Chapter 12 - The Harbor Leap
The tactical operative raised his weapon, the red laser sight locking directly onto the center of Clara’s chest. Time seemed to stretch, the roaring engines below fading into a dull hum as every muscle in her body froze.
Before the operative could squeeze the trigger, Jax lunged sideways from the adjacent catwalk, tackling the man squarely in the ribs. Both of them crashed hard against the railing, sending a shower of loose bolts clattering down onto the concrete floor far below.
"Go, Clara! Move!" Jax screamed, struggling to pin the operative against the iron guardrail.
Clara didn't hesitate another second. She turned, dropped feet-first into the dark metal escape chute, and let gravity take over. The smooth steel cylinder rushed past in a blur of motion, friction burning against the palms of her hands as she accelerated downward through the darkness.
With a sudden burst of cold, salty air, she shot out of the bottom of the chute, plunging directly down into the dark, churning waters of the harbor slip.
The shock of the icy water hit her like a physical blow, instantly knocking the breath from her lungs. Her heavy white satin dress acted like a lead weight, dragging her down into the murky depths. Panic flared in her chest, but instinct took over. Kicking off her ruined, mud-caked shoes, she ripped at the heavy layers of soaked fabric around her legs, tearing the satin until she kicked the dress away entirely, surfacing with a sharp gasp for air.
"Over here! Grab the line!" Miller’s voice rang out from the shadow of a rusted tugboat idling against the concrete pier.
Clara thrashed through the freezing water, her arms heavy and numb, until her fingers brushed against a thick nylon rope dangling from the side of the tugboat. She gripped it with all her remaining strength as Miller and a second man hauled her over the gunwale and onto the wet wooden deck.
She collapsed onto her back, coughing up seawater, her chest heaving as rain and spray plastered her dark hair across her face.
Miller dropped a thick wool blanket over her shivering shoulders, his weathered face grim as he looked back toward the warehouse lights glowing faintly across the dark water. "You okay, kid?"
"I'm alive," Clara whispered, pulling the blanket tight around her trembling body. She patted the canvas satchel tucked safely beneath her arm—the master ledger was still dry inside its waterproof lining. "Is Jax going to make it?"
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Before Miller could answer, the engine of the tugboat roared to life, its massive diesel propeller churning the water into white foam as the vessel pulled away from the dock. Out of the darkness, a small inflatable Zodiac raft sped away from the warehouse slip, Jax sitting in the bow, waving her arm with a triumphant grin as she piloted the small craft toward their boat.
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