He strolls over to Reed and grabs his face, sticking the gun in his left eye socket. “I hope you’re not lying to me, Reed. Because if you are,” Kennedy moves the gun lower, to Reed’s hand.

Then he pulls the trigger. Reed shrieks and squirms as Kennedy backs away slowly. Blood oozes down his forearm, dripping off at his elbow.

“If you are lying—hush now, pay attention, Reed—I’ll cut out your tongue.”

With that, Kennedy pulls a small key from his jeans’ pocket. “Shall we, Galen?”

Guilt tightens around Galen’s chest like a giant crab claw as they leave Reed behind to suffer alone.

* * *

The afterglow of the sun filters through the trees behind them, staving off the full effect of dusk at the shore. “If you keep yelling like that, you’ll scare away all the fish,” Galen whispers to Kennedy. Which Galen couldn’t care less about. “Stop splashing around.”

But Kennedy is in danger of popping several blood vessels, pacing barefoot back and forth along a small patch of the beach. Already, he’s allowed Galen to get calf deep, distracted by his own fit throwing. Which might do more than scare away the fish; all this noise could attract attention. And Tyrden’s men could be anywhere.

“Did Reed really lie to me?” Kennedy shrieks. “Did he really send me down here to the lake knowing I’ll carve out his tongue?”

Galen sighs. “You’ve gone and spooked the fish again. I think we should move deeper into the water.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do!” Kennedy yells. “What, so you can swim away?”

This catches Galen off guard. Obviously Kennedy isn’t as distracted as Galen had fervently hoped he was. A breeze wrestles through the trees, and Kennedy points the gun in the woods. “Who’s there? Show yourself.”

Galen rolls his eyes. “It’s the wind. Look, you’re making too much noise. People are going to be looking for you since you took Reed. If you want to stay hidden, then shut up.”

“I’ve made tracks all over the place. They’ll be going in circles for days looking for us.” Kennedy eyes Galen curiously. “You don’t want to get caught in the grasp of Neptune either, I take it.”

“It’s not my favorite town.”

“But Emma is there.”

Galen considers. “Apparently Emma is safe there. I’m not.”

“Ahhh, so they accepted your girlfriend but not you. Interesting.” Kennedy taps his finger on his cheek, thoughtful. “You really don’t remember me, do you? Oh, but I would recognize you anywhere. You’re the reason I’m here, after all.”

Galen stiffens. “What?”

Kennedy laughs. “Maybe if I donned a mask and snorkel it would jog your memory. You know, I’ve always wondered, did you know Jerry before our little run-in at the reef?”

Jerry? Dr. Milligan. It all comes back to Galen in a tidal wave. He was just a fingerling then, playing around the reef with Toraf and Rayna when he spotted a human—Dr. Milligan—lying on the ocean floor, clutching his leg. The doctor had strayed from his snorkeling group and developed a cramp and was on the verge of passing out. Galen pulled him to the surface immediately and to his boat. Dr. Milligan had been with two friends—one whom Galen realizes now was Kennedy—and when they saw Galen’s fin, they tried pulling him into the boat as well. But Dr. Milligan put the boat in gear, full-speed. The other two snorkelers lost their balance and dropped Galen.

That was the first time he’d met Dr. Milligan. And the first time he’d come in contact with Kennedy. Later, Kennedy and the other man claimed they’d seen a merman. Dr. Milligan contradicted them, and the sighting was dismissed as a hoax.

Kennedy smiles as the astonishment washes over Galen. “Ah, so you do remember. It was starting to hurt my feelings.” His face turns hard. “How fitting that I’ve recaptured you after all these years. You’re my unicorn, you know that?”

Galen remembers what Kennedy said in the cabin. That he considers himself a mermaid hunter, which has made him a laughingstock among his peers. And I’m the reason for it.

What are the odds that he would ever find me again? Galen shakes his head at the unlikelihood of it all.

Kennedy nods. “Yes, let it all sink in, Galen. I bet you’re wondering why I haven’t just shot you yet, aren’t you? Because you and I are going to have a long life together. One exhibition after another. Can you just imagine the millions of dollars we’ll make together showing the world that mermaids really do exist?”

He wants to put me on display? “If money is what you want, I have plenty of that. I’ll pay you to let me go. And Reed.”

Kennedy purses his lips. “I think we both know it’s not about money, Galen. You ruined me, you little snot. You ruined my future, my credibility. I couldn’t even get a teaching job.”

Galen can tell that the bitterness is beginning to really fester inside Kennedy. He might think better of all this talk about living and decide to shoot me. Now would be a really good time to think about escaping again.

Galen nods. “I’m sorry.”

This strikes Kennedy by surprise. “Are you? For what, exactly? Getting caught?”

“For doing it to you again.”

And Galen dives in, shocking even himself.

His fin rips through what’s left of his twisted jeans, which is a worthy sacrifice for the chance at escape. He’s stretched to his full length when a bullet whizzes by his head, then a staccato of shots all around, making thin water tunnels ahead and beside him. Galen’s tail is still sore, and it takes careful maneuvering to keep a straight course, but he shoots forward as fast as he can, remembering that Kennedy is a terrible shot but that he’s desperate. Plus, luck hasn’t exactly been on Galen’s side lately—and he’s not sure how many bullets the gun has left.