THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 30: The Arrest The Vice President was arrested at 6:00 AM, in his pajamas, in the White House residence. Lena watched on live television. She had requested permission to be present, but the FBI had refused. Too dangerous. Too many variables. Too many people who wanted her dead. … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 29: The Chief Justice’s Choice The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was a woman named Miriam Hale. She was seventy-three years old, with silver hair and eyes that had seen everything. She had been appointed by a president who was now in prison, confirmed by a Senate … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 28: The Audio The Vice President’s assassin was a man named Dimitri Volkov. Lena found his file in the third box she opened. A thick folder, filled with photographs, witness statements, and a single audio recording. The label read: “VOLKOV, D. – CONFESSION – 2016.” She played the recording … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 27: The Defusing The Swarm arrived in forty-seven minutes. Twenty-three people, most of them ex-intelligence, ex-military, ex-law enforcement. They moved through the tunnel with professional efficiency, cataloging bones, bagging evidence, photographing everything. Lena stood in the Marchetti room, watching them work. Zero approached her. “We found something. Under … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 26: The Tunnel of Bones The Supreme Court vault had one more secret. Lena discovered it by accident. While Marcus was uploading the Vice President’s confession to the Swarm’s secure network, she noticed a draft. Cold air seeping through a crack in the concrete wall. She pressed her … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 25: The Final Password The Supreme Court building was surrounded by protesters. Lena, Marcus, and Chloe slipped through the crowd, using the chaos as cover. Zero had provided them with fake IDs—Supreme Court clerks, assigned to the night shift. The building was eerily quiet inside. The marble floors … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 24: The Vice President’s Coup The White House went into lockdown. Secret Service agents swarmed the residence. Pike and his men disappeared into the chaos. Marcus pulled Lena and Chloe toward the tunnel. “We need to go. Now.” “Chloe’s hurt.” “I can walk,” Chloe gasped. Her shoulder was … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 23: The Nation Watches The tunnel was cold and dark and smelled of mold. Lena led the way, her phone’s flashlight cutting through the blackness. Marcus followed, his gun drawn. Chloe brought up the rear, her silver gown now torn and dirty. They emerged in the White House … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 22: 45 Minutes of Oxygen The panic room was smaller than she expected. Eight feet by eight feet. Concrete walls. A steel door with no handle on the inside. A single air vent, too small to crawl through. And a countdown clock on the wall. “OXYGEN REMAINING: 45:00” … Read more
THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL CHAPTER 21: The White House Meeting The plan was simple. That was what made it terrifying. Lena would enter the White House as a caterer. Chloe would provide the credentials, the uniform, the access badge. Zero would disable the security cameras for exactly ninety seconds—long enough for Lena to … Read more
