Chapter 49: The Deep Dark
Chapter 49: The Deep Dark
Sarah looked at the old man. She looked at Hope, who was staring up at her with those piercing blue eyes.
"You think I care about the money, Alistair?" Sarah whispered.
"I think you care about her survival," Alistair said smoothly. "Step away from the weapon. Join the family. You will be a governor of the new fund. Your daughter will grow up in a castle in Scotland, not a bakery in Georgia."
From the deck below, a heavy thud shook the ship. The sounds of Arthur’s shotgun were getting closer. He had cleared the pier and boarded the vessel from the stern.
Alistair’s expression finally hardened. He reached toward a small red switch on the armrest. "You've run out of time, girl."
BANG!
The shot didn't come from Sarah's gun.
It came from behind the armchair. Thomas Sterling stepped out of the shadow of the pantry, a heavy revolver smoking in his hand. The round caught Alistair clean in the temple, sending the old lord crashing into the mahogany table.
"Thomas..." Sarah gasped.
Sterling didn't look at her. He lunged forward, grabbing the ledger terminal from Alistair's desk, his fingers flying across the keys. "It's not over. The data is still routing through the London node. I can redirect it... I can bring the fortune back into my private account..."
Sarah walked over to the armchair, her hands trembling as she lifted Hope out of the old man's lap. The baby was warm, smelling of milk and lavender. She was safe. She was whole.
"Thomas," Sarah said, her voice dropping into a dead, chilling calm. "Step away from the computer."
Sterling didn't look up. "Sarah, you don't understand! This is five billion dollars! We can rebuild the family name! We can—"
"I don't care about the name," Sarah said.
She reached down, her right thumb pressing against the emergency fire-suppression lever on the cabin wall—the one connected to the ship's engine room and electrical grid.
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"Sarah, don't!" her father roared, turning around with his weapon raised.
Sarah pulled the lever.
