“You can do anything.” He was firm. “I have faith. I will have a rope ladder waiting for you. I need you to swim for me!”
He looked so pained, so terrified, I could do nothing but acquiesce. “Okay, but if I die I want Laura prosecuted for my murder.”
“Why should I be prosecuted?” Laura groused as I started to stroke in the water, my eyes peeled for movement on either side of me. “I’m not the idiot who fell in.”
“You pushed me!”
A fin cut through the water, reacting to my raised voice, and causing my heart to skip what felt like a hundred beats.
“I did not. You fell. You’re a klutz.”
“Laura, if you don’t get away from here I’ll push you in,” Jack threatened. “I mean it. Go away!”
“I think you should push her in,” I offered, doing my best to ignore the onyx eyes watching me from ten feet away. “If she draws the attention of the sharks, I can get away.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jack disappeared from view, causing my heart to roll. I forced myself to keep swimming even when I felt something against my leg.
By the time Jack returned, he had several members of the crew with him and a rope ladder. They helped him secure the ladder, which seemed to take forever, but I was just approaching the side of the ship (which thankfully had stopped drifting) when he tossed it over the side.
“Can you get to it?” Jack peered down as I reached for the ladder. My fingertips brushed the braided line, but I missed. “I’ll come down and help you.” He already had a leg over the railing when one of the crew members stopped him. I couldn’t hear what the man said, but Jack’s angry curse told me it wasn’t something good.
I reached again, and failed. This time when I hit the water there was a terrific splash. It was big enough to draw the attention of one of the sharks that had been monitoring my progress, and shifted its path so I was directly in front of it.
I didn’t think, instead reacting out of instinct and lashing out with my magic before considering my options.
“Go away,” I hissed, unleashing a potent blast with my mind. The pulse hit the shark square in the face and caused it to veer to the side at the last second, giving me a wide berth. I sucked up my courage, focused to the best of my ability and stretched again. This time I managed to grab the lowest rope rung. Unfortunately, I had zero upper body strength and couldn’t pull myself up.
Jack, recognizing the problem, made up his mind on the spot. “Hold on, Charlie. We’re going to pull you to us. You can’t let go. If you fall into the water a second time ... .”
He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. I could figure the ramifications myself. If I splashed again, the shark would return. Even though I frightened it the first go-around, the odds of me being able to do it a second time weren’t great.
“I’ll hold on,” I promised.
“Hold tight.”
The ride back up to the deck was the stuff of dreams. Nightmares, to be more precise. I gripped the rope ladder so tightly my hands were raw and I thought I might fall because of the pain.
I managed to hold on as the crew members dragged me toward the deck. When I finally reached the top of the railing, Jack’s hands were on me before I could grasp the metal bar, and he pulled me over the top, both of us tumbling to the deck because of my klutziness.
“Ow.” I rubbed my knee as he wrapped his arms around me. “That hurt.”
He didn’t immediately answer, instead running his hands over every part of my body (although not in a sexy way). It took me a moment to realize he was looking for bite marks.
“I’m okay.” My voice was raspy. “I’m okay.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” His fingers were gentle as they brushed over my bare legs. When he was finished, certain I wasn’t missing any huge chunks, he pulled me in for a second hug. “You scared the life out of me, Charlie. What were you thinking?”
I wasn’t so far gone I would accept blame for this mishap. “I didn’t fall over ... or jump. Ask your little buddy why I went over.” I wasn’t big on tattling, but in this particular instance, I felt Laura deserved it.
Jack’s eyes were hot embers of hate fire when he turned them to Laura. “What did you do?”
Instead of apologizing and taking blame, Laura feigned innocence. “She did it to herself. She shouldn’t be so clumsy.”
“I’m going to kill you,” he muttered under his breath as he ran his hands over my shoulders. “Seriously, it’s going to hurt.”
Laura clearly wasn’t concerned about Jack carrying through on the threat. “It’s her fault.”
“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is,” Millie said, appearing with a huge towel. “Charlie is safe. That’s the most important thing.”
“To you, maybe,” Laura sniffed.
Millie ignored her as she wrapped the towel around my shoulders. “I’m more confused about where all those sharks came from.” She turned to one of the crew members. “Why would so many sharks be in one place?”
“I only saw two,” I offered through chattering teeth. “I mean ... I think.”
Jack’s eyes filled with something I couldn’t identify. “You should probably look again, Charlie,” he said quietly.
I followed his suggestion, making sure to keep a safe distance from the railing, and when I looked at the water it teemed with sharks. There had to be at least thirty of them, and they were all circling the same area. “I don’t understand.” My voice cracked. Had I known that many sharks were in the water I would’ve frozen. Fear would’ve claimed me, and getting out of the water would’ve been impossible. “Why are they all here?”
“There’s a whale carcass over there.” A crew member pointed to the east. “It’s huge. They’re feeding off it.”
A whale carcass? I craned my neck, adjusting my eyes until I saw the huge mass floating on the water. My stomach rolled again, this time for another reason. “What killed the whale?”
Jack shrugged and hugged me again, clearly not caring that we had an audience. “I don’t know. But you’re okay and that’s the most important thing.”
BY THE TIME CHRIS, HANNAH and Bernard joined us on the deck, Jack had me tucked into a chair (seatbelt fastened), and he’d wrapped three towels around me to ward off the cold. It was a sunny day, hot and humid, but I couldn’t stop shaking.
“She’s in shock,” he explained to Chris. “We need to head back right now.”
“I can hear you,” I pointed out, forcing a smile for his benefit. “I don’t think I’m in shock.”
“Of course you’re in shock,” he countered. “You fell into shark-infested waters and survived.”
“They’re bull sharks,” Hannah said as she leaned over the railing to take photographs with her phone. “They don’t play well with humans. You’re very lucky, Charlie.”
I knew she didn’t mean it in a demeaning way, but the statement grated all the same. “Yes, that’s me. Lucky Charlie. I think I might play the lottery tonight.”
Jack shot me a dark look. “You need to rest. Close your eyes and ... leave that seatbelt on. I’m not kidding. I don’t want you near that railing. Do you understand?”
Under different circumstances, I might’ve argued with him. I didn’t have the energy. I was too tired ... and maybe a little shaky, although I would die before admitting that. “I have no intention of going near the railing.”
Jack held my gaze for a moment, turning back only when he appeared satisfied I meant what I’d said. He was in no mood to play games with Chris, though, and stood toe-to-toe with our boss. “I want her back on land.”
Chris, never one for confrontation, adopted a placating tone. “I know you’re upset. I’m honestly glad I was below deck when she fell into the water because I would’ve totally freaked out. You did what you had to do as the chief of security. You saved her. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“The problem is that she’s wet and cold.”
“It’s nin
ety-five degrees with ninety-seven percent humidity.”
Jack scowled. “She’s in shock!”
I was starting to think Jack was the one in shock. “I’m okay,” I repeated, his gaze softening when it landed on me. “I really am fine. Chris wants to get closer to that whale, get some photographs. We both know why. We might lose this chance if we leave now. I’m fine.”
“You could’ve died.”
I understood that. I still felt it. In the grand scheme of things, though, I’d been in worse situations. “I didn’t die. It won’t take long to check out the whale. I can make it.”
He licked his lips, uncertain. This time when he swiveled, it was toward Millie, which took me by surprise. “Tell her she needs to go back to shore.”
Millie chuckled, catching me off guard. This wasn’t exactly a funny situation. “I can see why I would be your best bet on that front,” she acknowledged. “I’m like a mother hen at times. Charlie is safe. You thought quick and got her out of the water. The bull sharks were more interested in her than the carcass, but they didn’t have time to attack. We got lucky.”
I thought about the nudges I felt against my legs. I definitely got lucky. Now probably wasn’t the time to mention that to Jack.
“Charlie says she’s fine to explore the whale,” Millie said. “I think she’s old enough — and brave enough — to make her own decisions.”
“Oh, geez!” Laura rolled her eyes. “She’s going to be the queen of the group by the end of the day at this rate. I can’t tell you what joy that fills me with.”
“You’ll be living in her dungeon if you’re not careful,” Jack seethed, his hands forming into fists at his sides before he slid his gaze back to me. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? There’s no shame in going back to shore to collect yourself.”
“I’m fine.” I meant it. “I want a closer look at the whale carcass, too.”
IN THE END, THE CUTTER got us as close as we dared to the whale carcass. Jim Bedford, the chief marine biologist on the ship, joined us on deck to study the find. As we got closer, more sharks appeared, drawn by the blood and other sharks. I even noticed a black fin or two, which threw me for a loop.
“Is that an Orca?” I was beyond confused.
Jack, who refused to let me out of his sight, kept me behind him as he stared in the direction I looked. “I think it is. That’s weird, right?”
“Not as weird as you’d think,” Bedford countered, a camera gripped in his hand as he snapped photographs. “There are about five-hundred killer whales in the Gulf. This one was obviously drawn by the carcass.”
“I thought they were strictly cold-water whales,” I admitted.
“No.”
“What kind of whale is it?” Millie asked, her excitement growing as we got a better look at the dead animal. “It looks pretty big.”
“It’s a Fin whale,” Bedford supplied, narrowing his eyes. “They can grow to be almost ninety feet, although this one looks more like seventy-five.”
I did the math in my head ... and then double-checked it because I wasn’t lying about being bad at arithmetic. “That would make it bigger than any predators you should have in the water, right?”
Bedford nodded. “Yes. I know you guys are looking for a Megalodon, which I had my doubts about, but this whale would be bigger than that shark.”
“Maybe that’s why not all of it is eaten,” Chris suggested. “It was too big for the Megalodon to eat in one feeding.”
“I don’t think so.” Bedford tilted his head to the side. “It’s hard to see any injuries. This whale could’ve died of natural causes, or been attacked by a pod of killer whales. I don’t see any evidence that a big predator took it down. More likely it was multiple little predators or natural causes.”
The response clearly wasn’t what Chris wanted. “But you can’t know that for certain, right?”
“I can’t, but do you see any wounds large enough to suggest a Megalodon took this animal out?”
“No, but I’m not an expert.” Chris looked to Hannah for help. “What do you think?”
“I know what you want me to say, but I have to agree with Mr. Bedford on this one,” Hannah replied, cringing when Chris frowned. “I’m sorry. I have to tell the truth. I don’t think a big predator took down this whale.”
“I’m not angry,” Chris said hurriedly.
“Just disappointed.” Hannah patted his hand. “I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t think this is what you’re looking for.”
“I think it’s interesting to see multiple species feeding off the same animal,” Bedford noted. “That over there is a Tiger shark. The bull sharks might get territorial in a few minutes if more tigers show up.”
He slowly tracked his eyes to me. “You’re darned lucky, Miss. The bull sharks probably wouldn’t have eaten you because they prefer the whale carcass, but they would’ve gladly torn you apart for fun if they’d been feeling more aggressive.”
My mouth went dry. “Well, that’s a lovely thought.”
Jack slipped his arm around my shoulders, clearly not caring that our co-workers were watching. “She’s safe. Things could’ve been worse. Take your photos of the whale as quickly as you can, because then we’re heading back to shore. I’ve had enough of this for one day.”
He wasn’t the only one.
Ten
Jack was manic until the cutter docked. After that, he practically dragged me toward one of the vehicles in the lot. He barked something at Millie and Bernard to get them to pick up the pace, but when Laura appeared near the vehicle as he was opening the passenger door for me, he glared so hard I thought his eyes might pop out of his head.
“You’re not riding with us,” he said firmly, his tone practically daring her to argue with him.
“Why not?” Laura adopted an innocent expression that I’m sure garnered her all sorts of free passes growing up. “It’s not my fault she fell in.”
“You were messing with her right before it happened,” Jack gritted out. “She wouldn’t have gone in if you hadn’t been there. It’s definitely your fault.”
Laura refused to back down. “She’s perfectly fine. I don’t know why you’re getting all worked up.”
“I know you don’t.” Jack gestured toward the back seat when Millie and Bernard arrived. “Strap in. We’re heading back to the hotel right now.”
Millie looked as if she was going to offer up an argument — or at least tease him about being a bossy bully — but ultimately she thought better of it and climbed into the rental without complaint. Jack was more gentle with me.
“Do you need help?” He tried to give me an additional lift when I reached for the seat.
“I’m pretty sure I can manage to sit in a vehicle all by myself,” I offered, looking at Laura and cringing at the way she scowled. The look on her face told me this was nowhere near finished. “I’m honestly okay.”
“You need to change and rest.” Jack’s tone was clipped. “Put your seatbelt on.”
I risked a glance at Millie and found her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. I didn’t find this situation nearly as funny as she did. As for Laura, her meltdown was bound to be something else entirely.
“You’re riding with Chris and Hannah,” Jack said. “In fact, everything you do is going to be with Chris and Hannah for the next few days because they’re the only ones who can tolerate you.”
Laura balked. “I don’t need to take this abuse. It’s not my fault she fell in the water.”
“Then whose fault is it?”
“She’s klutzy.”
“That did it.” Jack double-checked my seatbelt to make sure it was fastened, as if I was a child, and then slammed the door. The rest of his words were muffled, but he was so loud and ornery I had no trouble making them out. “You had better stay away from her, Laura. I mean it. I’m not joking around. I’ll have you fired if you’re not careful!”
Laura turned haughty. “And what makes you think you ha
ve the power to do that?”
“Well, let’s see,” Jack drawled, annoyance practically dripping from his tongue. “There’s the fact that I have hiring and firing power. When I took this job, I made sure that Myron was aware that I wouldn’t be working with any loose cannons. That’s exactly what you are.”
Laura made a face. “You’re overreacting.”
“I’m not done,” he hissed, leaning closer. “You’ve been nothing but mean and nasty to Charlie since she got here. You’ve harassed her, threatened her and sexually harassed me. Those are all firing offenses.”
I watched Laura’s face closely for a reaction. I wasn’t disappointed. She realized quickly Jack meant business, and she turned from an innocent woman trying to manipulate a man into a hissing snake. “I’ll go above your head if I have to.”
“You can try.” Jack didn’t appear worried in the least. “Just remember, Millie is on my side.”
“And she’s divorced from Myron.”
“But still has his ear.”
“If you want to make this a war, Jack, I’m more than willing to declare it,” Laura offered. “Is that what you want?”
“I don’t care what you do. You’re going to stay away from Charlie. You’re also going to stay away from me. I’ve had it with you. I’m so angry I could ... ,” he broke off, refusing to finish the sentence. I was glad. If he’d finished, Laura would have ammunition against him. “Stay away from Charlie. If you don’t, you won’t like what happens. That’s all there is to it.”
I SHOWERED WHEN at the condo, changing into comfortable khaki shorts and a T-shirt. When I exited the bedroom I shared with Millie I found Jack sitting on the couch watching a baseball game. He smiled when he looked up, much calmer than he had been on the ship ... and in the parking lot ... and in the rental.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” I said hurriedly, glancing around to make sure we were alone. “Where are Bernard and Millie?”
“Millie said she didn’t want to be around me when I was in Hulk mode. I think she wanted to give us some time alone. You’re right about her knowing. It’s obvious.”
The Megalodon Mix-Up Page 9
