Trouble in Paradise (Romantic Suspense, Completed)

Chapter 14

I stifled a yawn as I walked into the dive centre the following morning. My body clock had reset to Egyptian time, and it didn't like me getting up an hour early to go out on the boat.

"Didn't you sleep well?" asked Adam.

"I slept well, just not for long enough."

"You can sleep on the boat if you're still tired," said Gabe, walking in with a pile of wetsuits. "There'll be plenty of time to rest between dives. Just try not to get sunburned. The lobster look wouldn't suit you."

"Don't worry," Adam told me as Gabe walked outside. "I've got sunscreen and the hands to put it on with."

Yes, I was looking forward to today's trip.

We all piled into the truck for the five-minute ride to the jetty, and wow, that was some boat. The Fidda Nijmah, according to the black letters on the stern. An Egyptian flag fluttered in the breeze above the name.

"How many people are going?" I asked Gabe.

"Just us."

Really? But the boat was huge. "How many people can the boat fit?"

"Twenty-six fully equipped divers, plus crew."

"Isn't that a lot of space for three people?"

"I guess nobody else wanted to come today."

Who wouldn't want to go out on the water on such a beautiful day? Still, I wasn't going to complain about some alone time with a hot American.

"So does it only get used for diving?"

"Yes. That's what it was designed for. It was one of the support boats for Ahmed Gabr's world record dive a while back. He got to 332 metres."

"That's insane. We've gone to what? Eighteen?" Adam asked.

"It took him fifteen hours, and he had to make a lot of decompression stops. We all breathed a sigh of relief when he got out, I tell you. Everyone was worried he'd pop, even the doctors. And yes, you've done eighteen metres so far, but today you'll go to thirty."

Nerves almost got the better of me as Gabe gave us a briefing, diagrams and all. Those butterflies were back, and this time, they'd brought their friends.

Our first stop would be Dahab's famous Blue Hole, a sinkhole that plunged one hundred and twelve metres into the depths just yards from land. We'd be picked up in a dinghy and taken to shore, where we'd start our dive at El Bells.

"It's like a narrow chimney you descend down, feet first. It's called the Bells because everyone clangs their tank on the side," Gabe told us. "After we come out at twenty-six metres, we'll swim along the reef wall, then over a small saddle into the Blue Hole itself. Don't get too excited, though—the hole itself isn't that exciting. It's just deep. But we can watch the free divers going down. Those guys are crazy."

Thinking back to my own attempt at diving sans tank, I certainly agreed with that sentiment.

"Where are we going in the afternoon?" I asked.

"Farther south, to Gabr el Bint. It translates as 'grave of the girl.' Legend says that once upon a time, a Bedouin girl eloped with her lover, but she was caught and killed there by her family."

"Isn't that a bit morbid?" Adam asked.

"The site isn't as grim as the name suggests. It's actually one of the most beautiful spots in Sinai. And because it can only be reached by boat or camel, the coral stays relatively undamaged. You'll both love it, trust me."