by Lee,Molly E.
Fuck, I didn’t know if I could live through that again.
It only took a half hour to cut through the door. Sadie had to go to the halfway point to re-gas up, but I was provided plenty of air since Ryan controlled it through the umbilical. I pushed against the middle of the door with my fist, using all the muscle I had to push it forward. It landed with a soft thunk, stirring up a mass of sediment within the room, but not enough to block our visibility.
Sadie was at my shoulder the second I’d extinguished the flame and stored it in my tool basket.
It took another five minutes for the murky water to clear, the dust and debris combo settling on the steel floor of the room.
“Whoa,” Sadie said, quickly pushing past me and into the chamber.
I followed her, my chest puffing out despite the water pressure around us. I’d let her inside a place she hadn’t previously been able to enter since starting work on this site. That smile she donned? The one that made my blood run hot even in the cold temperatures of the ocean? I owned that.
The room held an array of deteriorated wooden boxes, their metal seams bent and warped from the pressure and time underneath the ocean. All matter of contents spewed from their insides, wine and liquor bottles—caked with sediment so badly you could only see peeks of green underneath the mirk—tin cans lacking any labels to indicate what their contents were, and bowls and plates, some broken into pieces and others fully intact.
Sadie scooped up what looked like a whiskey bottle and glanced at me. “You think this will save my site?” She asked, scraping some of the crud off the front.
A sharp twinge tightened my chest. “Nah, I don’t,” I said, shoving down the guilt. She was playing in a fixed game, and I was the turning factor.
“You sure?” she asked. “It’s 1939. Great year.” She laughed and set the bottle back down. “Incredible. All this time locked up at the bottom of an ocean and yet still beautiful.”
I swallowed hard. Could she really see beauty in this broken and damaged loot? If she could, maybe she could see past the damaged flaws that made me the man I was today.
Easy. You’re dangerously close to spilling your emotional shit all over the place.
Right.
“On to the next?” I asked, making my way out of the room before she could answer.
“Please,” she said behind me.
She hung back as I made my way to the next sealed door a few feet down the hall. I could feel her eyes on me, like a pressure at the base of my neck. I liked it, and I didn’t. I wanted her to watch me do what she wanted, but I also wanted her a safe distance away from any unknowns that could happen.
I wanted her—
“Fuck!” Nemo’s voice cut through the radio and my thoughts.
“Nemo?” Sadie swam lightning fast past me, not waiting for him to answer.
I followed as quickly as the gear I carted would allow, which was a lot fucking slower than I’d like.
“Nemo, do you copy?” she asked frantically when he didn’t insta-reply. Her breaths had quickened, and my pulse skyrocketed from the fear I felt coming off her.
When she slipped out of the entryway a good forty seconds before I did, I had a moment of panic—my heart leaped into my throat, and my stomach twisted in on itself all at the same time.
When I cleared the ship, it was worse.
The blood in my veins turned to ice, and I halted in the entryway, completely shell-shocked.
Nemo was in the center of a continuous circle the three tiger sharks had created, paralyzed in his terror. Sadie hovered a few feet before me, still as a statue.
“Don’t move,” she whispered, her breaths short.
He didn’t, but I could see his face—white as a sheet, hand on his diver’s knife, and fight or flight killing his rational thought process. He’d bolt in under a minute and then they’d tear into him.
I didn’t have a clue how the kid had gotten stuck in the open waters that hovered beyond the drop-off a good fifty yards away from Sadie’s site, but I wanted to kick him in the ass. He should’ve known better. He was going to get himself killed.
The sharks picked up their pace and taunted him by darting with opened jaws just past his face.
Well if he hadn’t pissed in his speedo he surely had now.
Fuck.
I’d seen plenty of sharks in my time underwater—this was their test before the taste.
As if on cue the biggest of the three darted toward Nemo and clamped its jaws over his tank. The shark thrashed, jerking Nemo left and right, his arms and legs flailing like a rag doll under the sheer strength of the animal. A steady spray of bubbles from his spewing tank made visibility difficult, but not enough to miss Nemo gripping his knife and sinking it into the side of the shark’s massive head while the other two bumped his legs with their noses in fast dives. The water became cloudy with blood—from the shark for sure, but I couldn’t tell if Nemo had gotten bit or not. The ice in my veins solidified as I realized we could do nothing but watch—I was strong, but I wasn’t strong enough to take on three tiger sharks. And if it didn’t cut him loose soon, he’d die from loss of oxygen.
Sadie had to have surmised as much because she did the stupidest—and most courageous thing—before the other two could work up another pass on Nemo, this time with jaws open for the bite.
She flailed where she hovered, darting her arms and legs out like an injured sea creature would—just enough to look like an easier target than the thing that had already hurt one of them.
The heart that was once in my throat dropped to my stomach as the sharks’ sharp gazes zeroed in on her.
“Sadie!” I yelled, but she couldn’t hear me because I hadn’t fucking moved to push my PTT button.
The second the sharks moved a fin in her direction, she bolted toward the back of the ship, swimming so fast she made it around the stern just before the Trio did.
“Get to the surface!” I shouted at Nemo, who was already making a break for it.
“Boss!” he screamed back.
“I’ve got her. Go!” That’s obviously what she’d wanted. For Nemo—and perhaps even myself—to make it to the ship floating above us while she distracted the sharks.
Who the fuck takes a bet against tiger sharks?
I spared half a thought to hope the kid slowed the fuck down before he surfaced so he didn’t get the bends from popping up too quickly.
One more blink and I moved as fast as my thicker suit and gear would allow, taking the path the tiger sharks had, praying to whatever God was listening that I wouldn’t find a section of cloudy water when I rounded the ship’s end.
I cleared the green-rusted end, my heart pounding against my chest like a jackhammer.
Clear.
Nothing.
Not even a shark.
What in the absolute hell?
I pushed ahead slowly, following the trail of bubbles her path had left behind.
“Sadie?” I whispered into the radio in my mask, like the sharks could understand my intention.
Nothing.
Propelling forward, cutting my arms through the water at a faster rate, I mentally visualized the worst. Swallowed whole. Torn to shreds at the other end of the ship. Me carrying pieces of a woman I barely got the chance to know to the surface. My stomach turned over, threatening to crawl up my throat and explode.
A dark shadow darted overhead, followed by two more. I jerked my head upward. The sharks swam ferociously overhead, checking out the moving line of my umbilical. Still no sign of Sadie.
Moving quicker, I worked my way down the ship. As I neared the front, my mind was overrun with panic. Where the hell could she have gone?
Something clamped down on my left arm, and I jolted, tearing away from it.
Where I expected teeth, I found fingers. Delicate ones.
All the air left my lungs in one quick breath as I locked onto Sadie’s wide but beautiful brown eyes. She had wrenched through a small opening in the ship’s
side. Dangerous with the tank she carried, but no less dangerous than a trio of sharks with her on their radar.
She glanced upward, watching their patterns as they worked their way back to where they’d left Nemo. They’d discover their prey missing in about thirty seconds, and if we were lucky, would search elsewhere. But I didn’t want to take the chance they’d come back looking for her.
Her eyes said her thoughts were on the same track.
I held up my hand and ticked off my fingers, counting to three without speaking.
The second I hit three we both bolted toward the surface, never once glancing back. We slowed pace about thirty feet before breaking the water, giving us time to breathe out at the perfect time.
I shoved her up the ladder to the ship with a hand on her hip, forcing her to go faster than was probably necessary. The sharks wouldn’t be able to reach her on board, but I couldn’t help it, the adrenaline coursed through my veins and pushed me to the brink of breaking.
Our flippers flapped loudly as we fell onto the deck, Nemo and the rest of her crew rushing us. Sadie ripped off her mask and immediately wrapped her arms around Nemo.
“Are you all right?” She asked.
“Me?” he pushed her back as he surveyed her with an incredulous look. “You’re the one who just played tag with the Trio!”
He was right. She’d been reckless. I didn’t fucking like it.
She shrugged. The woman dared to pull a move from my playbook after a stunt like that?
“You’re all right, though?” she turned his arms over and back, inspecting him.
He nodded, his chest still heaving. “It just got my tank.”
“Good. We’re good then,” she said and patted him on the back.
He shook his head, glancing to me and back again.
I tossed my gear to the side and sank onto my ass, my elbows on my knees while I caught my breath.
Ryan gripped my shoulder. “You okay, man?”
I shook him off and nodded.
I’d faced death over a hundred times on the job.
Not once had I ever been as terrified as I had been when I’d lost sight of Sadie.
Screw my list of reasoning to push her away. Her death was close enough to shake up what little soul I had left.
And it had one word . . . one hope written all over it.
Sadie.
Mine.
Sadie
“ANOTHER ROUND!” LIZ excitedly told the bartender.
“I think I need a water,” I said, not wanting to get drunk again, especially with my whole team here at the bar.
“Nonsense,” Liz said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and squeezing me. “You just outran the Trio! Celebrations are in order.”
We’d already celebrated for two hours, and honestly, I didn’t feel I merited it. I had reacted on pure instinct when I’d seen Nemo in jeopardy. If I’d used my head, thought through it logically . . . well, what I did wouldn’t have been what I’d chosen. But the end result? Nemo’s life was worth the risk. I thanked God for looking out for me today, took a deep breath, and sipped the third drink Liz ordered me.
“I’ll always be in your debt.” Nemo leaned into my shoulder, having had too many beers to stay level. “Like in those movies. I won’t be able to leave your side until I save your life or something.”
“Stop it.” I patted his hand that had come down on top of mine. “You owe me nothing. Except maybe not swimming out into open water like that again.”
He clenched his eyes shut and nodded, his movements exaggerated by the booze. “I thought I saw something that looked like more purple algae sprouting between the seaweed. Just barely caught a glimpse of color from the ship and went to check it out. I misjudged the distance.”
“It’s all right. We’ve lived and learned.” I nudged him backward, helping him sit up straighter in his seat. Ryan walked into the bar at that moment, nodded at Connell—who had been even more silent than usual if that was a possibility—and ordered a drink.
“You’ve had a hell of a day,” he said, grabbing the longneck the bartender offered.
“I suppose—“
“She saved my life!” Nemo shouted over me. “Distracted the Trio and outran them. Outsmarted them. She’s like Superwoman under the water.”
Ryan’s blue eyes widened, and he grinned.
“He was on board, Nemo.” My cheeks flushed. I was so not into the attention this story earned me. “It wasn’t a big deal, really.”
“I doubt that.” Ryan took a drink of his beer and glanced at Connell. “Would’ve paid to see it. What the hell did you do?” He nudged him.
Connell fiddled with the bottle in his hands, his elbows resting on the bar. He hadn’t said a word since we’d come inland, and while usually that wouldn’t send up a red flag for me, the cold look in his eyes did. I didn’t know what the hell bothered him, but it was driving me nuts.
He pushed backward, slipping off his barstool. “I need some air.”
Ryan and I watched while he sauntered out of the bar, the wooden doors swinging closed behind him.
Liz, Nemo, and the rest of my crew were already well into the fourth round, now taking bets on if I could do it again. I prayed to God I’d never have to, but knew their curiosity was purely adrenaline inspired. We’d all had close calls on the job—not as close as this, perhaps—but the huge rush of release that came from survival was contagious and intoxicating on its own.
“Don’t worry about him,” Ryan said, waving his hand in front of my eyes. I hadn’t taken them off the doors Connell had just walked out of. “He’s not big on socializing. I’m shocked he’s come inland this much at all.”
I nodded. Was that because of me? No, he’d made it clear he had no interest in me that way, which was for the best. Still, it didn’t stop my curiosity over what exactly it was about Connell that tickled underneath my skin. A constant urge to know him had taken up residence in my heart since I met him and the past week and a half had been pleasant—dinner every night, short conversations between bites that filled me more than some relationships that had lasted years in the past.
“Do you know the reasoning behind that?” I asked, finally focusing on Ryan.
“Not really. We’ve been friends since he started Slade’s gig, but we don’t exactly have long conversations.”
“No surprise there,” I said and sighed.
“He’s a solid guy, though. He doesn’t have to tell you his whole life story for you to learn that either. I’d trust him with my life any day, and I wouldn’t say that about most people. And then look at you today, being a lifesaver of your own.”
I pressed my lips together. I’d gotten that trustworthy sense about Connell too, even when he’d deliberately tried to push me away. Glad I wasn’t the only one, but I highly doubted Ryan was having secret fantasies about the man like I was. Heat flushed my cheeks again, and I stood up, headed toward wherever he’d disappeared to.
Ryan stopped me before I’d made it to the door. “If you push him, he’ll just dig in deeper.”
“I’d like some air, too.”
Ryan chuckled, his smile genuine and inviting. He was tall, muscular, and polite. Why couldn’t I have all the tingling, sparking sensations toward him? Why was the heat between my thighs and the ache in my chest zeroed in on the man who barely spoke to me? Was I broken?
“I’ve only known you a little while, Sadie, but from what you’ve shown and what I’ve heard?” He shook his head, stepping out of my way to the door. “You’re just like him.”
I didn’t know if that was supposed to be a compliment or if he pitied me, but I didn’t wait around to puzzle it out. Not only did I not want to talk about the incident with the sharks anymore with my team or the bargoers who were eager to hear the tale, but I couldn’t stand Connell’s silence a second longer.
Pushing through the doors I was instantly hit with the cool night air which carried the scent of the sea on its breeze. The sky was black, the star
s and moon so crisp and sharp they painted the ocean beneath it in silver. The path to the beach was clear, so I turned my head to the left, my heart beating twice as hard when I spotted Connell leaning up against the bar’s wooden exterior.
I walked to him slowly, and with each step, my stomach flipped. I felt like I was in trouble like I was heading to a scolding of epic proportions, but I had no idea why. I hadn’t done anything wrong, though I could tell he was angry with me. The way his eyes had locked onto mine when we’d boarded the boat, the fire that roared there before the cold had iced them over.
“Something wrong, Connell?” The darkness made it hard to see him, his face only partially lit up by the glow from a burning torch at the other end of the building, where the patio seating started and wove around the back.
He pushed off the wall, walking past me to stare out at the ocean.
My muscles twisted themselves into knots. This was so different than the comfortable—totally mysterious but comfortable—silence I’d grown used to from him.
“Did I do something to offend you?” I pressed when he clearly wasn’t going to answer me. I tried to tell myself this was all because he held the power over my site, that his opinions only mattered because of business, but it was a lie. Something stirred deep down inside me, begged me to reach out and touch this man in more ways than one. Wake him up, shake him up, something.
He turned his gaze back to me, and the heat behind it was enough to make me take a step back. “No,” he said, his voice sharp.
“Then what is bothering you?”
“Who said anything was?”
“You’re uncharacteristically broodier tonight.”
He shook his head. “Don’t act like you know a thing about me.”
A sharp twinge hit my chest. “Don’t I?”
He huffed. “Because of a few nights drinking and a few days working together? Please.”
I turned my eyes to slits. “Sure. Act like I don’t get you . . . like I can’t understand your passion for the ocean or the job like you do.”
