Chapter 72 - The Black Water
The Atlantic was an endless, freezing void that hammered against my chest like iron plates. Cold shock tore the remaining air from my lungs, dragging me down into the churning wake of the sinking *Vanguard*. Above me, the ocean’s surface was an undulating sheet of roaring orange flame and twisted metal, but beneath the waterline, there was only the suffocating roar of displaced tons of water and the groan of buckling steel.
Every instinct screamed at me to kick, to fight the violent downward draft of the hull. My clothes were soaked through, weighed down by my boots and tactical vest. Debris tumbled past me in slow motion—jagged sheets of fiberglass, splintered cabin paneling, and clouds of black soot suspended in the brine. My vision tunneled into gray and black. My ears throbbed with pressure.
Then, through the murk, a blinding beam of light sliced through the foam.
Bubbles erupted around me as a figure plunged into the water. Strong, gloved hands gripped the collar of my vest, hauling upward with ferocious strength. It was Marcus. His eyes behind his dive mask were wide with grim determination. He kicked hard, dragging my dead weight toward the burning ceiling of the sea.
We broke the surface into a blast of scalding air and stinging smoke. I coughed violently, heaving salt water and bile onto the choppy swell. The sky above was choked with black plumes illuminated by burning slicks of diesel fuel.
"I've got you! David, hold on!" Marcus yelled over the roar of the fire.
He towed me toward the pursuit boat, where the swim platform bounced violently against the waves. Hands reached out—small, trembling hands alongside the heavy grip of Marcus's deckhand. Emma was kneeling at the stern, tears cutting paths through the soot on her pale cheeks.
"Daddy! Grab the ladder!" she cried, her voice cracking over the wind.
Summoning the absolute last reserve of strength in my limbs, I caught the aluminum rungs. Marcus shoved me from below, and together they hauled me onto the deck. I collapsed onto the non-skid flooring, shivering uncontrollably, my teeth chattering as water pooled beneath my chest.
Emma threw herself across my back, wrapping her arms around my neck with a ferocity that shook her small frame. "You came back. You promised, and you came back."
I managed to lift a leaden arm, pulling her against my chest. "I told you... I wouldn't leave you, Em. I'm here."
Marcus clambered over the gunwale, hauling in his dive gear with rapid, jerky motions. He turned toward the burning crater of water where the *Vanguard* had floated moments before. Nothing remained of the multi-million-dollar vessel except an oily vortex and floating embers.
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"Evelyn," I rasped, struggling to push myself up against the cabin bulkhead. "Where is Evelyn?"
Marcus’s expression hardened into granite as he scanned the burning debris. "She was right behind you when the charge blew. If she didn't jump before the shockwave hit..." He trailed off, cutting his eyes toward the helm. "Searchlights on! Sweep the perimeter! Now!"
