Chapter 6 - Command from the Shore
Arthur gripped the black handheld transceiver, thumbing the emergency broadcast switch with a snap that crackled through the local frequency.
Out in the harbor, the white speedboat’s engines screamed as Victoria throttled up, the vessel lifting its bow out of the water as it accelerated.
She was already sixty yards from the dock, carving a wide white wake across the emerald green channel that led to the open Atlantic Ocean.
Arthur stood tall on the sand, his white shirt clinging to his muscular chest, his soaked frame radiating the absolute power of an awakened titan.
He held the radio to his lips, his voice carrying the calm, terrible weight of a commander who possessed the resources of a private nation.
"Marcus, this is Arthur Vance," he spoke into the microphone, his tone cutting through the background static with razor-sharp authority.
Two hundred yards away, stationed near the narrow rock-jetty entrance of the private harbor, a sleek black Kevlar security interceptor sat silent.
Aboard the vessel, forty-year-old Chief of Security Marcus Cross pressed his tactical earpiece deeper into his ear as he spotted the white wake.
"Reading you loud and clear, Mr. Vance," Marcus replied instantly, his voice calm, professional, and completely focused on the approaching target.
"Code Red, Marcus. Do not permit that white craft to reach the open sea under any circumstances," Arthur commanded, his eyes tracking the boat.
"Understood, sir. Has there been an unauthorized breach on the vessel?" Marcus asked, his hand already resting on the vessel's twin throttle levers.
"The woman at the helm is Victoria. She attempted to murder Chloe on the yacht and she is attempting to flee with forged transfer papers," Arthur said.
There was no pause, no hesitation, and no disbelief on the other end of the line, only the immediate click of tactical readiness.
"Say no more, Mr. Vance. The harbor entrance is completely closed," Marcus responded, his voice dropping into hard operational focus.
On the beach, Chloe walked up behind her father, leaning her head against his soaked shoulder as she watched the distant white speck moving through the bay.
"Will they stop her, Dad? What if she gets past the reef?" Chloe asked, her voice small, vulnerable, but filled with growing hope.
Arthur slipped his arm around Chloe’s shoulders, holding her against his side with unbreakable strength as he raised the forged deed in his other hand.
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"No one touches my daughter and leaves this island alive, free, or whole," Arthur said quietly, staring out across the bay.
"She made her choice when she put her hands on you, Chloe, and now she is going to learn exactly who owns Vance Cay."
