He runs to the East Wing flat out, can make it there in under a minute at full tilt, which he does, and by the time he gets there, the power flickers back on but the radio is still dead.The four he has posted outside Mimi’s door all assure him she’s safe, but he needs to see it with his own eyes.
Blaire is curled up atop the covers with Mimi in her arms, both fast asleep.
Relief slams into him.The physical manifestation ofeight bells.
Lachlan smiles despite himself.He’s wanted them to bond for a long time now.He draws a blanket over Blaire before heading outside again.
Bennett is the man he most trusts of the four guarding the Cove, so it’s him Lachlan speaks to.‘If anyone but me or Jules tries to get in here, kill them.’
The man gives a sharp nod.‘Heard.’
The radio is down which means the primary repeater tower has been hit, so Lachlan heads to Control, and finds Fenwick fighting to keep ahead of the chaos.Lachlan takes over seamlessly.
‘Switch to secondary repeater,’ Lachlan instructs, ‘and patch the network into the cellular backbone.Even partial coverage is better than nothing.’
Rook goes about it while Fenwick keeps trying with the dead frequency.Lachlan snaps fingers in front of his face.‘Stop.North tower is fried for now.’
Fenwick has this look about him that Lachlan recognises.
It’s a shadow under the skin.Something bad that happened some other time, creeping into the present moment.PTSD is a hell of a thing and Lachlan knows it comes when you least expect but this is emphaticallynotthe time.
‘Pull it together,’ he intones quietly.
Fenwick swallows and nods.‘Is your rig fried?’
‘No, but secondary is patchy,’ Lachlan says, pulling out his earpiece.‘I want everyone using handsets until the storm passes.Fenwick, make sure everyone gets one.’
‘That lightning isn’t natural.’
‘Yeah, it’s crazy, I know.’
‘No, you don’t get it.’
‘Are the repeaters running on a generator?’a desk tech asks.
‘They are.’
‘What if it stalls?’
‘Good catch.Put someone close to it.It’s only the primary tower.Secondary will hold.We can get through this, no sweat, we just need to stay calm,’ Lachlan says, generously clapping Fenwick’s shoulder.‘I want eyes on Cascade at all times, andno onegoes into the East Wing for any reason whatsoever.’
‘Heard.’
Armed with a handset, Lachlan hears a round of manual check-ins from the people who receive them.Back in the ballroom, the party is raging on, music and dancing, pleasurable chaos.The storm’s energy seems contagious.
Lachlan knows where to look for Jules by now, he’s learnt where he tends to go, the corners he seeks privacy for when he needs it.He spies him over by the indoor fountain, moves towards it, but Alistair Penhalyx interrupts the journey. ‘I trust there are no problems with the power?’
‘We’re prepared for a blackout, sir.The lightning fried the primary repeater tower, so we’re switching to handsets on secondary.’
‘Good, good.’The old man looks up at the glass dome.‘Such power in the skies, no wonder men believed all those silly stories.’Lachlan is desperate to get to Jules, touch base and check in.‘You should have a drink, Lachlan.Relax a little.My son can survive without you lurking behind him for ten minutes.’
‘I would prefer to—’
‘Yes, I know what you would prefer,’ he chuckles, walking away.
Lachlan hurries to Jules, finds him with the other teenagers.
Mikhail Sorrenko has two sons.Roman is the older brother and Vasily is the younger.They both have the look of their father about them, jet black hair, dark eyes and pale skin, but there’s nothing sullen about them.Both boys are healthy, alert and curious about their new summer home.Ariadne Alderwyck’s daughter, Savannah, is older than all of them, on the cusp of turning twenty.She has her own bodyguard who lurks close by.
