CHAPTER 29: THE COLLAPSE OF THE CRESCENT
CHAPTER 29: THE COLLAPSE OF THE CRESCENT
The iron crane hook dropped from the sky like a falling anvil.
It slammed into the center of the gangway with a terrifying, metallic roar, splitting the wooden platform completely in half. The impact threw my captor backward into a stack of steel pallets, his grip releasing my collar instantly.
I tumbled toward the edge of the pier, my hands scraping against the rough concrete.
"Evy! Jump!" Hannah roared, running through the smoke as the federal agents opened fire on the remaining operatives.
The Crescent Star began to list sideways as the severed crane cables wrapped around its primary steering rudder, the engines screaming in mechanical failure.
Helena Sterling dropped her umbrella, her face twisted in an unhinged, volatile rage as she realized her escape route was entirely destroyed. She reached into her coat for a concealed weapon, her eyes locked onto me with a lethal finality.
But before she could raise the barrel, a frail figure stepped through the flashing lights.
Our father.
He had followed the convoy in his own vehicle, refusing to be left behind in the dark. He didn't carry a weapon. He simply threw his body directly between Helena’s gun and my face.
The silenced shots were sickeningly quiet against the roar of the wind.
My father collapsed onto the concrete with a heavy groan, his hand clutching his shoulder as blood began to stain his wet sweater.
"Dad!" I screamed, crawling toward him, but Hannah was already there, slamming her heavy laptop casing directly into Helena’s face, knocking the weapon from her hand.
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Agent Bennett’s team swarmed the platform, pinning Helena Sterling face-first into the cold, wet concrete of the pier.
The cuffed hands. The steel rings. The final arrest.
