The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 861

Bason’s mind raced, searching for a way out as he swiftly unslung his backpack. "While the breach is still small, plug it! Bail the water, now!"

The team members closest to the hole scrambled, shoving clothes, backpacks, and whatever they could grab into the splintered gap. But the breach was more stubborn than it looked. The river surged in with immense pressure, making their efforts completely futile.

The boat sank faster by the second. Freezing water quickly rose past their calves, escalating the crisis.

"Leilani, hold onto me. Don't let go, no matter what," Callahan Langley ordered, his voice low and rock-steady. With practiced efficiency, he tied a heavy-duty rescue rope around their waists, securing it with a tight knot.

Right in the middle of the chaos, a sudden, heavy burst of gunfire erupted from the dense jungle on the opposite bank, upstream. The sharp, rapid cracks shattered the roar of the river, jarring and deadly.

"Get down! Take cover!" Bason barked the instant he heard the shots, dropping low. He quickly assessed the situation. "Judging by the direction and density, they aren't aiming at us."

The gunfire was indeed coming from further upstream, punctuated by faint, aggressive shouting and cursing echoing through the trees. It sounded like a massive turf war breaking out between the local clans near the jungle settlements.

The thick, towering reeds easily concealed the entire group. Abel and the others followed close behind. When the hull finally scraped the muddy riverbed, the faint noise was completely drowned out by the fierce, continuous gunfire upstream.

"Shaun," Bason whispered as soon as they hit the bank, his voice barely audible. "Take three guys. Flank left through that brush and figure out who's fighting and how many."

"Mr. Langley and I will take another team and move up the right embankment to get eyes on the firefight," Bason continued, wanting to assess if the warring factions posed a threat to their mission. He then turned to Leilani and Payton Larson. "Ms. Sloan, Mr. Larson, you and the rest of the security detail stay hidden here on the boat. It's safe."