Suddenly, the ledge above them exploded in an awful cacophony of light and gunfire. Huge search lights penetrated through the trees and she could hear their villa being desecrated by what sounded like a hundred machine guns.
Melene jumped and bit her lip to not cry out. Aiden ignored the assault and secured her oxygen tank, adjusted the mask over her eyes and nose, making sure her hair wasn’t caught in it—he’d told her earlier her hair could make it leak—and then he handed her the regulator.
He leaned close to her ear and said over the noise coming from above, “Remember to expel the air first before you take your first breath. I’ll be right beside you.”
She could not do this. She wanted to scream in horror and frustration. Aiden nodded to her and put his own face mask on. He took her hand and edged her deeper into the water.
The bullets stopped as quickly as they had begun. Eerie silence filled the air as the echoes died, and Aiden paused. She wasn’t certain if he wanted to hear what was going on or if he didn’t want to splash and give away their location.
“Melene Collier,” an accented voice from the far side of the villa said through what sounded like a bullhorn. “Please step outside the front door with your hands up and we will not kill your protection. Your guard is to stay safely in the house.”
Melene’s eyes widened behind her mask. Aiden squeezed her hand, showed her how to push the button to expel the air, gently maneuvered the regulator into her mouth, and then tugged her into the ocean.
The lukewarm water closed over her head and Melene should’ve felt reassured that they were hidden from the mercenaries, but she was so terrified she couldn’t calm down. Aiden held on to her hand and pulled her in until dark water enclosed her. The pressure of the water and lack of visibility felt like a tomb. The ocean was not welcoming her gently tonight. She pushed out a breath as hard as she could and then took quick panting breaths in and out. She felt herself getting lightheaded and confused. There was pressure on her head and ears, and she couldn't get enough oxygen.
Aiden was quickly swimming them through the ocean. She had no clue which direction, but her eyes adjusted and she could see the mass of dark ocean floor not a foot below her. How deep were they? How far did they have to go? Was she going to pass out from the lack of oxygen?
Water trickled in from the side of her mask and her nose was suddenly filled with water. It was too much. She was going to drown.
A dark, long shape slid past her right side. Melene screamed out, filled her mouth with salty water, and panic overwhelmed her. She ripped her hand from Aiden’s, shoved off the bottom with her right foot, and a few seconds later burst out of the water. She ripped her regulator out and her mask off and took gasping breaths of real air.
Aiden was instantly by her side.
“I can’t,” she gasped out, tasting salt water and trying to blow the water out that had filled her nose.
He put a hand over her mouth and tilted his head. They hadn’t even rounded the cliffs to the south. The villa and all the lights were far too close. She could hear men shouting and running.
“You’ve got this,” he whispered into her ear. “You’re the bravest, toughest woman I know. Take slow breaths in the regulator.”
“My mask is leaking,” she squeaked back.
“It’s all right.” He gently adjusted it back over her eyes and nose, tightening the straps slightly. “If you’re worried, push your free hand against the side that’s leaking and it’ll stop.”
He didn’t let her second guess it, but depressed the regulator and then put it back in her mouth. “Push the air out,” he cautioned, and then he tugged her back under. The dark prison of water surrounded her again on every side.
Melene usually loved the ocean, but right now it was horrifying. She forced herself to push the air out hard and then she tried to draw in a very slow but not very calm breath, while holding on to her mask with her free hand so it didn’t leak again.
Aiden’s grip on her hand was tight and reassuring and he tugged her through the water, his strong legs and the fins doing all the work. Melene focused on clinging to his hand, pushing out a breath, and then pulling the next breath in as slowly as she could. It was disconcerting that she couldn’t see much more than the ocean floor below them and occasionally a fish swimming by. Thankfully, no more large shapes swam by and her mask didn’t leak with her holding it.
Trust Aiden, trust Aiden, she alternated repeating with desperate prayers that they would somehow survive.
She gradually realized that like earlier today when they’d messed around with scuba gear, she was doing it. She was breathing underwater. This afternoon it had been a cool novelty. Tonight it was the difference between life and death.
Her breathing calmed significantly, though the pressure on her head, ears, and sinuses wasn’t going away. She figured she could live with that, but she did try to wiggle her jaw and then pinch her nose and blow out hard to pop her ears. It helped.
She alternated prayers of gratitude with prayers for protection. She tried to kick her legs and help out, but her efforts felt feeble and didn’t seem to matter much as Aiden efficiently motored them through the ocean.
It was dark and murky, and she’d never been so scared in her life, but she kept praying and breathing and clinging to Aiden. She had no clue how much time had passed when she realized the pressure on her head was lightening, but the water was significantly colder. They seemed to change directions, and then it felt like they were swimming against a current. Not that it slowed Aiden down much. He probably didn’t even need the fins.
Time passed, but she had no clue how much. Without being able to see and in the alien world of the ocean, or maybe a river at this point, she was completely out of her element.
She drew in a breath and no oxygen came. Blowing out slowly, she tried again with the same outcome. Her stomach flipped over, and panic filled her lungs instead of the air she needed. She tugged at Aiden’s hand and yanked up, bursting out of the water much quicker than she would’ve imagined. Spitting out the regulator, she drew in sweet breaths of the warm, tropical night air.
Aiden surfaced next to her and put a finger to her lips, as if warning her to be silent. She tried to tread water but kicked the bottom and stood in chest deep water. Looking around, she saw a lot of leafy foliage that the moon barely penetrated and realized a slow current was going around her. She also noticed there was no salt taste in her mouth. Had they gone up a river?
He eased in next to her and whispered, “The tanks are out of oxygen. We’ll leave them.” He took her tank off and then her mask. She stayed close by his side as he waded to the side of the river and hid her equipment under a leafy overhang before doing the same with his own. Was he worried someone would find the equipment and know where they’d gone?
The river seemed quiet and deserted, with only occasional bird calls. Had they lost their pursuers? She could only pray they had. She shivered, remembering the sound of those bullets and the request that she give herself up. Aiden was a genius to get her out of the villa in time to avoid those men and then to think of using the scuba gear to escape. Had he known where the river was because the water was cooler or he’d sensed a current? She shivered again.