Chapter 5 - THE HUNT ON HIGH SEAS
Escaping the asylum with her life, Victoria knew time was running out. Midnight was only two hours away.
She drove her high-performance SUV through the pouring rain toward the private industrial harbor where Arthur’s offshore vessel was docked. Sitting in the passenger seat, Leo clutched a small bronze key he had managed to pull off Marcus’s neck during the scuffle.
“My mom said this opens the black box,” Leo said, holding up the blood-stained key. “She hid it under the floorboards at our old house.”
“We’ll get that box later, Leo,” Victoria said, stepping on the gas. “First, we bring your mother home.”
Arriving at the docks, the harbor was shrouded in dense fog. A massive private yacht, The Nemesis, was preparing to decouple from the pier.
Victoria instructed Leo to stay hidden inside the SUV, giving him a emergency satellite phone. “If I am not back in twenty minutes, press this button. It will broadcast our location to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Armed with only her wits and a concealed blade, Victoria snuck onto the lower deck of The Nemesis under the cover of fog.
She moved silently through the lower engine rooms until she reached the VIP holding suite at the stern of the boat. She bypassed the electronic lock using her security access codes—codes she had stolen from Arthur’s office months ago without realizing their true purpose.
The door clicked open.
Inside, sitting on a plush sofa in a white dress, was Eleanor.
“Victoria?” Eleanor gasped, standing up instantly.
The two sisters embraced, sobbing in the dark room.
“You’re alive... you’re really alive,” Victoria wept.
“Leo... did he find you?” Eleanor asked frantically, gripping Victoria’s shoulders.
“He’s safe. He’s outside,” Victoria promised. “We have to go, now!”
As they turned toward the door, the lights snapped on.
May you like
Standing at the doorway was Julian Sterling, holding a silver-plated pistol, accompanied by Arthur Vance.
“How touching,” Julian said, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “The reunion of the Vance twins. It’s a shame it has to end in a double tragedy.”
