Chapter Twenty-Three

Day Nine, Afternoon

"Stay on deck," Kate told Ryan before she transferred from the wheelchair to the floor, preparing to descend through the hatch to the lower level.

"Did the shark get inside?" Ryan's eyes, wide with unspoken fear, darted frantically from Kate to the hatch.

"No. I need to check the water level, and I'll be back up in a few minutes. It won't take long." She paused to study her daughter. "You can come if you want."

"I want to stay here." Ryan's words and tone conveyed she wasn't interested in going to the lower deck at all.

"I'll be right back." Kate decided that admitting the boat was sinking could wait a bit longer. It also needed to be worded so Ryan was part of the solution and she didn't have time to panic. She also knew her daughter was too smart for her own good and most likely knew they were in danger regardless of how much Kate wanted to keep things from her.

She maneuvered into the lower wheelchair and headed straight for the engine hatch. It wasn't submerged, a good sign. Lifting the door revealed the water had risen another six inches. She pondered whether to alter her plan and do everything possible to keep the yacht afloat until help arrived, or to stick with the plan to kill the shark. The animal would eventually take the yacht down. It was too big a risk to rely on others that may or may not arrive in time. Kate cranked the wheels of her chair. It was harder to navigate with the port side list, but she managed. She made it to the hatch and pulled herself up using the rope. The ache in her arms from hauling in the anchor and going up and down the hatch so often made it nearly impossible but there was no way she would give up. Her muscles would just need to handle the torture.

Ryan waited anxiously for her mother's return and gave a relieved sigh when she saw Kate.

"It's time to hook the shark," Kate told her after catching her breath.

"Are we going to kill it?" Ryan asked somberly.

Ryan had been taught by her grandpops to dislike people who harmed sharks. He gave no one, not even conscientious fishermen, a free pass. He had no problem teaching his loathing of those who didn't value the ocean to his granddaughter and he'd done a good job of it.

"We're going to catch it and let the boat do the work. Are you okay with that?" It wouldn't matter what she said, but Kate needed to know where Ryan's head was at.

Her expression grew thoughtful and her little nose scrunched up. "Grandpops would kill it," she decided with finality.

He would. If he were with them right now, he would have a better plan to do the job. Kate had no misconception that her father could and would do what it took to keep them safe. She was doing the same, and she had no moral dilemma about doing so.

This was life or death. She and Ryan would survive.

She'd spent so much time on boats, she understood what was happening to the yacht as it took on water. The deck, once steady was now treacherous. As the boat sank lower, it would get worse. Eventually, the ocean would swallow Ryan's Gift. Kate and Ryan could not be onboard when that happened and they could not have an angry shark waiting for them.

They secured their emergency lines as soon as they were on the main deck. The tilt of the yacht made the use of her wheelchair nearly impossible. She finally pulled on the outer rail to move herself closer to the container with the diving and fishing gear. The shark chose the moment she released the rail to hit the boat again. It startled her more than anything. This insistence on announcing his presence was getting on her last nerve.

The life raft came fully equipped for emergencies with food, water, flairs, and a few other essential items. Sam had upgraded the raft before their fateful journey began. Kate didn't waste time checking it. Time was not on their side.

She made it the final few feet to the containers and found the largest of the fishing hooks. They were around the size of her palm. She had no idea if they would work on a shark even half the size of this one but it's what she had. She knew as much about fishing as she knew about shark bites, which was next to nothing. She found a roll of 150 pound cable and a cutter for it. The immediate problem was keeping what she needed from falling overboard. She placed what she would use in the container with the spear guns and then went back to the diving gear. She removed her weighted diving belt and took out the weights. She then adjusted the belt around her waist and placed the hooks and wire cutter inside the empty pouches. She would need the net eventually but left it in the container for now.

Sam's belt rested inside too and she noticed the knife she'd had him take when he'd checked the propeller. She attached it to her belt. Kate had a vague idea of how her plan would work. The thought of failure made her nervous, but non action was not an alternative.

After closing the container lids, she wheeled back inside for bait. Ryan stayed next to her holding onto the side of the wheelchair. Kate had left the bucket in the galley. She used it to load the remaining meat from the freezer. The smell was worse than before and the meat had turned a not so lovely shade of gray. She sat the bucket down and pulled Ryan around so they were facing each other.

Her daughter's sweet face and trusting eyes stared back at her. Sam's eyes. Kate fought back tears again. She had to stay focused. She couldn't think about Sam and the life they should be leading. Even though she hadn't replied when he told her to keep Ryan alive, she'd made him a promise. The shark would not get to Ryan. It was her new mantra.

"This is important," Kate said. "I need you to do what I say, when I say it. If I send you in here, you won't question me. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy." Tears filled Ryan's eyes. "If we kill the shark, will Daddy come up from the water so we can save him?"

The question startled Kate for a moment. Then she remembered discovering her father watched Jaws with Ryan. Kate had been so angry, but he'd laughed it off and told her it was a rite of passage. Matt Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws, had swam out of the ocean at the end of the movie and hadn't died.

"I don't know," she said with an internal cringe because Kate couldn't tell her daughter the truth yet. Sam was not coming back, and she couldn't risk Ryan sinking into a place where she didn't react to what Kate said or needed. "We need to secure the shark. That's the most important goal right now."

Ryan simply nodded.

"Are you ready?" Kate asked.

Another nod.

It was time.