Chapter 36
Ariel took the helm as we cruised through the sapphire swells. So much for not operating heavy machinery, but Ariel was a little headstrong to put it mildly.
Isabella told me where we could find the shark, and Ariel navigated to the spot. We dropped anchor, and the boat pitched and rolled with the swells. It was a beautiful day. But not a beautiful day to die. I had no intention of becoming a tasty morsel.
The Florida sun beamed bright, sparkling the clear water.
Ariel kept the outboards idling. The low-frequency vibration was a reliable way to draw sharks. You could also chum the water or slap at the surface, but I saw no need to incite a feeding frenzy.
The Siren was perfectly equipped for this type of adventure.
This is what Ariel did when not posing for pictures on Instabook.
She would take tourists out to dive with the sharks at known hotspots—sometimes with the cage, sometimes without.
It depended on how brave you were and the type of sharks you expected to encounter.
Decked out in neoprene wetsuits with blocky geometric patterns that broke up the form, we were ready for adventure. The pattern helped keep you from looking like a seal. It wasn't foolproof, but it went a long way toward keeping you in one piece.
Ariel grabbed a mask, snorkel, and fins. When she was ready, she looked at me and said, "Are you coming?”
"The cage isn't even in the water yet.”
She rolled her eyes. "We're just going down for a look. Relax. I do this all the time.” Then she added the kicker. "You’re not afraid, are you?"
Well, now I couldn’t refuse.
I donned my mask and fins and plunged into the water with her. Like a fool.
It's okay. I'd been in plenty of shark-infested waters before.
I cleared my mask and followed Ariel as she plunged below. Did I mention how good she looked in that neoprene?
I'm just going to chalk this up to the ever-growing list of dumb things I’ve done in the presence of a beautiful woman.
The crystal clear water was an endless blue abyss. Rays of light pierced the water, looking majestic.
I kept my head on a swivel. My heartbeat may have elevated. The idea that there was a mammoth, hybrid, super-aggressive shark out there didn't exactly put me at ease. I don't care how many times Ariel had swum with great whites—that wasn't what we were dealing with.
My heart spiked a little higher when an actual great white faded into view.
It lumbered through the water like an attack submarine.
Those cold, dead eyes, that unimpressed toothy smile.
This was a big one. It had to be 18 feet at least. Not the largest on record, but nothing to sneeze at.
It circled the boat, keeping an eye on us.
Ariel smiled.
This is the kind of thing she lived for.
And I thought I was an adrenaline junkie. This was the edge of death. And Ariel stared at it as often as she could.
The shark circled the boat, and I studied it carefully. As ferocious and capable as it was, this wasn't the shark that had been causing all the mischief. It just wasn't big enough.
We rose to the surface, grabbed a breath of air through the snorkels, then plunged back down.
This was the time when most sane people would have gotten the hell out of the water.
We stretched out long and tall, floating several feet under the water, trying to look like anything but food. I was putting off apex predator vibes. I didn’t lose eye contact with the shark.
I had a K-bar on my belt. It probably wouldn't do much good, but I was a firm believer in reciprocity. Anyone or anything that tried to take a piece out of me would leave with a scar at the least. Protected or not.
After another pass, the shark got curious. It turned toward us and finned forward. I wouldn't call it aggressive, but anytime a great white is heading in your direction, it can seem a little threatening.
It was a recon mission. I think it wanted to learn as much about us as we wanted to learn about it. Maybe a little more.
I knew enough.
It swam close to Ariel.
She reached out her hand, touched its nose, and pushed it away with a gentle but firm shove.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was impressive, to say the least.
Ariel didn't look flustered. This was an everyday occurrence for her. I’ll bet if she had been wearing a heart monitor, it wouldn’t have fluctuated. Like a race car driver who gets an inch from the wall at Indy and doesn’t break a sweat.
The shark changed direction, then swam around the boat again.
Was it really just that simple? Could you stare a great white shark down and gently shove him away, letting him know who's boss?
That took brass balls.
Surely Ariel had some special quality. A superpower gifted from above. The ability to stand fearless in the face of death. Not everybody could do this kind of thing and get away with it, right?
Maybe it was the ultimate test. Maybe the shark could sense fear and doubt. Maybe fear made a person taste better.
Technically, I had died once and been given a second chance. This just seemed like tempting fate to me.
Toothy approached again. He took the same vector and moved with an inquisitive nature. I didn't get threatening vibes from the shark. Maybe you could actually communicate with them in a nonverbal way. Posture and positioning. Body language. Aura, for lack of a better word.
I'm not going to say I was relaxed, but I was less anxious than during the first pass.
That's when it happened.
Out of the haze emerged another shark. One twice the size of Toothy.
That son-of-a-bitch was enough to put the fear of God in you. Not quite a great white, not quite a megalodon. It was something else entirely. And I knew I didn't want to be in the water with it.