Chapter 8 - Fire on the Water"Down!" Bennett shouted, shoving Clara and Mia onto the floorboards of the motorboat as a hail of bullets chewed through the wooden slats of the boathouse roof.
Walter and the remaining guards opened fire, their suppressive volleys shattering the windshield of the lead approaching speedboat, causing it to veer sharply into the dock pylons with a sickening crunch.
"Cast off, Walter!" Bennett roared, leaping into the pilot’s seat and slamming the throttle forward.
The motorboat roared to life, leaping away from the slip in a plume of white spray just as the second enemy speedboat opened fire with incendiary rounds. The boathouse behind them erupted in a violent fireball, wood and glass splintering into the night sky.
Bennett navigated the dark lake with lethal precision, his eyes locked on the narrow inlet on the opposite shore that led to the highway.
"Are we going to die?" Mia whimpered softly from the floor, clutching her cat so tightly the poor animal let out a distressed squeak.
Clara wrapped her arms around her daughter, her own eyes wide with terror as she looked up at Bennett. In the red glow of the dashboard instruments, Bennett’s face looked hard as granite, carved from pure rage and determination.
"No one is dying tonight," Bennett said, his voice dropping an octave, carrying an absolute, terrifying certainty.
Behind them, the second enemy boat closed the gap, its mounted heavy gun spinning to lock onto their stern.
Bennett didn't flinch. He reached beneath the dashboard console, flipping a heavy steel toggle switch labeled Override.
On the transom of their motorboat, a hidden compartment slid open, revealing a twin-tube naval flare launcher loaded with high-explosive magnesium rounds.
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With a swift punch of a red button, Bennett fired.
A searing streak of white-hot light hissed across the dark water, slamming directly into the bow of the pursuing speedboat. The resulting detonation was instantaneous and blinding—a massive fireball swallowing the enemy vessel whole, sending flaming debris skipping across the lake’s surface.
