Chapter Twenty-Five

Day Nine, Afternoon

The shark made a sudden appearance on the starboard side just before Kate began chumming the water. The large head rose up slowly in another sky-hop. Kate's feeling for this particular shark had shifted. Perhaps all sharks were this intelligent, but the one-track mind of this one seemed off the charts. Once they were out of this situation, she and her father would have a lot to discuss. He spoke publicly about the intelligence of sharks and stingrays, and Kate was now experiencing the truth in his words firsthand.

She glanced at Ryan as the shark disappeared beneath the surface. "It's now or never," she declared.

Ryan responded with a definitive nod, though no words were exchanged.

"Are you willing to lend a hand and help me chum?" Kate asked.

Without hesitation, Ryan reached into the stinky bucket, pulling out a chunk of meat, and tossed it a few feet from the boat.

Kate stood by the side, watching as the meat slowly floated downward. It was there, and then all she saw were large jaws closing around it. The shark twisted, running its body along the hull, physically moving the yacht. Ryan tossed out another chunk.

"We need it to take a hooked piece the next time," Kate instructed after the shark grabbed the meat. She released the switch on the reel to allow the line to feed out if the shark caught it. She used the other hooks first, tossing them overboard at a similar distance to Ryan's throw.

This time, the shark appeared more curious, nudging the hooked meat without biting.

"Come on," Kate whispered as she lifted the speargun and loaded it. The shark swam past, the dorsal fin fully exposed. She fired.

The spear overshot the target and Kate wasn't surprised. She pulled in the line and thought about how to adjust for another shot.

"Move forward so I can turn the chair around," Kate told her daughter. She needed to face the back of the yacht. Ryan moved in front of her until they reached the bow and Kate could turn her chair to face the opposite direction. She backed the chair to the spot she'd been in before. Kate turned almost sideways at her waist to prepare for the next shot. She loaded the spear and aimed at the water. Then, she waited.

The shark took another pass before it returned for one of the hooked meats. When its jaws opened to taste, she fired again. The shaft entered its upper back. The shark showed no sign that it now had a spear lodged in it. She placed another spear and fired again. Another miss. She needed to slow down and time her pull on the trigger. She'd got him once but she needed to land the one in his fin to make this work. Her next shot missed too.

"Damn," she said and immediately looked at Ryan. "I shouldn't have said that."

Ryan glanced at her with old soul eyes and blinked. "If we kill it, can I say a bad word?" she asked, completely serious, no smile just an intense expression.

"Once," Kate replied. "But you need to wait until we're sure or you'll waste it." Allowing her daughter to say a swear word over what they were facing was definitely a Sam thing and not something Kate would ever do. Desperate times.

The shark thrashed, hitting the boat several times, splashing them with ocean water before it went under and attacked the hull.

"Toss another chunk out," Kate said.

It only took a moment for the shark to return to the surface. Kate was determined to hit the dorsal fin so she took her time. Ryan tossed another piece a bit farther away this time and the shark turned leisurely and headed to it.

Kate fired again. The spear passed through the dorsal fin in the perfect location.

"Yes!" she yelled but raised her hand to signal her daughter to wait. "Hold off on that bad word, it's not dead yet," she teased in excitement.

The shark thrashed, went under and returned within thirty seconds. Kate fired again, hitting it slightly above the tail fin. The shark disappeared.

Kate wheeled to the first hooked line and jiggled it, trying to entice the shark above the surface. It wasn't hitting the boat's underside because it probably didn't have enough line to reach the damaged area. She readied herself at the cleat. They waited with no sign of the shark.

"Where did it go?" Ryan asked.

"I'm not sure." Kate glanced at the water's surface trying to spot it but there wasn't so much as a ripple.

She handed Ryan a bottle of water from the backpack. The day continued warming. She rescanned the ocean. It stayed a smooth blue sheet of nothingness. They drank water as they waited.

The shark struck the yacht so hard, Kate's upper body flung forward and her head hit the middle rail. It was a solid strike and she lifted her hand to check for blood. Thankfully it came away clean and the world stopped warbling. The shark now had her full attention. It nudged a piece of meat with its snout. The line attached to the shark's fin remained taut for several minutes before it came closer and Kate could wrap it several times around the cleat giving it less maneuverability. When the shark turned, the yacht dipped on the starboard side and it was Kate's shoulder that hit the rail this time. Turning her upper body, she grabbed a terrified Ryan over the back of her chair and held on until the yacht rose again.

The shark disappeared below the surface so she couldn't see the bloody thing. A huge splash of water hit them and then the ocean went still again. The battle wasn't over and Kate grabbed the next spear, waiting for the perfect moment. The shark resurfaced, and she pulled the trigger, hitting above the eye.

"You did it, Mommy!" Ryan shouted.

The shark went into a frenzy which meant it felt that one. It was horrible of Kate to feel joy at the creature's pain but she didn't care. She unfurled the net, tied the end to the anchor rope, and threw it toward the shark. Even with it thrashing, the net connected, partially covering its head. Kate pulled and looped the line around the cleat as tight as she could. The yacht pitched dangerously while the shark tried to free itself.

"We need to move!" Kate shouted. "I'm going to detach your line and then mine. Don't let go of the chair."

With Ryan in back of her, holding on tightly, Kate wheeled toward the stern. The yacht lurched, water splashed, and the boat lifted and crashed back down. It tipped, and Kate's hand skimmed the water, dangerously close to the panicked shark.

"We're good," Kate assured Ryan, though her attention remained on the huge jaws that would give her nightmares for decades. It fought the cables, and it was only a matter of time before it freed itself.

The thrashing grew wilder. Holding onto Ryan and the rail, Kate fought to keep them out of the water. The yacht tipped. Kate knew the port side of the yacht had to be completely submerged because suddenly she was looking down on the shark.

"Mommy!" Ryan screamed as she flailed.

Kate's grip on the metal rail slipped.