Chapter 6: The Girl Who Came Back From the Dead
"GET DOWN!""
I threw myself over Lily just as a gunshot shattered the bridge window.
Glass exploded across the console.
Vanessa screamed.
Richard dragged Thomas behind the navigation station.
The bullet struck the wall behind us.
For one horrifying moment, nobody moved.
Then Lily began crying.
"Daddy!""
I wrapped my arms around her.
"Don't look up, sweetheart. Keep your head down.""
Thomas grabbed the emergency radio.
"Coast Guard! We are under armed attack! Repeat, we are under armed attack!""
Static answered.
The second shot struck the exterior railing.
I looked through the shattered window.
The motorboat was dangerously close.
The young woman at its bow was crouching behind a metal seat.
She was screaming something, but I couldn't hear her over the engines of the smaller vessel.
I looked at Vanessa.
"Is that Grace?""
She nodded.
"Yes.""
"Why is she with them?""
Vanessa wiped tears from her face.
"Marcus told me she was coming to meet us. He said everything would be explained once you signed the papers.""
I stared at her.
"You believed him?""
"I wanted to believe him.""
A third gunshot rang out.
The bullet struck the deck outside.
Thomas grabbed the emergency flare launcher.
"We need to get everyone away from the windows.""
Richard looked at the controls.
"Can we move?""
"Not until I restore power.""
"How long?""
"Ten minutes, maybe.""
"We don't have ten minutes.""
I looked toward the motorboat.
Grace had stood up.
She was waving both arms.
The gunman grabbed her shoulder and pulled her backward.
She fought him.
Then she screamed my name.
"MR. CARTER!""
My heart twisted.
She didn't call me Dad.
Not anymore.
She didn't know if she could.
She had been raised by another family, given another name, and taught to live without the father who had believed she was dead.
I had missed eleven years.
And now she was standing on a boat with a man pointing a weapon at her.
I placed Lily beside Richard.
"Keep her with you.""
"Daniel, don't.""
"I have to get her.""
Richard grabbed my arm.
"You can't jump into the ocean.""
"I didn't say I was going to.""
Thomas pointed toward a narrow emergency service hatch.
"There's an exterior walkway behind the bridge. It leads to the stern.""
I looked at him.
"Can I reach her from there?""
"Possibly. But it's dangerous.""
Richard shook his head.
"Absolutely not.""
I looked at Lily.
She was watching me with wide eyes.
"Daddy, please don't go.""
I crouched.
I held both her hands.
"Listen to me, princess. I need to help somebody.""
"Like you helped me?""
I nodded.
"Exactly.""
She squeezed my fingers.
"Bring her home too.""
I kissed her forehead.
"I promise.""
Then I stood.
Thomas handed me a life jacket and a heavy rescue line.
"Stay low. Keep this attached to the safety rail.""
I secured it around my waist.
Richard stepped forward.
"Daniel, wait.""
He handed me a small metal object.
It was the emergency access key.
"There's a secondary route to the stern. Take it.""
I looked at him.
"Why are you helping me?""
He frowned.
"What kind of question is that?""
"Marcus said you helped prepare the transfer documents.""
Richard went pale.
"I didn't know about the boat or the girl falling.""
"Did you prepare the documents?""
He looked down.
"Yes.""
I stared at him.
"Why?""
"Marcus told me the transfer was part of a legitimate investment agreement.""
"Did you know the signature was forged?""
He didn't answer quickly enough.
I understood.
"You knew.""
"I found out yesterday.""
"And you didn't tell me?""
"I was going to.""
"When?""
Richard closed his eyes.
"I was afraid.""
I shook my head.
"Then be useful now.""
I pushed through the emergency hatch.
The wind hit me immediately.
The yacht was drifting sideways, and the waves had grown larger.
I clipped the rescue line to the exterior rail and moved toward the stern.
Below me, the motorboat was only a few yards away.
I could see Grace clearly now.
She was struggling with the man holding her.
He was wearing a black jacket.
A baseball cap.
And a familiar gold watch.
Marcus.
I stopped.
He wasn't simply coordinating the attack.
He was on the boat himself.
"GRACE!"" I shouted.
She looked up.
Her eyes widened.
"MR. CARTER!""
"Stay where you are!""
Marcus turned.
When he saw me, he smiled.
Even from thirty feet away, I recognized that smile.
It was the same smile he had worn when he watched Lily hanging over the water.
"Daniel!"" he shouted.
"You really don't know when to quit!""
I grabbed the railing.
"Let her go!""
Marcus laughed.
"Why? So you can ruin everything?""
"She's my daughter!""
"Which one?""
The question cut through the wind.
I looked at Grace.
Then at the man who had stolen eleven years from me.
"You don't get to say that.""
Marcus tightened his grip around Grace's arm.
"Then sign the documents.""
I shook my head.
"You're finished.""
He pulled a small black device from his pocket.
"Not quite.""
He pressed a button.
Behind me, the yacht made a violent grinding sound.
Thomas's voice came through the radio attached to my life jacket.
"MR. CARTER! GET AWAY FROM THE STERN!""
I turned.
A hydraulic platform began lowering unexpectedly.
The mechanism groaned.
The outer section of the deck dropped toward the water.
I grabbed the railing as the yacht lurched.
The rescue line tightened around my waist.
Marcus laughed.
"You see? Everything still works when I want it to!""
I looked down.
A section of the swim platform was moving beneath the motorboat.
If it dropped any farther, Grace would be dragged into the water.
I pulled the emergency release lever beside me.
Nothing happened.
I tried again.
The lever was jammed.
"Grace! Grab the rail!""
She reached for the side of the boat.
Marcus shoved her backward.
Then something unexpected happened.
Grace struck his wrist with both hands.
The black device flew into the water.
Marcus cursed.
He slapped her across the face.
I felt something inside me snap.
"YOU TOUCH HER AGAIN, AND I SWEAR—"
He turned toward me.
"You're not in a position to threaten anybody!""
Then he pulled a knife from his jacket.
I froze.
Grace looked at me.
"He's going to do it again!""
I grabbed the emergency rescue hook attached to the rail.
"Marcus! Look at me!""
He turned.
For one second, his attention shifted away from Grace.
That was enough.
She twisted free and threw herself toward the opposite side of the motorboat.
Marcus lunged after her.
The boat rocked violently.
Grace lost her balance.
She hit the side and disappeared below the railing.
"GRACE!""
I threw the rescue hook.
The metal struck the water beside her.
She surfaced, coughing.
I grabbed the line and pulled with everything I had.
The boat's driver tried to move away.
I saw Marcus reach toward Grace's hair.
Then another figure appeared behind him.
Richard.
He had climbed down from the yacht with a second rescue line.
He swung the heavy rope across Marcus's shoulders.
Marcus stumbled.
Grace grabbed the hook.
Together, we pulled her toward the yacht.
Her fingers caught the edge of the platform.
I reached down.
"Give me your hand!""
She did.
I caught her wrist.
For a second, her eyes met mine.
They were the same shade as Lily's.
The same shade as the eyes I had spent years imagining my first daughter would have had.
"Don't let go," she whispered.
"I won't.""
I pulled.
Richard grabbed her other arm.
Together, we lifted her onto the platform.
She collapsed against the deck, coughing seawater.
I dropped beside her.
"You're safe.""
She looked at me.
For a moment, I thought she would say something.
Instead, she grabbed my shirt and began sobbing.
"I thought you were going to leave me here.""
I pulled her into my arms.
"Never.""
Behind us, Marcus scrambled toward the motorboat.
Richard blocked him.
The two men crashed against the railing.
Marcus swung his knife.
Richard stumbled backward.
I started to stand.
Then Grace grabbed my hand.
"Wait!""
I looked down.
She was pointing toward Marcus's jacket.
A small object had fallen from his pocket.
It was a photograph.
I picked it up.
The image showed a newborn baby in a hospital blanket.
On the back was a handwritten date.
The day Grace was born.
Underneath it were six words.
The Carter baby was never the first.
I stared at the photograph.
"Grace?""
She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"I found it in Uncle Marcus's office.""
"What is it?""
She looked toward the bridge.
Then back at me.
"It's a list.""
"What list?""
She unfolded it.
There were three names.
Mine.
Vanessa's.
And the name of a woman I had not heard in more than twelve years.
*CLAIRE BENNETT.*
My first wife.
The mother of the daughter I had believed was buried before Lily was born.
I looked at Grace.
"Why is your mother's name next to hers?""
Grace swallowed.
"Because Uncle Marcus told me something before we left.""
"What?""
She leaned closer and whispered:
"Your first daughter wasn't the baby who died.""
My heart stopped.
"Then who was?""
Grace looked directly into my eyes.
"Your first daughter was born three years before me.""
I stared at her.
Three years before Grace.
Three years before the hospital.
Three years before Lily.
I remembered Claire.
I remembered our wedding.
I remembered the terrible winter when she had told me she was pregnant.
And I remembered the little girl we had lost.
Her name was Emily.
I had been told she died in a hospital accident when she was two years old.
Claire had disappeared from my life shortly afterward.
I had spent years blaming myself.
But Grace was telling me that Emily might never have died.
I looked at the approaching coast guard lights in the distance.
Then I looked back at my daughters' names on the paper.
"Grace," I whispered.
"Where is Emily?""
She began crying.
And before she could answer, my phone rang.
May you like
The caller ID showed a number I hadn't seen in thirteen years.
*CLAIRE BENNETT.*
