Brilliant. Sara had used her knife to bang against the tanks. The sharp, metallic sound vibrated through the water, loud and unnatural. A classic diver’s trick to get attention, but in this context, a weapon of auditory warfare. The effect on the shark was immediate. It flinched, its head jerking to the side as the alien sound hit. Its smooth, circling pattern broke. The beast became hesitant, confused by the aggressive, rhythmic noise. It was no longer dealing with silent, bleeding prey; it was facing a loud, unpredictable opponent.
This was their chance. Their only chance. Grabbing hold of Sara, pulling her with him as he kicked powerfully toward the surface, he didn’t bother to look back. There was no time to check if the shark was following. There was only the light, the promise of air and safety, and the desperate, all-consuming need to get Sara on that boat.
They broke the surface in a chaotic explosion of foam and saltwater. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, he spied Billy at the rail and the Thornes scrambling, pointing. The world was a blur of motion and shouting. He shoved Sara toward the dive ladder, his arm hooked around her waist.
“Climb!” his voice a guttural command.
He stayed in the water, his body a shield, his eyes scanning the churning surface, knife still in hand. He wouldn’t be safe until she was. Not till she scrambled up the ladder did he risk a look down. A dark, massive shape was rising from the depths directly beneath him. Time was running out. Swiftly, he launched himself out of the water, grabbing the lowest rung ofthe ladder just as a pair of jaws, lined with rows of serrated death, snapped shut on the very spot where his fins had been a split second before. The power of the impact sent a shudder through the entire boat as the shark slammed into the hull, then twisted and disappeared back into the blue.
Kenny hauled himself over the rail, collapsing onto the deck, his chest heaving, his body humming with an overdose of adrenaline. He rolled over, his first and only thought for Sara. She was there, kneeling beside him, her hands hovering over him, her face a mask of terror and relief.
The world narrowed to her face, to her wide, tear-filled eyes. The shark, the thugs, the treasure—it all vanished. There was only this woman, who had faced down a man with a knife and a tiger shark at his back, and hadn’t left his side. He reached up, his hand shaking, and cupped her cheek. “You are amazing.”
The way her heart beat pounded in her ears, she could barely think, never mind hear. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
“Back at you.” Swallowing hard, he reached up and pulled her toward him until she practically collapsed on top of him. “I have sacrificed a great deal in my lifetime to keep my team safe, but I have never been as scared of losing anyone as I was down there of losing you.”
“Thank you.”
“For what? You saved us.”
Her cheeks tugged at the corner of her lips. This man was so cute when he was being obtuse. “For caring.”
“Caring?” He pulled her impossibly closer. “Sara, I don’t just care, I love you.”
Loved her? Her mouth fell slightly opened and she quickly snapped it shut. Surely she’d misheard or maybe he meant love you the way he loved the Everretts or the Harpers.
“Don’t look so surprised. We might have started this for all the wrong reasons, but loving you is the most right thing I’ve ever done.”
There it was again. The L word. And it didn’t sound anything like the affection a man had for his friends. Forcing her lips to move, she finally managed to say, “You’re serious.”
He nodded.
“Not part of the game?”
“Not a game.”
Could it possibly be true? Could she be dreaming? Could she have lost her mind? Or maybe the shark had killed them both and this was heaven?
Taking her hand from his side, he placed it on his chest, over his heart. “I’m dead serious. Sara Alani, I love you, and I only ask that you give me a chance to convince you that I’m worth taking a chance on, not for show, but for real.”
Resisting the urge to pinch herself, she decided instead to go with the flow. If this was a dream, or heaven, what harm could it do to tell him what she felt. “I don’t need time.”
For a split second she saw the hope in his gaze fade.
“I already love you for real.”
A broad smile took over his face and before she could say another word, he pulled her all the way down against him and captured her mouth with his in a kiss that was already curling her toes. She would have gladly stayed right here, kissing Kenny Yates until the cows came home, except the deep sound of a throat clearing reminded her that they had an audience.
Pushing herself to an upright position, she looked up at the group of people surrounding them, all smiling like the Cheshire cat.
Arms crossed, Billy’s grin was the widest. “If you two would like some privacy, we could all jump overboard and take our chances with the sharks.”
“Sorry.” Her cheeks warm with embarrassment, she pushed to her feet. “I, uh, guess we need to report the poachers to the police.”
“Already done.” The professor held up the camera that he’d taken from Kenny. “Seems the camera snapped a few shots of the idiots attacking you two. I don’t think they’ll be a problem anymore.”
“What about Vance?” Kenny asked, now standing beside her.
