Stranger's Game by Colleen Coble

Author:Colleen Coble
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

The tiger shark must have gotten a whiff of the blood oozing from Joe’s shoulder.

The shark darted toward them, then veered away at the last minute. Joe slapped his hand over the scrape, but that wouldn’t deter the shark. He dragged in more air, and his strength began to return after his near miss with death.

Torie’s eyes were wide behind her mask, and he gestured for her to back up as far as the octopus apparatus that connected them would let her. She shook her head and brandished the metal she’d used to pry him free.

He grabbed it, taking comfort in its sturdiness, as he waited for the shark’s next attack. It wasn’t long in coming, and this time the gray form stayed zoned in on him. When the fish was in jabbing distance, he thrust the sharpest point of the metal at its gill on Joe’s right side, then jabbed again at its eye. It veered off, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Knowing that might not deter it for long, Joe jabbed upward with his thumb. She nodded, and they began to ascend to the surface. He kept a wary eye out for another attack from the shark, but there was no sign of it when his head finally broke water.

He pulled out his mouthpiece and drew in the most wonderful salty air. “There’s the boat.” He pointed a hundred feet away. “We’ll never see the shark coming from up here. Let’s get aboard as fast as we can.”

Something bumped his leg and he jerked, expecting to feel shark teeth, but Simon’s sleek head peeked up out of the water. “Stick with me, buddy.”

She removed her mouthpiece. “Maybe Simon will protect us from the shark. You tow me while I breathe through the snorkel and watch for the shark.”

A surge of adrenaline shot through him. “Good idea.”

She slid on her snorkel and put her mask in the water, then took the metal in one hand and grabbed his ankle in the other. He pulled her through the waves as fast as he could. Her grip on him didn’t falter so he assumed she saw no sign of their toothy attacker.

They had almost reached the boat’s ladder when her grip went rigid, and she came up sputtering. “It’s coming! Simon is swimming toward it.”

He took the metal from her, then slid on his snorkel. “Get aboard the boat!” He submerged and watched the shark slice toward them as if it was determined for revenge. The sea lion zoomed to drive it off, but the shark swam past.

Joe’s heart thumped against his rib cage as he waited for its next strike. Its eye was a little squinty, but he clearly hadn’t done enough damage. He held the metal like a javelin. His strength had surged back the more air he’d taken in, and he was ready to fend it off this time. To kill it if he could.

The shark’s formidable serrated teeth came at him, but he thrust the metal squarely in the tiger’s eye.

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