Page 98 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

The tension between them stretched taut as Ellie stood abruptly. “I’m going back in the water.”

“For what?”

“I can’t leave their bodies. Sharks won’t eat everything. What’s left could wash up and raise questions.”

He frowned. “There’s a lot of blood in the water. Sharks could already be down there.”

“I know. But I don’t have a choice.”

“Alright. But be careful.”

Would someone that concerned about her safety really work with terrorists to kill her?

Ellie switched her oxygen tank and dove back into the water. The bodies hovered in the depths. Blood floated like ribbons around them.

The water at the ocean floor was colder now, or maybe it was just the chill creeping through her veins.She swam closer and could hear her heartbeat in her ears. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the rhythmic hiss of her regulator.

Then she saw it—a flash of silver slicing through the blue.

Her stomach dropped as her fears were realized.

A reef shark.

She froze. She tracked its smooth, deliberate movements. The shark veered off, uninterested for now, but she knew better than to relax. The ocean had a way of calling its predators.

Ellie worked quickly. fingers fumbled with the weight belt strapped to the dead body. Another shadow glided into her periphery. Then another.

A sudden, sharp movement below made her gasp into the regulator. One of the sharks darted closer, its black eyes cold and calculating. It turned sharply, and the tip of its tail brushed against her leg, sending chills through her body.

Ellie flinched and instinctively kicked out in several directions in case one of them was close. She glanced down, and sheer terror threatened to force her back to the surface.

Three of them now. The largest shark circled tighter, the flick of its tail propelling it closer with every pass.

It wasn’t curiosity anymore. It was intent. The sharks had caught the scent, and now, they were hunting. One broke away from the others, dipping lower into the depths before rocketing upward.

Ellie twisted her body at the last second, barely avoiding its gaping mouth as it shot past her, its rough skin grazing her arm like sandpaper. She clenched her teeth, suppressing a scream that would have been lost in the water anyway.

Her breath quickened, fogging her mask as she freed the first body. Gripping it by the arm, she kicked hard toward the surface. Her legs burned with the effort, and the extra weight dragged her down.

A dark shape flickered at the edge of her vision—a shark tail slicing through the water as it turned for another approach. She had seconds.

With a final burst of effort, she broke the surface with a gasp, waves sloshing into her mask. It took all of her might to throw the body onto the boat. Behind her, the water churned, shadows circling below.

When she started to go down again, her blood ran cold. The largest shark was charging.

It came fast, slicing through the water like a torpedo. Ellie kicked hard, slamming her foot into its snout as it reached her. The impact jarred her leg and sent pain shooting through her calf.

The shark veered off. She knew he’d be back.

She dove back down for the second body. She knew it was a terrible idea—staying in the water this long—but she didn’t thinkshe had a choice. Her mother had drilled in her the importance of leaving a scene clean if physically possible.

The second body was heavier, and her fingers shook as she unclipped the weights. The circling sharks were closer now, their movements more erratic. One swam just beneath her, and its dorsal fin grazed her side for a second time.

A shiver of fear shot through her, but she forced herself to focus. She was almost there.

A sudden shift in the water pressure made her look up. The largest shark was above her now, blocking the filtered sunlight. It hovered for a fraction of a second before diving straight down.

Ellie’s pulse skyrocketed. She ripped the last weight free and shoved off the ocean floor, launching herself upward with every ounce of strength she had left. The shark closed in fast. She could see the rows of teeth glinting in the dim light.