Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11: THE LEAP OF FAITH
The world slowed to a sickening crawl. The rain sliced through the searchlights, and for a terrifying second, Julian’s heel slipped past the edge of the yacht's wet railing.
"No!" I screamed, a sound that ripped from the deepest, darkest part of my soul.
With a burst of adrenaline that defied the nylon ropes cutting into my wrists, I threw my weight forward. The heavy steel chair toppled over, crashing against the deck. The sudden impact slammed against Alejandro’s shins—the traitor guard who hadn't anticipated my desperation. He stumbled backward, losing his footing on the glass shards.
On the deck, Julian began to fall backward into the black abyss of the Hudson River, taking Leo with him.
But my father hadn't just brought the FBI.
From the shadow of the upper deck, a figure dropped down like a phantom. It was Marcus Vance—Sofia and Evelyn’s estranged brother, the black sheep of the Vance family who ran our private covert security. Before Julian could plunge into the freezing current, Marcus lunged, his combat boot anchoring against the railing while his massive hand snatched the collar of Julian’s bespoke tuxedo.
With a brutal twist of his torso, Marcus ripped Leo from the monster’s grip just as Julian’s balance failed completely.
A sharp, choked gasp left Julian's throat as the gravity of the Atlantic took him. There was no grand speech. Just a heavy, hollow splash as the dark water swallowed the patriarch of the Rivas family.
"I got him! I got the boy!" Marcus roared over the wind, shielding Leo beneath his tactical vest.
Tactical agents swarmed the deck, slamming Alejandro and Evelyn Vance onto the wet wood, their zip-ties clicking sharply. Sofia burst into the cabin with a pair of shears, cutting me free. I didn't care about the blood on my wrists or the rain blinding my eyes. I crawled across the deck, snatching my crying son into my arms, crushing him against my chest.
"You're safe, Leo. Mommy's here," I sobbed, kissing his wet forehead.
My father walked aboard, his face pale but his eyes burning like hot coals as he looked at Evelyn Vance, who was being dragged away in handcuffs.
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"This isn't over, Ricardo!" Evelyn spat, wiping blood from her lip. "Julian was just the face of it. The American board will crush you for this!"
My father didn't even look at her. He looked at me, then down at Leo. "Let them try. We just cut the head off the snake."
