Hunter and Sue make steady progress along Water Tank Road as they circle back toward Mexico Beach, trying to avoid both Vince’s surviving team and the police converging on the dock and hotel crime scenes. Hunter leads Sue through back roads and residential streets, choosing a longer route so they can reach Highway 98 without passing too close to the hotel where the earlier gunfight took place.

Near the ruined site of a seafood grill close to the Gulf County line, Hunter finds a concealed spot behind a surviving cinderblock wall and decides to risk turning on his phone. He calls Rink, confirms that Rink is nearby, and explains that he and Sue are stranded on foot after losing their vehicle. Hunter also tells Rink that one of Vince’s SUVs is disabled, though he expects Vince’s men to regroup once they evade the police.

During the call, Rink shares a significant update about Arrowsake. He says Walter denied sending Vince after Sue and seemed genuinely unaware that Sue was involved, which suggests an internal power shift has pushed Walter aside and left him vulnerable. This information eases Hunter’s fear that Walter betrayed them and suggests Sue is being hunted by a new faction inside Arrowsake.

Before Rink can reach them, Sue notices movement in the darkness near the wreckage. Hunter spots a man in a baseball cap moving between debris and realizes Vince’s people have found them. As Hunter ends the call and both he and Sue move to draw weapons and take cover, they discover too late that the visible man is only a distraction.

Vince has approached from the opposite side and hidden behind the same wall as Hunter and Sue. Using the confusion to his advantage, Vince rises behind Sue and drops a garrote over her head, pulling it tight before Hunter can stop him. The chapter ends with Sue caught in Vince’s ambush and Hunter suddenly facing a far more immediate and dangerous crisis.