Page 81 of Rescuing Mia

The shock of the cold water is like a thousand needles piercing my skin, but I ignore it, my mind singularly focused on finding Mia. I surface and scan the choppy waves for any sign of her, but theocean is a vast, unforgiving expanse, and the night is dark and moonless.

I hit the water like a torpedo, the force of it driving the air from my lungs. The cold is a brutal assault, a thousand icy knives stabbing into my skin, but I push through it, my limbs already moving, propelling me toward the surface.

I break through, gasping for air, my eyes desperately scanning the choppy waves for any sign of Mia. But the ocean is a vast, unforgiving expanse, and the night is dark and moonless.

I tread water, my heart hammering in my chest, my mind racing with terrible possibilities. Where is she? How far could she have drifted in those few precious seconds?

But I refuse to give in to despair, to the creeping fear that threatens to overwhelm me. I am a U.S. Navy SEAL, trained to survive in the harshest of conditions, to never give up, never surrender.

And I will find her, even if I have to search every inch of this godforsaken ocean.

With a deep breath, I plunge beneath the surface once more, my eyes straining against the murky depths, my body cutting through the water with powerful strokes.

Suddenly, three distinct splashes sound behind me. I whip my head around, trying to locate the source of the sound, and that’s when I see them—the three attackers I just fought.

They’re in the water with me.

They surface one by one. They’re not here to help me save Mia; they’re here to finish what they started.

I brace for another fight, my muscles coiled and ready to strike, but as they swim toward me, I notice something strange—they seem to be scanning the water, their eyes searching like me.

They’re looking for Mia.

Which begs the question, why risk their own lives to jump into the ocean after her?

If they wanted her dead, they could’ve just left her to her fate.

I don’t have time to ponder their motives, but I refuse to let Mia slip away without a fight.

I swim with powerful strokes, my body cutting through the water like a knife. I call out her name, my voice raw and desperate, hoping against hope that she’ll answer.

But there’s nothing, no sign of her, no response to my increasingly frantic cries.

One of the attackers closes in on me, his eyes filled with a murderous rage. He lunges at me, trying to grab hold of my neck, but I’m quicker. I dodge his grasp and slam my elbow into his face, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone beneath my strike.

The attacker reels back, momentarily stunned, but quickly recovers. He comes at me again, this time aiming a vicious kick at my head. I dive beneath the surface, the force of his kick sending a flurry of bubbles cascading around me.

Underwater, the world is eerily silent, the only sound the muffled rush of the ocean currents. I use this to my advantage, swimming behind the attacker and resurfacing just long enough to snake my arm around his neck in a chokehold.

He thrashes violently, trying to break free, but I tighten my grip, my biceps flexing with the strain. We sink below the surface, locked in a deadly underwater embrace. His struggles grow weaker by the second until his body finally goes limp.

Just as I think I’ve won, a muscular arm suddenly wraps around my neck from behind, squeezing with a force that threatens to crush my windpipe. Instinctively, I release my hold on the now-unconscious man in front of me and reach up to claw at the arm around my throat. Another set of arms grabs the unconscious man, bringing him to the surface.

My new attacker is strong, his grip unyielding. Black spots dance in my vision as my lungs scream for air. I twist and thrash, trying to break free. Just when I think I’m about to lose consciousness, I slip out of his grasp and kick hard to put distance between us.

I surface with a gasp, salt water burning my throat as I cough and sputter. I’m disoriented, my vision blurred, but I force myself to focus.

I need to find Mia.

Frantically scanning the waves, a flashing light in the distancecatches my eye. It’s the life jacket they put on Mia, equipped with a small but powerful beacon. Relief surges through me, tempered by the knowledge that she’s still out there, fighting for her life in the churning sea.

I swim toward her, my strokes fueled by a desperate, primal need to reach her, to hold her, to know that she’s safe.

I keep my head above water, my eyes locked on that flashing light as if it’s the only thing tethering me to sanity in this nightmare.

The waves buffet me. Salt spray stings my eyes, but I don’t falter. I can’t. Mia’s life depends on me. She looks so small, so vulnerable, but I know the strength that lies within her. She’s a fighter, just like me.

“Mia!” I call out, my voice raw and hoarse. “Mia, I’m coming.”