the ledge of the pool. Ignoring the massive structures, she headed straight down toward the tunnel she’d seen on their earlier dive.
It was right where she’d thought, a tube no more than four feet across and three feet high. She kicked her legs, used her fins to propel her through the water, and thrust into the tunnel. Her light reflected off the walls, off small cave formations jutting out of the solid rock. She tried not to think about the way the enclosure grew smaller and instead focused on getting from start to finish as fast as she could.
Her chest ached. How long had she been down? A minute? Two? She’d lost track of time. As long as she stayed focused, didn’t panic, she’d be fine. She could do this. She’d held her breath for over five minutes during a training exercise. Granted, she wasn’t as conditioned now as she’d been then, but then she hadn’t been swimming for life and death either.
The tunnel jogged to the left, and she kicked harder, curving with the space. The cave was dark but for her thin beam of light, the only sound her pounding heart echoing through her ears. Just a little farther. She had to be close.
The cave turned to the left again. She rounded the corner expecting to see sunlight glinting through the water ahead, but darkness met her. Panic rose in her chest. For a split second she considered turning around, then reality washed through her. She’d never make it back. She was too far in, was already fighting the loss of air.
Stay calm. Keep going. Don’t give up.
She kicked hard one last time. The cave jerked to the right, then steadily rose. Blackness threatened to descend, but Lisa fought it with everything she had. Above, she was almost sure she could see the flicker of daylight.
Her lungs burned. Her legs ached. Intense pressure pushed at her from every side.
Give up. Let go.
No! Just a little more…
She broke the surface and gasped. Her chest heaved while she drew in deep breaths. Long minutes passed as she struggled to find her balance.
When her breathing finally slowed, she forced her eyes open and looked around. This cave was similar to the one she’d left, but the opening above was a lot less steep and not nearly as high. Victory flared in her veins. She pushed herself out of the water and dropped her gear on the rocks at her feet.
It took four tries, but she finally found her footing on the slick rocks and managed to grab tree roots and vines in the thick soil to maneuver up the ten feet to the top of the sinkhole. Sunlight blinded her when she reached the lip and hauled herself up over the side. Sweat slicked her skin. Dirt and mud covered every part of her body. Her hands were raw and worn, her bare feet scraped and cut, but she barely noticed. Right now all that mattered was getting to Shane.
Chest heaving, she leaned forward and surveyed the area. Tall palms towered above. Thick underbrush covered the interior of the island. Beach grass sliced like razors across her feet. She had no clue which way their original blue hole was or in which direction the beach was located.
Think, dammit.
“Rafe!”
She held her breath and listened. Her first thought was that Swanson had come back, but then she realized it was a male voice calling for Rafe, not a female.
“Here!” Her throat was dry and raspy, and she coughed after the word was out.
Limbs crackled, the underbrush moved, and though she was having trouble focusing, she was pretty sure she saw Pete appear from the cover of the trees.
She blinked twice, sure she’d lost some serious oxygen in that tunnel.
“Lisa!” Pete jogged toward her. “Sweet Jesus, we’ve been looking all over for you.”
Lisa looked past Pete to where Hailey was following close at his heels. “How…what are you doing here?”
Pete grabbed her before her legs buckled. He eased her down to the sand. “I could ask you the same thing. Where’s Rafe?”
“Swanson…in the cave. She surprised us.”
“Where’s Rafe?” he asked again, tightening his hands on her arms.
“He’s still down there. With Shane.” She looked up sharply. “Shane’s been shot. We need to get him out.”
“Where?” Hailey asked in a frazzled voice over Pete’s shoulder. “How bad?”
God, her head was fuzzy. She was having trouble focusing. “In the shoulder. He…I don’t think it’s that bad, but…”
“Can you show us where?” Pete asked.
Lisa gave her head