Sirens sounded in the distance.
“We go to Blackwater Point tonight,” he said.
“In this storm?”
“Celestine knows we found the message.”
“She may be waiting.”
“She will be.”
Mara wiped rain from her face.
“Good.”
Lucian frowned.
“Good?”
“I’m tired of being the only person who doesn’t understand what my mother died protecting.”
“You are not coming.”
Mara stepped closer.
“The clue is from my mother. The tower is part of my childhood. And the people behind this have been watching me for years.”
“It is dangerous.”
“You brought danger into my diner and kissed it onto my mouth.”
His eyes darkened.
“That is precisely why you should remain somewhere safe.”
“No place is safe while they think I have the answer.”
Lucian looked toward the burning building.
“I can order my guards to restrain you.”
“You could.”
“You would hate me.”
“I already find you extremely inconvenient.”
Despite the fire, the blood, and the storm, his mouth almost curved.
Then his expression became serious.
“If you enter that lighthouse, you follow every instruction I give.”
“If it makes sense.”
“Mara.”
“Lucian.”
He looked at her as though no one had challenged him so consistently and survived.
“Stay beside me,” he said.
“That instruction makes sense.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The boat crossed the bay shortly before three in the morning.
Blackwater Point rose from the storm like the broken edge of another world.
The lighthouse stood on a rocky island connected to the mainland by a narrow service bridge that had been closed for repairs. Waves crashed over the lower stones. The tower’s white paint had peeled away in long strips, revealing dark masonry beneath.
Mara stood near the cabin with Lucian.
Six security men traveled with them, including Lucian’s closest lieutenant, Adrian Cross.
Adrian was broad-shouldered, calm, and nearly silent. A scar crossed his chin. Mara had met him only twice, but he watched Lucian with the vigilance of a man who had built his life around another person’s survival.
“The coast service abandoned the tower fourteen years ago,” Adrian said. “Motion sensors show no one inside.”
“Celestine can disable sensors,” Lucian replied.
Adrian looked at Mara.
“You should remain on the boat.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“She doesn’t follow instructions,” Lucian said.
Adrian’s expression remained serious.
“Then she may fit in well.”
The boat reached the service dock.
They entered through a rusted steel door.
Inside, the lighthouse smelled of salt, old stone, and machine oil.
A spiral staircase climbed toward darkness.
Mara counted the levels as they ascended.
Storage floor.
Keeper’s quarters.
Watch room.
Mechanical chamber.
Lantern room.
At the top, the enormous glass lens stood silent beneath the domed roof.
Rain struck the windows.
Lucian’s men searched the chamber.
Mara remembered her mother’s recording.
“The first three bells mark the tower. The fourth marks the depth. Count four levels beneath the lantern room.”
She descended.
One.
The mechanical chamber.
Two.
The watch room.
Three.
The keeper’s quarters.
Four.
The storage level.
They searched the walls.
Nothing resembled an angel.
Mara walked toward the old bell mechanism.
A thick iron cable passed through the ceiling.
Beside it stood a rusted support shaped like a winged woman.
“The iron angel.”
Lucian joined her.
The figure faced inland.
Mara gripped it with both hands.
It did not move.
Lucian placed his hands beside hers.
“Together.”
They pushed.
Metal groaned.
The figure rotated toward the sea.
A hidden panel opened in the stone floor.
Beneath it was a narrow shaft with a ladder.
Lucian shone his flashlight downward.
The bottom disappeared into darkness.
“Mara stays here,” Adrian said.
“No,” she replied.
Lucian looked at her.
“She knows the signals,” he said. “She comes with me.”
Adrian nodded reluctantly.
Lucian descended first.
Mara followed.
The ladder ended in a chamber beneath the lighthouse.
Water moved behind the walls.
At the center stood an old brass housing connected to four heavy bell cables.
A metal cylinder rested inside.
Mara lifted it carefully.
It was sealed with wax and marked with the initials S.R.
Lucian stared at it.
“My father’s evidence.”
A gunshot exploded above them.
Then another.
Lucian extinguished his flashlight.
Shouting echoed through the shaft.
Adrian’s voice came over Lucian’s radio.
“Ambush. South entrance.”
Static swallowed the transmission.
Lucian drew his weapon.
“Stay behind me.”
A flashlight appeared above.
Someone descended the ladder.
Lucian aimed.
“Identify yourself.”
Adrian’s voice answered.
“It’s me.”
He reached the floor.
Blood covered one sleeve.
“How many?” Lucian asked.