The Silver Cord: The Lily Lockwood Series: Book Two

by Alison Caiola

  Her mother would hand her a cold glass of water, all the while speaking softly, telling Lily over and over again that she was safe. By the time Lily finished drinking, her heart would have stopped pounding and she was able to breathe normally again.

  When it was time for her to go back to sleep, the feeling of panic would return. Her mother would say, “Daisy, repeat after me: My Mommy loves me, my Grams loves me, my Gramps loves me, Auntie Donna loves me and God loves me. Nothing can ever harm me.” Lily repeated after her mother and when she did, she would inevitably experience a sense of calm enveloping her. Daisy would remain until Lily finally drifted back to dreamland.

  Now, so many years later, she took a deep breath and tried to conjure up the feeling of her mother’s soft hand on her brow. Tears sprung to her eyes when she realized Grams, Gramps, and Mom were all dead. That left Aunt Donna and if she was lucky—God too.

  There was a soft knock at the door and David whispered, “Sis you up?”

  Lily sat up and turned on the lamp next to her bed. “Yes, come on in.”

  David came in and flopped down into one the twin club chairs on the far side of the room. “I can’t sleep. Too nervous and my mind is racing. I figured I’d see if you were awake. It was either that or I would start plowing through your mini bar.” He laughed nervously.

  Lily got out of bed and put her arm around her brother. “Two years sobriety is not going to end on my watch, buddy.”

  “You’re the best. I mean it. Did I wake you?”

  Lily sat down in the chair next to him and draped her legs over the arms. “Couldn’t sleep. You came in right when I was gearing up for a panic attack. I was remembering how my mother—our mother— used to come into my room when I had a nightmare and calm me down.” She saw David wince.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t talk about my childhood—with Daisy, I mean. It must make you feel awful.”

  “Hey stop that. I’m a big boy. You don’t have to edit yourself. I know why she gave me up for adoption and I was lucky to spend some time with her. I just wish we had longer together, that’s all.” He yawned, stretched then changed the subject. “Do you have any bottles of water?”

  Lily jumped up, walked into the living room, and took out two bottles of water from the small refrigerator. When she came back into the room, she threw David the water bottle and sat down.

  “You know, ever since Mom passed away, I’ve wanted to talk to you about something. And since we didn’t speak for a while—”

  “—I know sorry about that. My bad.” David interrupted

  “No need to apologize; we’ve discussed it already. What I wanted to say is since Mom passed away right after finding you, she didn’t have a chance to adjust her will. And knowing her as well as I do, I know that she would have changed it.

  David looked uncomfortable and waved his hand. “Hey, don’t worry about it, truly. Just getting to know her was enough.”

  “I know it was, but what I’m trying to say is that I spoke with her attorney and asked him to put a portion of her estate in your name. Offhand I don’t know exactly how much it is but the attorney’s got the list of everything—money, stocks, land. I know Mom would want you to use it to move forward and have a good life.”

  David chuckled. “You mean stop fucking up, right?”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. I just mean, you know, she would have wanted you to have it.”

  David looked over at his younger sister. She had turned red and was desperately trying to do something good for him. He understood that. But unbeknown to her, she had played right into his insecurities. Truth be told, he felt like a complete loser. He had failed the bar exam three times and had no idea what he was going to do. Right now he had no Plan B.

  Even though he had been sober for almost two years, no one knew what a daily struggle not drinking was for him. Since his brother’s abduction, he had reached for the bottle more times than he would ever care to admit. Thankfully he never went through with it.

  Searching for Robbie had given him a purpose in life. It made him feel useful and productive. And Lily’s being back was a huge plus. He cherished their newfound closeness and was grateful that she had given him a second chance. He promised himself that he would do everything in his power to keep their relationship intact.

  Sleeping was difficult for him tonight because he was worried about his brother’s safety as well as their own. He felt guilty that he had put Lily in danger and couldn’t wait until he returned her safely to U.S. soil. There was also something else playing havoc with his ability to rest that evening. Even though he prayed that his brother would return safely, he harbored a hidden resentment against Robbie. Given everything Robbie had been through, David was ashamed of his feelings.

  In the past, Hannah had never looked to David for anything. She always went to his father when she needed something. If his father was not around, she would then go to Robbie. Before she ever got to David, all her problems and worries were resolved. After his father had passed away and Robbie gone missing, his mother looked to him for support and strength. Then there was Lily— he finally got his sister back into his life. She made it perfectly clear that she needed him. She looked to him for strength and support. She asked his advice and truly listened to it. Indeed, she had told him not too long ago: “As long as I have you by my side, I know I’ll be safe.”

  He had no doubt that as soon as Lily and Robbie got back together, as the saying goes, three would be a crowd. It would be natural for Lily to shift her attention to Robbie; he was sure of it. David knew with Robbie back in the picture, neither Hannah nor Lily would have need for him any longer. All that he had now would disappear. He would be invisible, yet again.

  Lily interrupted his thoughts “Hey, where’d you go there?”

  David shook his head as if to shake away the scenarios that had been playing over and over again. “Nowhere, just thinking about what you said. It’s a lot to take in. I thank you for it, I really do. I never expected anything.”

  “I know you didn’t. But I know this is what Mom would have wanted.” Lily smiled and as if she had just read his mind said, “I’m so glad we’ve gotten this close. After this nightmare is over, I want you to remain a big part of our lives—of Daisy Rose’s and mine. I love having a brother and Daisy Rose needs an uncle she can boss around.”

  David chuckled. “Seriously, nothing would make me happier. Now, you better get back to bed and try to catch a few winks. It’s going to get rough later on and I’m sure tomorrow will be a very long day. So try to get some sleep.

  Lily got into bed, fluffed her pillow, and lay down. “Just think, this time tomorrow, if our prayers are answered, it will be three of us talking through the night.” Tears flooded her eyes and her voice cracked. “I just know they’re going to get him out of there alive. I feel it in my gut. Don’t you feel it too?”

  David straightened Lily’s blanket and kissed her on the cheek. “Yes, I definitely feel it,” he lied.

  Chapter 26

  “Hey Runt, better make sure you got enough in your evasion kit just in case, buddy.” Everyone laughed. The SEALs were getting ready to execute Operation House Call and they were checking their loadouts and getting into gear.

  The loadouts were always at the ready and included camouflage gear and body armor for every terrain and the most sophisticated weapons for any hostile encounter. Each SEAL also had a radio/comm link system in his back pocket, which connected to each other, to the base, and to the dedicated stealth drones.

  “Damn when does the statute of limitations run out on that joke?” Runt, who at 6’6” stood head and shoulders above most of the team—actually the shortest male in his family—put on his Kevlar Helmet and checked his camera, night goggles and microphone to make sure they were firmly in place.

  “Never, son, that shit’s gonna follow you ‘til the end of time.” D-blast laughed and strapped his pistol to his left leg and slung his assault rifle with special scopes and lasers across
his shoulder.

  Even though it may not appear to the outsider, those two were closer than most brothers. They hailed from the hills of Kentucky and had bonded since day one. In fact D-blast, who was a good half a foot shorter than his friend, had carried Runt on his back after he had taken two during an ambush.

  Runt opened the pocket on the left leg of his pants and checked the evasion kit that contained escape money. Two years before, during a mission not far from Mogadishu, Runt had been in a tight position, separated from the rest, and needed to buy his way back to the Congo.

  “He’s right, Runt, cause Lord knows, you can’t call me in the middle of the night to pick your ass up.” Scooter laughed. He checked his blowout kit in his right pocket to make sure his first- aid supplies were intact.

  Preacher said, “Listen up. We got four birds—Tier One and Two: Black Hawks, Three and Breach: Chinooks. Three will be positioned nearby the compound and you’ll be given the exact coordinate to support the “fight your way out” plan.

  The men nodded and walked outside to where the four stealth choppers awaited their arrival. The beauty of the Black Hawks is that they are radar-jamming helicopters—virtually undetectable. The Chinooks are heavy lifting workhorses and designed to tolerate a major ballistic attack.

  Once inside and strapped in, Preacher felt the familiar pit in his stomach that he had experienced before every mission. In the fight for freedom, he was charged with getting these men home safely. Nothing was more important to him. SEAL Team 6 was family and spent two hundred days out of every year together. Their lives were intertwined and interdependent.

  Preacher looked at his men, some were silently praying— the rest introspective—all of them deliberating on the mission ahead.

  Chapter 27

  “This is bullshit!” Lily had been tossing and turning in bed for the past hour. Her sheets and blanket were bunched together in a twisted heap. She kicked off the covers and practically jumped out of bed.

  When the C.I.A. took over the operation, she and David were kept out of the loop. Granted, Maniadakis had given them the broad-stroke picture, but he had not included them in any of the details, such as: how and exactly when the rescue would take place. She and her brother were told that they would not be allowed back into Control Center; it was against protocol.

  Fuck protocol. Lily turned on the light and looked at the clock; it was already 3:00 a.m. She walked over to the closet and took out the only thing she had not as yet packed—the hoodie that matched the sweats she had been sleeping in. Lily took it off the hanger and put it on. She brushed her hair back into a tight ponytail and then pulled the hood over her head.

  She left a note for David in case he woke and she was gone. She tiptoed past her brother—snoring loudly on the couch—and walked out of the suite, quietly closing the door behind her. Just as the door clicked shut, she realized that she had left her key card on top of the desk.

  During her elevator ride to the lobby, Lily was already planning what she would say to Maniadakis when he refused her entrance into the control room.

  The elevator opened to the main floor and she put her head down as she walked past the only person in the lobby—the desk clerk. She turned the corner and saw two secret service types in dark suits, arms folded, standing guard in front of the conference room door.

  “I’m here to see Nikos Maniadakis.” She said nonchalantly. The younger man’s eyes widened in surprise when he recognized who she was.

  “Is he expecting you, Ms. Lockwood?”

  “Not at this time, no. You can let me in, I’m sure it’ll be all right.”

  “One moment, Ma’am.” He touched his ear to activate the tiny wireless headset inside.

  “We have Lily Lockwood here, please advise.” He listened as the person on the other end answered. He smiled at Lily and said, “Someone will be right out.”

  The door opened and Eleanor, Maniadakis’s uptight assistant, stepped out. “Miss Lockwood, follow me,” she commanded through pursed lips.

  Lily followed her across the hallway to a small office that the agency had recently taken over. Once inside, Eleanor shook her head. “I am sorry, but it’s out of the question and against all protocol for you to be here.”

  “I’ve been here from the beginning; I have every right to know what’s going on.”

  Eleanor shook her head. “No Miss Lockwood, it is not your right to know what’s going on. Not your right at all. This is now a confidential government matter and civilians have no place in that room.”

  Lily crossed her arms tightly. “May I remind you that this whole mission would never have taken place if I hadn’t been involved?”

  “I am sorry, but you cannot enter that room. It is prohibited.” Eleanor turned around and opened the door.

  “I want to speak to Nikos,” Lily said

  While her hand was still on the doorknob, the assistant turned around and smiled. “That, I’m afraid, cannot happen. Now please go quietly back up to your room and wait until we call you.”

  “Eleanor, I will not go anywhere and I assure you I won’t be quiet. I insist on seeing Nikos now.”

  Eleanor glared at Lily. “Very well, remain here.” She closed the door hard.

  “What a bitch,” Lily said under her breath.

  After ten long minutes the office door reopened and Maniadakis walked in. He did not look happy. “I hear you’ve been causing quite a commotion here, Lily. How can I help you?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I simply want to know what’s going on. I hate being kept in the dark.”

  “Nothing’s happened yet.” He replied curtly.

  “Okay, then let me join you so I can be there when it does.”

  “No can do. This is a highly classified mission.”

  “But there would be no mission if it weren’t for me and my money,” Lily insisted.

  Maniadakis sighed and clenched his jaw. “I’m in charge here, so it’s my ass on the line. Do you understand that?”

  “I understand that if it wasn’t for me the only thing you would be in charge of is a fifth of Scotch.” Lily looked at her watch. “And just about this time of night, where you would be? Oh I know— passed out on some street somewhere, dreaming of being back in the C.I.A.”

  They stared at one another. He blinked. “I’ll let you in, but don’t say a word about it—now or later. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.” She followed him out of the room, across the hallway, past the guards and into the conference room. She couldn’t help smiling knowing she had just had a Daisy Lockwood moment.

  Once she and Maniadakis walked through the doors that led into the “forbidden room.” Lily was startled by how crowded it had become—with twice as many people and twice the amount of high-tech equipment.

  “Wow this is what government bucks buy, huh?” Lily whispered.

  Maniadakis shot her a warning look. Lily put her hand up to her mouth and simulated putting a key into a lock and turning it.

  “I’ll believe that when I see it.” He gestured for her to move on. “Have a seat in my office.”

  Lily walked through the room that was a bustling hub of activity. There were quite a few new faces she did not recognize. Most of the newcomers looked startled to see the famous actress pass by.

  Maniadakis stood in front of the group, his back to the three oversized screens and clapped his hands. “Okay folks, I need your attention.” The room went silent. A phone rang and he nodded to Eleanor, who answered it.

  Lily was able to move the chair in the office just far enough to the left, giving her a full view of the room and screens.

  “As you know Operation House Call has begun execution a and four choppers carrying the SEAL team will reach the Merca Compound at approximately 0400—thirty minutes from now. Bollinger, can you run through what we’re gonna be looking at.” He looked at the MIT graduate.

  “You ready?”

  Bollinger nodded, adjusted his round glasses and clicked a few keys.
Within seconds the satellite uplink of the Merca Compound came on screen.

  “This is the real-time uplink. I’ll manipulate the view so we can get a 360. He pushed a few more keys and another view filled the second half of the screen.

  “The next screen, the screen on your right, will have the camera view from The Core Team’s camera. It’ll be the night- vision observation. The Core Team will be the ones specifically targeting Big Foot and Ranger.” Bollinger wiped the sweat that had begun to form on his forehead and upper lip.

  “The second team will specifically target Tex. Their camera view will be on the screen to the far right. It will be a split screen with the other half being the third team who’ll be securing the outside perimeters of the compound. That’s it for now, boss.” Bollinger seemed relieved to be relinquishing the spotlight.

  “Great. Thanks.” Maniadakis cleared his throat. “As you can see the view of the Merca Compound shows that all is quiet—looks like the guards are snoozing on the job. So the up side—no moon tonight so the teams have the element of surprise as well as the cover of night. Down side—even though they are designed quieter, the rotors may alert the guards before the choppers hover and land.” He checked a page on his clip board. “The Breach Teams won’t have cameras; they’re the ones blowing the hinges off the doors. We might not be able to see ‘em but we’ll hear them plenty, trust me. We’re triangulating audio/video with Langley and POTUS and The National Security team in the White House Situation Room. We also have audio of SEALs base and of course the individuals of the team as well as The Pentagon. When the mission is completed, we’ll take over chain of custody if there are captures. Any questions?” No one responded.

  “Any of you God fearin’— now’s the time to pray.” The room became eerily quiet when Maniadakis headed toward his office. Eleanor stopped her boss and whispered something in his ear. Maniadakis looked toward the office and nodded his head.

  Lily leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Her heart raced when she thought of all the lives that would be forever changed that night. How many would be injured? How many would die? She began to pray, but her prayers were immediately interrupted by footsteps in the room. Lily opened her eyes to see Eleanor in front of her and David a few steps behind.