Risky Desires (Wolf Security Book 2), page 19
When we burst inside the equipment room, Rhino groaned like a beast beneath us.
I shut the doors, and as heat licked my back, I stepped away from the metal door.
The chaos of the equipment room had multiplied in our absence as equipment succumbed to the shift in gravity. Vests, fins, and masks were scattered among the mess. Thankfully, the tanks were still contained in their cage.
Amidst the mayhem, Old Smithy lay crumpled in a pool of blood. His body had slipped toward the fishing gear as if his favorite rod wanted to send him a farewell.
Indiana collapsed beside him, and her hand shook as she rolled him onto his back and cupped his weatherbeaten face. “Oh, Dad.”
Her voice cracked, and her raw pain sliced through the smoke-filled air.
“Indy. We have to go. There’s nothing we can do for him now.”
“I know.” She stood, and her amber eyes swam with unshed tears and something else: a fierce determination to live through another life-altering event.
“You know what?” Her tone was surprisingly steady. “Going down with the ship would have been exactly what Dad would have wanted. Rhino is the perfect coffin for him.”
“Good.” I kissed her cheek. “Then let’s ensure he gets his other wish—that you live.”
Her lips formed a wobbly smile. “Okay.”
Shoving away pieces of equipment, we pulled together all the dive gear we needed as outside the metal doors, the fire raged like a monster was clawing at our backs.
“Tyler,” Indiana yelled over the sounds of splitting timber. “We may need more than one tank.”
“Okay. How do we do that?”
“If we toss the full tanks overboard, they’ll sink straight to the bottom, and we can fetch them when we get down there.”
“Good idea.” I tugged one of the tanks from the cage, and as she dragged it to the door, I hauled out a second one. “Let’s get our gear ready before we dump these.”
As we put our kits together, the metal doors screeched as if fighting the scorching heat.
Indiana tested my kit, making sure I’d done everything correctly. With a nod, she scooped a spare tank into her arms. “Ready?”
“I’ll go first—”
“Go!” She burst open the door and took off.
Cursing at her through the crackling fire, I gripped the tank and chased after her, running over charred hundred-dollar bills and chunks of burning debris.
At the side railing, she hurled the tank overboard without pausing. I did the same. After the initial splash, our tanks sunk into the abyss, ready for us to find them later.
Provided this plan worked.
Rhino let out a colossal groan and her ass dropped away. I grabbed Indiana as we tumbled sideways, crashing into the railing that bordered the lower deck.
“She’s going, Indy! We need to run.” Gripping her hand, I pulled her toward the equipment room.
As the angle of the deck became a monstrous force, water gushed over the dive deck, smothering the flames. Dense smoke and an evil hiss added to the chaos.
Now it wasn’t just the fire that was a beast at our backs, it was the ocean hungry for destruction.
We ran into the equipment room, and as I tried to block Indiana’s view of Old Smithy’s body jammed against the other door, I lifted her integrated dive vest with the attached tank onto her back.
Rhino lurched beneath us. Water crept across the floor.
We had seconds, maybe less.
Fighting gravity, she helped me into my gear. Her movements were frantic yet precise. Tears mingled with soot on her cheeks, but her hands didn’t tremble. Not this woman. Not Indiana Smith. She was wild and untamed, yet strong. She’d also shown me a vulnerability that twisted something deep inside me.
I would give my life for her.
But I hoped it didn’t come to that because I wanted to have a whole lot more of her.
We pulled our masks over our heads, down to our necks, and grabbed our fins.
“I’m shutting these doors behind us,” she yelled over the noise. “I owe Dad that.”
“Okay.” There was no point arguing. “Let’s go.”
“Bye, Dad, I love you.” Her tone was filled with sorrow that hit me harder than the bullet that Wesley shot into my back.
She yanked open the door.
The floor buckled and timber cracked, opening a massive gap in the deck like a giant had sliced a sword across the charred wood.
We used our shoulders to shove the searing hot doors shut, and I used my elbow to bang the locking mechanism in place.
I grabbed Indiana’s hand, and as smoke clawed at my throat, I stumbled over charred chunks of timber. Battling the angle of the floor and the weight of the tank on my back, I dragged Indiana with me. The roaring fire chased us as I clutched my fins in one hand and Indiana’s palm in the other and scrambled toward the side of the boat.
Flames licked at our heels as if greedy for one final taste.
Once at the side railing, the angle of the boat and the weight of the tanks on our backs made it impossible to climb over the top.
“This way.” Taking the lead, Indiana gripped the railing, and as she shuffled along to a gap in the railing, I peered along Rhino’s deck toward the bridge. It was like looking into the flames of hell, and I hated that the decimation of her boat would be the last image Indiana would have of her beloved Rhino.
At the railing opening, she stood on the edge. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Jump on three,” I said, desperate to save her from the nightmare.
“Three.” Her chin quivered as she stepped off the side.
“Shit!” I wrestled my fins over my booties, pulled my mask onto my face, put my breather in my mouth, sucked in a mouthful of air, and jumped in after her.
The beeping device added a stressful rhythm to my racing heartbeat as I descended into the darkness, searching for her. Her flashlight flicked on, then off.
Kicking my fins, I swam to her and as we swam side by side escaping the chaos, I hoped the ocean was the only witness to our escape.
When the beeping in my wetsuit stopped, Indiana halted swimming and rolled onto her back.
Copying her move, I turned to face Rhino’s surrender to the inferno. The orange glow was surprisingly beautiful as flaming debris rained into the ocean and sank past us like it was hailing red hot coals.
I reached for Indiana and clutched her trembling hand in mine.
She gripped my palm like I was her last connection to the world.
Then a thunderous explosion ripped us apart.
CHAPTER 19
Indiana
The shockwave of the deafening boom slammed into my body like a freight train. Tyler’s hand was ripped from my grip and my mask twisted on my face. I tumbled over twice before I regained my power over the force.
Tyler! Flaming fuel on the surface provided plenty of light as I clawed at the water, searching for him.
I spun around, scanning up and down, praying that I wasn’t about to find his lifeless body.
“Tyler!” Yelling through my breather, I banged my torch against my tank, and the high-pitched clang rang through the water like a tolling bell. Adrenaline surged through me as sharp and as cold as the ocean depths. My pulse pounded in my ears. Splinters of wood, shards of metal, and a pile of other debris drifted past me, sinking to the bottom.
I peered up to the flaming surface, and through the debris, Tyler finally emerged.
Bubbles spewed from the side of his mouth and his mask was askew.
Oh fuck, he’s right below Rhino.
Kicking like I had a shark on my ass, I scraped through the water, screaming through my breather.
Shoving bits and pieces of charred wreckage aside, I yelled at Tyler to swim toward me. His panicked movements showed his confusion.
I snapped my hand around his wrist and dragged him away from certain death. His frantic kicks confirmed he understood my panic, and it was several deadly seconds before we reached safety.
I squeezed his shoulders and yelled, “Keep calm.”
He inhaled a deep breath and as he released bubbles in a slow and steady stream, I helped him reposition his mask. His wild, darting eyes met mine, and as he nodded, he squeezed our hands together.
Rhino released a mournful moan as the bow section, which had been keeping her above the water, was sucked into the ocean.
My ears still rang from the thunderous explosion that had torn my boat apart.
Rhino, my sturdy salvage vessel, which had weathered many destructive storms, drifted past us, casting bits and pieces from her body as she was sucked toward the bottom. Sections of weathered timber decking peeled away. Tangles of wires twisted and turned. Dad’s favorite cushion popped free and drifted away. Each fragment was like a piece of my heart sinking into the darkness.
Peering through the debris soup, I tried to see the equipment room, praying that Dad’s body was safe inside. But Rhino sank too quickly, and her battered hull hit the bottom like a mammoth doing a belly flop. A massive cloud of sand stole her from my view.
Tears fogged my mask, and closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer for Dad.
Dad had taught me everything about the ocean and the weather, and how the moon affects the waves and currents.
We are just a tiny speck on this vast, beautiful planet, he would say, never forget that Mother Nature is always in charge.
Dad also taught me how to fight for my beliefs and how to enjoy the simple things in life, like a silvery moon or a soaring eagle.
I released a shaky breath and let the bubbles carry away words that my father would never hear.
Go to Mom now, Dad. You are free of your demons. I love you. You are my hero.
Tyler’s hands found mine, and I blinked my eyes open. The flaming fuel still lighting up the surface added another depth to the sadness in his eyes. He gave my hands a squeeze, then signaled for us to surface.
We swam away from the fiery deathtrap on the surface and aimed for fresh air.
At ten feet below the surface, the hard drive inside Tyler’s wetsuit started beeping again. The fucking thing was a maddening pulse, counting down the seconds in our world that was suddenly dependent on time. We didn’t have water or food, and that meant our hours were numbered. Not many people survived for long once they became lost at sea.
It would be a fucked-up way to go.
We kicked through to the surface, and as I studied the water around us, Tyler scanned the sky.
“You see it?” Tyler whispered.
Inhaling the vile smoke-filled air, I searched for a red dot hovering over the ocean.
“Why are you whispering?” I asked.
“Just in case that drone has audio.”
“You’re kidding, right? That fucking beeping in your wetsuit is how it found us the first time around. Get rid of that damn thing!”
Tyler shook his head, and flames dancing on the surface of the ocean several feet away shimmered in his blue eyes. “I can’t. It’s evidence. It could be the key to everything.”
Anger boiled through me. “I’ve just lost fucking everything, and all you care about is your stupid case.”
“That’s not true.” He swam to me and gripped my wrist. “You are much more important to me.”
I yanked my hand free.
He captured my wrist once more. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to save you. And I’m going to catch the bastards who did this to you and your father. I’ll make them pay, Indy. I promise you that.”
“Yeah, well, your promises are pointless. We’ll probably die out here.”
His grip hardened on my flesh. “We can’t give up now.”
His words were meant to anchor me, but they slipped through my mind like sand. Determination filled his eyes with that unwavering sense of duty that fueled him. But what did I have left to fuel me? The jagged scar on my forehead throbbed like a cruel reminder of the worst day of my life. Today was equal to that. Maybe worse because when Mom was murdered, I still had Dad and Rhino. Now, I had nobody and absolutely nothing.
“Hey, listen to me.” Tyler cupped my cheek. “We’re fighters, you and me. We don’t quit.”
Fighters. The word echoed in my mind, but the fight in me had drowned along with my shattered life below us. I was nothing without Rhino and my salvage career. Dad was the only person I cared about. I didn’t even have a best friend. My dreams were haunted by my mother’s ghost and what I should have done differently before she was murdered. Dad’s murder would add to those nightmares. I would forever live with what I should have done differently to save him, too. I didn’t know if I could take any more.
Tyler brushed wet hair away from my temple. “Talk to me.”
The incessant beeping was driving me nuts. “There’s nothing to talk about. We’re fucked.”
“Indy.” His tone was bruised with failure. “We’re not dying. We just need to get through the night. Aria and the others will come looking for us.”
“Or the bastards who want that fucking beeping hard drive.”
Tyler’s arms sliced through the water, creating a small swell, and he searched the sky again.
“You need to ditch it, Tyler.”
“What about if we lowered it on a rope to ten feet below?” he asked.
“It will float in that plastic bag.”
The moon shimmered off the ocean as if it were a beacon mocking us.
“If we scuba dived down to eleven feet, how long can we stay underwater?”
“I’m not hovering underwater like a fucking fool, Tyler. If those bastards show up again, then we’ll dive.” I smacked my lips together, trying to remember when I’d last had a drink of water.
“You have to live, Indy. I promised your father.”
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“And I told you—you don’t know me. I’ll keep that promise.”
I squinted at him. “We’re floating in the middle of nowhere. There’s no chance of being rescued.”
He growled. “I thought you were a fighter.”
“Yeah, well, that was when I had something to fight for.”
“Then do it for your father. You know he’d want you to live. Do it for me. For justice.” He leveled his gaze at me. “For us.”
“Us?” I chuckled.
He swam closer and cupped my cheek again. “When you kissed me, you said there was more of that when we could breathe again. We’re breathing now.”
I leaned into his warm palm.
“We’re not dying out here, Indy. We’re going to be rescued.”
“The odds of a rescue are minuscule.”
“I’ve had worse odds before.” His voice had that cop edge to it that he’d used on me before. and his tone confirmed he was taking charge, whether I liked it or not.
I was too exhausted to fight him into acknowledging the gravity of our predicament. Heaving a sigh, I settled my gaze on the flames across the water, which were gradually petering out. Soon, it would be just us and the celestial bodies above again.
“Okay, Officer Fancy Pants, what do we do?”
His shoulders settled like he’d overcome one massive obstacle. “You know this ocean better than anyone. What can we do to improve our chances of survival?”
“What can we do?” I scoffed. “Well, we aren’t near any shipping lanes. We don’t have an EPURB. We didn’t release a mayday. We have no water, no food. Oh . . . we have our flashlights though.” I turned mine on and waggled the beam in the air. “We can signal—”
Tyler grabbed my arm. “Turn that off.”
I turned off the light, returning us to the heavenly glow from above.
“There’s nothing out here, Tyler. Nothing but miles of ocean and sky. The sheer expanse of this ocean means we’re invisible, like ghosts on the water.”
His fierce expression told me he had no intention of accepting defeat, but this wasn’t a battle he could win with sheer willpower. This was the ocean, and Mother Nature didn’t care about our stubbornness.
“Then we’ll wait,” he said.
“Wait for what? A miracle?”
The annoying beeps filled the silence between us.
“They exist, you know. Miracles.”
“Huh. I didn’t peg you as a believer in divine intervention.”
“Like I said, you don’t—”
“Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know you.”
The last of the flames snuffed out, and the darkness of night settled over us.
Tyler rolled onto his back, staring at the Milky Way above. “Do you believe there’s something out there?”
“Nope. And there’s certainly nothing out here but . . .”
He rolled upright. “But what?”
“There is a tiny island about ten miles away. It’s nothing but a chunk of rock in the middle of nowhere. Nobody lives on it.”
“Then that’s our miracle. We’ll swim to it.”
“Swim?” I laughed. “Are you crazy? We’d need more than a fucking miracle to swim that far.”
“It’s better than just floating here. Our fins will make us faster. We’ll go right through the night if we have to.”
“Did you hear me say ten miles?”
“Yep.” Gasping, he clicked his fingers. “What about your scooter?”
I blinked at him. “The scooter?”
“Yes. We’ll keep below the surface to stop this damn beeping and go as far as we can on that scooter.”
I did the math in my head. “With both of us on the scooter as well as our spare tanks, it will slow it down.”
“It’s better than nothing. We’ll go down to Rhino, get the scooter, find those additional tanks, and keep going.” His hand brushed the back of my hand. “Come on, Indy. I need you to take the lead on this.”
“Jesus, I take back my offer of more kisses.”
He cupped my cheeks and crushed his lips to mine.
I shoved him away, laughing. “Hey.”
“There’s more of that when we reach dry land.”
