Page 46 of Pressure Point (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #2)

CHAPTER

FORTY-SIX

Atlas watched as the countdown timer on the computer ticked toward zero.

They had thirty seconds until the demolition charges would destroy Sigma’s weather modification equipment.

Hudson and Kyle corralled the Sigma operatives, including Noreen, and forced them to run through the woods.

Meanwhile, Atlas took Quinn’s hand, and they ran as fast as they could away from the shelter.

Around them, floodwater had risen to their waists. The equipment groaned ominously behind them as Hurricane Delilah’s weakened but still dangerous winds battered the structure.

Fifteen seconds.

Atlas looked at his team, then at Quinn.

Earlier, he’d seen the quiet acceptance in her eyes.

They’d accomplished their mission. They’d stopped the weaponized hurricane, eliminated Sigma’s weather weapon, and saved thousands of lives.

She’d done what she needed to do, and she was at peace.

But they were about to pay the ultimate price for their success.

Ten seconds.

They continued to run.

“Quinn.” Atlas held on tight to her hand as the water continued to rise. “I need you to know?—”

Five seconds.

Before he could finish, an explosion ripped through the air.

A concussion wave raced through the water. A brilliant flash of light filled the sky behind them as millions of dollars of sophisticated technology was reduced to smoking debris.

His pulse surged.

They’d done it.

The weather weapon was destroyed permanently.

“Atlas.” Quinn struggled to keep her footing in the surging water, but they kept moving. “Whatever happens next, I want you to know that meeting you, falling for you—it was the most real thing that ever happened to me.”

Atlas’s chest tightened with emotion he couldn’t afford to examine in their current situation. “Quinn, don’t talk like this is goodbye. We’re getting out of here.”

But even as he said the words, Atlas knew they were hollow.

They reached the beach, their place of escape.

But their boat was gone. He’d known it was. But he’d wanted to believe there would be some sign of hope for them.

The island was flooding, and there would soon be no dry land.

And Hurricane Delilah’s winds had made any kind of rescue impossible.

This place was going to be their grave, he realized.

A sound cut through the storm’s fury, and Atlas’s heart leapt.

It was a horn—deep, powerful, unmistakably maritime.

“Coast Guard!” Hudson pointed across the water where they could just make out lights cutting through the rain and darkness.

Through the chaos, Atlas saw a Coast Guard cutter fighting its way through the rough waters toward their position. The vessel was built for heavy weather operations, its reinforced hull designed to handle conditions that would swamp smaller boats.

“Colton and Ty must have sent them!” Jake yelled out over the wind.

Atlas helped Quinn navigate the knee-deep water. “Emergency beacon! Must have activated automatically when our boat was destroyed!”

The Coast Guard vessel maneuvered as close to the island as possible, its crew deploying rescue boats designed for exactly this kind of operation. Atlas saw Coast Guard personnel preparing to extract civilians from a disaster zone.

“This is Coast Guard Rescue Team Alpha!” a voice called through a bullhorn. “Prepare for immediate extraction! Water taxi incoming!”

Overwhelming relief hit him as he helped Quinn toward the rescue boat that was fighting its way to their position.

Around them, his team secured Noreen and the other operatives. They prepared for emergency evacuation, their movements efficient despite the dangerous conditions.

As they climbed aboard the Coast Guard rescue craft, Quinn collapsed against Atlas’s chest, exhaustion and relief overwhelming her recovered strength.

“We did it,” she whispered against his ear. “We actually did it.”

Atlas held her close as the rescue boat fought its way back to the Coast Guard cutter.

Finally, they felt the solid deck of the larger vessel beneath their feet as they were pulled to safety.

Behind them, the island continued to flood. But the weather modification equipment was destroyed beyond repair. That was an answer to prayer.

Hurricane Delilah continued its approach toward the mainland, but now it was just a natural storm—dangerous but no longer artificially enhanced, manageable rather than catastrophic.

They’d saved thousands of lives and eliminated a terrorist threat that could have changed the balance of global power.

And somehow, against all odds, they’d survived to see their victory.

As Coast Guard medics checked Quinn’s injuries, Atlas allowed himself a moment of quiet satisfaction.

They’d won. The mission was complete, the island was safe, and the woman he’d fallen for was alive and whole beside him.

Everything else was just details.