Page 68 of False Flag

“You have the weight you need?” Jake asked.

He nodded. “All set.”

The boat dropped anchor, triggering a flurry of activity for the three-person boat crew.

Jake, Staci, and Felix headed for the rear, passing Lloyd, who headed belowdecks without a word. Dahlia remained on the upper deck, by the steps to the dive platform.

“Can I help you with your weight belt?” she asked Jake with a grin as he descended the ladder.

“I’ve got it, thanks.”

Staci snickered as she handed her fins down to Jake before joining him on the platform.

Dahlia hadn’t given up on flirting with Jake, not at all put off that he’d kissed Staci in full view of everyone, but he could tell she wasn’t really invested. He figured she’d be happy to get laid, but that was as far as it went.

In another place and time, he’d have enjoyed that.

But here and now, he couldn’t imagine wanting anyone who wasn’t Staci. Which, when he thought about it, was a bit alarming. But now wasn’t the time to unpack that problem.

He and Staci donned their BCD vests and air tanks, then checked each other’s straps and hoses while Felix filmed.

Beside him, the water beckoned. He’d been looking forward to this from the moment he’d agreed to this assignment.

Ready at last, he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the extra-large platform and pulled on his fins over the booties that were a necessity in water this cold. Next, he donned the neoprene gloves and full head covering. Beside him, Staci did the same.

Masks went on last, then they both slid off the platform into the chilly water, holding on to the platform as their wetsuits were inundated with seawater.

Staci gasped and only partially managed to stifle her screech at the icy liquid seeping into her wetsuit. “I hate this part,” she said under her breath.

It wouldn’t take long for their bodies to warm the water trapped in the suit, but the first minutes were bracing when the water was 13 degrees Celsius—or rather 55 degrees Fahrenheit on the US side of the Haro Strait.

The Salish Sea in early June was no joke.

Jake, however, loved it. As teens, he and Lloyd had both worked hard and saved up to purchase the best wetsuits available. They’d dived together in all but the coldest winter months.

“When Lloyd and I were teens, we’d pour warm water down our backs before entering Puget Sound in wetsuits. Cuts the chill significantly.”

“Why didn’t we do that today?”

He nodded toward Felix with the camera. “Drama.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m okay without drama.”

“But viewers will love it.”

Felix set aside the camera and quickly suited up. Ready, he slipped into the water and popped his regulator into his mouth as Jake and Staci did the same.

Felix and Staci both gave the okay symbol, and Jake nodded, gave the signal, and pushed off from the platform. The weights helped them drop as they dumped air from their vests and descended to the bottom.

Cold, wonderful seawater enclosed Jake as he sank deep, Staci by his side. Felix followed a few meters behind.

The world shrank down to four meters in all directions. He breathed slow and steady, enjoying the moment. Immersed in icy water, bubbles rising around his regulator, with crackling noises made by sea creatures doing their thing.

He felt the pressure of the deep and cleared his ears. The crackling grew louder as he neared the sea bottom. He checked his dive computer for depth and approximate location and determined the wreck was a few degrees to the east. He signaled to Staci. She changed course and took several rapid flutter kicks, gliding ahead of him.

He slowed slightly so he could watch her swim, smooth and easy. Shallow kicks that didn’t stir the silt at the bottom. Her comfort with controlling her buoyancy in the water was evident.

She spotted something worth a closer look and paused. He joined her and lingered for a long moment to admire the octopus that had crammed itself into a small crevice.