Evan last summer on holiday in Fiji. You’re a photographer and were there for an underwater photography competition. If anyone asks to see your work, you tell them you only sell to private collectors, and it can be viewed under secure connections. No one is allowed to bring cell phones into the parties, so you won’t get pressured to look anything up. Make up whatever else you’d like as long as it fits with our story.”

“I hope they buy it.” Her stomach tightened at the thought of pretending to be someone else, but in a room full of strangers, she believed she could fool them.

“I’m Stone Maddox. I’m in tech. I’ve participated in the X games but had an injury that keeps me from doing snowboarding. I met you in Fiji on a boys’ weekend. We’ve been inseparable ever since. I won’t be saying all that much because I don’t want any of them to recognize my voice.” Seth pulled out another mask. “You can talk as much as you want. The point is to stir shit with anyone who thinks we know something about Evan. If there’s a mole, he or she might get nervous, maybe even tip their cards if pushed. Selby will help us get the word out too. She’ll tell everyone who we are and that we knew Evan.”

Kaimana ran her fingers along the smooth gold edge of the mask. “I’m worried that we won’t learn anything about where Evan could be, but I guess it’s worth a try.”

“You don’t have to go. I know it’s a lot to ask,” Seth told her, his tone sympathetic.

“No, of course I want to go. Whoever the mole is, they are responsible for what they did to Evan. For what happened to you. Maybe not directly but they’ve chosen to lie for these shitheads. Who knows what else they are still doing? They could be stealing more government secrets. That’s why we’re doing this tonight. And who knows? If we get lucky and get a clue about where Evan is, that would be great.”