Smirking, I change into my workout gear—not that I’ll actually be working out—and head for the elevator. My phone rings the moment the doors open and I glance down, my heart flip flopping when I see Reid's name flash on the screen an hour earlier than expected.
“You’re up early,” I answer.
“I could sense your distress from across the globe,” he mutters, followed by a dramatic slurp of his daily morning coffee.
“Zalea is missing,” I cut in. “Run a global facial-recognition search. I need results within an hour.”
Reid sputters, coughs, then thumps his chest. “I must’ve misheard you. It sounded like you said I have one hour to search the entire world.”
“You heard right.”
“Gabriel,” he groans, “that kind of search takes at least a day.”
“Reid, I also know thatyoucan do it in an hour.”
With a grumble, he hangs up, and I decide to try Zalea again. I begin pacing the lobby and when the call goes straight to her full voicemail, I’m angry all over again.
A few seconds later Koa and Maliah approach me and I slide my phone back into my pocket.
“I might get an important call during training that will require me to leave early,” I say, because as soon as I find out where Zalea ran off too, I plan to follow. “So let’s try to get as much done as we can in the meantime.”
We make our way toward the onsite gym, and I swipe my key card to let us in. The hotel gym is exactly as pictured when I booked the accommodations. It’s spacious and bright with its high ceilings and large windows, and it’s clearly maintained well because it smells amazing here.
I watch as Maliah drops her bag onto a bench inside and slowly spins around as she takes it all in.
“Wow,” she whispers, her eyes bouncing all over the place.
I can’t hold back my smirk because god knows it’s almost impossible to actually impress that girl. “It’s a bit of an upgrade from Saltwater Springs’ gym,” I tease.
“That’s an understatement,” Koa replies, tossing his bag down.
I check my watch, noting how it’s barely been five minutes since my call with Reid, yet it feels like an eternity has passed. This is going to be one long hour.
“Alright,” I clear my throat, “we only have an hour, so let’s get started.”
For the next forty-five minutes, I watch Koa and Maliah struggle—not with weights, but with each other. Part of the reason I paired them for this tour is because I’m tired of their fake animosity and the way they eye-fuck each other when they think I’m not looking. Forced proximity works wonders.
Look at me, doing the people’s work.
At one point, Maliah’s ass brushes the front of Koa’s sweats during a squat and her face goes tomato-red while Koa’s jaw ticks—his only giveaway. I nearly laugh, but I force myself to look away.
When their set ends, I check my watch to see that there’s still time before I can expect a call from Reid. Wanting to keep busy, I grab a towel and disinfectant as I start making my way toward all the equipment they’ve been using.
“Alright, for the last fifteen minutes, let’s go over Bells Beach and what to expect from the waves,” I say as I start wiping down the machines. “Bells Beach has a long and explosive right-hander that will really test your rail game skills, so stay focused.”
I eye Maliah before continuing. “It’s not great for aerials, so don’t bother with those, just focus on carving.”
I watch the pair eye fuck each other again and bite back an exaggerated sigh.
Maliah turns to look at me, finally paying attention. “Anything else we should look out for?”
“The rip currents can get a bit trippy out there so it’s best to stay triangulated to avoid getting swept away to the sharks.”
Koa nods. “We should get a practice session in before the actual competition.”
“Not a bad idea,” I say. “I’ll plan something over the next few days.”
As if perfectly timed, a chorus of phone notifications goes off. I pull mine out of my pocket to find a text from Eliana in our team group chat.
