Page 95 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

Her mother had always said to make her first move a surprise.

Rather than wait for him to act, Ellie surged upward, swinging the coral at him with all her strength. The jagged edge slammed into the front of the diver’s mask, cracking the tempered glass.

He obviously hadn’t expected her to come toward him and had fumbled away his opportunity to aim and fire his gun at her.

He reeled backward, momentarily disoriented. She didn’t wait for him to recover.

In one fluid motion, she drove the blade of her knife into the man’s side, just below the ribs. A muffled scream bubbled from his regulator as blood clouded the water around them.

The diver’s body spasmed and his grip loosened on the spear gun. Ellie shoved him away, her breathing labored as the man’s lifeless form slowly sank to the ocean floor.

Before she could process what she’d done, the second diver appeared. He moved faster, more aggressively, his spear gun already aimed.

He fired.

She let out a scream.

Ellie twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the projectile as it zipped past her and lodged into the ocean floor. She grabbed the rope of the spear and used it to propel herself toward him.

Another unexpected move. His eyes widened in surprise. She bridged the gap between them before he knew what happened.

Bubbles exploded around them as he fumbled to reload, his movements frantic. Ellie didn’t give him the chance. She reached for his arm and gripped his wrist with all her strength. The force of her momentum sent them spinning.

He struggled, thrashing against her hold, but she used the water’s resistance to her advantage, twisting his weapon away from her. His mask shifted slightly, and for a split second, she saw his eyes—wild, panicked, realizing too late that he’d underestimated her.

She drove her knee into his ribs. A muffled grunt vibrated through the water. He recoiled, but she didn’t let go. Instead, she used his momentary loss of control to rip the spear gun from his grasp. As soon as it was in her hands, she dropped it, so it’d go to the ocean floor.

Her lungs burned, her heart pounded, but she maintained her composure.

He had recovered his bearings as well and reached for her.

Ellie dodged his half-hearted attempt at a blow, but he connected enough to send her off balance. The force of his attack pushed her backward, and she slammed into a coral outcrop. Pain flared in her shoulder.

She still had the knife in her hand. She swung it wildly, aiming for the diver’s side, but the water slowed her movements, dragging on her arm like wet cement. Her blade missed its mark by several inches.

She shouted in frustration.

Her training had been rigorous, but it had all been on dry land. There, she could throw a punch, drive a knee, twist an opponent’s arm with precision. Here, she was clumsy, her motions exaggerated and imprecise. She felt like a novice all over again.

The diver grabbed her wrist and twisted it painfully. She tried to kick him. The move was instinctive, something she’d practiced a hundred times in the gym. But the resistance of the water rendered her kick weak, barely enough to graze him.

She realized how little her land-based instincts could help her here.

Her mind screamed for a solution. If the usual moves wouldn’t work, she’d have to improvise.

Adapt, Ellie. Do something.

She managed to free her arm. Instead of going to the surface or swimming away from him, she decided to dive deeper. Maybe on the ocean floor, she could get some stability under her feet.

He followed immediately. Both landed at the same time. Only a few feet from each other. They faced off like two boxers in a ring.

Ellie moved toward him and threw a punch, aiming for his head. But the water slowed her arm like it was moving through syrup, and she barely grazed his wetsuit.

The diver retaliated, his hand darting out to grab her wrist again. She tried to twist free, but the water turned every motion into a clumsy, exaggerated effort.

She kicked at him, desperate to create distance, but her fins dragged awkwardly against the water, throwing her off balance. Her heel connected with his thigh, but the strike had no force behind it.

I can’t fight like this,she realized, panic creeping in as he raised his knife.