Chapter 9
The rain outside seemed to amplify, drumming a deafening roar against the corrugated tin roof of the boathouse. The two tactical guards advanced slowly into the room, their heavy boots splashing on the damp concrete floor, their eyes fixed on Julian.
Grace’s mind raced. She looked from Eleanor’s unwavering gun barrel down to the golden retriever puppy, which had stopped whimpering and was now staring intently at a loose floor panel near the back wall of the boathouse—the exact same spot where an old drainage pipe led straight out into the churning lake waters.
“You’re insane,” Julian whispered, taking a deliberate half-step to his left to block Eleanor’s line of sight to the glowing military transmitter behind him. “Everything you built, everything you stole—it’s all logged on that hard drive. You can’t outrun the federal government, Eleanor.”
“Watch me,” Eleanor replied coldly, tightening her grip on the revolver. She flicked her gaze toward the guards. “Take him. Leave the girl and the dog for the tide.”
As the first guard lunged forward, grabbing Julian by the lapels of his soaked suit, Grace didn’t hesitate. She dropped to her knees, scooped the golden retriever into her arms, and kicked hard against the rotting wooden floor panel near the drainage pipe. The old wood gave way with a loud snap, revealing a dark, rushing channel of water flowing directly beneath the boathouse out into the open lake.
“Grace, no!” Julian shouted, breaking free from the guard’s grip for a split second before being slammed back against the heavy oak workbench.
Without looking back, Grace plunged downward into the freezing water of the drainage chute, clutching the puppy tight to her chest. The current was fierce, icy, and disorienting, dragging them forward into the blackness beneath the lake’s surface.
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A gunshot echoed behind them, the bullet splintering the wood just inches from where Grace’s head had been a second before. Then, there was only the roaring sound of rushing water and the pounding of her own heartbeat in her ears.
She held her breath, kicking upward with all her remaining strength as the narrow chute opened up into the wider, churning expanse of the lake just beyond the boathouse pilings.
