The trawler rocked violently in the storm, its hull groaning as waves crashed over the deck. Lena Hart—Eleanor Whitmore—gripped the microchip labeled C.W. Final Directive, its weight a tether to her father’s legacy as Julian Kane’s sleek vessel cut through the fog, blocking their escape. His bandaged shoulder didn’t dull the menace in his smile, and the weapon in his hand—a sleek, futuristic rifle—glinted under the trawler’s flickering lights.

“You ...