CHAPTER 6 – THE STORM OVER GULL ROCK
CHAPTER 6 – THE STORM OVER GULL ROCK
The Atlantic was angry.
Dark clouds swallowed the moon as Arthur's SUV rolled onto the nearly deserted docks outside Marblehead Harbor.
The last ferry captain was preparing to secure his vessel for the night.
Arthur stepped onto the pier.
"I need to cross."
The captain shook his head.
"Not tonight."
Arthur held up his wallet.
"I'll pay whatever you ask."
"It isn't about money."
The old captain pointed toward the sea.
"Storm's moving in fast."
Daniel Mercer checked the weather radar on his phone.
"He isn't exaggerating."
Lightning flashed over the horizon.
The wind carried the sharp smell of rain.
Margaret looked concerned.
"We can wait until morning."
Arthur gripped Elena's key tighter.
"No."
"Arthur—"
"If Elena protected something for nineteen years..."
He looked toward the black ocean.
"...I'm not giving Reginald one more night."
The captain sighed heavily.
"I'll take you."
Margaret smiled with relief.
Until the captain added,
"But not on my ferry."
Everyone looked confused.
The old man pointed farther down the dock.
A small weathered fishing boat rocked against the pier.
"My brother's trawler."
"It's slower."
"It's tougher."
"And nobody would expect us to use it."
Arthur nodded.
"Let's go."
Twenty minutes later the fishing boat pushed into the rough Atlantic.
Rain began almost immediately.
Elijah sat wrapped inside a thick blanket while Margaret held him close.
Arthur remained on deck.
Watching the lighthouse beam sweep across the darkness every thirty seconds.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
Mercer suddenly looked behind them.
"Arthur."
"What?"
"I think we're being followed."
Arthur turned.
Far beyond the crashing waves...
Two bright white lights cut through the storm.
Moving fast.
Much too fast.
The captain cursed under his breath.
"That's no fishing boat."
The lights grew larger.
Mercer grabbed a pair of binoculars.
His face drained of color.
"They're accelerating."
Arthur took the binoculars.
The approaching vessel was sleek.
Powerful.
Twin engines.
Black hull.
No navigation markings.
No registration numbers.
Just one familiar emblem painted near the bow.
A silver anchor.
Arthur knew it instantly.
Harbor Crest Logistics.
The very shell company Elena had exposed in the ledger.
His pulse surged.
"They found us."
The captain shoved both throttles forward.
"Hold on!"
The fishing boat leaped over a crashing wave.
Behind them, the black speedboat roared through the storm like a predator.
Its engines screamed.
Closing the distance.
Lightning exploded across the sky.
For a split second, Arthur saw three figures standing aboard the pursuing vessel.
One held binoculars.
One steered.
And the third...
Raised what looked terrifyingly like a rifle.
The first shot shattered the fishing boat's rear navigation light.
Glass exploded across the deck.
Elijah screamed.
Margaret threw herself over him.
The captain yelled,
"They're trying to sink us!"
Arthur grabbed the nearest railing as another gunshot echoed across the black Atlantic.
This time, the bullet struck only inches from where he stood.
Someone wasn't trying to scare him.
Someone intended to make sure Arthur Pennington never reached Gull Rock.
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And somewhere inside the lighthouse...
The final secret Elena had died protecting was still waiting.
