Chapter 8 - The Crimson Warning
The red spray paint gleamed wetly under the flashing blue and red emergency lights of Officer Miller’s cruiser. The word scrawled across the metal plate wasn't a threat; it was a name.
SARAH.
Julian stared at the letters, his breath catching in his throat. How could Marcus have known Sarah was currently communicating with them live via an encrypted satellite feed? The only way he could have known was if the phone call itself was being intercepted, or worse—if Sarah’s safehouse had already been compromised before they even answered the call.
"Cole," Julian shouted over the din of the sirens, spinning around to face the scarred man. "You said her location was secure! You said nobody knew where she was!"
Cole’s face drained of color. He yanked a sleek diagnostic device from his tactical belt, tapping frantically at its glass screen. "That's impossible. We use quantum encryption routing through three different orbital relays. There's no way anyone could trace the signal unless..." He paused, his eyes widening in horror. "Unless the leak came from inside the safehouse itself."
Clara dropped the satellite phone onto the concrete, clapping her hands over her mouth as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "Oh, God. It was a setup from the very beginning. Marcus didn't just manipulate me into marrying you; he used my wedding as bait to force Sarah out of hiding."
Lily buried her face in Julian’s shoulder, sobbing softly. "Daddy, I want to go home. I want my real Mommy."
"You're going to see her, sweetheart. I promise you," Julian vowed, his voice steadying with a cold, unbreakable resolve. He handed Lily gently back to Clara. "Take her inside. Lock the doors. Do not open them for anyone except Officer Miller or myself."
"Julian, you can't go down into the subway alone," Clara pleaded, grabbing his arm. "Marcus is desperate. He'll kill you to protect his empire."
"Let him try," Julian said, reaching into the front seat of Miller’s abandoned cruiser and lifting a heavy-duty riot flashlight off its magnetic mount.
May you like
As Julian stepped toward the yawning, dark entrance of the subway maintenance tunnel, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, expecting a text from Cole. Instead, it was an incoming video message from an unknown number. He tapped play, and the screen illuminated his face with a chilling pre-recorded video of Marcus standing inside the control room of the city’s central power grid.
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