Chapter 7 - The Hostages
We were marched quietly out the back doors of the resort toward the private marina.
The evening sky had turned pitch black, and a heavy, freezing rain began to fall.
Lily was crying softly, burying her face against my wet shoulder.
I whispered in her ear over and over that everything was going to be okay.
I desperately hoped I wasn't lying to my little girl.
Bruce was arguing frantically with the cartel leader as we walked down the wooden pier.
"I gave you the hacker and I gave you the cash," Bruce pleaded into the storm.
"I have another three million ready to transfer to you if you just let me go."
The cartel leader completely ignored the desperate bribes.
We reached a massive luxury yacht docked at the very end of the long pier.
The armed men forced us at gunpoint down into the dark, cramped cargo hold.
The heavy steel hatch clanged shut above us, plunging the space into absolute darkness.
The massive boat engines roared to life, vibrating through the metal floorboards.
We were being taken out to the open sea where no one could hear us scream.
Jim was sitting in the corner, weeping loudly into his shaking hands.
Bruce began pacing the cramped space like a trapped and dangerous animal.
"We have to work together to get out of this," Bruce said, turning to me in the dark.
I felt a surge of absolute hatred for the man I once loved.
"You tried to sell out my brother and abandon your own family," I spat back at him.
"I was trying to protect you and Lily from the fallout!" he lied smoothly.
Suddenly, the entire boat violently lurched to the right side.
The horrific sound of tearing metal echoed through the small cargo hold.
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Freezing ocean water began pouring in from a massive gash in the hull.
The yacht had crashed directly into the sharp coastal reef in the dark.
