CHAPTER 1: THE DEVICE BENEATH THE HULL
The crimson light pulsed beneath the yacht like the heartbeat of something alive.
Richard Sterling hovered in the freezing harbor water, every instinct screaming at him to swim away. Yet his eyes remained locked on the black metal box secured tightly beneath the engine housing. It was no larger than a hardcover book, held in place by industrial-strength magnets.
Another pulse.
Red.
Silent.
Then another.
His breathing became ragged inside the diving mask.
The little girl's voice echoed in his head.
"Don't touch it..."
She hadn't simply guessed.
She knew.
Above the surface, muffled shouting filtered through the water.
People were yelling his name.
Crew members leaned over the railings.
Marina was crying.
Richard forced himself to stay calm.
He was not a bomb technician.
If the child had overheard the truth, then the device could contain pressure sensors, vibration triggers, or motion detectors.
One careless move...
His son would never celebrate another birthday.
Richard slowly unclipped the underwater flashlight from his vest and angled the beam across the object.
The housing was military grade.
No visible manufacturer.
No exposed screws.
Only a tiny digital timer hidden beneath smoked glass.
00:19:37
His blood froze.
Nineteen minutes.
Luna had been right.
Twenty minutes.
Not after reaching open water.
Twenty minutes after boarding.
Whoever planted the bomb expected everyone to be celebrating by now.
Richard kicked backward immediately.
He surfaced beside the boarding ladder, ripping the regulator from his mouth.
"EVERYBODY OFF THE YACHT!"
The marina exploded into confusion.
"What happened?"
"Is this real?"
"Call the police!"
"Get the child!"
Crew members rushed toward the gangway while terrified guests stumbled over one another trying to escape.
Marina grabbed Richard by both shoulders.
"What did you see?"
His expression answered before his words did.
"There really is a device."
Silence.
Even the gulls circling above seemed to disappear.
Then panic arrived all at once.
Parents screamed for their children.
Champagne glasses shattered across the dock.
Luxury handbags were abandoned where they fell.
Someone fainted.
Richard turned toward the upper deck.
"Ethan!"
His eight-year-old son appeared at the railing, still holding a birthday balloon.
"Dad?"
"Come down!"
The boy laughed.
"Why?"
"NOW!"
Something in his father's voice erased the smile from Ethan's face.
He began running toward the staircase.
Then everything went wrong.
One of the panicked guests shoved another.
The narrow boarding bridge shifted violently.
A decorative arch collapsed across the gangway.
Metal twisted.
Wood cracked.
The only path off the yacht jammed instantly beneath dozens of terrified people.
Children cried.
Adults pushed.
Someone fell into the water.
Richard's heart pounded.
"Ethan!"
"I'm coming!"
The boy tried squeezing through frightened adults nearly three times his size.
No one even noticed him.
They were fighting for their own lives.
Richard climbed onto the dock dripping wet and sprinted toward the blocked gangway.
"Move!"
Nobody listened.
He shoved two men aside with enough force to send both stumbling across the wooden pier.
Another minute disappeared.
00:18:02.
Luna stood several feet away, trembling.
She wasn't watching the yacht.
She was staring toward the marina entrance.
Toward the parking lot.
Toward two men disappearing into a black delivery van.
One had a long scar across his chin.
The other...
A blue bird tattoo climbing the left side of his neck.
"They're leaving..."
Luna whispered.
Richard followed her gaze.
Without hesitation, he pointed.
"Stop that van!"
Three security guards took off running.
The van's tires screamed against the pavement.
It accelerated straight through the marina gate.
One guard barely avoided being crushed beneath its wheels.
The vehicle disappeared into evening traffic.
Gone.
Richard cursed under his breath.
Whoever planted the bomb had stayed long enough to watch.
They wanted witnesses.
They wanted certainty.
This wasn't just murder.
It was theater.
Back on the yacht, Ethan finally reached the edge of the crowd.
"Dad!"
Richard stretched out both arms.
"Jump!"
The distance was nearly six feet.
Too far for most children.
Too dangerous to hesitate.
Ethan leaped.
For one terrifying second...
He hung suspended above the dark harbor.
Richard caught him against his chest and crashed backward onto the dock.
The balloon drifted away into the sky.
Marina collapsed beside them, wrapping both in her arms.
She sobbed uncontrollably.
"We're safe..."
Richard wasn't listening.
He looked toward Luna.
She had stopped shaking.
Instead...
She looked confused.
"No..."
she whispered.
"No, no, no..."
Richard stood.
"What is it?"
Her eyes widened.
"The timer..."
"What about it?"
"I heard them."
She struggled to remember.
"They said..."
Her breathing quickened.
"They said if anyone found the first one..."
Richard felt ice spread through his veins.
"The first one?"
Luna nodded slowly.
"There are two."
Everything inside Richard stopped.
Two bombs.
Not one.
His eyes swept across the yacht.
If one device was beneath the engine...
Where was the second?
Then...
A deafening electronic chirp echoed across the silent marina.
BEEP.
Every head turned.
Not toward the water.
Toward the upper deck.
Inside the birthday dining room.
Hidden beneath the enormous three-tier birthday cake...
A tiny red light began blinking.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
And through the panoramic windows...
Everyone saw the digital countdown begin.
00:02:59.
May you like
Someone screamed.
Then the entire marina descended into absolute chaos.
