Sea Storm: Children of the Waves Read Online Free PDF

stated.
    “Sorry—I’m….” She shook her head.
“I don’t think so.” But her gaze drifted to the necklace around his neck, and
she couldn’t hide the slight tremble again in her hand.
    He released her to raise the pendant on
the necklace for her to see. “I think we have.”
    She couldn’t hide the gasp or the
expression of shock filling her soulful eyes.
    Then, he saw something else there
too—fear. He frowned.
    Jerry already went into the house with
the bags, and Aaron glanced back and forth between them perplexed.
    “Come, it’s been a long trip and you must
be exhausted.” Zek grasped her elbow. He couldn’t stop touching her, but
neither did she try to move away from him. He led the way into the house and
through the great room. “I’ll show you to your room.” She’d been placed in his
wing of the house.
    The main house consisted of only one
level but with four connecting wings. The great room, office and kitchen were
at the center of the structure with the wings like half points of a star. But
all the hallways connected, and each bedroom had some ocean view. The green
room sat right next to his. “Aaron, I believe you’re in your usual. Let me take
a shower and give you all a chance to rest a bit. Then, we can meet in the
great room in an hour.”
    Aaron nodded and went off down another
hallway.
    Zek turned and still holding onto her
arm, led Des to her room. Stopping in front of her open door, he spied the
suitcase at the foot of the bed Jerry must have placed there. He didn’t dare
enter the bedroom. He might not leave it anytime soon. Reluctantly, he released
her arm. “Here you are. I’ll see you in a bit and then we’ll talk.”
    “Thank you.” She walked into the room and
shut the door.
    He thought she’d say more but she didn’t.
Only then, did he release the breath he’d been holding. He found her! He also thought he understood why she might be
afraid.
     
     
    Chapter
Five
     
    Des shut the door on Zek and sank down on
the bed. She couldn’t dwell on the beauty of her surroundings right then. Her
thoughts flashed back to a time she’d tried hard to forget, but terror again
gripped her mind. That man. Zek. It couldn’t be. It’s impossible.
But what happened that day seemed impossible. When the boat exploded, they’d
all been thrown overboard. Weird lightning shot out of the sky and struck at
the sharks.
    A young man and dolphins saved the lives
of her and her family that day. Could the boy be this man? They had the same
coloring, same look. She’d never forget those eyes. Xav’s eyes were similar in
color but Zek’s held the same vibrancy as her teenage hero from long ago.
Something else about the man seemed familiar. He drew her to him as the boy had
drawn her. Enough for her to give him her favorite necklace.
    The same one Zek wore around his neck. Could it be?
    The boy she remembered had no markings on
his body, not so for the man. She’d gotten a look at them and wanted nothing
more than to trace his ink with her finger, followed by her tongue. Works of
art adorned this man’s body in the form of colorful and intricate tattoos. The
one over his left pec reminded her of Greek letters, but she had no idea what
it meant. The beauty of the red and green design running across his chest of a
rose wrapped in barbed wire stunned her. She wondered what it meant, but seeing
the sketch of the red Impala with a black wave across the side, running down
his arm made sense.
    She smiled, but then shook her head. What
was she doing, drooling over the man? A stranger. And yet…
    Des had so many questions. But even if he
had been her rescuer, could she tell him the truth? A dozen years had gone by
but she couldn’t take the risk, not hers to take. Her father and her family
were still under the witness protection program. She’d never put her family at
risk. Des made up her mind. She couldn’t let Zek know the truth. Hali is dead. She died that day on the
boat along with her