Storm
Grandpa used to say.
"Fear makes people run. Love gives them a reason to stand."
— James Sinclair
The blue lights looked like hope.
Tiny flashes on the horizon.
Growing larger every second.
I tightened my grip on the railing.
"They're coming."
Ward never took his eyes off the attackers.
"They still have time."
I knew exactly what he meant.
If the silver-haired captain wanted us dead...
He wouldn't wait for the Coast Guard.
Far behind the attack boats, the elegant silhouette of the Mariner's Crown came into view.
She looked peaceful.
Beautiful.
Like every luxury yacht featured in glossy travel magazines.
No one would ever guess she was floating headquarters for murder.
I raised the binoculars.
There he was.
The silver-haired captain.
Standing perfectly still on the upper bridge.
Watching.
Even from this distance, I could feel his eyes on us.
He wasn't nervous.
He wasn't panicked.
He looked...
Patient.
As though he believed this battle had already been won.
A chill ran through me.
"He's here."
Ward looked through the binoculars.
"I see him."
"He isn't leaving."
"No."
Ward lowered the glasses.
"Men like him never do their own dirty work."
Nathan's voice came across the radio.
"The Coast Guard just changed course."
Ward frowned.
"They're cutting us off."
"They're trying to intercept the attack boats before they reach you."
Ben's voice joined the conversation.
"Can they make it?"
No one answered.
None of us knew.
Suddenly, Ivy rushed onto the bridge, clutching her tablet.
"You need to see this."
She held up the screen.
Thousands.
Then tens of thousands.
The live broadcast was spreading faster than any of us imagined.
Comments poured across the screen.
What is happening?
Call the Coast Guard!
Those people are shooting at them!
I'm recording this!
Share this everywhere!
Ivy looked up.
"The whole country is watching."
Ward stared at the screen.
"They just lost the advantage."
The silver-haired captain must have realized it at the same moment.
Across the water, the Mariner's Crown suddenly altered course.
Not away from us.
Toward us.
Ben stepped onto the bridge wing.
"Uh..."
Storm followed his gaze.
The enormous yacht was picking up speed.
Fast.
Too fast.
"What is he doing?"
Ward's expression hardened.
"He's going to ram us."
For one heartbeat, nobody moved.
Then everyone moved at once.
"Nathan!" Ward shouted.
"I see it!"
"Storm!"
"I'm here!"
"I need every ounce of speed Sea Whisper has."
I didn't hesitate.
I pushed the throttles forward.
The engines roared.
Sea Whisper surged ahead.
She wasn't built for races.
She wasn't built for war.
But she answered anyway.
As if she understood our lives depended on her.
Frank called up cheerfully, "I've got coffee brewing!"
Rose laughed. "If we're going to survive this adventure, we're certainly not doing it without coffee!"
Nathan's voice immediately came over the radio.
"Frank..."
"Yes?"
"Make mine bourbon."
For one perfect second...silence.
Then Ben burst out laughing so hard he had to grab the rail.
Even Ivy grinned.
Rose looked at Frank.
"I knew I liked that young man."
Frank nodded toward the galley.
"I think we've got a bottle somewhere."
Storm couldn't help laughing.
Ward actually smiled.
"Frank..."
"Yes, son?"
"We're in the middle of a gunfight."
Frank shrugged.
"Exactly why Nathan deserves a drink."
Nathan keyed the radio again.
"Frank, if we live through this, I'll buy the next bottle."
"You've got yourself a deal."
Even I couldn't help smiling.
For one wonderful moment...
Fear loosened its grip.
Then Nathan's voice exploded through the radio.
"MISSILE!"
Every head snapped toward the reef.
Smoke billowed into the sky.
A second rocket launcher.
Another flash.
The missile streaked toward us, skimming only feet above the water.
Ward reacted instantly.
"Hard to starboard!"
I spun the wheel with everything I had.
Sea Whisper leaned sharply.
The missile missed the bow by inches.
Instead—
It slammed into the water directly between us and the charging Mariner's Crown.
The explosion threw a wall of water hundreds of feet into the air.
When the spray cleared...
The silver-haired captain's view of us had vanished behind a curtain of churning sea.
Ward smiled for the first time all day.
"They just blinded their own captain."
I looked at him.
"What now?"
His gray eyes never left the opening in the spray.
"Now..."
He reached for the radio.
"...we disappear."