6
Hunter led them up to the wheelhouse where Annja was surprised to find a young woman studying the bridge console. She looked up as Hunter entered and jabbed a finger at the scope.
“Can’t be sure. At least, not yet,” the captain said.
Annja couldn’t see past Hunter’s shoulder. “How come?” she asked.
The captain glanced at Annja. “Who’s she?”
Hunter pointed at Annja. “That’s Annja Creed. Annja, meet Jax, our captain.”
Captain Jax nodded. “Hey.”
“You said you couldn’t tell if it was the shark. How come?” Annja asked again.
“Too far out right now. I’ll know more if it comes closer.”
“Will it?”
Jax shrugged. “Who knows? It might just be cruising around looking for lunch. As long as none of us are in the water, I don’t care. Let it eat something other than humans and I think we’ll all be better off.”
Cole pushed his way onto the bridge. “If the actual shark expert could maybe manage to get a look at the scope, that would probably be helpful for all involved.”
Hunter stepped back. “Sorry, bro.”
Cole studied the instrument. Annja moved forward and she could make out the slow line circling around the scope. As it passed the lower left section, it grazed what appeared to be a very substantial shape in the water. Cole frowned and leaned back. “You weren’t kidding.”
“About what?” Hunter asked.
“It’s big.”
Annja looked at Cole. “You think it’s a shark?”
Cole shrugged. “Kinda tough to tell from here.”
She looked out of the wheelhouse at the back of the boat in the direction she thought the shark would be cruising based on what she’d seen on the scope. To imagine that something that large was swimming the waters was extremely discomforting. Like so many others, Annja had considered colder waters to be relatively free of dangerous sharks.
So much for that, she thought.
Cole stepped away from the scope and stared out the back window with Annja. “There’s not a lot I can do from here.”
Annja looked at him. “I don’t like the way that sounds.”
He smiled. “But you know it’s the truth.”
“It seems to be what you do, crazy one.”
Cole shrugged. “My life, my calling.” He glanced back at Hunter, who was now talking with Captain Jax. “I don’t think he’ll be crazy about the idea, however.”
“Of course he won’t be. He’s your brother. He doesn’t want to see you in harm’s way.”
Cole eyed her. “Will you help me?”
“With what?”
“I’ll need another set of eyes down there with me.”
Annja watched the ocean and noticed that it seemed to have gone almost glassy still. “You want me to get in the water with you?”
“That would be the idea, yeah.”
“Um, did you bring a cage?”
Cole smiled. “No. But then again, this will give you a chance to get into the water and see that these sharks aren’t necessarily the bad guys we make them out to be in movies.”
Annja frowned. “Cole, this shark, if it’s the same one, has already killed one person in recent days.”
“We don’t know for sure if this is the same shark.”
Annja leaned against the wall of the wheelhouse. “Why do I feel like I’m living in a bad remake of Jaws?”
Cole grinned. “Because you’re fighting the stereotypes that have plagued the sharks since that damnable movie came out. Everyone sees them as nothing but mindless predators, just killing machines. But they’re not. They are extremely intelligent.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“You saw them swim with me in the open water. And they didn’t attack.” He smiled. “And don’t forget that I’d chummed that water pretty heavily.”
Annja sighed. “Yeah, but that was with sharks that hadn’t attacked anyone. Maybe this one has developed a taste for human flesh. I’m not excited about the thought of meeting that fish.”
Cole shook his head. “Human flesh isn’t what feeds these incredible fish, Annja. We’re not a staple of their diets. What probably happened here was a case of mistaken identity. The victim was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, is all. Could happen to anyone, but unfortunately, he just got caught.”
“That’s not much consolation if you’re trying to sell me on this idea.” Annja felt her stomach turn over. This wasn’t a good idea. And she didn’t need the hard-won instincts she’d gained from countless battles and struggles to tell her that. Anyone who’d ever seen a shark special on the Discovery Channel would tell her this was a bad idea.
Hunter came over. “The blip’s gone.”
“It’s gone where?” Annja tried to hide the relief in her voice.
“I don’t know,” Hunter said. “But the blip is gone. It might have moved out of range. Maybe it’s still there.” He stopped and stared at Cole. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing.”
Hunter frowned. “Bullshit. I know that look.”
Cole shook his head. “There’s no look, Hunter. You’re imagining things.”
Hunter looked at Annja. “Is that true?”
Annja held up her hands. “Leave me out of the sibling confrontations. My stomach hurts.”
Hunter turned back to Cole and jabbed a finger at him. “I know you too well, bro. I know what you’re thinking about doing. The answer’s no.”
“What?”
Hunter pointed outside. “You want in. I turn my back on you and you’ll probably dive right in without any tanks on.”
Cole smiled. “Maybe.”
“Water’s awful cold, dude. At least take a wet suit.”
Cole’s eyes lit up. “You’re serious?”
Hunter slapped him on the shoulder. “Are you nuts?
