Chapter 8

Brynley

I love release days.

Not only because I get to spend hours on or in the water but because they’re one of the few places I get to go without supervision.

The Institute understands the magnitude of me marrying one of their biggest donors, which is why I can have my own personal security guard linger not so nonchalantly on the property. However, he is not cleared or permitted to be on the water during any operation.

And I love it.

I absolutely fucking love it.

“Nice rubber.” A playful wink is shot in Calen’s direction. “I’m proud of you for wrapping it before untrapping it.”

“She always so clever?” Jacques Auclair, the new and honestly pretty hot French rescue recruit for K however, I don’t do more than release a small hiss.

Whatever is wrong with me pales in comparison to what’s wrong with the baby we have a chance to save.

To help.

I’m sure the minor ache I’m experiencing can be cured with two Tylenol and a day of rest with my foot elevated.

Calen and Auclair work together to get the shark out of the water and into our waiting grasps. His wild whipping nature creates unneeded difficulties that don’t stop our efforts so much as slow them, which is not something we need when fighting against a ticking clock.

And it is ticking.

They can’t survive outside of the water that long.

Especially not this young.

In tandem, we make our way over to the built-in tank used for such on site rescues, where we manage to get him secured and Kang a better view of his injuries.

“They look cosmetic,” he promptly informs during his scanning, “but we need to get him to K&T for further inspection.”

My nods of agreement barely precede Calen hoisting himself over the side. The second he rips his mask off, he urgently inquires, “ Is he gonna make it?! ”

“We think so!” Excitement leads to me moving towards him. “But-”

Where the end of sentence lands is unknown due to the combination of the rocking and my suffering of another slip courtesy of my hurt ankle buckling under the weight.

“ Bryn! ”

My entire body brutally falls backwards with a loud thud sound being the last thing I hear before everything goes completely black.