“Shut the fuck up!” the man yelled, reaching over and grabbing her arm, squeezing tight. “I can’t fucking think!”
Gasping, she blinked, looking back down, seeing nothing. A slight motion caught her attention and a hand appeared, pressing a silver lighthouse pendant against the glass where only she could see. Clay! Lord, have mercy… it’s Clay! She had no idea how he found her or how he came to her rescue, but renewed energy radiated throughout her body.
She didn’t know what to do or what might be expected of her but wanted to keep Clay’s presence hidden. Glancing to the left, she saw the man turn his head toward her. She screamed again, this time lifting her hands toward the front of the dome.
He jerked around and stared out the front. “What?”
“I saw something!”
“What the fuck did you see?”
“A fish… some kind of big fish!”
“We’re in the ocean, you fuckin’ bitch! Of course, you’re going to see a fish!” Focusing his attention back to the controls, he managed to get the sub to lift a little more. “I can’t get the ballast right,” he growled.
She could see light shining brighter in the water, and with a little more grinding of the motor, the very top of the sub lifted above the surface. Wishing Clay had a way to make his ideas known to her, she instinctively knew the rescue would go easier if she was not buckled into her seat and the man was disabled. Sliding her hands to her chest, she quietly unsnapped the seatbelt.
The submersible lurched to the side again, righting itself before listing to the side once more. Taking advantage of the man’s attention focused on the controls, she whirled around with her wrists still taped together and hit him in the face, knocking his head to the side. Without giving him a chance to recover, she slammed her fists down onto his lap, hitting him in the groin.
Amelia cried out from the back seat, but Christina’s focus stayed on the man. Suddenly, the sub bounced in the water, surrounded by dark figures. She looked up to see several fully suited scuba divers climbing onto the sides, their weight causing the submersible to bob up and down. Looking toward the top, she heard a noise and watched as the lid above opened, and a gun aimed downward, pointed directly at the man.
“Keep your hands where we can see them,” she heard someone say but was unable to identify which Keeper was speaking.
“Christina,” Clay called out, and she looked up, trying to see which one was him. “Are you and Amelia okay?”
“Yes, yes, but our hands are taped together.”
The man was still groaning but looked up, growling, “Go ahead and shoot. I’ll die either way. If I lose this shipment, I’m a dead man walking.”
The weapon discharged, and both women screamed. Expecting to see blood gushing, Christina saw a small dart sticking from the man’s upper chest. His eyes closed and his head slumped forward. Looking toward the hatch, the Keeper with the gun explained, “That’ll keep him unconscious so we have a chance to get you two out first.”
She turned around in her seat and scrambled toward the back, helping Amelia to get unbuckled. Half-dragging the teenager toward the front, she encouraged, “Stand in the middle here and you’ll be able to raise your arms first. That way they can cut your hands free.” Helping to steady Amelia as the submersible rocked back and forth, the teen followed her instructions. Once her hands were free, one of the Keepers quickly slit the tape and then pulled Amelia to safety. Christina watched as Amelia’s legs and then feet disappeared, and she slid over the side into the water. Her gaze followed and saw that Amelia was wrapped in the arms of one of the Keepers, who was swimming away rapidly.
Christina quickly followed suit, scrambling to stand in between the two front seats of the submersible. The bobbing of the craft along with trying to balance on shaky legs with her hands still taped caused her to list to the side, crying out as she raised her hands over her head to grab onto anything to keep her from falling. Her hands were immediately held in a vise grip, steadying her as they were cut free. She was pulled upward, and she kicked her legs out, standing on the back of the front seat to give herself more push and stepping on the unconscious man in an attempt to escape. As her upper body passed from the submersible, she gasped as the first slap of cold water hit her face.
His arms banded tightly around her. “Clay! I can’t believe you found us!” Her breath left her lungs in a rush as she slid from the top of the submersible and her body moved into the cold water. “Oh, fuck!” she cried, clinging to him.
“Hang on, babe, the boat is right here.”
She looked in the direction he indicated, but the waves kept her from seeing anything as icy-cold water splashed into her face. Finally, a large, dark object moved closer and she could identify the boat maneuvering closer.
Teeth chattering, she said, “A… A… Amelia—”
“Don’t worry. We’ve got her.”
“H… he’s got p… p… plastic-wrapped p… packages in there. I… I don’t know—”
“Don’t worry about it, babe, we’ve got it.”
The cold was making it hard to think, but Clay was swimming rapidly toward the boat. “It was J… Jerry—”
“Stop,” Clay ordered. “Babe, worry about you and nothing else.”
She began to shiver but clung tighter to him. As long as she had him, she knew she had everything. As long as he had her, she knew she was safe.
Clay held tight, swimming quickly, glad to see that at the back of the boat, Blay and Babs had assisted Amelia out of Drew’s arms and into the boat. Directly behind them, he twisted his body so their waiting arms could assist Christina up as well.
Clambering up into the boat after she was safely on board, he jerked off his gear, then pulled off his fins. Amelia and Christina had already been hustled down into the cabin, accompanied by Blay and Babs. His hands shook as he unzipped his wetsuit and was so desperate to get to Christina, he wasn’t offended when Drew’s hands landed on his shoulders to assist in pulling the suit off him.
“Babs will get the women stripped and in the warm shower,” Drew reminded. “I know you want to get down there but give them a minute.”
Drew’s reminder that there was a teenage girl below was the only thing that kept him from rushing to Christina’s side. Pacing the deck, it seemed like an eternity before Babs called out, “Clay, come on down.”
Rushing into the cabin, he spied Amelia in thick socks, heavy sweatpants, and a Go Navy sweatshirt, sitting next to Babs. Her wet hair was wrapped in a towel while Blay, their medic, checked her over. Her wide eyes stared up at him as he stalked through the room. Moving into the bathroom, he stepped over the girls’ wet clothing that had been stripped and dropped onto the floor and moved directly into the shower with Christina.
Steam rose all around them as he pulled her into his arms.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine,” she repeated, her warm cheek pressed against his cold chest.
Letting the warm spray of water surround both of them, he held his lips against the top of her head and murmured, “You’re not, but you will be.”
After a moment, he flipped the water off, reached over to grab a towel, and scrubbed her body dry as though every movement would ensure her blood still circulated.