Page 59 of Priceless
A delicious shot of adrenaline sped through my veins, and I started reeling again. Mason started the engine and moved theboat a little closer to the fish, giving me some slack to make my job easier.
Suddenly, the cod showed me it had only been playing with me. With one massive pull, I nearly came out of Jacob’s arms and over the railing. I screamed, but I didn’t let go.
“Laira!” He caught my coat and pulled me back. We both took a step away from the rail. The end of the pole looked like it was going to snap, even though it was bigger and thicker than any pole I’d ever seen. I couldn’t believe the piano-wire line hadn’t already snapped.
Jess cursed. I didn’t recognize the words, but I knew a curse when I heard one.
I blinked furiously and found where the line went into the water, and just beyond it, something long and gray, like a long boney arm, sliced in a wide circle and disappeared.
“That…that wasn’t a fin,” I stuttered. “Too long for a f…fin. Right?”
“It’s a thresher,” Jacob said. His sober tone scared the crap right out of me.
Thresher? My brain scrambled. A thresher shark?
“Mason, bring me a knife!” he shouted, then lowered his voice again. “Hold on, lass. We’ll cut the line. Dinnae fash.”
It was Banner who showed up with a knife. Jacob pulled me back and gestured to bring the pole sideways, so Banner could reach the end. The shorter man was only inches away when the line went slack. The end of the pole shot up straight. Without the need to pull, my momentum sent me stumbling back against Jacob.
“Must have spit out the cod,” Jess said, watching the water like a hawk. “Can ye reel it in?”
I resumed winding, still playing the role of Brave American, pretending I hadn’t just been physically connected to the biggest phobia of my life. Pretending I didn’t want to curl into a ball,hide under the seats, and wait for rescue like the girl in the movie.
“Auch, here we go,” Banner said, leaning over the railing and peering straight down. I should have known better, but I looked. I thought I was watching two flat white fish slowly rising through the water, headed for the surface. But the water all around them was inky black.
The millisecond I realized two killer whales were coming my way, already looking for me, I literally felt my heart stop.
And I was grateful.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Catch her!” Banner shouted and lunged to put his body between Laira and the railing.
Jacob felt her body sag and pulled her tight to him. Who knew what might have happened otherwise. It made him sick to think about it. The poor woman was already terrified. Waking to find herself swimming with a pair of killer whales might have stopped her heart!
The two orcas lingered just long enough to show off their catch. Laira’s thresher shark had been divided between them, and the long and curved gray tail wrapped around the second whale’s face in a gory smile as the pair moved on.
Jess pressed her hand to the woman’s neck for a few seconds, then nodded and gave him a wink. “Just fainted. She’ll be fine. Let’s get her on the couch. Banner, do ye mind goin’ in?”
“O’course not. I’ll pull in the lines so Mason can get us on our way.”
Banner was sympathetic to anyone fainting, since he did so himself now and again when he caught sight of blood. When he’d pulled in the Haddock, Jacob had known to handle the fish himself, just in case. Then he’d thrown the thing back in the water after weighing it.
It was a wonder the Highlander agreed to fish at all, but if Jacob’s experience with Laira had taught him anything it was this: a man would do anything necessary to prove himself to the right woman. So maybe Banner was still proving himself.
Maybe, with the right woman, the drive to do so never truly ended.
They got Laira sorted out on the cushions and Jess propped one under her feet. She watched over the lass until she was satisfied, then she waved for Jacob to follow her to the back of the boat, leaving Banner to keep watch.
Jacob hated to leave Laira’s side. She might wake any moment. But the look on Jess’s face got his feet moving.
“What is it?” He was honestly afraid to know.
“She’s fine. Ye can relax. I nearly fainted myself the first time I saw an ocean wolf up close.”
He took a deep breath, but it did little good.
“Listen,” she said. “I ken what ye’ve done.”
