Chapter 17 - The Lighthouse Gambit
I snatched the hard drive, shoving it deep into my coat alongside Leo. "Follow me. If you make a sound, I will leave you behind to face Julian."
Victoria nodded frantically, clutching her coat as we sprinted down the damp subterranean tunnel toward the ocean spray. The scent of salt and roaring surf grew stronger with every step until the tunnel opened out onto a hidden cove beneath the cliffs of Vance Manor.
A storm was raging over the Atlantic. Ten-foot waves crashed against the black rocks, sending plumes of icy white spray into the dark sky. A hundred yards down the rocky shoreline, the beam of the old Victorian lighthouse swept rhythmically across the water.
Beneath the lighthouse pier, a twin-engine security launch was moored, its navigation lights blinking softly.
"There's the boat!" Victoria shouted over the howling wind, stumbling across the wet pebbles. "We can get out!"
"Wait," I hissed, grabbing her collar and dragging her behind a boulder.
Through the pouring rain, two armed men in tactical gear were patrolling the wooden dock, their assault rifles raised, scanning the shoreline. Julian had anticipated our escape route. The dock was locked down.
Suddenly, a piercing siren ripped through the storm from the estate cliffs above. Flames billowed into the night sky—Daniel had detonated the manor’s auxiliary fuel reserves to create a diversion.
In the confusion, one of the guards on the pier turned toward the cliffside. In the split second his attention wavered, a shadow dropped from the upper railing of the lighthouse staircase.
Daniel landed with devastating impact, striking the first guard down with ruthless efficiency. The second guard raised his weapon, but Daniel disarmed him with a lightning-fast sweep, throwing him headfirst into the crashing surf below.
"Clara!" Daniel’s voice pierced the wind.
"Daniel!" I cried out, breaking from cover and sprinting across the wet sands toward the pier, shielding Leo with my body.
He met us halfway, catching me in his arms. His face was streaked with soot and blood from a graze along his temple, but his grip was iron and unyielding. His eyes searched mine frantically before dropping to the bundle in my arms.
"Leo is safe," I gasped, breathless. "He didn't make a sound."
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Daniel exhaled a ragged breath, pressing his forehead against mine for one brief, intense second. "Thank God."
Then his eyes landed on Victoria cowering behind me. His hand instinctively went to his sidearm. "What is she doing here?"