Chapter 14 - The Rising Tide
The roaring torrent of freezing saltwater slammed Julian against the concrete ceiling before pulling him under.
The Halon gas was instantly displaced by the rushing river. Julian kicked violently against the swirling current, surfacing in the rapidly filling vault, sputtering water and gasping for pure, cold air.
"Clara!"
He swam blindly through the dark, churning water. His hands struck the brass lockers. He reached up toward the top shelf.
Clara was clinging to an open locker door, the water already up to her chest, her small teeth chattering violently.
Julian pulled her into his arms, lifting her head above the rising surface. The vault was already three-quarters full, the air pocket near the ceiling shrinking with terrifying speed.
A hand broke the surface beside them, splashing frantically. Victoria emerged, coughing out seawater, her uninjured arm flailing against the rising current.
"The opening!" Julian shouted over the roar of the incoming water. "The hatch leads to the drainage pipe under Pier 42! Once the vault fills completely, the pressure will equalize! We have to swim out through the pipe!"
"I... I can't swim with one arm!" Victoria gasped, her eyes wild with panic. "The current will trap me against the intake!"
"Take Clara’s life jacket!" Julian reached for the wool blanket floating nearby, wrapping it tightly around Clara’s chest to give her buoyancy. "Hold onto my belt, Victoria! If you let go, you drown! Do you understand me?!"
Victoria looked at Julian, then at the little girl she had chained to a floor just six hours ago. In the dark, rising water of the vault, the empire of the Sterling name meant nothing. There were no lawyers, no millions, no private security. There was only the black water and the suffocating ceiling.
"I understand," Victoria choked out, her fingers digging desperately into the back of Julian’s leather belt.
May you like
The water reached the ceiling. The last pocket of air vanished.
Julian took a massive breath, pulled Clara tightly against his left chest, clamped his mouth shut, and kicked downward into the pitch-black abyss toward the open hatch.
