CHAPTER 33
We turned around and ran back through the corridors,
ignoring the fatigue that threatened to slow us down,
our only thought being the safety of our little girl.
The facility’s alarms began to blare loudly,
flashing red lights bathing the concrete walls in blood,
as Valerie’s automated security attempted to trap us.
Steel grates began to drop from the ceiling,
threatening to cut off our escape route,
forcing us to sprint at maximum speed.
Liam slid under the first closing barrier,
holding it up with his immense strength,
allowing me to scramble through just in time.
We kept running,
our lungs burning from the exertion,
the sound of our frantic breathing echoing in the dark.
As we reached the upper bunker entrance,
the storm outside had intensified into a full hurricane,
with torrential rain blinding our vision.
The path down to the cove was muddy and treacherous,
causing us to slip and slide on the sharp rocks.
I fell once,
scraping my hands and knees against the stone,
but I forced myself back up immediately,
refusing to let pain delay me for even a single second.
We reached the pier,
where our boat was tossing violently on the waves,
the ropes straining against the wooden posts.
Liam jumped aboard first,
untying the lines,
while I leaped into the cockpit and started the engine.
The boat roared to life,
and I slammed the throttle forward,
forcing the vessel out into the open,
angry ocean.
The giant waves crashed against the hull,
threatening to capsize us at any moment,
but I held the steering wheel with a iron grip.
I dialed Marcus’s encrypted number on the satellite phone,
holding it to my ear,
praying desperately that he would answer.
The line crackled with static for several agonizing seconds,
before Marcus’s voice finally came through,
sounding breathless and alarmed.
"They found us,"
he shouted over the sound of distant gunfire,
"An elite strike team attacked the safehouse,
we are pinned down in the basement bunker."
"Is Clara safe?"
I screamed into the receiver,
my tears mixing with the rainwater on my face.
"She is safe for now,"
Marcus replied,
"But they are using heavy explosives to breach the door,
I don't know how much longer we can hold them off."
The line suddenly went completely dead,
replaced by the empty hiss of static,
leaving us in a state of absolute dread.
Liam looked at me,
his eyes filled with a fierce,
unshakeable determination,
and he told me to push the boat to its absolute limits.
We would fight through the storm,
we would fight through the ocean,
and we would destroy anyone who dared to touch our child.
May you like
The empire of hope we built was under attack,
but the fire of our resistance was burning hotter than ever.
