Jude and Liam swim past now and then, doing their own exploring, but the mesh bags they carry to collect treasure stay empty. Eventually, their tanks run low on oxygen, so they’re forced to return to the surface. I follow them up, empty-handed, as well.
“Those bastards cleared it all out!” Jude complains as soon as his head is above water.
I hadn’t thought about that, but he’s probably right. James and his crew were pillaging this wreck when they captured me. I’m sure they took everything they could find. Gio’s face falls when we come back empty-handed and tell him our suspicions. Avery looks just as disappointed. I know it’s not my fault, but guilt still weighs on me.
“Do you think anybody found their ship yet? I haven’t heard anything about it on the news, so maybe not. We should go back there and take the gold off it,” Jude says, dumping his scuba gear on the deck with a loud thunk.
Liam’s face darkens. “No way. We’re not touching their boat. When the Coast Guard finds it abandoned, I’m sure they’ll search for evidence of foul play. We can’t risk having our DNA anywhere on it.”
Jude peels off his wetsuit with a wet, sucking sound. “I don’t plan to piss, bleed, or spit on it, just grab the treasure and get out of there.”
Liam rolls his eyes and removes his own vest and oxygen tank, setting them down carefully. “All you have to do is drop a hair on board, and they’ll be able to test it and determine that it doesn’t belong to any of the crew.”
Jude makes a face and shakes his wet, curly mop in Liam’s direction, sprinkling him with water. “I’ve never been arrested. Well, just that one time for disorderly conduct, but it’s not like they took my DNA or anything. Have they got yours on file?”
“Of course not.” Liam scowls, wiping the water droplets from his face.
Jude plops on the bench and throws up his hands. “So what’s the big deal if they have our DNA? They won’t know who it belongs to.”
“They might not yet, but there’s no statute of limitation on murder. You could get arrested twenty years from now, and they could match your DNA, make you a suspect.”
“Hey, it’s okay, Jude. We can find more.” I sit down next to him and wrap one arm around his waist and lay the other on his chest. He looks down at me, and his frown softens.
The guys get quiet for a moment, moping about another failed dive. I’m disappointed that the guys won’t get the money they want right away, but I’m also secretly pleased that this means at least one more dive trip together.
After a few minutes, Avery perks up and grabs a hold of Gio’s arm. “Wait, Gio, when Coral first found this wreck and brought back some gold coins, you said they were Spanish, not Norwegian, so they had to be from a different wreck than the one we were originally looking for, right? Can we try to find that one?”
Gio nods thoughtfully. “I lost all my research when the boat sank, but I think I can remember enough to get us close. Maybe then Coral could explore the area for us, see what she can find?”
He looks over at me, and I grin and bob my head. Unlike the guys, I’m not limited by the need to return to the ship every hour for a new oxygen tank, and I’m faster, too. I can cover a lot more ocean in the same amount of time.
“Do we want to do this now, or come back another time?” Gio glances around at the rest of the guys, his eyes lingering on Liam whose time is the most limited.
“I can stay out another day or two, if you want. I don’t have any absences yet. I’ll just have to be careful not to miss any more days later. But what about Bella?”
Bella waves it off. “I can miss a few days of school, it’s not a big deal.”
Gio swivels his head towards his sister. “We need to get in touch with the Wilsons, let them know you’re safe. I should’ve done that last night, actually. We’ll see what they have to say about it. Avery, Jude?”
They nod their agreement, so Gio heads off to try to reach Bella’s foster parents on the satellite phone. When he returns, his expression is hard to read. He sighs and glares at Bella.
“Well, they were worried sick, and they’re mad as hell at you, but I assured them you were safe. I told them it’ll take me a few days to get you back to shore. They understand, but you’re probably gonna be grounded for the rest of the year when you get back.”
“Not if I move in with you.” Bella gives a cheeky grin.
“If you move in with me, you’re gonna be grounded for the rest of your life.” Gio gives Bella a deadpan stare and walks away, leaving her with her mouth hanging open.
“You better be kidding!” she calls after him.
Gio and Liam head to the wheelhouse to figure out where we’re going, and a short while later we’re on the move. I don’t quite understand how Gio finds his way around the ocean, it all looks the same from above. Liam tried to explain coordinates and GPS to me one time, but it went over my head. But Gio seems convinced that we’re close to a ship that wrecked here many cycles ago. I take his word for it and promise to do my best to find it.
I go alone this time, and the anxiety I feel as soon as I swim away from the ship catches me by surprise. The water is my home, so why do I feel so threatened by it? Then I realize I haven’t been alone in the open water since the day James and his crew captured me. They’re not a threat anymore, I tell myself, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. And the odds are slim that I’ll run into any more humans exploring the same stretch of ocean as me. Still, I keep my eyes wide, scanning the water above and around me for any sign of danger as I swim, letting my nervous energy propel me faster than I’ve ever swam before.
I swim for what feels like ages, making several widening circles around the boat and seeing nothing but empty ocean. I haven’t even stopped swimming long enough to eat, and my tail is starting to drag, but I don’t want to give up until I can’t swim another stroke. The thought of the guys’ disappointed looks when we didn’t find anything at the last wreck propels me to keep pushing past the point of exhaustion.
Finally, I catch a glimpse of something in the distance — a dark, hulking object jutting out of the ocean floor. I rush towards it, suddenly reenergized, flapping my tail furiously as I undulate through the water.
I spin in a happy circle, stirring up the water around me into a whirlpool when I realize it’s a shipwreck. Let’s just hope there’s treasure to be found.
I slip inside and quickly scope out the rooms, looking for anything interesting. It’s a large ship with quite a few rooms, but I don’t want to take the time to explore every one of them thoroughly. Instead, I swim fast, making a quick pass first, hoping something will stand out.
My tail freezes when I spot a glint of gold. I swish over to it and shove my fingers into the muck without hesitation, unearthing a heavy rectangle. It’s covered in algae and sediment, its luster dulled, but there’s no mistaking it. It’s a gold bar, just like the one I found in the other shipwreck. Even better, there are several others like it, piled together in a toppled stack.
Excitement bubbles up upside me, making it hard not to float to the surface. I wiggle my fin and shove one of the bars in the bag tied to my waist. On second thought, I toss in another one, convinced my surge of adrenaline will give me enough energy to carry the heavy bars back to the boat.
Eager to get back, I shimmy through one of the portholes and swim as fast as I can straight towards Gio’s boat. But now that my mind is free from worry, my body starts to complain, especially my stomach. I’m sure Jude will be eager to prepare something delicious for me to eat when I get back, but I don’t think I can wait any longer. Seeing some nearby coral that looks like it’s teeming with yummy fish, I decide to grab a little something to ease my hunger.
I swim down to the clumps of coral, searching the brightly-colored mounds for fish hiding among the clusters. I spot a blue and yellow angelfish and smile at the tasty treat the way Jude does when he opens a box of donuts.
I stay still, squeezing my gills so I don’t breathe a bubble, watching carefully
and waiting for the right moment. The fish floats lazily around the coral, nibbling on algae, oblivious to his stalker. When the angelfish swims out from between the anemones, my hand darts out to grab him, but something long and dark intercepts me, and I miss.
Suddenly, sharp pain streaks through my wrist, and I snatch my hand back as blood blooms from several gouges in my skin. I wrap my other hand around it to staunch the flow as my chest seizes and hot tears well up in my eyes. The angelfish swims away, and a barracuda chases after him.
The memory of the shark chasing me flashes before my eyes, paralyzing me with panic. I need to move — get out of the water. But I’ll have to let go of my arm to swim, and blood is seeping out from between my fingers already. If I let go, I’ll leave a bloody trail leading predators right towards me. I whip my head around, looking to see if anything is headed my way.
Seagrass! I spot a patch of it swaying nearby. There’s nothing dangerous within sight, so after a moment’s hesitation, I let go of my arm and surge towards the seagrass. Pain flares through my flesh as the water rushes against my wound, but it only takes a moment to get to the seagrass. I tear off a strand of it with my good arm and wrap it around my injured one as tight as I can. Then I add a few more strands just to make sure it’s secure, tucking the ends in under the layers.
I feel safer swimming now that the bleeding has stopped, but my arm throbs with every heart beat. My hand feels numb and tingly, and the flesh is turning white. I start to swim, but every stroke is agony. I can see the boat in the distance, though, it’s not too far, so I force myself to keep going.
When I finally burst out of the water and see Avery’s face staring over the railing, I cry out in relief.
Chapter 13
Liam
“Liam, come quick!” Avery’s voice carries to the wheelhouse where Gio and I are studying navigation charts.
We glance at each other, drop the charts, and dash out to the deck where Jude is hauling Coral out of the water. The mesh collection bag tied to her thunks onto the deck. Everyone perks up at the sound.
“She’s hurt.” Avery says, and my attention is instantly diverted, scanning her body for signs of injury.
I spot a dark green band of seagrass wrapped around her wrist and drop to my knees beside her. “What happened, Coral?”
Her face is twisted, her chest heaving, and she’s gripping her wrapped arm tightly with the other hand. “I think a barracuda bit me.”
We all gasp, and I grab her arm, unwrapping the makeshift bandage. The others crowd around us, watching. Sure enough, gouges that match a barracuda’s needle-like teeth encircle her wrist. Everyone winces at the deep, bloody wounds, and Bella turns away, making a gagging sound. That’s got to hurt like hell. Coral’s lucky she didn’t lose a finger, though.
“Let’s get you to the med room so I can take care of that.” I untie the bag from her waist and scoop her up, cradling her in my arms as I carry her to the room I set up when we got back from our last trip. Trying to treat Avery’s gunshot wound made me realize how woefully lacking our medical supplies were.
Gio barges in front of me with his arms out. “Let me carry her. I’m stronger.”
I push past him with a scowl. “I can manage.”
I probably couldn’t carry her very far — I’m the resident weakling — but I can make it to the med room, and I’m not giving up the chance to hold her for a while. Her face is only inches from mine, her breath warm on my cheek, her good arm wrapped around my neck and the other cradled against my chest. She’s cold and wet and smells like fish and saltwater, but she feels so good in my arms I desperately want to kiss her.
I got a few moments with her yesterday when we first got back to the boat, but then she spent the rest of the night with Gio. I don’t begrudge him that, but I want some time with her for myself, and I’ll take it however I can get it.
He and the others follow behind us, cramming into the small room and rattling off questions that I ignore because the answers might worry Coral. “She’ll be fine. We just need to treat these wounds to prevent infection and get her bandaged up.”
“Will I be able to go back in the water? I found the shipwreck… and the treasure.” Her white teeth and aqua eyes sparkle as she smiles at me, melting my insides.
I set her down on the bed, loathe to let go of her, and wrap a blanket around her shoulders. “We can tape it up to keep the water from getting to it, but can you swim? This looks painful.”
She wrinkles her nose and grits her teeth. “But I want to show you where the treasure is.”
Gio kneels beside her and strokes a hand down her hair. “Don’t worry, Coral. You just show us which direction to go, and we’ll use sonar to find it.”
“Aren’t you scared to go back in? Man, that would freak me out!” Jude cringes.
“It wasn’t as scary as being chased by a shark.” Coral says casually, startling everyone.
“What? When did that happen?” Gio snarls and clenches his fists like he’s ready to go find the shark and pulverize him.
Coral tells us the story while I pull medical supplies out of the cabinets and wash her wrist, but she falls silent and watches me intently when I start to treat her injury.
“I’m examining the wounds for imbedded teeth,” I say, holding a magnifying glass over each puncture point and palpating the flesh around it.
Next, I smear antibiotic ointment over each wound. “This helps to prevent infection, although I think you should take a round of oral antibiotics as soon as we get back.”
Gio starts to pace, his heavy boots clomping back and forth in the small space. “You mean take her to a doctor? No way. Not gonna risk it.”
I wave him off, taping a piece of gauze around Coral’s wrist. “It’s okay, Gio. The blood work I’ve done on her looks normal enough to pass for human. Besides, any doctor would take one look at her wound and prescribe an antibiotic, just to be safe. I doubt they’d even do any blood work.”
Avery puts a hand on Gio’s arm. “We should listen to him, Gio. He knows what he’s talking about. If she doesn’t take the medicine, she might get really sick.”
Gio turns and scowls down at him. “You took a goddamned bullet and didn’t get an antibiotic, and you’re okay.”
Avery rubs the shoulder where the bullet went in, and we both wince. I still feel terrible about how little medical care he’s received. “Yeah, but that was different. We couldn’t risk a doctor reporting a gunshot wound.”
“Well, we can’t risk exposing Coral’s secret, either!” Gio’s loud voice booms in the crowded space.
I put up my hands and speak softly, trying to pacify him. “Look, we don’t have to decide right now. I’ll keep a close eye on her, watch for any signs of infection, then make the call when we get back to shore.”
“Fine.” Gio stomps off, and I let out a relieved sigh.
I shake out a few Tylenol and hand them to Coral. “Here, take these. They’ll help with the pain. But you shouldn’t take them on an empty stomach. Have you eaten anything, recently? ”
Coral shakes her head and rubs her belly. “I was trying to catch an angelfish, but the barracuda wanted it.”
Jude makes a face and holds out a hand to her. “Come on, babe. I’ve got food all ready.”
Avery pulls off his shirt and hands it to Coral, and we all follow Jude to the kitchen. Coral barely gets halfway through her dinner, though, before her eyes start drooping.
I put a hand on her arm. “I think you should get some rest, Coral. It’s been a long day for you.”
She nods and stands up, swaying a little, then glances around at the others. “Good night, everybody. Thank you for taking care of me, Liam.” She gives me a tender kiss on the cheek, stroking her hand down my back.
When she walks off alone, I jump up. “You know, maybe I should stay with her. Make sure she’s okay.”
I have no intention of pushing her for sex, but I brace myself, expecting at least one of them to warm me to kee
p my hands off her. But surprisingly, they all just nod and murmur their agreement.
I hurry off to Coral’s room. Her door is cracked open. It squeaks when I peek in, and her eyes pop open. She’s flopped down on her bed, an arm and a leg dangling off the side like she barely made it.
“Hey, want some company?”
She nods, so I slip in, shutting the door behind me. She scoots over to make room for me on the small bunk then cuddles up to me when I lie down beside her. Her bandaged arm drops onto my chest. I want to link my fingers with hers, but I don’t want to put any pressure on her sore wrist. Instead, I just stroke a gentle finger along the top of her hand.
“I missed this,” she whispers into my ear, her cheek nuzzling into my shoulder, her breath warm on my neck.
“Me, too. I never minded sleeping alone before, but since you’ve been gone my bed feels so empty. My whole life felt empty without you, Coral.” I gaze into her eyes, letting her see the depth of my emotion in them.
“It did?”
I turn my head away to explain, the pain too raw. “When I found out you had been rescued by a merman, I figured you’d decided to stay in the sea. It made more sense than coming back here to this rag-tag bunch of humans. It hurt to think you’d chosen him over us, but what hurt the most was, as soon as you were gone, I realized how much I love you.”
She pulls herself up and hovers over me, forcing eye contact. “I love you, too, Liam. I have for a long time. I was desperate to get back to you, but when I found out how my grandfather had deceived our shoal, I knew I had to try to help them. Can you forgive me for causing you pain?”
I stroke her face, beautiful even when anguished. “You’re such a good person, Coral. I never should have doubted you. I knew there was another possibility — that you were hurt or being held against your will — but since I had no idea how to find you or help you, it hurt less to believe you’d rejected us instead. What you tried to do was incredibly brave and noble. I’m sorry you didn’t succeed.”
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