Chapter 7 - The Silent Storm
The plan was highly complex, requiring perfect execution. While Lucas prepared for the physical confrontation, Sarah coordinated with Lucas’s trusted security chief, a retired federal marshal named Frank.
"We’ll have a tactical team stationed two blocks from the cathedral," Frank explained, pointing to the blueprints. "Once we get the signal—a specific phrase from the audio stream—we move in. But Lucas, you'll be on your own inside that sanctuary for at least five minutes. You have to keep him talking."
"I can do that," Lucas said, checking the wire tapped to his chest. "Just make sure Sarah is secure in the command van."
"I'm not staying in the van," Sarah argued, but Lucas cut her off with a look of absolute authority.
"Sarah. This is my boundary. If you are inside that cathedral, I will be distracted. If I am distracted, we lose. You stay with Frank, or the deal is off."
Recognizing the truth in his words, Sarah finally nodded, though her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise.
The night before they left, the mansion was dead silent. Lily was sleeping soundly at a secure safehouse under the protection of two of Frank’s best men. Lucas and Sarah stood in the dark sunroom, looking out at the calm waters of the harbor.
"If anything happens to me—" Lucas began, but Sarah quickly pressed her fingers to his lips.
May you like
"Nothing is going to happen to you," she whispered, her eyes fierce. "We survived the apartment. We survived the cold. We will survive this. Because we have a piano lesson to finish on Saturday."
Lucas wrapped his arms around her, holding her so tightly he could feel the steady, rapid beat of her heart. They stood there in the quiet, gathering their strength for the storm that awaited them across the water.
