Chapter 5 - The Final StandWe fled through the subterranean tunnels beneath the estate, the secret arteries of the Moretti empire. We emerged at the docks, where a single motorboat waited, bobbing on the black water.
The city burned behind us. The skyline, once so beautiful, was now a jagged silhouette of orange flame and black smoke.
"Where are we going?" I asked, gripping Ethan’s hand.
"To the offshore safe house," Vincent said, steering the boat out into the open water.
But the harbor was not empty.
A large yacht sat anchored in the middle of the channel, its lights dark, its profile menacing. As we passed, searchlights cut through the mist, pinning us to the water.
"Vance," Vincent hissed, his hand reaching for the flare gun under the console.
"You can't outrun them," I said, looking at the distance.
"I don't intend to run," he replied. He pulled a lever, and the boat accelerated toward the yacht, straight at the hull.
"Vincent, what are you doing?"
"There’s a fuel leak on their boat," he said, his eyes fixed on the target. "They’re anchored near the tanker terminal. If I hit the hull, the explosion will do the work for me."
"You'll die!"
He looked at me, a calm, peaceful smile on his face. "I’ve been dead for years, Lily. You're the one who taught me how to live."
He locked the throttle, grabbed an inflatable life raft, and tossed it overboard. "Take Ethan! Get away from the boat!"
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"No!" I screamed, but he pushed me over the side, along with Ethan.
The world turned into a deafening roar of fire and steel. The boat slammed into the yacht, and the resulting explosion was like a miniature sun being born in the middle of the harbor. The shockwave knocked us unconscious, the cold water dragging us down into the dark.
