Page 44 of Terminal Voyage

It was paradise.

The warm breeze blew across the foredeck. It would be almost impossible to be depressed in a place like this. Therewere plenty of excuses to leave all your troubles behind. A million activities to occupy an idle mind—scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skiing, hiking, shopping, sightseeing, or just laying out, soaking up the intense sun.

The first officer collected passports, took a tender ashore, and cleared us in. Immigration issued entry permits, and the port paperwork was taken care of. There were perks to being with the uber-wealthy.

The breakfast spread was amazing.

A little bit of everything. Waffles, blueberry pancakes, French toast, ham and cheese omelettes, scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado toast, hashbrowns, fresh juice, gourmet coffee, and plenty of butter and jelly. I dished up a sampler platter. I had my full appetite back, that was for sure. Much more of this, and I wouldn’t be able to fit into these tight shorts.

Luciano smiled as usual. He always seemed to be in an upbeat, adventurous mood. Sophia seemed mildly annoyed by everything, but that was her default status. I think she enjoyed being mildly annoyed. Hannah and Sebastian looked fresh-faced and ready for the day's adventure.

I sat between Sophia and Vanessa. When Declan joined the table, he made as little eye contact with me as possible. It didn't take a mind reader to know my presence annoyed him.

I didn't say anything to Vanessa about seeing Kate in my room. It was just my imagination, and I didn't need anyone else to tell me I was crazy. I was beginning to wonder about that myself. I didn't need confirmation.

I'd been off the anxiety meds for several days now. Maybe with the fresh air and bright sunshine, my head would finally clear. The medication had to be out of my system by now.

"I can't wait for today's dive," Luciano said. "I must say, I've been looking forward to this for several weeks now."

"Are you an avid scuba diver?" I asked.

"As often as I can. When I was young, I wanted to be an underwater explorer. Discover shipwrecks, dive to new depths, encounter new aquatic life, and perhaps find ancient civilizations. There is a whole other world below the surface, one we have barely explored.”

"What kept you from doing that?" I asked.

"Shipping was the family business. Exploring the oceans is a noble pursuit. But not noble enough for my father. I have great admiration for people who make careers of their passions. I guess you could say my true passion is making money. Shipping enables that. In the end, my father was right," Luciano said, in a reflective tone, "I'm more practical than a dreamer. But I do love the dreamers.”

After breakfast, we gathered our things and regrouped on the aft deck.

Declan had hired a dive master to lead us on this expedition. The aluminum double-hull dive boat pulled to the swim platform of the Vesper. The dive master would provide everything—tanks, masks, BCDs, fins, wetsuits, you name it.

I had a little trepidation about going, but I put that out of my brain. I told myself I wasn't entertaining negative thoughts. Not this morning. Not ever. That was all behindme, and I wasn't going to feed those voices. I mean, there's a fine line between being paranoid and being justifiably cautious. And there are definitely times when you should listen to that little voice in your head that tells you not to do something.

I was still trying to sort that out.

Declan pulled me aside before we all boarded the dive boat. "Are you sure you want to go?"

His tone was clear. He didn't want me on this adventure.

21

The rugged aluminum double-hull gleamed under the relentless sun. The twin outboards howled as we sped toward our destination. With a forward wheelhouse and a wide aft deck with plenty of seating, this boat was purpose built to handle anything the tropical waters could throw at it.

We signed all the paperwork and took care of the insurance.

The dive master, Zach, addressed us as a group for a pre-dive briefing. His long, wavy blond hair hung to his shoulders. The guy had bronze skin and an athletic figure carved from granite.

The ex-pat had a pretty cush gig down here, taking tourists to the reefs. With a California surfer’s drawl, he said, "All the tanks have been topped off to 3,000 psi, and the gear has been double checked for safety. Please do your own checks. This dive will require a safety stop at 15 feet before final ascent. It's a challenging, but rewarding dive. But it is not for first-timers. You must have an advanced open water certification.I’m talking 75 to 100 dives under your belt. This is a drift dive with a deep swim through at the limits of recreational diving. Expect strong currents, confined spaces, and possibly low light. Just to confirm, everyone here has done this kind of thing before, right?”

There were nods all around.

"We’ll be using Nitrox for this dive, so you’ll have a little more bottom time, but you’ll have to watch your gas. If you have anxiety, claustrophobia, or are unsettled by overhead dives, this is not for you," Zach said, his eyes making contact with each of us. “Declan has assured me that everyone here is an experienced diver, but it's better to sit this one out than have trouble down there. No shame.”

We all exchanged looks. It didn’t look like anybody wanted to back out. I had no idea how experienced any of these divers were, but I was pretty sure Vanessa didn’t have anything near 75 dives. But then again, it had been a long time since we’d hung out. A lot can change.

“I will say it once again, if you are not comfortable with anything I have described, please do not embark on this adventure.” He let that hang there for a moment to soak in. “Does anyone have any reservations about this dive or their ability to complete it?”

“No,” the group said.