shot?” Frank demanded.
Alec pulled a blanket around Grace. He knelt in front of her, still clutching the fabric at her neck—to keep her warm—but really, it was the closest he could get to scooping her into his arms. That’s what he really wanted to do.
Grace’s body shook as she gulped down air, and a tremulous smile flitted across her lips.
“What the fuck just happened?” he said under his breath, meant for her ears only.
She wiped at the water on her face, then winced and looked at her scraped-up palms, streaks of blood visible. “Which shark was it?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Alec gave a shake of his head. “I’m not sure.”
“Yeah, I filmed it.” Double D answered Frank’s question, his voice solemn.
“Thank God,” Frank replied.
“Her foot’s bleeding,” Alec said. “And her hands. Missy, get the first aid kit.”
Missy, still dripping water from her black and white diving suit, nodded and took off to grab the medical supplies.
Alec stared into Grace’s eyes, so relieved to have her awake and breathing this time. He couldn’t help himself—he reached out and placed a palm against her cheek, then he stood before he kissed her in front of the entire expedition crew.
Everyone was on deck, having scrambled on board amidst all the shouting and screaming while Pete, Eric, and Tony hauled Grace out of the water.
Missy knelt beside Grace and began cleaning her foot. As she did, more blood gushed out. “You’re going to need stitches. Let me wrap it for now, and then we can go inside.”
Alec remained beside Grace as she recovered from yet another near-death experience. He glanced at Donovan. “Thanks for grabbing the equipment.”
Double D nodded, looking as shell-shocked as Alec felt. “That’s why I’m the wingman,” he uttered, but his voice echoed a sentiment of disbelief.
When Grace had been hauled like a bullet through the water by Felix, Alec had let go of the camera and started descending after her.
“I can’t believe what happened.” Missy secured a pad of gauze on Grace’s ankle.
“I’m so sorry I kicked you in the face,” Mackenzie said.
Grace’s response was a curt nod as she grimaced from her foot wound.
“Did that second shark actually help you?” Missy asked in a hushed voice.
It sure as hell had. Alec didn’t know what to say.
“This is gonna be the centerpiece of the documentary,” Frank said. “I hope you got decent footage.” He glared at Double D.
“Give me a minute, and then I’ll download it.” Double D unzipped his wetsuit and started removing it, but he appeared to be in no hurry.
Like everyone, Donovan clearly needed a moment to process what had just happened.
“Which shark was it?” Grace asked again, her voice a bit louder.
When Alec glanced down at her, her color was starting to look better. That was good.
“I saw her pop the surface with you,” Tony replied. “She was so flipping big that I’m sure it was Bonnie, but we’ll need to look at Double D’s footage.”
“Tell us what happened, Grace.” Corky had remained silent until now, and even he looked shaken, despite a lifetime studying great whites.
Grace’s breathing had finally quieted. “Felix came out of nowhere and somehow got hold of my fin. I tried to pull my foot out, but I couldn’t. When he finally released me, I was disoriented. I’d lost my mask and had swallowed some water, and I was so deep that I could hardly see anything. I knew I wasn’t going to last long. And then I felt a change in the water. I could feel the shark before I saw her, so I knew it was a big one. I’ll admit, for a moment I thought that was it. My foot was bleeding and…well…I was easy pickings.”
Alec crossed his arms as a slight tremor rippled through him.
Grace paused and swallowed hard. “Then she looked at me, and I wasn’t afraid of her. But I was out of time.” She pushed at her wet hair, her hand shaking and her voice filled with awe. “She caught me in the chest with her nose and brought me to the surface.”
“Wait a second,” Brad cut in. “You’re saying this shark saved your life? This is stretching it, even for you, Grace.”
“We can use this,” Frank said. “I’d thought to get something more frightening, with a bit more blood and gore, but we can run with it. The shark that saved Grace Mann’s life. This is perfect.” He looked at Grace. “It’s like they know you’re a friend of the great white. It’s as if they look out for you.”
“Not Felix,” Missy added.
“The matron admonishes the troublesome youth and protects her human friend.” Frank gestured as if he were the ringleader at a circus.
Alec frowned. This was getting out of hand. While it was true that Grace was alive, had the shark actually saved her, or was it simply a coincidence?
“You’re going to attribute an altruistic act to an aggressive apex predator?” Brad said. “This is going to backfire.”
“Why?” Grace countered. “Why is it so difficult to believe that they have a brain and a complex one at that?”
“They travel alone,” Brad said. “They give birth and swim away from their pups. They don’t form relationships.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Grace said.
“Because of your dad?” he countered.
“Yes. He studied the whites at the Farallones for years. Certain sharks always hung out together, even returning together every winter. They’re not mindless fish simply under the control of their instincts.”
“But they are, Grace.” Alec couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “Please don’t ever forget that.” Because if you do, the next time just might kill you. “This isn’t scientific, it’s anecdotal. Do you want to pin your professional credentials on it? How do we know that Bonnie, or whichever shark it was, wasn’t just playing with you before taking a bite?”
Grace stared at him, and anger hardened her face. “Fine. Don’t put it in the documentary.”
“I’m afraid they might be right,” Corky said, his voice quiet as if soothing a young child. “Predators often play with their food before a kill. Not that the white wanted to eat you, but it’s likely that she saw you as something to investigate.”
Grace didn’t look at anyone as she spoke, a brittle edge to her voice. “Is it so hard to believe that she knew I was in trouble? Is it so hard to believe that she was smart enough to know that I needed help? Maybe when she first approached I was afraid, but then she nudged me, and then she looked at me.” Grace stood. “And then she helped me.” She hobbled her way into the salon.
Alec scrubbed a hand through his wet hair.
What if she’s right?
The implication would point to an emotional intelligence that had never before been attributed to sharks. It was an astounding breakthrough.
If it were true.
But if he put this incident into the film, would she become a laughingstock? Would it ruin her professionally? Grace was deeply attached to her subject, her field of research a labor of love and obsession. Sometimes it was hard to see clearly. It was up to Alec to protect her, even from herself.
Frank sighed loudly. “All right, if we don’t use that angle, then let’s backtrack to the obvious. That giant mother-fucker of a shark was out to get Grace all along.”
Corky levelled a cool gaze in Fowler’s direction. “That’s absolutely not true.”
“You said it yourself,” Frank rebutted. “The shark was out to investigate her.”
“I will not use that angle in the film,” Alec said.
“You have to turn all the footage over to CMI.” Fowler’s eyes glittered, his smugness evident. “Your angle is up for debate.”
He knew about the contract clause. Fuck.
Alec’s temper reached a flashpoint. “You’re such a prick, Fowler. You’d either ruin Grace’s reputation or vilify the great white. We should throw you in the water and see how you do.”
“There’s something else that hasn’t been brought up.” Tony stood off to the side, his gaze shadowed beneath a ball cap. “Dr. Michaels and Mr. Fowler were chumming right before all this happened.”
“And what about it?” Brad asked. “We were trying to attract sharks.”
“Near the Mercado?” Tony asked.
Brad stared at the grad student. “We weren’t that close.”
“Bullshit. I saw you a quarter mile away.”
Alarm shot through Alec. “Were you really that close? We had three divers in the water.”
“Which shark were you trying to tag?” Tony’s tone demanded an answer.
“I don’t know,” Brad replied, his face stretched with incredulity.
“It was Felix,” Tony said flatly. “I’d already ID’d him.”
Alec faced off against Michaels. “What the fuck were you thinking? Did you do that on purpose?”
“Of course not. I didn’t realize we were so close to you guys.”
“So you got him all riled up, and then he came back and attacked Grace.”
“You can’t blame me for the behavior of a wild animal.” Brad aimed an arctic gaze at Alec. “And since when did you become so worried about Grace’s welfare?”
“I’m not about to treat her the way you do.”
“And what the hell does that mean?”
“Like some stepping-stone to further my career.”
Brad released a bark of laughter. “That’s rich, coming from you. You’re here solely to piggyback off her so your film will get noticed.”
Alec suppressed a flinch from the partial truth. “Stay away from her.”
“Since when is my relationship with Grace any of your business?”
“It is now.” The words were out before Alec could stop them.
“Jesus, are you fucking her?”
Alec stood his ground as Brad bore down on him.
“You son-of-a-bitch!” Brad shoved Alec.
Before Alec could land a punch, Pete and Tony grabbed Brad while Donovan planted himself squarely in Alec’s face.
“Calm down,” Double D said under his breath.
For one brief, wild moment, Alec almost pushed his friend aside to get at Michaels, his fist itching to crack the man’s jaw.
Instead he gave a curt nod and headed inside, leaving a stunned audience in his wake.
So much for remaining professional.