Ward
The explosion hadn't even finished echoing when training took over.
"Everyone report!"
Storm was still beside me.
"I'm okay."
Nathan answered over the radio.
"Still afloat."
Ben's voice came next from below.
"Calle and Ivy are good."
Relief lasted exactly one second.
Then another warning alarm sounded.
I looked at the radar.
"They're closing."
Three attack boats.
The men on the reef.
Whoever planned this hadn't come to scare us.
They'd come to finish us.
"Storm."
She met my eyes.
"I need you to trust me."
"I already do."
The words hit harder than I expected.
There wasn't fear in her voice.
Only certainty.
I gave a single nod.
"Good."
I pointed toward the salon.
"Get everyone into life jackets."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"You think we're abandoning ship?"
"No."
I looked back through the windshield.
"But if they disable us, nobody goes into this water without one."
She didn't argue.
She disappeared below deck.
"Calle!" Storm called as she hurried down the companionway.
"Life jackets. Everyone."
Ivy was already opening the emergency locker.
"I've got them."
Ben helped Nathan's spare vest into place while Calle handed one to Rose and Frank.
The Calle looked around the cabin.
"I never imagined Grandpa's yacht would become a battlefield."
Storm rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Neither did he."
Calle smiled sadly.
"But he'd be proud of you."
Back on the bridge, Nathan's voice sharpened.
"Ward."
"I'm here."
"They've split up."
"I see it."
One boat angled toward our stern.
Another crossed ahead.
The third remained farther back.
Watching.
"They're coordinating."
"Military formation," Nathan agreed.
I didn't like what that meant.
Someone with experience was commanding them.
The radio crackled again.
"I've got another problem."
"What now?"
"The reef."
I looked ahead.
The water had changed color.
Deep blue faded to pale green.
Jagged rock formations lurked just beneath the surface.
Sea Whisper didn't draw much water.
But she drew enough.
One mistake...
One wrong turn...
We'd tear the hull wide open.
Storm returned to the bridge, fastening her own life jacket.
"Everyone's ready."
She followed my gaze.
"Oh..."
Now she understood.
The reef wasn't just an obstacle.
It was a weapon.
"They're counting on us to panic," she said.
I smiled.
"They picked the wrong Ranger."
Her lips curved despite everything.
"They also picked the wrong Sinclair."
For just a second, the fear disappeared.
It was replaced by determination.
That's when I knew.
No matter what happened today...
This family wasn't going to break.
A sharp voice burst over the VHF radio.
"Sea Whisper..."
Every hair on my neck stood up.
The transmission was clear.
Too clear.
"Sea Whisper, this is your final warning."
Storm stared at the speaker.
"They're using marine radio."
The voice continued.
"Shut down your engines."
"Prepare to be boarded."
"You have one minute."
Ben looked up from below.
"They're kidding, right?"
"No."
I reached down and turned off the speaker.
"They want us alive."
Storm frowned.
"Why?"
"Because they think we know something."
Her eyes widened.
"The ledger."
I nodded.
"Or whatever your grandfather hid before he died."
Whoever these people were...
They believed the answers were still somewhere aboard Sea Whisper.
Which meant one thing.
We still had something they desperately needed.
Nathan's voice cut through the silence.
"Ward..."
"What?"
"I've got four more contacts."
I froze.
Storm's eyes met mine.
"Four?"
"They just appeared over the horizon."
For one terrible heartbeat, I thought we were finished.
Then Nathan laughed.
Actually laughed.
"They're coming in fast."
"What are you talking about?"
Nathan's voice carried something I hadn't heard all morning.
Hope.
"I recognize those boats."
I stared toward the distant horizon.
Small at first.
Then growing larger.
White hulls.
Blue lights flashing.
Storm grabbed the binoculars.
Her breath caught.
"Ward..."
"What is it?"
She lowered the binoculars slowly, her eyes shining.
"The Coast Guard."