Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27: THE LEVIATHAN
The Atlantic Ocean was choppy, the black waves spraying against the side of the high-speed water taxi Marcus was piloting through the dark. In the distance, The Leviathan glowed like a floating city—a three-hundred-foot mega-yacht blazing with neon lights, music echoing over the water.
"We have exactly forty-five minutes before your father’s corrupted file triggers the alarm on their servers," Marcus said over the earpiece, his sniper rifle secured in a black case on his back. "I’ll anchor the water taxi beneath the stern's blind spot. Use Evelyn's biometric key to enter through the crew quarters. I’ll provide overwatch from the lower deck."
"Copy that," I said, adjusting the diamonds around my neck.
I stepped onto the yacht's boarding platform, my heels clicking softly against the teak wood. I pressed the digital key clone against the crew entrance scanner. The light blinked amber, then turned a solid, beautiful green. The heavy hydraulic door slid open.
I slipped inside, navigating the narrow, polished hallways of the luxury vessel. The sound of a classical orchestra grew louder as I approached the grand ballroom. Hundreds of the world's most powerful elites were sipping champagne, laughing beneath crystal chandeliers that swayed gently with the motion of the ocean.
Standing at the center of the room, surrounded by European bankers and American politicians, was Arthur Pendelton. He held a glass of dark scotch, looking like a king who had just conquered a new continent.
He saw me step through the velvet curtains. His conversation stopped.
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"Well, well," Arthur murmured, a slow, appreciative smile spreading across his scarred face as he walked toward me. "Valeria Salazar. I must admit, I expected your father's attorneys to deliver the protocol. I didn't think you would bring it yourself."
"A Salazar always delivers her debts in person, Arthur," I said, forcing a flawless, elegant smile.
