Chapter 7 - The Fracture of Trust
Keller’s arrival shattered the fragile peace of the sanctuary. Mara insisted on searching him thoroughly, confiscating his satellite phone and the keys to his vehicle.
“We can’t stay here,” Keller insisted, warming his hands by the stove. “The contractors have drone surveillance. The snowstorm bought us twelve hours at most because the cloud cover is thick, but as soon as the wind clears, they will track the heat signatures from this chimney.”
“Elena cannot travel,” Mara said sharply, pointing to the bed where Elena lay breathing heavily, her face beaded with a fresh sheen of cold sweat. “The strain has triggered early labor. If we move her through this blizzard, she and the child will die on the road.”
Elena gripped the rough wool blanket, her jaw clenched as another contraction rippled across her abdomen. “Go,” she gasped between breaths. “Take Julian and go. Leander wants the papers and the boy. If they find me alone, he might... he might spare the child inside me.”
“He will spare nothing,” Mara said fiercely, sitting beside Elena and wiping her brow with a damp cloth. “Stop thinking of him as a man with whom you can bargain. He is an avalanche. You do not reason with falling snow; you survive it.”
Mara turned to Keller, her eyes flashing with cold determination. “You know their tactical routes. How will they approach the ridge?”
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Keller hesitated, then pulled an old topographic map from his inside pocket. “There is only one road, and it’s blocked by my truck. They will come on foot through the southern gully. They expect three defenseless people.”
“Then we make sure they find something else entirely,” Mara said.
