Chapter 2

CHAPTER

TWO

BENCHMARK SUNNY DAYS RETREAT DAY 2

I know something you need to know. Someone is out to get you. I need to explain in person and not through text. Meet me at 5:30 a.m. on the beach. Tell no one—trust no one. Delete this message.

Maddie Waters lay back in bed and read the text again.

Meet a stranger in an unfamiliar place at that early hour?

She shivered as she glanced out her patio doors to the dark sky blackening the outside of her suite.

The message sounded so ominous.

How could she ignore words like that? However, the person who'd sent the text wasn't in her contacts and didn't leave a name—which raised some major red flags. Why wouldn't someone want her to know his or her name? Maybe they were hiding something.

Based on the message, that was definitely true.

When she'd received the text at eleven p.m. last night, she'd responded asking who sent it. There'd been no answer, and that was five hours ago.

She hadn't been able to sleep since then.

Should she go find out who wanted to meet her? Find out what this person knew? Or would that be stupid—practically a death wish?

Maddie wasn't sure. But her curiosity was strong . . . especially in light of everything that had happened recently. Did this have something to do with her past? With the secret she'd kept hidden for more than a decade?

What if someone knew? If they wanted to expose her?

Her head spun at the thought of it.

Should she tell Josh, her fiancé, about the message? Maddie already knew what he would say. He'd tell her that going to the beach at such an early hour to meet an unknown person would be stupid, that no one in their right mind would be foolish enough to do something like that.

But Maddie was the type who liked answers. Who loved justice. Who wanted to get to the bottom of things. It was why she'd taken a job investigating elder abuse.

Righting wrongs ignited a fire inside her.

Her gut told her to keep this message quiet, just as the sender had warned.

At five a.m., she climbed out of bed and pulled on a sweatshirt and some running shorts. She threw her curly dark hair back into a ponytail and slipped on her flip-flops.

Then she left her suite at the resort where she'd be staying for the next five days as a part of a corporate retreat for Josh's company. She padded down the hallway, a chilly breeze brushing through the open windows.

This place was paradise. She should feel safe. But she didn't.

Especially because of that text. But even before that . . .

The words of a woman she'd run into at the Lihue airport slammed into her mind.

Visitors come here with the mindset that nothing bad happens on vacation. But this island is dangerous. Things get wild quickly. Don't think that being on vacation will insulate you or put you in a protective bubble. Letting down your guard can mean the difference between life and death.

The words had been chilling. Josh had overheard part of the woman's rant and ushered Maddie away before she could listen to more. The woman had stood outside near baggage claim, almost acting like a sidewalk prophet.

A breeze sweeping through the hallway brought with it the sweet scent of orchids and another floral aroma Maddie couldn't name.

She loved the open-air buildings here in Kauai. They were so different from New York, where she currently lived. The crowded city made her feel like she was living in a box. Trapped. Unable to breathe.

She'd been determined to leave when she'd met Josh.

Her lips twisted into a frown as she glanced down at the engagement ring on her hand.

This was a big week for him. He would most likely be named CEO of tech giant Benchmark. He was currently acting as interim president, and most people thought he was a shoo-in.

As soon as this trip was over, Maddie would call things off with Josh for good, she promised herself as she hurried toward an exterior door. There was no hope of saving their relationship. She'd been in denial about it for too long now, hoping something would change.

But it wouldn't.

She swept those thoughts aside and stepped outside. An intricately paved walkway and sparkling turquoise pools greeted her. Palm trees surrounded the massive resort, and the roar of waves filled the air as the water crashed in the distance.

Maddie had never been anywhere like this before.

She imagined what it might be like to come here with friends. With people she could actually enjoy the resort with. Where she could cut loose and have some fun—something she hadn't done in months.

Nothing had been the same in her life since her Poppy died. He'd been such a support and source of joy in her life. His death had shaken her to the core.

Instead, she was here with Josh.

Maddie held back a grimace.

She couldn't stand here and revel at the view.

Curiosity urged her onward.

She hurried across the pathway, down some steps, and across another path. Finally, her feet hit the sand, and she cut through some bushes and between several large boulders until she reached the beach.

A shiver raked through her.

Even though the grand resort stretched behind her, being out here on the beach before sunrise felt isolated. The waves were so loud, strong . . . overpowering.

She scanned her surroundings but saw no one.

Where was the person who'd sent her this message? He or she had said to meet at 5:30.

Maddie's watch showed she was right on time.

Wait . . . there were a couple of surfers farther down the beach. And a couple of people jogged a trail in the distance, barely visible except for the light from the softly glowing moon above.

She shivered.

Had coming out here been a mistake? Probably.

But she was already here.

She would wait a few more minutes.

Maddie glanced at the waves as they crashed on the shore. Black rocks bordered the sand, and a cliff rose in the distance. When she'd arrived on Sunday, she'd been warned about how dangerous the cliffs were with the jagged rocks poking out of the ocean below. Many people had lost their lives being too adventurous and careless near the cliff edges.

She'd be staying far away.

Maddie squinted as she stared at the ocean.

Something caught her eye as it floated in the water. What was that? It wasn't a dead mammal of some sort, was it? She'd heard about whales and dolphins occasionally washing up on the beach. Was that what she was looking at?

She crept closer and let out a gasp.

That wasn't a whale, she realized.

That was a . . . man.

Just then, he lifted his head and yelled something.

Yelled for help.

Maddie's adrenaline surged, and her heart began to thrash in her chest.

She glanced around. No one else was close enough to help.

Only her.

She reached for her phone.

It wasn't in her pocket.

She must have left it in her room. What a terrible mistake!

She glanced at the ocean again. She couldn't let the man die!

Taking a deep breath, she rushed toward the water. A wave nearly took her out before she was even ankle-deep.

But she didn't stop.

If she could get past this line of shore break, maybe she could reach the man.

Despite her fear, something compelled her to keep moving forward. If there was any chance she could help . . . she couldn't leave him there to die.

Another wave hit her, and she fell back. Water engulfed her.

As it passed, she stood, coughing to expel the salty water from her lungs.

She only had a few seconds until the next wave crashed. She needed to move faster.

But wave after wave knocked her down. The undercurrent tugged at her legs. Water filled her mouth—her lungs—as she fought to get to the man.

Her strength waned as the ocean sucked away all her energy.

Even if she reached the man, she wasn't sure she could make it back to shore with him.

The man's face bobbed from the dark water again.

"Help . . ." he gasped, his voice barely discernable over the waves.

Maddie lunged through the water trying to grab him, but a wave pulled him farther away.

If only she could get closer . . .

His head dipped up again, and his eyes widened as he saw her. Was that recognition that flickered in his gaze?

"You . . ." he croaked.

Was this the man she was supposed to meet?

"Someone . . . murder . . ."

Her blood went icy cold at the word "murder." Was he trying to tell her someone had attempted to murder him? That his current state of distress wasn't an accident?

She reached for him, but he disappeared beneath the water again.

A cry escaped from deep inside her as another wave engulfed her.

She had to get out of the ocean. Maddie was no match for its strength. She wasn't sure why she'd ever thought she could rescue this man.

Now they were both going to die.

As she tried to stand, the water knocked her down again. The waves tossed her around like a ragdoll.

Tears of despair pressed at her eyes.

She couldn't give up. She wasn't helpless. She had to keep trying.

Using all her remaining energy, she stood once more. Just as she took a step back to shore, another wave pounded her.

She toppled forward.

Before she could gain her footing, an invisible force began to drag her under, drag her deeper into the ocean.

She was caught in a riptide.

Paradise, she realized, might become her grave . . . just like that woman at the airport had warned.