Safety Stop
The only thing more dangerous than the crushing pressure of the Arctic Ocean is the truth rising to the surface.
Bennett 'Grave' Cole, Captain of the DSS Leviathan, has spent ten years hunting for the truth behind the Academy Incident that stripped him of his rank. The proof lies in the wreckage of the Chimera, a prototype submarine sunk deep in the Arctic Circle. But he’s not the only one hunting. Vesper 'Viper' Cress, Captain of the mercenary ship The Vulture—and the woman Bennett believes betrayed him—arrives at the coordinates first.
When a catastrophic ice shelf collapse forces them together, Bennett and Vesper are trapped in the Abyssal Glider, a two-person deep-submergence vehicle. As sabotage disables their heat and oxygen begins to fade, the physical confinement of the sphere forces them into an agonizing proximity. The high-octane pressure of the deep sea is nothing compared to the emotional weight of a decade-long grudge that is finally reaching its breaking point.
To survive the descent and a shadowy corporate conspiracy, they must navigate more than just underwater canyons. Vesper holds a secret about the past that could change everything, but revealing it means risking the only thing she has left. In this high-stakes survival thriller, the two alpha-competent leaders must learn to surrender control to each other before the abyss claims them both.
The Blurb
Bennett 'Grave' Cole, Captain of the DSS Leviathan, has spent ten years hunting for the truth behind the Academy Incident that stripped him of his rank. The proof lies in the wreckage of the Chimera, a prototype submarine sunk deep in the Arctic Circle. But he’s not the only one hunting. Vesper 'Viper' Cress, Captain of the mercenary ship The Vulture—and the woman Bennett believes betrayed him—arrives at the coordinates first.
When a catastrophic ice shelf collapse forces them together, Bennett and Vesper are trapped in the Abyssal Glider, a two-person deep-submergence vehicle. As sabotage disables their heat and oxygen begins to fade, the physical confinement of the sphere forces them into an agonizing proximity. The high-octane pressure of the deep sea is nothing compared to the emotional weight of a decade-long grudge that is finally reaching its breaking point.
To survive the descent and a shadowy corporate conspiracy, they must navigate more than just underwater canyons. Vesper holds a secret about the past that could change everything, but revealing it means risking the only thing she has left. In this high-stakes survival thriller, the two alpha-competent leaders must learn to surrender control to each other before the abyss claims them both.
"An absolute heart-pounder! The tension between Bennett and Vesper is as suffocating as the deep-sea setting, and the 'competence kink' is off the charts. Sterling delivers a claustrophobic, spicy masterpiece that I couldn't put down."— Raine Reader