I raise my head painfully, the back of my skull throbbing. I blink hard. Luke is standing on the rear bench seat facing the water, wind ripping through his blond hair. One hand is clamped tight on his shoulder. The other hand pumps like he’s at a rave. He yells into the night air, kicking the back of the hull in a frenzy. “Get it, boys!” He releases the hand clamping his shoulder, and the blood pours out in an angry stream. He flings the blood into the water, yelling down, “Come and get it!”
Bang.I grunt as the boat is knocked hard to the starboard side.
They’re gonna tip us over.
The boat rocks violently in the water, and waves of nausea roll through my stomach. I grab desperately for the rail, wrapping a fist around it, hauling myself up.
Luke smiles at me, teeth bloody, blood pouring down his neck, nose, and chin. I wrench myself up, but it’s too late. With an angry roar, he surges forward, pulling Chris off his feet, dragging him across the deck. There’s a struggle, brief and panicked. Chris swings his fists with the last of his strength, calls out something that’s lost in the roar. I charge, racing across the deck, raising the knife over my right shoulder.
Then a shove. One push, and Chris is thrown over the side, arms flailing for something, anything. For one awful second, he hangs in the air, caught between the sky and sea. His eyes catch mine as he goes over, terrified, desperate, lost. Then the splash, sharp and final. And something else…
A scream, sharp and primal, cutting through the air as the sea explodes in a torrent of teeth and flesh.
Luke charges me, no words, no hesitation, just the pounding of his feet against the hull, muscles coiled, eyes locked on mine. Then, the impact. Bone against bone, shoulders smashing together. I’m slammed into the side rail, my jaw smashing into the metal.
Dazed, I look up, staring hard into the water as a black fin sinks below the surface taking Chris with it. The moment seems to last forever. I stare at the empty space where he was moments before, heart pounding against my ribs. None of it feels real. My body slackens in shock as the surface churns with violent energy. It’s chaos overboard. Jaws snapping, teeth glinting.
They position themselves below you…then they strike.
Luke staggers to his feet near the skipper’s chair, blood dripping off his teeth. He charges a final time, blood streaming out like a tap running, the heat of his fury building with every step. And I charge back, running straight at him like I have nothing left to lose.
At the same moment, we both raise our hands.
I lash out, sinking the knife into his chest.
And he raises both palms and shoves me backward.
For a second, the entire world goes blinding white. I can’t see a thing. All I know is that I’m falling, falling, clawing at nothing. The wind shrieks through my ears, my hair, and the blinding whitesharpens and sharpens until I feel like I’m fainting and falling at the same time.
My shoulders hit the water first, hard. The back of my skull a moment later. Then I’m under, sinking below the freezing surface, and despite the blinding white that enfolds me, all I feel is darkness.
Chapter 32
Bubbles brush my cheek. For a moment, I’m suspended there, watching them escape from the side of my mouth, drifting up. The back of my head throbs. All I know is that I’m under the water.
And there are sharks all around me.
Fear travels like a flood down my veins, pooling into my heart with a violent gushing surge. My panic makes it hard to think, and my throat and chest are already starting to burn.
I tilt my head up. It’s so dark under the water, it’s hard to even see the surface. My body begins to rise, and I scramble frantically for the surface, arms thrashing. Then I see it. Blood dripping down my wrist and elbow.
Sharks can smell a drop of blood a mile away…
I grab my wrist as I rise, clapping my free hand around it, trying desperately to stem the blood flow.
Don’t splash.
My chin breaks the surface, and I gasp for breath, ignoring the searing pain in my ribs as I suck in breath after breath. I tread water painfully, hand still wrapped tight on my wrist, making my movements as small as possible. My eyes dart around the surface and my breath catches in my throat. Oh my God. Where’s the boat?
I bite my lip to keep from crying out as I frantically scan the surface for theReel Easy.I replay the last moment before Luke pushed me off. I didn’t fall far from the boat. I couldn’t have. I twist my body carefully, trying not to make any large movements.
And something brushes my left foot.
I go completely still, heart smashing against my rib cage.
Shut up,I tell my heart.They’ll hear it!
My body is sinking, my chin dropping below the water. I reachout instinctively, pushing at the water so I don’t drop below the surface.
