Chapter 15 - The Fire and the Tide
Sarah plunged into the damp, dark stone tunnel, her arms wrapped tightly around Lily, who was sobbing hysterically. Marco pushed the stroller carrying a confused and frightened Leo through the narrow passage, while the heavy iron door slammed shut behind them with a resounding clang.
Above them, the muffled sound of automatic gunfire shook the earth.
Sarah emerged onto the private wooden dock where a small, high-speed RIB boat was moored—a backup vessel Julian had installed for emergencies. She bundled the children into the hull, strapping Lily and Leo into the reinforced life harnesses, while Marco manned the console with his good arm, hot-wiring the ignition.
"Where is he, Mommy? Where is Daddy?" Lily cried, her small hands clutching Sarah’s coat.
"He's coming, baby. He's right behind us," Sarah lied, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped animal.
She looked back up the cliffside toward the estate. Through the dense brush and the rising smoke, she saw the silhouette of the massive limestone mansion. A tongue of bright orange flame erupted from the second-floor study window, shattering the glass and painting the night sky in shades of crimson and gold.
Crack. Crack.
Single, heavy gunshots echoed from the clifftop. Then—silence. A heavy, suffocating silence that felt louder than the explosions.
May you like
"Hold on!" Marco shouted, slamming the throttle forward. The high-powered boat leaped off the water, carving a violent white wake across the dark ocean as it tore away from the burning shore, heading out into the safety of the open sea.
Sarah sat in the bouncing hull, clutching her children, staring back at the burning cliff, her soul holding its breath.
