For one long second...
No one moved.
The headlights from the black sedan cut through the darkness outside the lake house, casting long shadows across the living room walls.
The silence inside the house became unbearable.
Only the ticking of an old clock echoed through the room.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Each second felt like a countdown.
Lucas slowly stepped away from the window.
"They're coming."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Ethan looked toward the trapdoor beneath their feet.
"We don't have much time."
Margaret nodded.
"If they're here for the Phoenix files, they'll search every room."
Lily tightened her grip around the flashlight.
The old wooden floor creaked beneath her shoes.
Fear settled inside her chest, but something else was growing beside it.
Determination.
W
