Chapter 8 - The Boathouse Trap
The loud crack of the breaking wood echoed terrifyingly across the silent, glassy surface of the lake.
I froze completely in the darkness, cursing my catastrophic mistake as the rain pounded heavily on the tin roof.
A bright, sweeping beam of light suddenly pierced through the broken windows of the boathouse.
My father and Ryan had followed the sound, and they were now standing directly outside the rotting structure.
Ryan was limping heavily, his face twisted in pure, murderous rage as he aimed his flashlight inside.
My father called out my name in a deceptively calm, soothing voice that made my blood run cold.
He apologized for the violence, claiming that family loyalty was simply not worth risking a federal prison sentence.
He stated that I had left them with absolutely no other choice but to eliminate the problem permanently.
I smelled the sharp, unmistakable odor of gasoline pouring through the cracks in the wooden walls.
They were systematically dousing the entire perimeter of the old boathouse in highly flammable fuel.
I was completely trapped on the water, with the only exit blocked by two armed men holding a match.
I desperately pulled my cell phone from my pocket, knowing the signal jammers in the main house could not reach this far.
I watched the screen intently as a single, fragile bar of cellular service miraculously appeared near the water.
I pressed the emergency SOS button on my screen, hoping the GPS location would successfully transmit to the local authorities.
My father struck a match against the wooden siding, the bright orange flame reflecting evilly in his eyes.
He tossed the match into the puddle of gasoline, instantly igniting a massive, roaring wall of fire around the boathouse.
Thick, toxic black smoke quickly filled the interior, burning my lungs and completely blinding my vision.
I dropped to the floor, crawling desperately toward the watery edge of the interior boat slip to escape the intense heat.
The wooden support beams above me began to groan and collapse under the violent, destructive power of the flames.
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I prepared to dive into the freezing lake water to save myself from burning alive.
Suddenly, the deafening wail of a high-powered emergency siren echoed loudly across the dark water.
