CHAPTER 6

"Stay here," Ethan said to Emily. 

"What? No, I can't stay here, what happens to me? Where are you going?" A confused Emily had asked. 

"I have to go get Jack's murderer" Ethan replied and left with that. 

Then, the men in suits were approaching Emily, and this time she was all alone. 

"Oh shit, I am going to die too this time, I guess" Emily groaned. 

Suddenly, a stranger appeared from nowhere and began attacking them, he was in a black suit too. 

Emily watched in shock as the man took down his comrades. 

She could hardly believe what she was seeing. The man turned to her and beckoned her to follow him.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," he said, his voice urgent.

Emily hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to trust him or not. But there was no time to waste. They had to move quickly if they wanted to escape.

She took a deep breath and followed the man as he led her down a narrow alleyway. As they ran, Emily could hear the sound of footsteps behind them. She turned and saw the remaining men in suits chasing after them.

"We need to keep moving," the man said, his voice urgent. "They'll catch up to us soon."

Emily nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She had no idea who this man was, but he was their only chance of survival.

As they ran, Emily noticed that they were headintowardds the docks. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized what was happening. They were going to escape by boat.

The man led her to a small motorboat that was docked at the pier. He quickly untied the ropes and started the engine.

"Get in," he said, gesturing to Emily.

Emily hesitated for a moment, looking at the boat warily. She had never been on a boat before and the thought of being out on the open water made her feel uneasy.

But there was no other option. She climbed aboard the boat and sat down on the small bench.

The man gunned the engine and the boat sped away from the dock, leaving the men in suits behind. Emily breathed a sigh of relief as they left the shore behind.

As they headed out to sea, Emily turned to the man and asked, "Who are you? Why did you help us?"

The man glanced at her and gave a small smile. "My name is Lucas. I'm a friend of Jack's."

Emily was taken aback. "Jack? You know Jack?"

Lucas nodded. "Yes, we go way back. He called me and told me what was going on. I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

Emily felt a sense of gratitude wash over her. Jack had friends in high places, it seemed.

"What's going to happen to us now?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Lucas shrugged. "I'm not sure. Jack is working on a plan to get you out of this mess. But in the meantime, we need to keep a low profile."

Emily nodded, her mind racing with questions. Who were these men in suits? Why were they after her and Ethan? And how was Jack going to get them out of this?

As they sailed on, Emily couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She looked around nervously, but there was nothing but open sea as far as the eye could see.

Suddenly, there was a loud crack and the boat lurched to one side. Emily screamed as she felt herself being thrown overboard.

She hit the water with a splash and felt the coldness of the sea wash over her. She struggled to keep her head above water, gasping for air.

"Emily!" she heard Lucas call out. "Are you okay?"

She looked up and saw him leaning over the edge of the boat, reaching out to her. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her back onboard.

"What happened?" she asked, shivering from the cold water.

Lucas looked grim. "We've been hit. Someone is shooting at us."

Emily's heart raced as she realized the gravity of the situation. They were under attack.

Lucas started the engine and the boat sped away from the source of the gunfire. Emily crouched down, trying to make herself as small as possible, and held on to the side of the boat for dear life.

Bullets whizzed past them, and Emily could hear the sound of glass shattering as the boat was hit again.

"We need to take cover!" Lucas shouted over the sound of the engine.

Emily nodded and followed him as he led her to a small cabin at the back of the boat. They huddled inside, the sound of gunfire ringing in their ears.

Emily could hardly believe what was happening. She had never been in a situation like this before. She was used to working in a lab, not dodging bullets out at sea.

"Who are they?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Lucas shook his head. "I don't know. But I have a feeling they're not working alone. Someone is pulling the strings."

Emily nodded, her mind racing with possibilities. Who could be behind this? Was it the same people who had kidnapped Ethan and Jack?

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire stopped. Emily held her breath, waiting for the next attack.

But there was only silence.

Lucas peeked out of the cabin and looked around cautiously. "I think they've stopped," he said.

Emily let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

But the respite was short-lived. Just as she was starting to relax, there was a loud explosion and the boat shook violently.

Emily screamed as the cabin filled with smoke and debris. She could feel the heat of the flames on her skin.

"We need to get out of here!" Lucas shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the door.

They burst out of the cabin and onto the deck, which was now engulfed in flames. Emily could hardly see through the smoke and ash, but she could make out the shape of another boat in the distance.

"That's them!" Lucas yelled, pointing towards the boat.

Emily squinted and saw several men in suits on the other boat, their weapons aimed at them.

"We're sitting ducks out here!" she yelled, panic rising in her chest.

Lucas nodded. "We need to do something, and fast."

Just then, a wave of determination washed over Emily. She was not going to let these people take her and Ethan down without a fight.

She reached for a nearby fire extinguisher and aimed it at the men on the other boat. The foam hit them square in the face, and they stumbled back, blinded.

"Now's our chance!" Lucas shouted, taking the helm of the boat.

Emily held on tight as Lucas steered the boat towards the other vessel. They collided with a loud crunch, and Emily felt herself being thrown to the ground.

As she scrambled to her feet, she saw the men in suits regaining their footing, their weapons aimed at them once more.

But Emily was not about to go down without a fight. She lunged at the nearest man, using all the self-defense moves she had learned in college.

The man fell to the ground with a thud, and Emily kicked the weapon out of his hand. She turned to face the other men, her fists raised.

"You want a piece of me?" she yelled, her adrenaline pumping.

The men hesitated, unsure of what to do next.

And then, in a moment of pure luck, a police boat appeared on the horizon. The men in suits turned tail and fled, disappearing into the distance.

Emily collapsed onto the deck, her whole body shaking with exhaustion and fear. She had never felt so alive.

Lucas put a hand on her shoulder. 

"You did it," he said, a grin spreading across his face.

Emily couldn't help but laugh, tears streaming down her face. "Yeah, we did."

They both sat there for a few moments, catching their breath and trying to process what had just happened. Emily's heart was still racing, but she felt a sense of relief wash over her.

"Thank you, Lucas," she said, turning to him. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Lucas smiled. "Anytime, Emily. We're in this together."

They sat in silence for a few more moments, watching as the police boat pulled up beside them.

"Are you okay?" one of the officers shouted over to them.

Emily nodded, feeling a surge of gratitude toward the officers. "Yes, thank you."

The officer motioned for them to climb aboard the police boat, and they both stood up, still a little shaky from the adrenaline.

As they made their way to the police boat, Emily couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in herself. She had never thought she had it in her to fight back, to defend herself and those she cared about.

But she had done it. And she knew that she would do it again if she had to.

As they climbed aboard the police boat, Emily looked back at the burning wreckage of their boat. She felt a twinge of sadness, knowing that it had been their home for the past few weeks.

As the police boat sped away from the scene, Emily leaned back against Lucas, feeling a sense of contentment wash over her. 

She knew that they still had a long way to go before they found Ethan and Jack, but she was ready. 

But just as Emily closed her eyes, thinking that the worst was over, a deafening explosion echoed through the air. She jolted upright, her heart pounding in her chest.

"What the hell was that?" she shouted, looking around frantically.

Lucas looked just as confused as she was, his eyes scanning the horizon.

And then they saw it. A massive cloud of smoke rose from a few miles away.

"Oh, no," Emily whispered, her worst fears coming to life.

"We have to go," Lucas said, grabbing her arm. 

"Now."

Emily didn't need any more convincing. She followed Lucas as he sprinted towards the police boat's controls, her mind racing with all the possibilities of what could be happening.

Was Ethan in trouble? Had the cartel found him? Was it an accident?

As they sped toward the smoke, Emily's heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. 

She tried to prepare herself for the worst, but nothing could have prepared her for what they found when they arrived.

A massive yacht, the likes of which Emily had never seen before, was engulfed in flames. 

The water around it was boiling, and the air was thick with smoke.

And then, Emily saw him. Ethan, clinging to a piece of debris, struggles to keep his head above water.

"Get over there!" Lucas shouted, pointing to where Ethan was.

Emily didn't need any more prompting. 

She jumped into the water, the heat from the flames searing her skin. 

She swam as fast as she could, her muscles burning from the effort.

When she reached Ethan, she saw that he was both badly burned and barely conscious. He looked like he had been through hell.

"We have to get him out of here," Emily said, grabbing Ethan's arm.

Lucas helped them onto the police boat, and Emily could see the relief on their faces. 

But the relief was short-lived.

"We have to move," Lucas said, his eyes scanning the horizon.

"Why?" Emily asked, her heart still racing.

"Because they're coming," Lucas replied, his voice shaking. 

"The cartel. They're after us."

Emily felt a surge of panic, realizing that they were still in danger. 

She looked at Ethan, him barely conscious, and knew that they couldn't run forever.

"We need a plan," Emily said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Lucas looked at her, his eyes are dark. 

"I have a plan," he said. "But it's not pretty."

Emily swallowed hard, knowing that they had no choice. 

They were in too deep now, and they had to fight back.

"What do we do?" she asked, steeling herself for whatever was to come.

Lucas looked at her, his eyes are determined. 

"We fight," he said. "And we don't stop until we win."

They huddled together, plotting their next move as the sound of the cartel's approaching boats grew louder. 

Emily could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and her hands were shaking.