The next few days passed in a blur of whispered warnings and stolen glances. Isabella couldn’t shake the tension lingering from her encounter with Rafe at the party. His words repeated in her mind like the tides—relentless and invasive.
Still, she tried to focus on her life with the Pogues. They had a new lead on a treasure hidden deep in the marshes, and she wasn’t about to let Rafe’s antics distract her.
But the distraction came anyway.
It started one late afternoon when Isabella, Kiara, and Pope were packing up their gear at the dock. The sound of a speeding engine broke the calm, and they turned to see Rafe on a jet ski, carving through the water like a man with something to prove.
“Is he serious right now?” Kiara muttered, her hands on her hips.
Rafe slowed down just enough to toss a smirk their way before circling back toward them, his wake causing the dock to sway. “Afternoon, ladies,” he called, ignoring Pope entirely. His gaze zeroed in on Isabella. “Hope you’re not planning on staying out here too late. Storm’s coming.”
Isabella rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Rafe?”
“Maybe I just wanted to see how my favorite Pogue pretender’s doing,” he said, cutting the engine. His grin widened when Isabella glared at him. “You’re looking a little too comfortable out here.”
“Get lost, Rafe,” Pope snapped, stepping closer.
Rafe ignored him, his attention fixed on Isabella. “You can keep playing dress-up, but you’re still a Kook. You can’t outrun it.”
“Leave her alone,” Kiara said sharply, but Isabella held up a hand.
“It’s fine,” she said, stepping closer to the edge of the dock. Her voice was steady, but her heart pounded. “You want to say something, Rafe? Say it to my face.”
For a moment, he looked surprised. Then he laughed, a low, humorless sound. “You think this is a game, don’t you? Running around with them, acting like you’re one of them. It’s not gonna end well for you, Isabella.”
“And what? You’re here to save me?” she shot back. “You don’t care about me, Rafe. You just hate that I don’t fit into your perfect little Kook box.”
His jaw tightened, and for a second, she thought he might argue. Instead, he started the engine again and backed away. “Suit yourself,” he said over the roar of the motor. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
As he sped off, Isabella realized her hands were shaking.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath the Waves
RomanceConcept: Set against the vibrant yet turbulent backdrop of the Outer Banks, Beneath the Waves follows the story of Isabella, a girl caught between two worlds. Born into wealth and privilege as part of the Kooks, Isabella has always felt out of place...
