Chapter Twenty-One

Day Nine, Morning to Midday

Time slowed as the shark's massive body soared from the water. It appeared from the right, ensnaring Sam in its enormous jaws before plunging back into the ocean with a tremendous splash. Kate stared in disbelief, the scream dying in her throat, as she watched his hat drift slowly downward and settle on the water.

The shark had gone deep into the ocean so it could gain momentum for the breach. This was how they hunted. There was no record of a great white breaching on a human.

Until now.

The water stopped churning, and the silence was deafening. Sam did not come back up.

The realization entered Kate's mind that the shark was not after their boat; it was after her family, and it had just killed Sam. She had no air in her lungs, and she couldn't breathe. She bent forward, curling her upper body into a ball, terror eating at her insides. She wanted to die.

She had no idea how long she stayed that way.

Ryan.

The thought of her daughter brought her out of momentary paralysis. She turned her wheels toward the bow and stopped. Ryan stood a few feet behind her. Urine ran down her legs and pooled on the deck.

She'd watched her father die.

Kate wheeled toward Ryan, who remained frozen in place. Kate scooped her into her lap and held her as tightly as she could, the breach replaying in her mind again and again.

Ryan hadn't made a sound, and she was stiff in Kate's arms until she started trembling. Or maybe it was Kate shaking; she wasn't sure. For a short time, the world stopped. Her ears weren't taking in anything but white noise, her mind refusing to accept what she'd just seen.

They stayed that way until the shark hit the underside of the boat. It was her wake-up call. She had to kill it. Death for that monster was the only way to save her child.

Sam. Oh God, Sam.

She picked up the meat bucket because they needed it to bail the water. With Ryan on her lap, she wheeled them to the galley where Sam had lain for the past few days. Kate looked toward the control center, and the memory of Sam standing there, steering the yacht, looking so accomplished after his many training sessions, almost made her lose what little control she had.

Ryan mattered now. Sam gave his life so Ryan would live, and Kate would make damn sure their child survived. Ryan's small hands were clenching her, and a tiny whimper passed her lips. What could Kate say?

Once she could control herself, she started speaking in a low, soothing voice. "Grandpop is coming for us. We're going to be okay." She rubbed her daughter's back slowly, in small circles. She continued speaking. Ryan remained silent until Kate said, "I'm going to kill the damn shark myself." This was the first time Ryan heard her mother swear, and Kate didn't care.

Ryan wiggled a bit so she could look up at her mom. Her lips quivered, but her words were as strong as Kate's. "I'm going to kill it too."

Kate squeezed her tighter. "We'll do it together. Your grandpops will find us, and we'll go home."

Maybe an hour passed. Kate could feel slight pressure on her bladder, which meant she would wet herself if she didn't use the restroom soon. She also needed to get Ryan into new clothes. Kate's lap was damp with pee, but it would dry, and Kate didn't care about herself. The shark had continued hitting the yacht, and Kate needed to bail water in the engine compartment after the bathroom trip.

The smell of the rancid meat made her nauseous so she placed it in a large pan and shoved it into the freezer. She wheeled to the lower hatch with Ryan on her lap and explained what she needed to do.

"No, Mommy, I don't want to go down there."

"It's okay, sweetie, I promise," Kate assured her. "First the bathroom."

"Okay." It was whispered so softly Kate barely heard. She made it down the hatch and into her lower wheelchair. Ryan came down next and then held tightly to her arm as Kate wheeled herself to the bathroom.

"You can come in with me," she told her daughter at the door. Ryan nodded and followed her inside, which made it a tight squeeze. When Kate finished and sat back in her wheelchair, she took her daughter's hand.

"Bring me a new pair of shorts and change yours," Kate said. "Can you do that?"

Ryan didn't respond but she released Kate and walked away without complaint. She returned a few minutes later wearing a new pair of shorts. With a little help, Kate changed into the shorts Ryan brought. Ryan wrapped her arms around Kate and held on so tightly, breathing was difficult.

"If you want to help me kill the shark, I need you to be brave," Kate said and pulled away so she could look into Ryan's eyes.

There was a slight list to the port side of the yacht caused by the partially flooded engine compartment. As the engine room filled with water, the yacht would sink lower and listing would be more of a problem.

"We need to remove as much of the water as we can," she explained to Ryan. "You don't need to go down the hatch to the engine compartment again, but I need you to wheel the water bucket and dump it in the toilet."

Ryan nodded. Kate didn't give her time to think about it and wheeled straight to the engine room hatch. She sat on the floor and began pumping after a quick look. She estimated there was more than two feet, and pumping enough to make a difference would take time. Ryan wheeled the water to the bathroom and came back without saying anything. Kate saw her tears but didn't mention them. Survival was all Kate could think of right now. Coddling Ryan would do neither of them any good. It took almost three hours to remove enough water so they were in the safe zone again.

Kate's next move was to feed Ryan, though she herself felt she would vomit if she tried to eat. The image of the shark grabbing Sam wouldn't leave her spinning head. She doubted it ever would. She felt empty, but the spark of determination that came with motherhood, was roaring to life.

"I'll make you anything you want," Kate said in a cheerful tone she didn't feel. Ryan shrugged. "If you don't tell me, it's peanut butter and jelly." Ryan shrugged again. "Peanut butter and jelly it is. We'll add chips and an apple if you want one."

Ryan stared at her. "How are we going to kill the shark?" While Kate had to think like a mother and also take out the shark, her daughter had a one track mind.

Kate hugged her. "I have a plan, and I'll tell you about it while we eat." At this point, Kate had to be as honest with Ryan as she could though she wouldn't tell her everything yet. The problem Kate feared the worst would send Ryan over the edge.

"A great white shark must continue swimming or it drowns," she said, as they ate their lunch. "The only way I can think of to stop it from getting oxygen is to secure it to the side of the yacht." Ryan's eyes opened wider, her body stiffened, and she slowly shook her head. "We have fishing hooks and spearguns to hold it," she explained and Ryan relaxed. "We'll tie the shark up so it can't get away, but we'll need to hook and spear it multiple times." Kate's end game if her plan with the fishing line didn't work was to use the anchor chain. She had to bring the anchor up first though.

"I miss Daddy," Ryan said and placed her head on Kate's lap.

Kate took a few minutes to run her fingers through Ryan's hair. If she offered verbal comfort, she would start crying and if she started, she didn't think she would stop. She lifted Ryan's face and kissed her before giving her another hug and releasing her.

They finished eating, and went back on deck, though Kate only had a few chips. She didn't look toward the stern where the Sea Doo usually rested. She couldn't.

The first step in releasing the anchor from the sea floor was attaching the anchor ball. The ball was for just-in-case scenarios like the one Kate and Ryan were in now. It helped release the anchor from the ocean bed if they didn't have power to run the electric winch.

The biggest problem was she needed to get to the end of the platform on the bow to reach the anchor locker. Kate had to get out farther than the safety line allowed, so she only attached one to Ryan. When her daughter was secure, she scooted from her chair to the platform.

"You need to stay here while I attach the ball," she told Ryan who grabbed her around her legs and buried her head in her lap. She wouldn't let go.

"Ryan, look at me," Kate said after a moment. Ryan didn't look up, and Kate had to pry her arms from her legs and push her back. "Ryan, you need to do exactly what I say. If you want to help me kill the shark, this is what we need to do. If you can't help, go back to the galley and wait for me."

Her child's eyes were desolate and at the same time filled with fear. Kate couldn't be nice. They had one chance, and Kate needed that chain. Ryan was losing her resolve, and terror was setting in. Kate took hold of her shoulders and squeezed to the point of pain. She had to bring Ryan out of the hell she was in long enough to help her.

"Mommy," stumbled from her lips that started quivering again.

"Ryan," Kate said sternly. "You must listen and understand. Stay here and keep hold of the rail. You can see me the entire time. I have a rail to hold onto also. I just need to slip the anchor ball on." She didn't give Ryan time to object as she started sliding on her butt toward the locker. She didn't turn to watch Ryan because it was breaking her heart to see her daughter this way.

Once she could grab the rope that held the chain, she placed the anchor ring around the rope and attached the anchor ball to it. She was ready to scoot back after tossing the ball into the ocean when the yacht started shaking.

"Mommy," Ryan screamed as she held the rail.

Kate managed to grab the closest rail and keep herself from pitching into the ocean. The shark was mouthing the swim platform with more anger than curiosity this time.

"Don't move," Kate yelled. "I'm staying here until it stops."

Ryan closed down again, her eyes going blank, as she held the rail with both hands. The shark savaged the back of the yacht for an extended period of time. When it finally stopped, it hit the underside of the boat so they would know he hadn't given up. Kate's thoughts turned to the water in the engine room again. She couldn't help thinking the shark knew exactly what it was doing.

If she didn't stop it, the shark would kill them. She consciously refocused her attention on the anchor. The easiest way to pull it up was to use the yacht, which meant it had to be mobile. With the netting still wrapped around the propeller shaft, she might get little to no movement. But they had two propellers, and to pull up the anchor, she needed to circle the ball with the boat, and it might work. The burning smell Ryan reported from the engine room worried her.

One problem at a time, she reminded herself. The shaking stopped. Once Kate was back in her wheelchair, she moved close to Ryan and told her it was time to turn on the engine.

"Do you want to go with me?"

Ryan nodded.

Kate detached her from the safety line and lifted Ryan to her lap. When she was at the door, she finally looked toward the back of the yacht. Something in the distance caught her eye, and it wasn't the shark. "Ryan, go inside and carefully grab the flare gun. Can you do that?" She lifted Ryan from her lap.

There was a large cruise ship far in the distance. It might be aware that people were missing at sea. Ryan came out carrying the flare gun and handed it to her mother.

"Look out there," Kate said and pointed to the ship that was a tiny dot on the horizon. "Do you want to shoot the flares?" Ryan gazed at her, not understanding the significance of the ship. She was still in shock, Kate reminded herself.

After several seconds and no response from Ryan. Kate wheeled inside and grabbed the gun. She moved back to the deck, lifted it, and fired.