Chapter 1

As the best underwater rescue diver in the country, I received an emergency call.

The missing person was ten years old. The location was Gray Falcon Bay.

Ten years ago, my younger sister Eilara disappeared there too.

At the time, my fiancé, Cyrus Voss, was leading the rescue. He held my hand and promised me:

“Trust me, Leona. I’ll bring her back alive.”

But in the end, all they pulled ashore was my sister’s cold, bloated body.

Years later, I learned that Cyrus had found Eilara. But to let his partner, Adrianna Crowe, claim the glory of rescuing her, he had personally unclipped my sister’s safety line.

The current swept Eilara away in an instant. By the time they found her again, she was no longer breathing.

Yet Cyrus and Adrianna used a falsified report to turn one of them into a rescue hero and win the other a medal presented by the President himself.

That was the day I abandoned my old life and began learning to dive.

Ten years. Five hundred and thirty-seven missions. Four hundred and seventy-two people returned to shore alive because of me.

I ran more than ten thousand rescue drills, hoping no one else would ever be like my sister—reached by rescuers, only to be abandoned anyway.

But today, the command center sent a photo of the missing child to my phone.

I stared at it for a long time.

Ten years ago, that man had held me and cried as he claimed he had done everything he could. I would never forget that lying face.

“I’m not diving on this mission.”

...

“Leona, what did you just say?”

The dispatcher, Kyla, froze.

“Last year, a research vessel sank in the North Atlantic. You entered the wreck alone and brought out the trapped researchers.”

“If even you won’t dive, who else in the country can save him?”

I put my gear into my bag.

“I didn’t say I couldn’t do it. I said I wouldn’t take the mission.”

“But that boy has less than an hour of air left—”

“Contact another rescue team now. Don’t waste the child’s time arguing with me.”

Then I hung up.

At that moment, the equipment-room door flew open.

Captain Mason Reed rushed in, rain streaming from his graying temples.

“Leona, wait.”

I picked up my gear bag.

“Mason, I’ve already said everything I have to say.”

He shut the door behind him and blocked my way.

“We’ve been searching for two hours, and we’ve used every piece of equipment available. But the seabed is full of narrow rock crevices and tangled lines. The machines can’t get through.”

He lowered his voice.

“The missing boy is the Crowe family’s only heir. Their corporation is one of the largest in the world, and everyone who matters is at the scene waiting for an answer.”

“Then keep searching with the equipment.”

“We’ve used everything we have! A diver still has to go down and find him!”

Mason grabbed my arm.

“You’ll have the best gear and support team available. I’ll stay on shore and watch you myself. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“This isn’t about safety.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s personal.”

Mason slowly released me.

“There’s a ten-year-old boy underwater waiting to be saved, Leona.”

At some point, the hallway outside had filled with team members.

“Hale is our ace. She isn’t really planning to walk away, is she?”

“Maybe she’s heard too many stories about her own legend. Now she wants an appearance fee before she’ll even get in the water.”

“Shut up!” Mason roared over his shoulder.

I checked my watch.

“You’ve wasted another six minutes. Find a replacement now, before you lose any more time.”

I pushed through the crowd.

Then someone shouted behind me,

“Your sister died in Gray Falcon Bay too. You know better than anyone what it’s like to wait, only to get a body back!”

My steps stopped abruptly.

The photograph from moments ago flashed through my mind.

The boy had the same crooked canine tooth as Eilara.

If Cyrus had not opened that buckle, what kind of life would Eilara be living now?

The crowd suddenly parted.

A woman in a tailored charcoal coat strode toward me.

Ten years had passed, but Adrianna Crowe had barely changed.

She was even still wearing the medal she had bought with my sister’s life.

She did not recognize me. She simply pulled a black card from her purse and slapped it onto the table in front of me.

“I heard you’re refusing to dive.”

“Name your price.”

“One million. Five million. Or founding shares in Crowe Deep-Sea Group.”

“Bring my son back, and I’ll give you anything you want.”