Chapter 15: The Final Drop
Chapter 15: The Final Drop
Vargas stood frozen in the downpour. He glanced back over his shoulder at the pathetic sight of David and Sarah, then snapped his eyes back to the silver drive hovering precariously over the violent water. The frantic calculation played out clearly in his dark, desperate eyes. The money—and his own survival within the cartel—was absolutely all that mattered.
"Fine," Vargas spat, lowering the barrel of his rifle a fraction of an inch. He waved his free hand aggressively at the siblings. "Go! Get the hell out of here before I change my mind!"
David hesitated, his face pale with horror. "Mom, no! We can't leave you here with him!"
"David, for once in your miserable life, do exactly as I say!" Eleanor commanded. Her voice rang with absolute, terrifying maternal authority that brooked zero argument. "Take your sister. Take my grandson. Get in the car and go."
Sobbing hysterically, Sarah grabbed David by his ruined jacket and dragged him toward the one remaining intact SUV in the yard. The heavy engine roared to life, tires spinning on the wet concrete, and the vehicle tore blindly out of the shipyard, its red taillights quickly vanishing into the blinding, swirling storm.
Now, they were entirely alone on the edge of the pier. The wind screamed through the rafters.
"They're gone," Vargas said, stepping menacingly closer, extending his empty hand palm-up. "I kept my word. The drive. Toss it to me. Now."
Eleanor looked calmly at the ruthless man who had ruined her peaceful Christmas, the man who had dared to threaten the lives of her grandchildren. A slow, chilling smile touched the corners of her lips.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Vargas," she whispered into the wind.
She opened her fingers. The silver drive fell.
Vargas lunged frantically forward over the slippery edge with a desperate, guttural scream, reaching wildly for the falling metal.
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At that exact microsecond, Eleanor pressed the detonator hidden in her left pocket. A deafening, blinding explosion shattered the night sky. Slabs of C4 she had wired to the support beams erupted from beneath the dock, completely consuming the space where Eleanor had stood, blowing the wooden planks and Vargas into a million burning splinters.
As the thick, acrid smoke plumed violently up into the raging storm, the pier was completely destroyed and entirely empty. The only sound left was the relentless, crashing rhythm of the blood-dark tide.
