‘Jules.’Four pairs of eyes swivel onto him.‘All OK?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘The power could drop out.Stay where I can see you.’
‘So don’t take your eyes off me, Bodyguard.’
Little fucker is in a bad mood, but what’s new?
‘Hello,’ Vasily says to him, tone brave because he’s very shy.
Lachlan gives a polite, somewhat distracted nod.‘Hello, Vasily.’
‘Your bodyguard is worried about the storm,’ Roman observes to Jules, eyes on Lachlan.‘Perhaps we will be playingmurder in the darklater.’
‘Oh shut up, Roman,’ Savannah says, nose crinkled.
The boy seems faintly crestfallen.‘I was telling funny joke.’
‘Your jokes are never funny.’
Lachlan leaves to perform a circuit around the ballroom, satisfied that the kids are together.He notes several troubling elements.The looming threat of a blackout seems to make people behave worse than usual.Hehateshaving to politely break people up mid-fuck, to tell them to please find somewhere else to do it.He can’t understand why Alistair is allowing it.It’s grotesque.The energy issickening, cloyingly ripe.
He checks in with his units through Control.
The East Wing is untouched.Mimi and Blaire are safe.
His circuit brings him back to Jules when lightning strikes so hard it blacks out the entire mansion and thunder cracks like God himself broke a bone.
Lights.
Power.
Signal.
Gone.
Lachlan loops a hand through the crook of Jules’ arm.‘I’m moving you.Stay quiet.’Jules does what he’s told but only at first.Isolated noises of panic fill the ballroom, but a strange sense of excitement too.
A glass breaks.Someone yells.
Lachlan guides Jules in near total darkness into a staff hallway on the edge of the ballroom, where he pauses and tries to use the handset with no luck.
‘What about the others?Savannah shouldn’t be—’
‘She has her own bodyguard.He’ll do exactly what I’m doing,’ Lachlan tells him, switches to direct, seeking other radios close by.With no repeater to bounce off of, the device has become a walkie talkie at best.‘Anyone, come in.This is Kestrel, I have Cascade.’
‘Cascade?’Jules echoes softly.‘Wait, is that what you call me?’
‘Heard, Kestrel.I’m in the ballroom, northwest section.’
It’s Carrigan.
‘Do you have eyes on the Primary?’
‘I do.’
‘Status?’
