Becca ran her hands over Ethan’s chest and neck, tripping over her words as she struggled to breathe against the constriction of her ribcage. “Let me check you. Did he hurt you? My God, I thought…”

Ethan caught her wrist, his fingers were steel bands. “Becca, I’m fine. You?”

He reached for her, brushing her cheek, and every nerve ending in her body lit up under his touch. She nodded, her mouth suddenly bone dry and her heart galloping.

Satisfied, he released her, but the imprint of his touch was scalded onto her skin. He was breathing heavily. From the exertion, Becca.

She made a conscious effort to slow the obvious rise and fall of her own chest. “Okay. Good.” She tucked loose hair behind her ear and released a slow shuddering breath.

Ethan fished cable ties from his pocket.

“You have cable ties in your pocket?” Becca stared, unable to keep the surprise from her voice.

He eyed her. “For emergencies.”

“Of course.”

He squinted at her, amusement dancing in his eyes as a lock of dark hair slipped over his forehead. Her fingers itched to touch him, to sweep the hair from his face as she’d done so long ago.

“I’m a regular boy scout, Becca. You know that.” His voice was matter-of-fact. He secured Redd’s wrists and ankles. “Maybe a gag would be a good idea too,” he said, fingering the chewed neckline of his vest.

“Let’s get him back to the infirmary. Cable ties or not, I’ll feel a lot happier once he’s properly restrained.” She straightened back onto wobbly feet.

Her head was buzzing, due to the high CO₂ levels and she stumbled. Ethan caught her, tugging her close to his chest. Heat radiated from him, scorching her from her knees to her chin. She stared at the base of his throat, not daring to look up and meet his gaze, her palms registering the thump of his heart under her fingertips.

He bent his head and his lips brushed the top of her ear, weakening her knees. “Don’t go driving now, Doctor. You’ll get a DUI.”

She stilled, seeking balance away from him, but his scent and the warmth of his breath against her skin were chipping away at the defenses around her heart. Everything sane and orderly was falling apart. What if she never made it out of here? Would she choose a different path?

She squeezed her eyes tight, then opened them. “Thanks. I’m okay now.” But she didn’t pull back straight away. Instead, she leaned against his chest, against thick taut muscle. Liquid heat pooled low in her belly. Once she’d loved to lie beside him and trace the curves and contours of his abs, feathering them with butterfly kisses and soft touches. Did he feel the same connection, still there despite the passage of time and circumstance?

“Becca…”

At last, she pushed away from him and forced a smile. She ran her tongue along her teeth. “I think all these near-death experiences are getting to me.”

Bang.

The entrance hatch slammed open, and Em lurched into the room, brandishing a broom. She discarded it the instant she spotted Becca and Ethan and rushed over, nearly felling Becca in an enormous bear hug.

“Becca, are you okay? It was so dark. I had nothing to fight with. He came out of nowhere. Oh My God, is that a cut on your head?”

Becca batted Em’s hand away from her face. “Em, I’m fine. Redd’s out cold and tied up.” She raised a finger to a gash on Em’s forehead. “What about you?”

Em raised a tentative hand to the wound, her cheeks pinking. “I ran into the door trying to get out.”

Becca glared at Ethan as he suppressed a snort and turned his back.

“What’s a guy gotta do for table service around here?” Nik lurched onto his feet, one arm clutched protectively to his chest.

Becca pulled away from Em. “Everyone needs to get up to the infirmary so I can check you all out.”

Nik crossed to the far side of the room where the scrubbers were located. “Not until we get the air back online,” he shouted. “Priorities.”

Em nodded in agreement. “We can restart the mainframe using a generated surge from the emergency batteries. It’s a patch, but it’ll do.”

Nik hobbled over to join Em at a keyboard and began entering commands with stabby, one-finger typing.

“Heavens, let me help you there.” Em sidled up to him and typed in a blur. She paused. “Ready when you are.”

Nik raised his hands in submission and backed away from the keyboard. “Dr. Johnson, we need you over here.” He pointed to a black lever then cracked open a tool case attached to the wall. “When I tell you, push it.”

Becca closed her fingers around the cold metal of the inlet valve as Ethan approached her. “Let me help you with that,” he said as he laid his hands across hers.

She stared down, the rough calluses of his palms catching the skin on the back of her hands in an electrical jolt. Her knees softened as her heart accelerated. Damn. She fixated on the floor, concentrating on bringing her unruly body under control. “Ready,” she said, her voice hoarse.

Ethan’s comms crackled.

“What the hell is going on down there?” Irritability tinged Chief’s voice.

“Nearly there, Chief.” Nik slid under the central scrubber, tools in hand, his upper body disappearing until only his black-clad legs and thick-soled army boots were visible. Loud banging echoed around the room, and sparks fizzed and scattered across the floor, illuminating the gloom with bright stars of light.

Becca closed her eyes as she waited. Deep-sea work always carried a risk, but if she was honest with herself, she hadn’t really thought about it. She’d believed death was acceptable because her life was such a mess. She swallowed bile.

She’d had enough of living hidden in the darkness at the bottom of the ocean. Ethan being here now, changed something. Changed everything. She didn’t want to die. For the first time in her six-month rotation, she was terrified. Terrified of dying. Terrified of not making it back to the surface and seeing the sky once more. And if she was honest, deep-down terrified of not having the opportunity of making her peace with Ethan.

An impressive range of Russian expletives shattered her train of thought and singed the air as Nik wriggled out from underneath the scrubber unit.

“Okay, I think we’re good.” He joined Em and waited as she keyed in commands.

Lights flickered to life. Nik grinned and turned to Becca. “You ready?”

Her fingers tightened on the manual override, the metal cold under her bruised palms.

Nik counted. “Three, two, one.” Then using both hands, he flicked two rows of switches.

Beside him Em monitored scrolling diagnostics, lifting her head in delight when the lights brightened from red to brilliant white, forcing Becca to squint.

“Now,” Nik shouted over his shoulder.

Becca put her weight into it and shoved the lever hard, Ethan’s strength helping to force the mechanism to where it locked into place with an audible click. Power tangibly thrummed through the lever, tickling the undersides of her fingers while overhead, the light settled to a calmer yellow glow. One by one, the computers blinked back to life and the CO₂ scrubbers revved up to a low hum that filled the air with a reassuring murmur. Figures detailing the shifting balance of carbon dioxide to oxygen scrolled across the screens.

Becca sagged with relief. Even the oxygen generator was back online. “Oh my God. We did it.”

“Life support patch now functioning at eighty-five percent and rising, Dr. Johnson.”

At last, something was working. “Okay. Good.”

“Nik!” Ethan’s voice was strident from behind the scrubber unit.

Becca briefly closed her eyes. Damn. What now? She tailed Nik as he hurried behind a rebooting terminal. He halted suddenly and Becca collided with his back. When she steadied herself and looked past him, the air locked in her lungs.

Where they’d left Redd tied up, there was only empty space. The cable ties Ethan had secured him with lay sheared and useless on the floor. Becca tracked blood smears to an open ventilation shaft in the wall, the hairs on the nape of her neck lifting.

Redd was gone.