Chapter 305
[ 513 words ]
Chapter 305:
Downstairs, Julian and Brenna sat on the living room sofa. They spoke in hushed, worried tones. They were determined to stay the night and keep a close watch over the grieving family.
Caroline walked out of her mother’s office. She carried a glass of water. She looked pale, her shoulders slumped, presenting the image of someone completely drained.
She stopped at the top of the stairs. She looked down at Julian and Brenna. She told them her head was splitting and she desperately needed to sleep.
Julian immediately stood up from the sofa. He walked to his medical bag resting on the coffee table. He pulled out a small blister pack and offered her a mild sedative to help her rest.
Caroline walked down three steps and accepted the pill. She thanked him softly, her voice weak. As she raised the water glass to her lips, she cleverly palmed the pill, hiding it between her fingers instead of swallowing it.
She retreated back up the stairs and into her childhood bedroom. She closed the heavy wooden door with a definitive, loud click.
She immediately walked to her duffel bag. She tucked the small white tablet into a hidden pocket in the lining. It might be useful later.
𝘋іѕс𝗼𝘃𝖾𝘳 𝗵і𝘥𝘥е𝗇 𝗀emѕ 𝗼𝗇 g𝗮𝗅ո𝘰v𝖾𝗹𝗌.𝘤o𝘮
Caroline moved quickly. She stripped off her hospital scrubs, tossing them onto the floor. She changed into thick, dark cargo pants, a black hoodie, and a pair of waterproof combat boots.
She pulled a small, dark duffel bag from the back of her closet. She moved with silent, practiced efficiency, her muscle memory taking over.
She packed a change of thick socks, her wallet, a high-lumen tactical flashlight, and the encrypted satellite phone. She zipped the bag shut.
She pulled up a hidden, encrypted partition on her laptop. She accessed an old file from her intelligence days, pulling the exact coordinates for a classified communications relay base hidden deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was the only domestic facility with a satellite array powerful enough to punch through the signal jamming in Jarrod’s overseas war zone.
Footsteps creaked on the floorboards in the hallway outside her door. Julian was coming up to check on her.
Caroline dove onto the bed. She threw the heavy duvet over her fully clothed body. She buried her face deep into the pillow and immediately began regulating her breathing.
The door creaked open slowly. Julian stood in the doorway. The warm hallway light cast his long shadow across the bedroom floor.
He listened to her slow, even breathing for a full minute. He was completely fooled by her trained sleep mimicry. Her chest rose and fell in a perfect, deep-sleep rhythm.
Satisfied that the sedative had worked, Julian softly closed the door. His footsteps retreated down the stairs to the living room.
Caroline opened her eyes in the pitch dark. She threw off the duvet and grabbed her packed duffel bag from the floor.
She walked to the bedroom window. She peered through the plastic blinds at the rain-swept alleyway below.
The storm provided perfect acoustic cover. The loud thunder and the driving rain would mask any noise she made during her exit.
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