Chapter 9 - Reckoning on the Water
The multi-ton metal container swung downward like a giant pendulum, aiming directly at the spot where Julianna and Lucas stood.
"Look out!" I screamed, shoving Lucas backward into the narrow safety alcove of the gantry.
At the same time, Julianna was caught in the path of the swinging mass. With a sickening thud, the edge of the container clipped her shoulder, sending her tumbling over the open railing into the dark, freezing waters of Lake Michigan below.
"Julianna!" I roared.
"Marcus! Get her!" I yelled into my comm-link as I dove toward the edge of the platform.
Without hesitation, Marcus and two of our tactical divers stripped their heavy gear and plunged off the pier into the churning, icy black waves below, swimming toward the spot where Julianna had vanished.
I turned back to Lucas, who was huddled inside the safety alcove, crying hysterically. I scooped him up into my arms, shielding his body with my own as emergency alarms wailed across the entire shipping yard.
"Hold on to me tight, Lucas! Don't let go!" I shouted over the deafening storm.
Carrying my son down the emergency spiral staircase of the gantry, we sprinted toward the main gate where our armored convoy waited with engines roaring.
Just as we reached the safety of the vehicle, Marcus emerged from the darkness near the water's edge, carrying an unconscious Julianna in his arms, assisted by the dive team.
"She's breathing, Boss! But she swallowed a lot of water!" Marcus shouted, water streaming down his tactical suit.
May you like
"Get them both in the back of the lead vehicle! Now!" I ordered, thrusting Lucas safely into the vehicle beside Julianna, who was coughing violently, clinging weakly to our son's hand.
As I climbed into the passenger seat, bleeding heavily from my arm wound, I looked back at the burning, chaotic pier one last time. The Ross Syndicate was stained with blood, betrayal, and violence—but my family was finally back together.
