Chapter 12 - The Razor's Edge
The cable snapped free from the lighthouse tower just as Alexander and Clara cleared the final stretch of water. They slammed violently into the wet, seaweed-strewn boulders of the breaker reef, rolling across the stone.
Alexander took the brunt of the impact, his back striking an iron bollard with a sickening crunch. He cried out in agony, rolling onto his side to check Clara.
Clara lay motionless on the rock, her arms locked securely around Lily. Lily was crying loudly, shocked by the impact, but completely unharmed.
""Clara!"" Alexander crawled over the wet stone, turning her over. Her forehead was bleeding where she had struck the rocks, but her eyes opened, dazed and unfocused.
""Lily..."" she gasped, struggling for air.
""She's fine. She's breathing. You saved her,"" Alexander said, his voice shaking as he pulled Clara into a sitting position.
Behind them, the lighthouse tower groaned. The structural collapse caused by the falling counterweight had compromised the lower foundations; with a terrifying roar, the eighty-foot iron-and-stone spire tilted, collapsed inward, and tumbled into the ocean in a massive explosion of spray and crushed granite.
The helicopter circled above the churning debris, its searchlight scanning the water where the lighthouse had stood, assuming they had perished beneath the collapse.
""They think we're dead,"" Clara whispered through chattering teeth.
""Not for long,"" Alexander muttered, watching the helicopter begin a slow, sweeping patrol of the shoreline. ""Dawn is forty minutes away. When the sun rises, Julian will see this reef.""
Alexander looked down at his watch. The date changed.
September 10th.
""It's Lily's birthday,"" Alexander said softly, brushing wet strands of hair from Clara's cold forehead. ""The Valmont trust opened at midnight.""
Clara reached into her pocket, pulling out the ceramic drive. The small LED indicator had turned from flashing red to steady emerald green.
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""The timer is complete,"" Clara said, a faint smile breaking across her bruised face. ""The evidence, the corporate proxies, the offshore funds... the entire archive has just been uploaded to the international financial crimes division in Hague and the Federal Reserve.""
Alexander looked up at the circling helicopter. ""Which means Julian isn't looking for custody anymore. He's looking for revenge.""
