<b>Chapter </b><b>579 </b>
New York.
After what felt like an eternity of anxious waiting, the DNA results finally came in.
Felix called Sebastian immediately. “Mr. Vanderbilt! We have the results!”
Sebastian gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles whitened, barely daring to breathe. He forced himself to listen, clinging to a sliver of consciousness.
“The medical examiner has confirmed–the DNA from the woman found in the reservoir does not match Caitlin’s hair sample.”
Sebastian’s chest clenched, and then suddenly a flood of light burst through the darkness in his mind. He hung up, tears springing to his eyes. Turning to Zeke, he blurted out, “It’s not a match! Zeke, it’s
not Caitlin!”
“That’s great news! If the body isn’t Caitlin, then she’s most likely still alive!”
Relief washed over them both. The oppressive weight that had been crushing them finally lifted. Now, there was only one thing left to do–find Caitlin, wherever she was.
Not long after, an even more encouraging lead surfaced. While canvassing the docks, one of Sebastian’s men found a witness.
The witness imed that on the night of the incident, he’d gotten up to relieve himself and saw a man carrying arge bup sack onto a boat. The sack was shaped suspiciously like a person.
Shown a photo of Vaughn, the witness confirmed that the man he’d seen looked just like him.
This was the break they needed–it meant Caitlin had been taken by water. All other search efforts
could now focus on the waterways.
Sebastian and Zeke rushed to the docks. Surveince footage from nearby cameras backed up the witness’s story: the man carrying the sack did indeed resemble Vaughn–likely the imposter who had abducted Caitlin,
The footage also showed the fake Vaughn boarding a mid–sized transoceanic cruise ship named “The Wavebreaker‘.
“Given the ship’s tonnage and cruising speed–between 40 and 70 kilometers per hour–in about three days, they could already be in international waters,” Zeke calcted,
16:00 Wed, 3 Sept
G
Sebastian nodded. “Exactly. We’ll confirm the ship’s course through the maritime signal stations.”
After an intensive search, they found it–one day earlier, *The Wavebreaker* had been tracked in southern waters, heading toward the South Pacific.
Hope surged, but so did fear.
48%
23
1
“From New York to the southern seas takes time. By the time we reach them, they could be deep into
the South Pacific. Once they’re in international waters, tracking them will be nearly impossible. We
have to move now.”
Helicopters were fueled and ready. Sebastian and Zeke each took a team and lifted off toward the
southern waters.
On *The Wavebreaker*, Caitlin’s strength had finally returned. Phantom had kept her alive with bread and water, but he had no idea she’d been working on an escape.
In the dim cabin, her fingers had found a small section of loose metal along the wall–a strip as thin as
wire. She’d painstakingly worked it free and used it to pick at the lock on her cuffs.
After a relentless struggle, the shackle clicked open. The weight on her wrists was gone. Time for the
next step.
Phantom stood at the helm, guiding the ship toward the South Pacific. Their final destination was a
small ind–ck Wolf Fortress’s new base of operations, safely beyond U.S. jurisdiction. Once there, they’d be untouchable.
Another half–day and they’d be home free.
A sudden knock on the deck above the cabin made him turn. Caitlin was calling for him.
Switching to autopilot, he headed below, opening the cabin door. “What is it?”
Caitliny curled on the floor, her face twisted in pain. “The bread you gave me… it was poisoned…”
Crumbs littered the floor. Foam bubbled at her lips. Her body twitched as if death were moments
away.
Phantom frowned. If she died now, everything he’d done would be for nothing.
“That’s impossible.”
Still, he crouched beside her to check-
16:00 Wed, 3 Sept
<b>? </b>
48%
And that was when the “poisoned” woman exploded into motion. She whipped the length of chain between her cuffs around his neck, tightening it with all her strength.
Caught off guard, Phantom’s breath hitched, his airway constricting.
He realized instantly–he’d been yed.
Caitlin shifted her weight, pulling harder. This was her one chance <i>to </i>end him.
But Phantom was a trained killer. With a violent twist, he kicked off the floor, flipping his body to
break her hold, then drove his boot into her chest.
She crashed against the doorframe but used the momentum to scramble for the <i>exit</i>.
Phantom lunged after her, catching her ankle. Caitlin rolled, wrenching herself free.
+23
Out on the open deck, the sunlight blinded her for an instant. The cuffs dangled from her wrist–now
a weapon.
“Give up,” Phantom warned coldly. “Or you’ll die a miserable death.”
“You won’t kill me,” Caitlin shot back, eyes zing. “If you were ordered to, you could’ve done it back
in New York.”
He didn’t bother replying. Enough talking. He charged.
The cuffs swung through the air, mming into his face. Blow after blownded–Caitlin was fighting like a cornered animal.
In the distance, several speedboats appeared, cutting through the waves toward them.
Phantom took a heavy kick <i>to </i>the ribs and mmed into a sharp–metal edge. Pain red white–hot as something tore <i>into </i>his lower back, blood gushing from the wound.
Caitlin pressed her advantage,
“Go to hell!”
Her final kick sent him over the railing. He hit the water with a ssh and vanished beneath the
surface.
Not wasting a second, Caitlin sprinted for the helm. She had to turn this ship around.