Chapter 10 - The False Sunrise
Adrian whipped his head around.
The back of the speedboat was completely empty.
Natalie had jumped ship just before they broke through the gates.
"Leave her!" Adrian yelled over the roaring wind.
"She made her choice!"
He pushed the throttle to the absolute maximum.
The boat flew across the black water, leaving the flashing police lights far behind.
The cold sea spray washed over them, but it felt remarkably like salvation.
Owen was sleeping peacefully in Hannah's protective arms.
Maisie was clinging to her mother, exhausted but entirely unhurt.
They had lost the estate, the ledger, and the money, but they had survived the night.
Adrian steered the vessel toward an isolated safehouse he owned on the eastern shore.
He looked back at Hannah, feeling a strange sense of gratitude and profound respect.
This fierce, secretive woman had saved his son's life today.
"We are going to be okay," Adrian shouted to her over the deafening engine noise.
"I have enough hidden cash to get us quietly out of the country."
"We will start over."
Hannah smiled at him softly, the pale moonlight reflecting in her dark eyes.
"Yes, Adrian," she replied smoothly.
"We will."
She carefully laid the sleeping baby down on the padded leather seat.
Then she reached into the deep pocket of her torn, dirty apron.
She pulled out the suppressed pistol she had kicked away from Marcus earlier.
She racked the slide with one fluid motion and aimed it directly at Adrian's chest.
"Stop the boat," Hannah ordered, her voice completely devoid of emotion.
Adrian froze, his hands gripping the steering wheel in utter shock.
"My name isn't Elena Rustova," she whispered over the sound of the crashing waves.
"And I didn't come to your house to clean, Adrian."
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"I came to finish the job my husband failed to do five years ago."
"Now, turn the engine off, or I will put a bullet directly in your heart."
