Undertow: An Ominous Hour, #2

By Marlena Frank

June has always been in motion. She's never satisfied with a place for long, so she's always moving and never content. Even her love life is a maelstrom, leaving behind a long list of lovers. After years of searching for a sense of belonging, she is drawn to the ocean waters near Leekston. She convinces Jeremy, a wealthy young playboy with a yacht, to take her out to the cold open waters.

She hopes to find answers, but Jeremy expects compensation for his trip and something watches in the deep waters. They are not alone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marlena Frank
• Release date: Dec 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781955854054

Marlena Frank

Marlena Frank is the author of young adult fantasy and horror novels, short stories, novellas, and book series. Many of her books have hit the bestseller charts, including her debut novel, Stolen. Her work has been praised by Readers’ Favorite and featured in De Mode of Literature Magazine. Her stories have appeared in anthologies such as Emporium of Superstition, Catstruck!, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Georgia Gothic, and The Sirens Call ezine.Although born in Tennessee, Marlena has spent most of her life in Georgia. She lives with her sister and two spoiled adopted cats. She serves as the Vice President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Horror Writers Association, is an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, and is an avid member of the Atlanta cosplay community.She is also an INFJ, a tea drinker, and a wildlife enthusiast.

Book preview

Undertow

Undertow

A SHORT STORY

MARLENA FRANK

Copyright © 2021 by Marlena Frank

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover Art by: BetiBup33 at TheBookCoverDesigner

https://thebookcoverdesigner.com/designers/betibup33/

Cover Lettering by: Kelley M. Frank

http://morbidsmile.com

Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places, and Events are products of the author’s imagination, and are used factitiously. These are not to be construed or associated otherwise. Any resemblance to actual locations, incidents, organizations, or people (living or deceased) is entirely coincidental.

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ISBN: 978-1-955854-05-4

Undertow (n)

A current of water below the surface moving in a different direction from the surface current

Contents

1. Wanderlust

2. A Shred of Decency

3. Oceanus

4. Home

5. Reminders

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Acknowledgments

About the Author

Chapter 1

Wanderlust

June stepped through the doorway of the cabin and onto the deck of the yacht. She shivered as her bare feet made contact with the cold, wet wood. She tugged the white cotton bathrobe closer around her nude body, eager to keep out the chill sea breeze. The thin fabric was no match with the ocean wind. It was cheap, just like Jeremy’s taste.

His yacht was clearly bought with his daddy’s money. They didn’t even buy it first hand. She guessed it had passed through several hands, in fact, if the seventies decor was any indication. The bathrobe scratched against her arms, stomach, and back. It was clearly meant for show, to remain hung up on the peg where she had found it, not to be worn out on deck in the middle of the night with an incoming storm.

It hadn’t taken much alcohol to put Jeremy to sleep. He was a lightweight, something June had noted when she did her research. He was also rich and had a weakness for women, which June took advantage of to get on board. A few heavy-handed drinks meant she got out of having sex with him before he passed out against the headboard, a half-drunk appletini on the nightstand, and a puddle of drool on his chest. He was probably out for the night with the amount of vodka she put in that drink, even though he claimed it was too sweet to be very strong. For someone who loved his alcohol, he didn’t know much about making drinks.

She didn’t want to risk rummaging around on the floor