Page 73 of Deadly Waves

Twenty-Two

Mandy thoughtthe fence would keep them safe when she yelled for everyone to run. The gunshot echoing throughout the humid night air caused her heart to seize when she realized she was wrong. She dropped to her knees. Sophie and Ally followed suit, shocked disbelief reflecting from their faces.

“I don’t think you’re going anywhere.”

Mandy froze at the voice, shifting her head so she could stare back at the pool and frowning when she saw Tabitha holding a small handgun. “W-what are you doing?” She was beyond confused.

“I’m handling this situation,” Tabitha replied coolly. “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

Instead of joining Tabitha and sharing in her smug satisfaction, Peterson looked dumbfounded. “Where did you get that gun?”

“It belongs to my father,” Tabitha replied, her tone even and controlled. “He keeps it in a travel safe. I grabbed it from our room when I texted you to meet me here.”

“But … why?” Peterson was flummoxed. “Why would you need a gun?”

“Because I thought it might be necessary,” Tabitha said. “And look! It was necessary.”

“Tabitha, I think this situation is getting out of control,” Peterson said, bewildered. “You need to give me the gun.”

Mandy wasn’t sure that was a good idea. As crazy as the situation seemed, she worried things would get ten times worse if Peterson was put in control of their destinies. She decided to head Tabitha off before the girl could fall prey to Peterson’s machinations. “We’re going to run back to the dining room,” she said. “We’ll get help.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Tabitha said.

“Then we’ll split the difference,” Sophie offered, rolling to her feet. “I’ll stay here with you and keep an eye on Peterson while Mandy and Ally go back to the dining room. How does that sound?”

“That sounds like crazy talk,” Ally said, struggling to a standing position. “We’re not leaving you behind. We made a promise.”

Sophie ignored Ally’s directed plea and remained focused on Tabitha. “Nothing bad has to happen here,” she said. “We can work everything out in a mutually beneficial way.”

Mandy marveled at how calm Sophie sounded. She’d forgotten how cool Sophie was under pressure. That was Peter’s influence. He taught Sophie never to panic. She took her lessons to heart.

“Don’t talk down to me,” Tabitha spat, the gun wavering in her hand and causing Mandy’s stomach to clench. “You have no idea how much I hate it when people talk down to me.”

“I think everyone hates that,” Sophie said, adopting a pragmatic tone. “Why don’t you tell us what you want to see happen and we’ll make sure things go smoothly. How does that sound?”

“Like you’re talking down to me,” Tabitha replied, gripping the gun tighter. “You know what? I don’t like that you guys are on the other side of that fence. Why don’t you go through the gate and join me? I think we’d all feel more comfortable if we were up close and personal for this conversation.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Ally scoffed.

Tabitha didn’t utter a warning before firing the gun a second time. She didn’t aim it at anyone, instead pointing it at the open sea. Her message was clear, though. She wasn’t messing around.

“We’d love to join you,” Mandy said stiffly, smoothing the front of her dress. “Unfortunately, well, we didn’t bring our passes to open the gate. We can’t move to the other side of the fence.”

“Jon has a pass,” Tabitha said. “He would love to open the gate for you. Isn’t that right, honey?”

Peterson’s expression was pained as he nodded. “Absolutely.” He shuffled toward the gate. It took him three tries to open it because his hands were shaking so badly, but when he lifted his chin he fixed Sophie with an unreadable expression. “Won’t you join us?”

“I think this is a very bad idea,” Ally muttered.

Mandy couldn’t help but agree, but she didn’t know what else to do. She followed Sophie through the small opening, keeping her eyes on Tabitha as Peterson took up position about ten feet away from the girl. He didn’t appear to want to get overly close.

“Now, isn’t that better?” Tabitha asked, her eyes bright. “I know I certainly feel better.”

“Well, you have us where you want us,” Sophie said. “What are you going to do now?”

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” Tabitha admitted. “I know what I want to do, but I’m not convinced that won’t be making things worse for myself. I need to think for a second.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Sophie said. “While you’re thinking, why don’t you fill us in on your relationship with Mr. Peterson. I think we’re all curious to know how that happened.”