Chapter 7 - The Ghost Ship.Ethan jumped onto the deck of the interceptor and immediately began flipping a series of toggles on the helm.
The boat’s twin high-performance engines roared to life with a deep, menacing purr.
Rosa carefully handed Lily over the gunwale, and Ethan caught the child with surprising gentleness.
"Get into the cabin below deck," Ethan ordered, pointing to a small hatch near the bow.
"Strap yourselves into the crash seats and do not come out until I say it is safe."
Rosa nodded, quickly climbing aboard and carrying Lily down into the dimly lit, cramped cabin.
The space was utilitarian, outfitted with military-grade harnesses, medical kits, and waterproof survival gear.
Rosa strapped Lily into a heavily padded seat, wrapping a thick thermal blanket around the shivering toddler.
"Is the bad lady coming to get us?" Lily asked, her voice trembling.
"No, sweetie," Rosa lied, kissing her forehead.
"Mr. Caldwell is going to drive us somewhere safe."
Above deck, Ethan unspooled the heavy mooring lines and cast them into the dark water.
He slammed the throttles forward, and the interceptor shot out of the subterranean cave like a bullet leaving a chamber.
The boat breached the concealed entrance, tearing into the freezing, choppy waters of the Long Island Sound under a moonless sky.
The freezing wind whipped Ethan’s face as he navigated the treacherous coastal rocks without running lights.
He relied entirely on the vessel's advanced radar and night-vision array mounted on the windshield.
They needed to reach the mainland before Marcus could scramble Victoria's aerial surveillance drones.
Suddenly, the radar screen flashed a brilliant, flashing red warning.
Three fast-moving blips appeared on the edge of the sensor range, closing in from the east at impossible speeds.
"They already have pursuit craft in the water," Ethan cursed under his breath.
He pushed the throttles to the absolute maximum, the boat's hull slamming violently against the turbulent waves.
Below deck, Rosa held tightly to Lily’s hand as the cabin pitched and rolled sickeningly.
A deafening crack echoed across the water, followed by a geyser of ocean spray exploding just ten yards off their starboard bow.
They were being fired upon by heavy, mounted weaponry.
Ethan swerved the helm hard to the port side, zig-zagging to break the attackers' targeting lock.
Another volley of high-caliber rounds tore through the night, one bullet shattering the interceptor's rear windshield.
Ethan ducked behind the reinforced console, his mind calculating their extremely bleak odds of survival.
He reached beneath the dashboard and flipped a red switch labeled 'Countermeasures.'
A canister launched from the stern of the boat, exploding into a massive, blinding cloud of white phosphorus smoke.
The thick screen of tactical smoke blanketed the water, momentarily blinding their pursuers.
Ethan used the distraction to execute a sharp, ninety-degree turn, killing the engines and letting the boat drift silently into a cove of jagged rocks.
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The three pursuit boats roared past their hidden position, their searchlights desperately sweeping the empty ocean.
For now, they had vanished.
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