Sunk

Sunk TORRI HEAT Copyright © 2023 by Torri Heat All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in brief quotations within reviews and otherwise permitted by copyright law. This is a work of fiction. Any aspect of this work — names, characters, places, and/or incidents — are products of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons (living or dead) is purely coincidental. Cover Design by Books and Moods E-Book Formatting by Kreative-Books, LLC Paperback Formatting by Gee at DarkbyDesign Editing by Lauren Alsten Contents I. The Midnight Zone 1. Lucy 2. Jack 3. Nathan 4. Lucy 5. Tucker 6. Jack 7. Lucy 8. Tucker II. The Abyss 9. Nathan 10. Lucy 11. Jack 12. Tucker 13. Lucy 14. Nathan 15. Jack 16. Lucy 17. Tucker III. The Trenches 18. Nathan 19. Lucy 20. Tucker 21. Lucy 22. Jack 23. Nathan 24. Tucker 25. Lucy About the Author Also by Torri Heat For my father, who is desperate for me to write a book he can read. Sorry, dad, you still can’t read this one. Better luck next time. Book Description The ocean is dark and filled with mystery, but it’s not the only thing with secrets. Lucy Sodaro has always wanted to explore the ocean. She never thought it would turn into a career, and definitely not one with her childhood best friend, Tucker, by her side. But now both are marine biologists, living their best life, until Abyss – a private company with murky intentions – offers them the chance of a lifetime. Three months at the bottom of the ocean inside their submarine, the Siren. Lucy and Tucker jump at the opportunity to do what they both love. Explore, with no limits, and all expenses paid. But the childhood best friends aren’t prepared for everything they discover on the ocean floor. Captain Jack might be an experienced submariner, but he doesn’t seem to enjoy women being in his space. And Nathan, the shy navigator, is too busy managing his panic attacks to be much help. Relationships new and old are tested when the journey continues to expose secrets, both about the depths of the sea and the dark desires inside each crew member. The ocean doesn’t discriminate, and when things go awry, the team must set aside personal grievances to survive their mission, regardless of the cost. Because at the bottom of the ocean, the only way out is up. * * * Please Note This book has themes/discussions/scenarios that include but aren't limited to; mental health, abuse and addiction, tight spaces, on-page and off-page death, submarine jargen, water, and being underwater. Part One The Midnight Zone Chapter 1 Lucy I had never seen a color like the ocean the day we set off beneath its churning surface. Bluer than a sapphire, polished until it gleamed. Richer than the bluest of eyes, filled to the brim with uncried tears. The shade of the waves was a dream as they rocked against the sub, bashing us from side to side. They were too deep to be real, too thick to be liquid. Yet, they existed, the edges of my rough, company-issued uniform damp from the spray. The uniform made us official, telling us we were meant to be here. I was meant to be here. I should’ve taken the color as an omen, a sign of what we would find on our mission. Instead, I hung over the short railing, admiring the part of the world that had always seemed more home to me than solid land. Today was the day. I grinned as another wave splashed against the neon orange wall of the submarine. I couldn’t wait to be under her surface. I had been on subs before, but never close to this depth. The ocean’s quiet had called to me from the first time I dove beneath her tumbling waves. There was a special kind of peace beneath the surface, a feeling like it was just you and her. A moment of rest for your soul, a bit of peace for your heart. I craved that, more than I wanted to breathe. I wanted the solitude, the weightless feeling of body and soul. I wanted to feel like I deserved it, the weightlessness. And after all I had done to get here, I wasn’t sure I would ever feel that way again. “Luce, what the hell are you doing?” I whipped my head around, trying not to blush at being caught daydreaming. Tucker Albertine stood in front of me, arms crossed against his pressed uniform. His jaw was clenched, his warm brown eyes sharpening to a cooler tone of gold. Always so perfectly put together, even on the most exciting day of our lives. He left the technology supervisor he was talking to, and climbed on top of the sub. “Are you seriously smirking at me right now?” he snapped. Flashing him a grin, I jumped down off the raised bit of roof I had been standing on. “Are you seriously going to pretend this isn’t the day our dreams come true?” Tucker rolled his eyes, pushing a lock of dark hair away from his face. I caught a hint of a smile as he looked away though, examining the top of the sub as she bobbed above the churning azure waters. “Admit it,” I taunted. “You can’t believe we’re here either.” I grabbed his hand, resisting my inner child’s urge to jump up and down and scream that we had made it. His full lips curled up in the easy smile I loved so much. “Okay, okay. I’m a tiny bit blown away that we are standing here. Together, no less.” I wrapped my arms around his waist, not caring who saw us. “Together forever.” Tucker and I had grown