On a Dark Tide

By Naomi Clark

~Editor's Pick~

True crime podcasters Piper and Cam have travelled to the sleepy seaside town of Findlay to investigate the disappearance of a woman nearly a decade ago. The theories are wild—everything from murder to mermaids, and Piper is determined to get to the truth. Battling her fear of the ocean, Piper soon realizes Findlay has deeper, darker secrets than she could ever have believed. As she struggles to master her fear and deal with her unrequited love for Cam, Piper is lured into perilous waters. The truth waits beneath the waves—and Piper's fate waits with it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: Aug 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781773393995

Naomi Clark

Naomi Clark is a nineteen-year-old writer, actress, blogger, singer, and vlogger. Naomi has been writing since she was eight years old, and this is her first published work. She lives in New York City with her mother, father, and her dog named Hope. In her spare time, she likes to crochet, walk her dog, bake, and cook for her family. She is also very active in her church and loves to work with kids. Her vlogging channel is coming to Youtube in Spring 2017. You can follow her on Instagram @glittergirl40 and on Facebook @NaomiClark.

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2017 Naomi Clark

ISBN: 978-1-77339-399-5

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: CA Clauson

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To Jinder. Congratulations on all your recent success!

ON A DARK TIDE

Romance on the Go ®

Naomi Clark

Copyright © 2017

Chapter One

Piper Allan hated the ocean.

She hated the pound and rush of waves on sand, the stench of rotting seaweed and eye-watering brine. She hated the endless shrieks of the gulls. The dark waters chilled her, filled her head with nebulous images of great serpents and twisted, alien life forms untouched by sunlight and air. She hated people who romanticized it, talking about pirates and mermaids, adventure and mystery. No. The ocean wasn’t for men. She’d always believed that. Maybe we came from the sea once, but we left for a reason.

Still, she’d come here to Findlay Bay for a reason, too, and she was determined to see the work through.

The bay was cold, wet, and grim. Piper stood at the water’s edge in green wellies and a battered blue raincoat, watching the wind whipping up the gray-blue waves. The sky overhead was black with storm clouds. Every now and then, thunder rumbled in the distance, making her shiver and jump. She stared up at those clouds, waiting for lightning. She could at least appreciate the gothic atmosphere. It was perfect for setting the scene for the second season of her podcast.

She and her partner—research partner, that was, sadly—had stumbled onto success with the first season of Vanishing Act. They’d spent almost two years looking at a cold case, the story of a boy who went missing without a trace on a family holiday twenty years ago. Although the podcast hadn’t helped solve the case, as Piper had secretly hoped, it had generated a lot of national interest and renewed attention, and the police had re-opened the investigation recently. What had started as a small passion project for Piper and Cameron quickly became a full-time job, garnering them sponsorship deals and media attention of their own. When they’d gone as far as they could with that case, it had seemed only logical to look at another.

So here she was on the coast of Scotland, ready to start work on season two. Cam was a distant figure down the beach, snapping photos and probably loving the wild weather and screaming gulls. Nothing fazed Cam, and as a bonny Scottish lass herself, she’d been champing at the bit to get up here and start work.

Piper watched her wistfully, then checked her phone with a flicker of irritation. They had an appointment with a local historian in half an hour, and if Cam didn’t stop gallivanting up and down the rocky shore, they’d never make it. Even the thought of being late made Piper anxious. She trudged her way down the waterline to Cam.

Cam! she yelled as soon as she was within hearing distance. She waved her arms to get Cam’s attention. Cam! We need to go!

Cam bounded up to