Chapter 11
The dashboard screen blinked twice before displaying a live, high-definition feed of a fog-shrouded wooden pier at the municipal marina. Raindrops drummed heavily against the roof of Christopher’s car as he stared at the screen, his foot hovering over the accelerator.
On the grainy feed, a solitary figure stood at the edge of the pier next to a idling yacht. It was Evelyn, her yellow lace wedding dress now ruined, stained with mud and seawater, her red hair tangled in the coastal gale. Clutched tightly in her hand was a thick rope attached to a small, shivering figure in a white dress.
“Lily,” Christopher whispered, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned bone-white.
He threw the car into gear, tires screeching against the wet pavement as he launched the vehicle forward, ignoring the traffic lights and road signs, hurtling toward the municipal marina three miles away.
Within minutes, the car slammed to a halt at the entrance of the piers. Christopher kicked the door open, drawing his sidearm, and sprinted down the wooden dock, the waves crashing violently against the wooden pylons beneath his boots.
“Evelyn! Let her go!” Christopher roared, his voice cutting through the roaring wind and rain.
Evelyn turned slowly toward him, a manic, desperate smile stretching across her pale face. She held a heavy maritime flare in her left hand, the safety cap already popped off, ready to ignite at a moment’s notice. Standing right beside her on the edge of the dock was Lily, her blindfold removed, tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she reached out toward her father.
“Daddy!” Lily sobbed, her small voice breaking over the sound of the storm.
“Stay back, Christopher!” Evelyn shrieked, waving the unlit flare dangerously close to a stack of fuel drums stacked on the deck of the idling yacht. “One step closer, and I drop the flare right into the diesel fuel!”
Christopher froze, his boots sliding slightly on the wet wooden planks. He lowered his weapon an inch, keeping his eyes locked on Evelyn’s unhinged expression.
“It’s over, Evelyn. The FBI and local authorities have this entire marina surrounded,” Christopher said, keeping his voice steady and calm, fighting every paternal instinct screaming inside his head. “You can’t escape this time.”
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“I don’t need to escape the country, Christopher,” Evelyn laughed hysterically, her eyes wild with adrenaline. “I just need you to understand what it feels like to lose everything the way I did!”
Before Christopher could react, a blinding red glare illuminated the entire pier as Evelyn struck the flare against the metal railing, sending a geyser of sparks flying directly toward the open fuel drums.
