Chương 13
“You know that?”
“Kara told me.”
I heard Fiona curse under her breath.
Flynn continued.
“The power outage came from engineering, not us.”
“Why?”
“Patel cut nonessential circuits so Captain Mercer could reset administrative permissions.”
That made sense.
A deliberate blackout.
Not sabotage.
Not entirely.
Flynn said, “Security should have communications back.”
“They do.”
His breath caught.
“You talked to them?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Long enough.”
I wanted him to understand exactly what that meant.
His plan was no longer private.
His father’s plan was no longer private.
Their voices existed somewhere outside this yacht.
Flynn said, “Then there’s no point finishing anything.”
Behind him, Aidan laughed.
Low.
Almost contemptuous.
“You really think that?”
Flynn turned away from the door.
“What does that mean?”
“It means recordings are not convictions.”
Kara said, “Aidan, don’t.”
He ignored her.
“Evelyn is alive.”
My skin went cold.
Flynn said, “Yes.”
“She can contradict us.”
“Yes.”
“She can identify everyone.”
“Yes.”
Aidan’s voice became calm again.
Too calm.
“And while she remains alive, Sterling controls the narrative.”
Flynn said nothing.
Fiona whispered, “Aidan.”
He kept going.
“If she disappears now, we still have chaos.”
“If she lives, we have certainty.”
Flynn said, “You’re insane.”
“No.”
“I’m practical.”
“You’re talking about killing her after everyone knows.”
“I’m talking about survival.”
Kara moved.
I heard quick footsteps.
Then Aidan shouted.
A scuffle followed.
Someone struck the wall.
Kara cried out.
Flynn swore.
Fiona screamed, “Aidan, no.”
A metallic click cut through the noise.
Everything stopped.
I knew that sound.
I had heard it at shooting ranges with my father.
A firearm being readied.
Aidan said, “Nobody moves.”
My fingers went numb around the lamp.
Flynn spoke first.
“Where did you get that?”
“The emergency cabinet.”
“You couldn’t open it.”
“I could after the reset.”
Captain Mercer had restored permissions.
And in doing so, he had restored Aidan’s access to something he should never have had.
Kara said, “Put it down.”
Aidan laughed softly.
“You always did think credentials were the same thing as authority.”
Then he raised his voice toward the bathroom.
“Evelyn.”
I did not answer.
“Open the door.”
Flynn said, “Don’t.”
Aidan snapped, “Quiet.”
The bathroom handle moved once.
“Aidan,” I called.
My voice sounded calmer than I felt.
“What?”
“If you shoot through this door, everyone outside hears it.”
He paused.
Then he laughed.
“Outside where?”
A faint sound rolled through the ceiling.
Low.
Distant.
Mechanical.
Growing louder.
Not the yacht.
Not thunder.
An aircraft.
Aidan heard it too.
Nobody in the bedroom spoke.
The sound passed overhead once, powerful enough to vibrate the mirror.
Then Daniel’s voice exploded from the bedroom speaker at full volume.
“Evelyn Sterling, remain where you are.”
Aidan swore.
Daniel continued.
“Captain Mercer has secured the bridge.”
A second voice came through the system.
Ben Mercer.
“Mr. Callahan, put the weapon on the floor.”
Aidan shouted toward the speaker.
“You have no idea what’s happening.”
Ben answered, “I know enough.”
“You are employed by Sterling.”
“Yes.”
“So think carefully about whose property you’re damaging.”
For the first time that night, I heard Captain Mercer laugh.
It was brief and tired.
“Aidan, I’ve spent twelve years watching billionaires confuse ownership with command.”
A pause.
“Put down the shotgun.”
The room remained silent.
Then Fiona whispered, “Please.”
I did not know whom she was asking.
Aidan.
Flynn.
God.
Maybe herself.
The aircraft circled again.
Daniel said, “A Coast Guard aircraft has visual contact with the vessel.”
Aidan’s breathing became audible through the bathroom door.
Flynn said, “It’s over.”
“No.”
“It’s over.”
“No.”
“You lost.”
Aidan answered with a strange little chuckle.
“You still think this is a game you win.”
Flynn said, “Give me the gun.”
“Stay back.”
“Dad.”
“Stay back.”
The word cracked.
Then a gunshot tore through the bedroom.
The sound punched through the bathroom door and flattened every thought in my head.
Someone screamed.
I could not tell whether it was Fiona or Kara.
Then something heavy struck the carpet outside.
Flynn shouted, “Dad!”
My knees nearly gave out.
I backed against the vanity and held the lamp in front of me with both hands.
“Evelyn, stay inside,” Daniel ordered through the bedroom speaker.
I did not answer.
Outside, Flynn said, “Kara, get back.”
Kara’s voice came fast and breathless.
“He fired into the ceiling.”
The relief that hit me was so violent it hurt.
Aidan was still shouting.
“Everyone stays where they are.”
Captain Mercer answered over the speaker.
“Aidan, you have nowhere to go.”
“You don’t know what I have.”
“I know you fired a weapon inside my vessel.”
“Your vessel?”
Aidan laughed.
“Careful, Ben.”
Captain Mercer’s voice stayed level.
“I’m past careful.”
A second sound came from the corridor.
Not a gunshot.
A metallic clatter.
Flynn yelled.
Then Fiona cried, “Aidan!”
The bathroom handle jerked again.
I raised the lamp.
“Evie, it’s me.”
Flynn.
“Stay away.”
“He dropped the gun.”
“Why?”
“Marcus hit him.”
I froze.
“Marcus?”
“He got loose.”
Another voice came from farther away.
Marcus shouted, “I’m not touching that thing.”
Captain Mercer said through the speaker, “Nobody touches the weapon.”
Footsteps approached.
Ben again.
“Flynn, step away from the bathroom door.”
Flynn said, “She won’t open it.”
“Good.”
“I’m trying to help her.”
“You’ve done enough.”
Silence followed.
I had never heard anyone speak to Flynn that way.
No negotiation.
No concern for his pride.
Just a fact.
A command.
Flynn did not argue.
Captain Mercer stopped outside the bathroom.
“Evelyn.”
“Ben?”
“Yes.”
“Is Lila okay?”
A pause.
“She has a cut on her forehead.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“She’s conscious.”
My breath came out.
“What about Marcus?”
“Bruised.”
“And Aidan?”
“Also conscious.”
I almost said unfortunately.
Instead I looked at the door.
“Who has the gun?”
“Nobody.”
“Can you prove that?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I’m looking at it on the carpet and Patel is standing over it with a fire extinguisher.”
Despite everything, a laugh escaped me.
May you like
It came out half sob.
Ben said, “That sounds ridiculous because it is.”
