His voice cracked as he shouted toward the boat. “Aaron! Get me a knife!” Aaron straightened instantly, alarm flaring across his face. “What? Why? What happened?” Marcus swam hard for the ladder, gripping the rungs as Aaron leaned over him, searching his expression. “There’s a shark,” Marcus said, breath ragged.
“A great white. It’s tangled — rope around its tail, a harpoon stuck near the fin.” Aaron froze. “A harpoon? Out here?” He glanced instinctively toward the empty horizon. “That’s… Marcus, you know what that means. Someone’s hunting it.” Marcus hauled himself half onto the ladder, water streaming off his shoulders, urgency plain in his eyes.