Chapter 10 - The Rogue Vessel
Victor stood in the harbor master’s private office at Terminal 4, the rain drumming against the reinforced glass like machine-gun fire. His left hand was bound in clean white surgical gauze, the pain throbbing in time with his racing pulse. On the tactical monitors lining the wall, a single transponder blipped violently three miles off the coast of Sandy Hook: The Vance Endeavor.
Marcus was leaning over the radar console, his phone pressed tight to his ear. ""Captain Harris was replaced twelve hours ago. Julian forged the port authority transfer orders before he came to the hospital. The man at the helm right now is Anton Vane—Evelyn’s estranged brother.""
Victor’s eyes hardened. ""Anton. The dishonorably discharged naval engineer. What’s in the hold, Marcus?""
""Three hundred tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, registered as agricultural supply bound for South America,"" Marcus said, his voice dropping into a register of pure dread. ""Victor... it's not a smuggling run. Julian and Evelyn didn't just want to take over Vance Logistics. If their coup failed, Evelyn had a scorched-earth contingency. Anton isn't heading for South America. He’s turned the vessel around. He’s steaming directly toward the southern shipping channel.""
Sarah entered the office, pushed in a wheelchair by a private nurse. Her newborn son was wrapped securely against her chest in a cashmere blanket, sleeping peacefully against the rising storm. Her face was pale, but her eyes possessed the exact same razor-sharp clarity as her father’s.
""The southern channel runs right past the municipal fuel refinery,"" Sarah said, her voice steady despite the lingering exhaustion. ""If three hundred tons of nitrate detonate next to those storage spheres, the blast wave will wipe out the entire lower harbor. Half the city loses power, and our family takes the blame for the largest domestic disaster in modern history.""
Victor turned to his daughter, his expression softening for only a fraction of a second as he looked at his grandson. ""You should be in the hospital, Sarah.""
""My family is under attack, Dad,"" Sarah answered, her chin lifting. ""You taught me never to hide behind the gate while someone brings a torch to the courtyard. What assets do we have in the water?""
""Two high-speed harbor pilot tugs,"" Marcus said grimly. ""And one Coast Guard interceptor forty minutes away. We don't have forty minutes. Anton will hit the channel mouth in fifteen.""
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Victor walked to the gun safe beneath the plotting desk, punching in a six-digit code. The heavy steel door clicked open, revealing two tactical assault rifles and a pair of water-resistant flotation vests.
""Marcus, prep the pilot boat,"" Victor said, racking the slide of the first rifle with one hand. ""Sarah, you hold the terminal. If I don't come back, the Vance name belongs to you and Lily.""
