CHAPTER 2

The dimly lit bar boasted a lavish combination of wood, leather, and glass that made Mitchell thirsty, like he came to the right place. The bartender came over the second he picked a stool. He was a tall man with a neat ponytail of dreads hanging to the center of his back. “ What can I get for you, Mr. Pointe? ”

“ I ’ ll take a beer. ”

“ Right away, sir. ”

Mitchell noted the sincerity. He liked being called ‘ sir. ’ A not - quite -thirty-year-old black man with his list of accomplishments earned the right to be addressed as ‘ sir. ’ He appreciated the recognition.

“ Is everything all right, Mr. Pointe? ” Keira leaned against the bar.

“ Keira. I didn ’ t see you. ”

“ I ’ m your stewardess, Mr. Pointe. It ’ s my job to be close, ” she smiled, “ but not in your way. ”

“ Never. ” He returned her smile. “ Care to join me? ” He indicated the stool beside him.

She shook her head, prepared to decline.

“ Please, I insist. ”

She hesitated for a fraction of a second. “ One beer. Nate-Nate, you got any Corona? ”

“ For you, Keira, my love. ” The bartender popped the cap and slid the bottle across the counter.

“ Thanks, Nate. ” She caught the bottle and took a swig. “ You never answered, Mr. Pointe. Is everything all right? ”

“ Perfect. We ’ re having a blast. ”

“ That ’ s our goal. ” She pushed her hair behind her ear.

Mitchell thought the move was attractive. He wasn ’ t interested, but Keira was a beautiful woman with thick, cinnamon brown hair that hung down her back in waves. She had chocolate brown eyes and sun-kissed skin. It made him wonder. “ Are you from this area? ”

“ No. I ’ m from Hawaii. Been around water my whole life. ”

“ Hawaii. Makes sense. ”

“ Pardon me? ”

“ You ’ ve got that mysterious …” he rolled his finger, trying to find the correct wording. “ Appeal. Like you ’ re some island princess. ”

She leaned away from him with a curious arch to her eyebrow.

“ No, no. ” He held his hand up in surrender. “ I ’ m not trying to come on to you. Not that I wouldn ’ t, ” he amended, “ but I ’ m happily married. ”

Keira relaxed. “ Speaking of which, where is Mrs. Pointe? ”

“ Angela is asleep. The busy day wore her out. She ’ s …” He drank his beer, reluctant to say more. “ Fragile. ”

Keira responded to the sadness in his tone. “ Oh. Is she ill? ”

“ No. ” He rocked his head, weighing his options. “ Not really, but somewhat. ”

Keira remained silent.

“ She ’ s depressed. ” He had another swallow.

So did she. “ Can you talk about it? ”

He hunched his shoulders. “ We ’ ve been trying for a baby. But Angela can ’ t. The news devastated her. She hasn ’ t recovered. Not yet. I ’ m trying to give her some distraction. Sometimes it works. ” He hunched his shoulders again.

A long moment of nothing passed before Keira said, “ I ’ m very sorry for you, Mr. Pointe. ”

“ Call me Mitchell. Please. ”

She nodded. “ Mitchell. If there ’ s anything I can do to help you and especially your wife, please don ’ t hesitate. ”

“ Thanks. You and the entire crew have been amazing. You ’ ve already done everything you can do and more. It ’ s going to take some time. At least that ’ s what her doctor says. ”

Nate sat two more beers down in front of them. He grabbed a third one for himself. “ May I ask you a question, Mr. Pointe? ”

“ Mitchell, and sure. ” Mitchell helped himself to the second brew.

“ Are you relieved, or resentful? I ’ m not asking for you to answer, just wondering if your wife is picking up on any of those vibes. Something like that might make her edgy without either of you realizing it. ”

Mitch thought about it. “ I ’ m no expert, but I don ’ t think I ’ m compounding the problem. I wanted kids before she did. So she knows I ’ m not relieved. I tell her twenty times a day it ’ s not her fault. It ’ s just one of those things. She can tell when I ’ m lying, so she knows I ’ m sincere. ” He swirled his beer, watching it slosh around the bottle. “ We found out two months ago and I already have us registered at seven different agencies. As far as I ’ m concerned, this is one route we can ’ t take, but that ’ s all it is. The result doesn ’ t change. We ’ re getting kids. ”

Keira smiled, drawn to his enthusiasm. “ Now we have to convince her that those children need a healthy mother to drive insane. ”

The idea appealed to him. “ I hadn ’ t thought of it that way. ” He liked how she said “ we. ” For a moment, he wasn ’ t alone in his fight. He lifted his drink. “ To my children. ”

Keira and Nate tapped their bottles to his.

“ Highly energetic children, ” Keira said.

“ Lots of them, ” Nate added.

.     .     .

“ I hate this. I do. But what can I say? He ’ s doing it all for me. ”

“ If it ’ s killing you, Ange, it ’ s not a kindness. Tell him to stop. ”

Angela shifted the phone from one ear to the other. “ You don ’ t understand, Deidra. He doesn ’ t hear. He thinks my negativity is from depression. He won ’ t give in to it. ”

“ He doesn ’ t hear you because he ’ s not listening. That should tell you something. But never mind that. Contrary to popular opinion, all this activity is stressing you out. When you get home this time, stay home. Tell your husband you need to stay home. If you don ’ t, I will. ”

“ He ’ s trying to help me. It ’ s not his fault nothing will help me. ”

“ Stop talking like that. You ’ ve been through a lot. It ’ s going to take more than a weekend full of margaritas to pull through it. ”

“ I better go. If I ’ m not resting when he comes back he ’ ll think I didn ’ t want to be around him. ”

“ He ’ s be correct, ” Deidra agreed.

Angela snickered. “ It ’ s not true, you wacko. But I am tired. ”

“ Get some rest. Love you. ”

“ Love you too. ” Angela hung up the phone. The momentary warmth evaporated. She was tired. She didn ’ t want to be around Mitchell. She hated these trips — one surprise after another. She hated surprises. She hated being broken. She hated herself. She was beat up, miserable , and full of hate.

.     .     .

Angela looked out over the rail at he beauty of the night. A crisp fragrant wind, and the moon so low it seemed to float on the tide. She thought it may have been a blue moon, but wasn ’ t altogether positive. The mist was invigorating. She didn ’ t see Mitch, but they were on a boat; he had to be close. She tried to sleep, but it was restless. The walk helped — put her in a more positive place. She wanted to share that with him. Her positive moments were so few; he deserved to be a part of every one.

Angela couldn ’ t imagine the toxic dump her life would be without her husband. She wouldn ’ t have a life without him. There were days when she couldn ’ t put two thoughts together. But Mitch fulfilled every need, every minor detail. Their four-year marriage was sacred; their vows, unbreakable.

Looking out into the endless night, she forgot her anxiety. They had a beautiful life. They would get a beautiful child, Mitch would see to it. A baby didn ’ t have to come from a mother ’ s womb to be in a mother ’ s heart. She could almost see her: a pretty angel with bright eyes and a cherub ic smile. Or a boy: heart-stealing grin, busy, busy hands.

A tear of hopefulness dripped from her eyelash. Babies were the truest joy on the planet.

“ Mrs. Pointe. Is everything all right? ”

Angela turned toward the speaker. “ Captain Shoemaker. Everything is wonderful, thank you. I ’ m just taking in this magnificent night. ”

“ It ’ s always magical on the water. Are you enjoying the whales? ”

“ Whales? ”

He came over beside her and pointed. “ See there. You can see the spray. ” While she looked in the direction he indicated, he partook a healthy eyeful of her backside. Standing at six one, he had her by at least five inches. He snuck a peek at her cleavage. She had more than a handful and they were perfect.

“ Ahhh , ” she squea led. “ Is it really a whale? ”

He switched off the fantasy button. “ Definitely. Most likely feeding. If he found a good spot, you ’ ll see few of them by morning. ”

“ I can ’ t wait to tell Mitch. You haven ’ t seen him, have you? ”

“ I have not, but I ’ m sure he won ’ t be too hard to find. If I see him, I ’ ll send him your way. ”

“ Thank you. ”

The Captain moved on. Angela continued to gaze out across the water, excited to see the next plume of spray from the magnificent beast. When it came, she could see it clearly. Angela cast a glance over her shoulder, hoping Mitch would appear. Not willing to move, she reached for her cell phone. She ’ d take a picture. Or give him a call. Or both.

She dipped her fingers into her pocket, her nail scraping against the case. “ Oh. ” A jolt made her grab the railing. An image of the Titanic popped into her head. Did the boat bump into something? She glanced around and then down, seeing nothing. Silly. Are you searching for an iceberg in the gulf. But what did they hit? While the private yacht wasn ’ t the largest of its kind, she was too big for undisturbed waves to bounce her around.

The whoosh was long and haunting. A wall of murk grew out of the water. Five feet, ten … more, much more; it moved upward, blocking the night and terrorizing her soul.

BAM!!!

Angela pitched sideways over the railing. Flying … soaring … falling through the air. Her arms flailed, attempting to catch hold of something. Debris and water rained down with her, drowning out her scream.

She hit cement and plunged downward. Icy cold, black death covered her, dragging her into the deep.