Chasing Xaris Read Online Free PDF Page A

later, Miss Bloom,” he said, and jogged into the surf.
    I watched his strong strides, feeling a rush of guilt. I had totally brushed him off. I’d done that a ton over the last two years, but somehow it felt different this morning. Worse. But I couldn’t think about Jordan right now. That would be way too much.
    With my board underarm, I jogged down the beach, savoring the feel of sand between my toes. I came to a stop and attached my leash before sprinting into the surf and diving onto my board.
    My muscles warmed as I paddled. Water sprayed my face. I kept my head lifted and my gaze fixed ahead. Further out, a surfer climbed a wave’s face and exploded at the lip, releasing his energy in a three-sixty degree spin.
    No one else rode with that kind of force around here. It had to be Ari.

Chapter 4
     
    I
    kept my eyes trained on the powerful surfer as he turned his board and paddled back out. When we both reached the edge of the lineup, I closed the gap between us.
    “Ari!” I shouted.
    He glanced my way and then steered his board in the opposite direction.
    My cheeks burned. No way. He was not about to abandon me again.
    “Wait up,” I called.
    Ari’s arms froze. He frowned at me over his shoulder.
    I returned his scowl and kept paddling. He’d started all of this, and he was going to help me finish it, whether he wanted to or not.
    Just feet from him, I sat up on my board.
    “Nice three-sixty,” I said.
    “Thank you,” he said, sitting up on his board.
    “Ever done a vertical backhand snap?” I asked.
    “No, but you have.”
    I raised an eyebrow. He had been watching me.
    “Listen, I want to thank you for yesterday,” I said.
    Ari nodded. “I surfed by the pier this morning before you arrived. No one said a word to me about the shark.” He spoke with some kind of accent. I’d noticed it a couple of times before, but I’d never been able to place it.
    “I didn’t think you wanted me to broadcast it,” I said.
    “I don’t.”
    A flash of color drew my gaze to the small wheel tattoo beside his left eye. I had forgotten all about it and the bright gem in its center.
    “I appreciate you keeping what happened yesterday to yourself,” Ari said. “All right?”
    “Of course.”
    His frown eased, but his posture, his gaze, everything about him remained alert. “How are you feeling?”
    “Fine.” I paused. “So you did kill the shark?”
    “It doesn’t matter.”
    “It does to me. Do you carry a knife or something?”
    “I might.”
    “Why won’t you just tell me?”
    “Why do you ask so many questions?”
    I swallowed hard. “Because you knew my dad.”
    Ari’s eyes flashed before turning blank. “What are you talking about?”
    “You said his name and—”
    “You must have dreamed that while you were passed out.”               “I didn’t pass out.”
    “You’re wrong, ” he said.
    “I know what I heard.”
    “What you dreamed.” Ari glanced over his shoulder at the next set of waves, then gave me a nod. “I’m glad you’re well.”
    With that, he dropped to his stomach and paddled away from me.
    “I’m not well,” I called out. But Ari didn’t turn around.
    I pressed my stomach against my board, trying to bind the pain. I wanted to punch Ari in the ribs so he’d have to feel this, too. Maybe I could chase after him and badger him until he told me everything. But I knew that Ari wouldn’t cave even if I did catch up to him—he was way too cold and guarded for that.
    Was Ari behind my parents’ death s? My gut told me no. Ari had said he missed my dad. But he still knew more than he was telling me.
    With a sigh, I glanced at my watch and saw I only had ten minutes left. Today of all days, I needed to catch at least one wave.
    I positioned my board and readied myself for the familiar pull. The swell expanded. I dropped in on the wave’s shoulder with a strong bottom turn and crouched down. Glancing up, I found the perfect section of wave next to the