Stranger's Game

by Colleen Coble

  Simon.

  The sea lion chased after the diver just as something lifted Joe in the air and slammed him against the side. Disoriented, he shook his head.

  A small bomb had gone off.

  His vision cleared, and he saw that the hull had collapsed and crumbled where the window used to be.

  He struggled to stay conscious from the blow to his head. Hailey. He had to get back to his daughter. The darkness disoriented him, and he remembered his flashlight. He fumbled for it, then flicked it on. The beam cast shadows and made the interior of the boat look green and eerie, but his panic began to subside. He had to think logically through this. Torie would have seen him go in here, and she’d be looking for a way to help him.

  He swam to the hull and banged on it with his light. The metal didn’t make much sound against the coral so he searched for a spot that was mostly fiberglass. There. He pounded on it with the base of this flashlight and heard a satisfying thunk. After a moment, he heard an answering thump from outside the sailboat. Torie knew he was in here.

  But how could she get him out? He checked his regulator. Only fifteen minutes of oxygen left. She wouldn’t have time to get to the rental boat, call for help, then break into the sailboat’s hull. She’d likely have more air left than him because she was lighter, but would she think about that? Her reg might read thirty or forty minutes.

  He prayed she thought this through and figured out how to break through the hull. Maybe there was something in here he could use to bust a hole in the side himself. He shone the light around the space. Nothing but coral. No rocks, no leftover toilet tank or anything he might use as a battering ram.

  It was going to be up to Torie to figure it out.

  * * *

  Joe was trapped in there.

  Torie pounded on the hull again to let him know she realized the danger. She forced her breathing to calm, and the bubbles escaping her regulator slowed to a steady pace. Panic wouldn’t save him, only clear thinking and a plan. She checked her air. Forty-five minutes, but that didn’t mean anything, not really. Joe was six four with big muscles. He’d use up air faster than she would. She prayed he had half an hour, but there wasn’t a guarantee of that either. She should plan to have him out within fifteen minutes.

  She swam through a large school of fish and checked the integrity of the sunken sailboat all around the hull. The heavy incrustations of coral would make it hard to batter through, even if she had something to use. And she didn’t.

  She glanced overhead, but they’d swum away from their boat far enough that its shadow couldn’t be seen. No time to go back there for a tool.

  Her chest compressed, and she fought her breathing again. How did she get him out? If only she had a crowbar or something to pry away the coral and fiberglass. She banged the butt of her flashlight on the hull and heard another answering knock from inside.

  He was still alive—for now.

  But he wouldn’t be for long. She tried not to imagine the sensation of being unable to breathe. That couldn’t happen. Not to wonderful Joe with his kind green eyes and easy manner. He was Hailey’s whole world.

  With new determination, she swam down along the ocean floor where various artifacts poked up through the coral. Joe had said the artificial reef was comprised of old subway cars and tugboats. All kinds of things. There had to be something she could use.

  She reached a coral outcropping that rose higher. From its vague shape, she thought it might have been an old subway car. It might be the best chance of finding a piece of sturdy metal she could use. She swam along the perimeter. Frequent windows let her look inside where more debris lay scattered. Swimming inside was out of the question. Her claustrophobia would get the better of her. She’d never taken a course on wreck diving because it was something she’d never be tempted to do.

  She used her flashlight to prod the various rocks and coral along the bottom. She reached the end of the subway car without finding any kind of tool, then checked her air. Five minutes had passed.

  Time might be running out for Joe.

  She swam down the other side of the car, and a long metal piece caught her eye. But it was inside. Maybe she could reach it without going all the way in. Holding the flashlight, she extended her arm through the window and tried to scrape the metal toward her. It refused to budge.

  She closed her eyes and tried to push past the panic bubbling in her chest. She had to go in there and grab it. There was no other way to save Joe. And as she stared at the all-important metal bar, she realized she’d been fooling herself about him. Joe wasn’t someone she would be able to fly away from and forget. He wasn’t a vacation romance never to be thought of again.

  He was special. And as much as she might say she was happy with her life the way it was, she recognized the hole there. She’d told Lisbeth she didn’t care about marriage and children, but faced with the threat of losing Joe, she knew she’d been wrong.

  She cared too much.

  A flurry of bubbles escaped in a flood as she forced herself through the window and into the murky depths of the subway car’s interior. The gloom added to her panic, but she worked on measured breathing and kicked toward the metal piece.

  It was stuck to coral, and she had to use her flashlight to help pry it up. With a final twist of the end, she freed it.

  She turned to swim back out, but a dark shadow swam past the window. A shark. It wasn’t large, only about eight feet long, but it was a tiger shark. Fast and dangerous. She glanced at her air again. Another five minutes had eked away. She had to go out there and hope to chase it off. Staying in here would mean Joe could be drowning right this minute.

  Holding the metal at the ready like a baseball bat, she swam back through the opening into the sea. The shark’s tail was toward her, and it hadn’t noticed she was nearby. She prayed it would keep on swimming away.

  She gazed past it to the sunken sailboat. If she stayed on the other side, maybe the shark wouldn’t notice her. The closest path to the other side was through the windows, so she forced herself back into the subway car, swam to the other side, and wiggled out of a tighter window. Kicking her fins with all her strength, she swam as fast as she could back to the sailboat.

  The shark hadn’t reappeared, and she prayed feverishly it wouldn’t as she used the metal to pry at the coral and fiberglass. It resisted her efforts, but she gritted her teeth and went at it even harder.

  It sank into the fiberglass and she gave a mighty yank on it. It splintered away a large hole, big enough for her to put her arm through. With a hole to work on, she chipped away a larger and larger area until she thought it was big enough for Joe to get out.

  Why wasn’t he coming?

  She cautiously poked her head into the hull and saw him floating a few feet away. No bubbles emanated from his reg, and his eyes were wide. She kicked her fins and got inside, then zoomed to him. She grabbed the spare octopus from her BCD and yanked out his mouthpiece, then put her octopus in his mouth.

  He took several breaths, and his color began to improve. He gave her a thumbs-up and a shaky smile.

  Swimming close together, they reached the escape hole, but one of them would have to go first. Joe let go of the octopus and gestured for her to get out. She quickly wiggled through the hole and held the octopus at the ready for him. He was right behind her, but the hole was a bit small for him, and he had to wiggle hard to get through. A thin line of blood on his shoulder seeped where he’d scraped it. He reached her and grabbed for more air.

  After two breaths, his gaze went past her, and a flurry of bubbles floated around his face as he pointed. She turned to look.

  The shark. It was coming for them like a gray bullet.

  Chapter 21

  The tiger shark must have gotten a whiff of the blood oozing from Joe’s shoulder.

  The shark darted toward them, then veered away at the last minute. Joe slapped his hand over the scrape, but that wouldn’t deter the shark. He dragged in more air, and his streng
th began to return after his near miss with death.

  Torie’s eyes were wide behind her mask, and he gestured for her to back up as far as the octopus apparatus that connected them would let her. She shook her head and brandished the metal she’d used to pry him free.

  He grabbed it, taking comfort in its sturdiness, as he waited for the shark’s next attack. It wasn’t long in coming, and this time the gray form stayed zoned in on him. When the fish was in jabbing distance, he thrust the sharpest point of the metal at its gill on Joe’s right side, then jabbed again at its eye. It veered off, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

  Knowing that might not deter it for long, Joe jabbed upward with his thumb. She nodded, and they began to ascend to the surface. He kept a wary eye out for another attack from the shark, but there was no sign of it when his head finally broke water.

  He pulled out his mouthpiece and drew in the most wonderful salty air. “There’s the boat.” He pointed a hundred feet away. “We’ll never see the shark coming from up here. Let’s get aboard as fast as we can.”

  Something bumped his leg and he jerked, expecting to feel shark teeth, but Simon’s sleek head peeked up out of the water. “Stick with me, buddy.”

  She removed her mouthpiece. “Maybe Simon will protect us from the shark. You tow me while I breathe through the snorkel and watch for the shark.”

  A surge of adrenaline shot through him. “Good idea.”

  She slid on her snorkel and put her mask in the water, then took the metal in one hand and grabbed his ankle in the other. He pulled her through the waves as fast as he could. Her grip on him didn’t falter so he assumed she saw no sign of their toothy attacker.

  They had almost reached the boat’s ladder when her grip went rigid, and she came up sputtering. “It’s coming! Simon is swimming toward it.”

  He took the metal from her, then slid on his snorkel. “Get aboard the boat!” He submerged and watched the shark slice toward them as if it was determined for revenge. The sea lion zoomed to drive it off, but the shark swam past.

  Joe’s heart thumped against his rib cage as he waited for its next strike. Its eye was a little squinty, but he clearly hadn’t done enough damage. He held the metal like a javelin. His strength had surged back the more air he’d taken in, and he was ready to fend it off this time. To kill it if he could.

  The shark’s formidable serrated teeth came at him, but he thrust the metal squarely in the tiger’s eye. Blood spurted from the wound and fanned out in a red haze around the shark. It would be sure to attract more predators. It went limp and begin to sink toward the bottom. Without waiting for another bullet shape to appear, he kicked for the surface, then swam for all he was worth to the boat.

  Aboard the boat, Torie urged him on, “Hurry! There’s blood in the water.”

  His legs were tired from kicking, but he unleashed an extra spurt of speed as she screamed, “I see fins!”

  His hand slapped against the metal of the ladder, and he hauled himself aboard as something bumped his thigh from under the water. He scrambled up the rungs and fell onto the deck, then ripped off his mask and snorkel to draw in the freshest breath he’d ever had.

  Torie was beside him in the next moment. “Are you all right?”

  “I think so.” He touched the spot on his leg where he’d been hit. No cuts. “Something tested my leg to see if it wanted to take a bite, but I got up the ladder in time. Someone planted a small explosive on the hull of the sailboat. The collapse was no accident.”

  Her mouth trembled, and she bit down on her lower lip. “You saw a diver?”

  “Yeah. Simon took off after him just as it exploded. This doesn’t make any sense.”

  She leaned down and pulled his head over and cradled him in her arms. She pressed her cool lips against his in a fierce kiss that was much too short. He wrapped his arms around her, but she pulled away before he had a chance to really respond.

  Her braid was coming loose around her face, and she pushed a loose strand out of her eyes. “When I thought you might die, I realized how wrong I was to try to protect myself from feeling anything for you. It was too late anyway.”

  Too late? Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

  Her brown eyes searched his. “I have told myself for years it’s better to be alone, better to be footloose and free to do what I wanted. Better to be in control of my own destiny. I tried to believe I wasn’t lonely—that a life like that was exactly what I wanted. But when I imagined you taking your last breath trapped in the hull, I couldn’t stand it.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “It’s funny how we deceive ourselves. Talking to Hailey yesterday made me realize I have a problem with lack of trust. Ever since my mom died, I don’t trust anyone to stay with me. I don’t trust God. I don’t even believe my dad won’t ever leave. But what kind of life is that?”

  He cupped her cheek in his hand. “It’s not life. By its very nature, life involves loss. If we stop taking chances, stop living our lives, we might as well crawl in the grave and let someone kick the dirt over us. Real life is worth the risk.”

  She nodded. “I know that now. But just know even though I realize my thinking is wrong, I might take one step toward you and two steps back.”

  “I have more patience than you give me credit for.” He pulled her head down for a proper kiss, and she seemed happy to oblige.

  * * *

  Dinosaurs loomed everywhere she looked.

  Torie watched Hailey, who grinned widely as she dashed from exhibit to exhibit inside the big tent of the Jurassic World show. They’d made the hour drive to Jacksonville right after reporting the attack to the Navy and the state police. Joe had made sure Simon returned to the enclosure, and they’d grabbed lunch on the way.

  Torie hadn’t expected such fun animatronics. Children of all ages flocked around the T-Rex exhibit. Joe kept being drawn to the real bones and teeth in glass cabinets, but Hailey couldn’t be bothered with anything that mundane. She wanted to see the raptors.

  “They don’t look anything like in the movies,” Hailey said. “They’re so small, and they have feathers. I had nightmares after watching the movie, but these guys don’t seem all that scary.”

  Joe frowned. “When did you watch the movie? The violence isn’t appropriate for your age.”

  Hailey rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’m eight years old. I’m not a kid. I just hid my eyes when they ate a guy.”

  “You didn’t answer the question.”

  “I don’t remember. A playdate sometime.” Hailey waved madly, then dashed to join a friend and her family at the display of megalodon and prehistoric ocean creatures. “Millie!” The two little girls embraced and chattered excitedly.

  “That kid will be the death of me,” Joe muttered.

  Torie could hardly take her gaze off the megalodon’s triangular serrated teeth. “Glad we don’t see sharks like that anymore. Especially today. Our flimsy piece of metal wouldn’t have dented its hide.”

  Joe, looking impossibly handsome in shorts and a red tee, handed her an iced tea. “I was thinking the same thing. You doing okay? You’ve been quiet. I know this morning was terrifying.”

  It was now or never. She didn’t want him to hear about her identity from a rumor. “I . . . um. Well, I have something I need to tell you, and I’m not sure how.”

  His green-eyed gaze sharpened. “What is it? Have you found out something about Lisbeth’s death?”

  “No, it’s not that.” She wet her lips and forced herself to hold his gaze. She wanted to track every flicker of his eyelids and every turn of his mouth for clues to how he took her news. “It’s about my name.”

  His forehead furrowed. “Your name? I don’t understand.”

  “My full name is Victoria. Victoria Bergstrom. I’m Anton’s daughter.”

  His jaw sagged. “You’re not serious.” She held his gaze. “You are serious. Why would you show up here pretending to be an employee?”

&n
bsp; “I thought I could learn more about Lisbeth’s death if no one knew I was a Bergstrom.” She clenched her hands together. “You don’t know what it’s like to grow up with a famous name. People watch what they say. They make assumptions about you based on nothing more than something they read in a magazine or watched on TV. I knew everyone would clam up if they thought they were talking out of school, and I didn’t want that.”

  “So even though I was helping you try to discover the truth, you didn’t think I needed to know your real identity?”

  “I was afraid it would get out to everyone.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “So not only did you not trust me enough with your real name, but you thought I was a gossip.”

  This was quickly going south. She touched his forearm. “I didn’t know you well enough to make that kind of judgment. I don’t open up easily to people. I’m awkward and inept in relationships. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away. I didn’t know you, Joe. Surely you can understand that.”

  “I took you at face value.”

  “No you didn’t. You were suspicious right from the beginning. You know you were.”

  He exhaled. “Maybe so. But we’ve come a ways in the past few days.” His mouth softened. “Is that why you’re telling me now?”

  She wished she could tell him it was true, but another lie would make things worse. “No. I had to tell my aunt last night, and she’s already blabbed it to the world.”

  He took a step back. “So you’re only telling me because you got caught and knew I’d hear about it somewhere else?”

  “I wanted to tell you before this, but there hasn’t been a good time.”

  “You could have told me after we got on the boat this morning. There have been plenty of opportunities to open up and be honest.”

  “I know. I wish I could do things differently, but I can’t.”

  His lips flattened, and she could see him physically pull away from her in his stance and the way he avoided her gaze. She had expected this, but she’d hoped it would go better.