Chapter 64: The Panamanian Trap
Chapter 64: The Panamanian Trap
The iron hull of the MV Falcon was cold and slick with river mist as Sarah climbed the pilot’s ladder, Hope secured inside her canvas sling.
Arthur was already there. He had broken free from Leo in the river, taken a secondary local boat, and reached the ship minutes before her. His shoulder was dislocated, his linen shirt soaked in black river mud and blood, but his weapon was drawn, covering the deck.
"They're on the ship, Sarah," Arthur whispered, his breath ragged as he leaned against a massive steel shipping container. "The crew isn't merchant marine. They're Aegis contractors. Your father built this vessel specifically as a floating extraction lab."
The main deck lights suddenly flared to life, blinding them in a harsh yellow glare.
Thomas Sterling stepped out from the bridge tower, wearing a dark captain’s coat. Beside him stood Eleanor Vance. The two enemies from Chicago were now standing side-by-side, their ancient hatred replaced by a mutual, desperate greed.
"You ran all the way across the world just to come back to the family, Sarah," Eleanor said, her silver hair blowing in the sea breeze. "You broke the banks in London, you fried the servers in Zurich, but you can't break the bloodline. It owns you."
Thomas Sterling took a step forward, his eyes fixed on Hope. "Give me the child, Sarah. The feds have frozen my assets in America. The European banks have blacklisted my name. The genetic license inside that baby's blood is the only asset left on earth that can buy our way into the Asian market."
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Sarah took a step back, her heel hitting the rusted iron railing of the ship’s edge. Sixty feet below, the black, churning waters of the Mekong river rushed out toward the sea.
"You shot my mother for this fortune, Thomas," Sarah said, her voice carrying over the roar of the ship's generators. "And you..." She looked at Eleanor. "...you killed James. You’re both dead inside. You just haven't stopped breathing yet."
