Kate eased the door open, slipping into the room and going to the bed. As she’d expected, Pearce was sound asleep and alone in the bed, Marissa’s side moved about as if she’d gone to bed, then snuck out once Pearce was sleeping. As thick as the walls were, and with bulletproof windows, Kate knew that Pearce wouldn’t have heard the car crashing just outside the gate, and for that, Kate was thankful.
She shook Pearce gently, calling his name a few times before the man opened his eyes.
“General Black?” he said, confused.
“I need you to get up,” she said.
“Is there an emergency?” he asked, sitting up quickly and reaching for his glasses.
“Yes. I need you to come with me. There’s no time to explain.”
Pearce looked at the other side of the bed as he uttered his wife’s name, then looked confused when he saw that her side of the bed was empty.
“Marissa is already in another part of the house,” Kate said. “We’re going to meet her.”
Pearce nodded, slipping on the shoes he kept next to his bed and taking his place between Kate and Jason, still clad in his flannel pajamas. Kate moved out of the room quickly, then headed for the exit. If her hunch was right, Marissa was outside on the roof, waiting for someone to come for Lucy, or at the very least, preparing for her next move. The secret passage led straight into a secret door with roof access to the helipad on the roof of the White House. They couldn’t risk going through the passage themselves, because there would be no way to protect themselves if Marissa had set a trap. But outside, with two dragons and three humans ready for combat, they had a chance of saving Lucy. And if they weren’t there on the helipad, Kate was sure that they would stumble upon the trio at some point. There was no way that Marissa would trap herself in the White House when she could easily fly away.
Pearce was silent between them, walking quickly and quietly, never questioning the urgency. When Kate reached the exit door, she grabbed the handle and cracked it open. They slipped out of the door single file, sliding along the building until they reached the first tree to use as cover so they could get across the lawn where they could see the roof.
As soon as they reached the line of trees, Kate could see Lucy up on the edge of the roof, and both Grant and Marissa were by her side, holding her in place as she struggled. Marissa watched them get into position with cold indifference, completely unconcerned with their presence.
The only thing that seemed to surprise her was the President standing beside Kate, but Marissa quickly recovered.
“Marissa?” Pearce said, looking shocked at the child beside her and the man he didn’t recognize at her side. “Marissa, what is going on?”
“I’m saving the world, darling,” she said coolly. “Our dream of reunifying the nation will be realized.”
“Why do you have a child?” Pearce asked, still utterly confused.
Marissa laughed and shook her head.
“Sweet, simple William. If you knew who this child was, you would know that I have everything that I need to change the world right here.”
“Who is she?” Pearce asked.
“She’s the chosen child, picked by Fate to stop us from doing what we know is right. As long as she’s alive, we can—”
“Marissa, you can’t kill a child!” Pearce interrupted. “What are you doing?” he demanded, the last remnants of sleep gone from his voice.
“Of course I can,” Marissa said sweetly. “I have to kill her. It’s the only way.”