Chapter 14 - Breach and Clear

Up on the bridge, the storm outside broke with sudden fury. Rain lashed against the reinforced glass windows in sheets, and distant thunder shook the ocean swells. Dante Marino sat in the leather captain's chair, swirling his whiskey while staring at a live security monitor that showed empty corridors.
"They're onboard," Dante muttered to his remaining head of security, a hulking brute named Viktor. "Lock down all exterior hatches. Let's see how long they last in the dark."
Click.
The heavy steel door of the bridge didn't just open—it blew inward in a cloud of shattered bolts and smoke.
Viktor whipped his assault rifle around, but Gabriel was already through the threshold, firing two rapid shots that dropped the brute before he could squeeze his trigger.
Dante didn't flinch. He slowly set his whiskey glass down on the mahogany navigation console, a twisted smile spreading across his face as he looked past Gabriel toward the doorway.
Clara stepped into the bridge, her boots clicking against the floor. In her hand, she held the master terminal override pad.
"You're remarkably hard to kill, Dante," Clara said coolly, stepping up to the console and plugging her override cable directly into the yacht's master navigation and communication hub.
"And you're remarkably arrogant, little secretary," Dante spat, reaching slowly toward his shoulder holster. "You think you won? Look outside."
Through the rain-streaked windows, two more unmarked speedboats emerged from the storm, roaring toward the yacht with their running lights dark. Marino reinforcements. They were surrounded in the middle of an open sea.
Gabriel stepped closer to Dante, his face inches from the other man's, his voice dropping to a terrifying, deathly whisper. "You talk too much, Dante. And you brought too many friends to a sinking ship."
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Before Dante could pull his weapon, Gabriel’s fist connected with his jaw with bone-shattering force, sending the syndicate heir crashing backward over the navigation console.
"Clara," Gabriel commanded without turning around. "Execute the purge."