Ari Callahan has no idea how to talk to boys -- or how to talk to anyone for that matter. Enter Zac, the cute new guy in town who won't stop texting her. But is his interest real, or does he have a hidden agenda?
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Twenty minutes had passed since he caught sight of the pair of men in black baseball caps and orange neoprene swim gear. They blended well enough with the other beachgoers milling about, but Zac could sense that they were here for more than a dip in the ocean. They strode across the elevated wooden slats of the boardwalk with greater purpose than the usual tourist, their eyes scanning back and forth over the crowd.
Zac knew how to spot them. His Grandfather and cousin Cyrus had trained him for weeks before sending him out alone on a field operation.
Still, Zac hadn't been sure of his suspicions until a few moments ago. He'd glanced back over his shoulder and caught their eyes on his back. He saw the tell-tale signs. A slight tic in the jaw. One finger pressed against an ear, adjusting a hidden earpiece. A thin black smart-ring twisted around a finger, and then raised to capture a few terse spoken words. The men pushed through the crowd in his direction.
Zac knew exactly who they were: Counter-Disruption. Grandfather had warned him that they would be out in force today. And Zac knew what they were looking for.
Him.
He'd probably overstayed his welcome. He'd spent the whole afternoon making laps up and down the boardwalk and out across the sand, spreading the word about tonight's festivities. Grandfather and Cyrus had stayed behind at the rental house to finalize the preparations with the other members of The Disruption.
So far, Zac had played his role to perfection. He could sense the teenage population of Seabreeze Point buzzing with the rumor: A new TV reality show was coming to town. That's what everyone was saying. Casting party tonight. The story sounded believable enough – just a shade beyond the truth. MTV had shot the classic old Jersey Shore reality show in a town not far from here. It made sense that some production company would come back a decade later to shoot a remake.
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Zac had only bent the truth a little on the flyer he'd passed around. It implied that a real TV show was casting tonight, but never came right out and said so. It wasn't his fault if the teens in this town were gullible enough to believe that the house his grandfather had rented would be crawling with TV producers tonight.
It wasn't completely false either. Sure, the TV part was all a load of crap. He and his co-conspirators had nothing to do with television. But it was true that tonight's party would be an audition of sorts.
And that was why those guys in baseball caps were after him.
Zac caught sight of them again, about 20 yards behind, weaving through the crowd. They were gaining ground. He needed to get out of sight. Fast.
He passed an open doorway and scooted inside, barely pausing to glance up at the sign above the door. Some sort of aquarium. He blinked rapidly, his eyes adjusting to the gloom after the bright glare of the afternoon sunlight. He could just make out the silhouette of a girl, curly-headed, standing behind a ticket counter. He would have to pay admission to proceed into the long hallway behind her, beckoning him forward with a glow of blue light. Zac could only pray that it wasn't too expensive. Money was tight. Grandfather would have his hide for squandering their precious daily funds on this little escapade, but Zac didn't have a choice. He couldn't backtrack now without running smack into his pursuers.
