Chapter 57 - Boarding the Leviathan
Emma hit the deck hard, rolling across the slick teak as a bullet ricocheted inches from her helmet. The violent lurch of the yacht nearly tossed her into the churning waves, but she drove her combat boot against a raised winch, stabilizing her stance and firing two rapid shots that dropped the guard at the stern hatch.
Behind her, Daniel hit the deck with a heavy thud, instantly rolling into a kneeling position and laying down suppressing fire toward the upper wheelhouse. The helicopter above took heavy fire to its tail rotor, whining sharply before banking away into the storm clouds to avoid crashing onto the deck.
They were on their own.
"Lower deck!" Emma yelled over the roar of the engines and the crashing swells. "Vance will be in the reinforced salon!"
The yacht shuddered violently as a massive wave broke over the bow, sending a torrent of icy saltwater rushing down the port walkway. Emma plunged through the knee-deep surge, kicking open the reinforced hatch leading into the interior companionway.
Inside, the luxury of the vessel stood in stark, surreal contrast to the freezing tempest outside. Polished mahogany, gold-trimmed fixtures, and plush leather furniture lined the corridors, though the ship’s alarm was wailing with a piercing red flash.
Two guards rounded the corner from the engine room. Daniel stepped in front of Emma, his carbine barking in tight, three-round bursts. Both men collapsed against the paneling.
"Clear!" Daniel yelled, wiping blood from a shrapnel graze on his forehead. "Main salon is straight ahead behind the blast door!"
Emma didn't slow down. She approached the double titanium doors of the salon. Through the reinforced observation glass, she saw Alistair Vance standing beside an open stainless-steel case filled with medical extraction equipment. Lily was strapped into a leather swivel chair, her small face streaked with tears, fighting against the heavy nylon restraints.
Vance turned toward the glass, holding a heavy-caliber revolver. He smiled, pointing the barrel directly at Lily’s temple.
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"Drop your weapons and open the hatch from the manual override outside, Emma," Vance’s voice crackled through the salon's intercom. "Or the Laurent bloodline ends right here, on the water, forever."
***
