Chapter 9 - The Rising Tide
The cold salt water shocked my system as I plunged beneath the rolling waves.
I kicked hard toward the surface, clutching the waterproof laptop tightly against my chest.
When I broke through the water, coughing and gasping for air, the shed on the cliff was entirely engulfed in flames.
I swam toward the rocky shore, using the blazing fire as a beacon in the dark night.
My arms burned with exhaustion, but the sheer adrenaline kept me moving forward.
I dragged myself onto the wet sand, hiding behind a massive piece of driftwood.
Up on the cliff, I saw flashlights cutting through the thick black smoke.
Celeste was standing near the edge, screaming at Vance’s remaining men to find my body.
They needed the biometric code, which meant they needed me alive, at least temporarily.
I opened the laptop, praying the waterproof casing had held during the explosion.
The screen flickered to life, showing that the wireless connection to the mainland was still active.
I quickly logged into my secure forensic server and bypassed the dead-man’s switch.
I didn't stop the alert; instead, I accelerated it, transmitting the entire ledger of stolen funds directly to the FBI cyber division.
I also sent the GPS coordinates of the laptop, tagging it as an active hostage situation involving federal fugitives.
I watched the progress bar inch toward one hundred percent as footsteps crunched on the gravel above me.
One of Vance’s men was climbing down the rocks, his flashlight sweeping across the beach.
The transmission completed just as the beam of light hit my face.
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The man drew his weapon and yelled for the others to come down.
But before he could pull the trigger, the deafening sound of a helicopter rotor blades filled the night sky.
