Chapter 13 - The Black Yacht
The water slapped rhythmically against the hull of the Siren’s Call as Gabriel’s high-speed Cigarette boat drifted alongside the massive, unmarked yacht under the cover of a gathering dusk. The Mediterranean sky had turned a bruising shade of purple, threatening a fierce summer storm that mirrored the violence about to unfold.
Clara stood at the helm of their small boat, clad in a sleek black tactical turtleneck and trousers, her hair pulled back into a tight braid. She wasn't the terrified assistant hiding behind a clipboard anymore; she was the woman who had brought an entire underworld to its knees.
"Remember the protocol," Gabriel whispered, checking the clip of his suppressed pistol. "If I give the signal, you lock down the yacht's satellite uplink from the bridge terminal. Don't play hero."
"I am the hero, Gabriel," Clara shot back with a cold, fearless grin. "You're just the muscle."
Before Gabriel could retort, a steel boarding ladder dropped down from the yacht’s starboard side. Two Marino enforcers leaned over the railing, their assault rifles pointed down toward the water.
"Board," a voice barked through a megaphone from the upper deck. "Hands where we can see them!"
Gabriel climbed first, moving with the silent, lethal grace of a predator. As his boots hit the teak deck, the two enforcers barely had time to blink before Gabriel’s combat knife flashed in the dim light, neutralizing both guards silently and catching their bodies before they hit the floor. Clara followed right behind him, stepping over the threshold without a single tremor in her hands.
May you like
They slipped inside the yacht’s belly through the lower cargo bay, descending into a maze of mahogany-paneled corridors lit by emergency red lighting. The air smelled of expensive cigar smoke and sea salt.
"The bridge is three levels up," Clara whispered, pulling out her burner phone to tap into the yacht's internal security grid. "Dante thinks we're walking into a trap. Let's show him why walking into our trap is a fatal mistake."
