Chapter 8 - THE LIGHTHOUSE The storm broke just as we reached the coastal edge of the Romano property. Heavy rain lashed against the windshield of the police cruiser.
The old lighthouse stood on a jagged cliff overlooking the churning black ocean. It had been decommissioned for decades.
Through the pouring rain, we could see the faint beam of a flashlight moving near the top of the tower.
“We go in quietly,” the police captain ordered, drawing his weapon.
Nico refused to stay in the car. He trailed right behind the officers, and I stayed close to him. I wasn’t leaving until I saw Lily safe.
We forced open the rotting wooden door at the base of the tower. The air inside smelled of salt, rust, and decay.
Above us, heavy footsteps echoed on the spiral iron staircase.
“Keep moving!” a man’s voice barked.
“I can’t!” Lily cried out, her voice trembling.
Nico let out a choked sob. He pushed past the lead officer and started sprinting up the iron stairs.
“Lily! I’m here!” Nico roared.
Gunfire erupted.
A bullet pinged off the iron railing inches from Nico’s head. He ducked, but didn’t stop climbing.
The officers surged forward, shouting commands.
I followed, my heart pounding in my throat. We reached the lantern room at the very top.
Wind and rain howled through the broken glass panes.
Marcus’s thug had Lily backed against the rusted railing of the balcony, a gun pressed to her temple. Lily was soaked, shivering, her eyes wide with terror.
When she saw her father, she gasped. “Dad!”
“Let her go,” Nico pleaded, holding his hands up. “I’ll give you whatever you want. Millions. A plane. Just don’t hurt her.”
The man sneered. “Marcus said you’d pay. But he also said she knows too much.”
“Marcus is in custody!” the police captain yelled over the storm. “It’s over, son. Drop the weapon.”
The man hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at the sheer drop to the crashing waves below. He realized he was trapped.
In that split second of distraction, Lily did something incredibly brave.
She didn’t wait to be rescued. She stomped her heavy boot down onto the man’s instep as hard as she could.
He howled in pain, his grip loosening just enough.
Lily broke free and dove toward the floor.
The man raised his gun to shoot her.
Nico didn’t hesitate. He lunged across the room, tackling the man.
The gun went off, firing wildly into the ceiling, before both men crashed heavily onto the wet floorboards. The police swarmed them instantly, pinning the thug down and wrenching the weapon away.
I scrambled to Lily and pulled her into my arms.
She clung to me, sobbing into my shoulder.
Nico pushed himself up from the floor. He walked over to us, his chest heaving, tears mixing with the rain on his face. He dropped to his knees in the puddles.
He didn’t try to touch her. He just looked at her, his voice breaking.
“I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry, Lily.”
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Lily slowly let go of me and looked at her father. For the first time in years, there was no fear in her eyes when she looked at him.
She reached out and took his hand.
