"It's all we have." I meet his gaze. "To anyone else, it looks innocent. But it's a cry for help. As clear as if she'd shouted it from the rooftops."
"Even if you're right, it could be later." Merlin sighs, rubbing his temples.
"Or it could be sooner." The urgency is clear in my voice. "We have to work with what we've got. We have a month to figure out what we're going to do. After that..." I don't finish the sentence. I don't need to. We both know what's at stake if we fail.
"We'll need to move fast. And Paul?" His eyes lock onto mine. "Remember, as important as Vivianne is, we can't lose sight of the bigger picture. The Swan must be our priority." Merlin nods slowly, his expression grave.
I nod, even as everything in me rebels against the idea. Because as much as I understand the importance of our mission, in my mind, there's nothing more important than saving Vivianne.
"We need to move faster." I turn back to Merlin. "Every day that passes is another day she's trapped."
His eyes soften, a rare show of emotion. "I understand. More than you know." His hand drifts to his pocket, where he keeps an old, faded photograph of Brigitte, the woman he loved and lost all those years ago.
"The Swan." Merlin's voice is urgent. "You're certain Vivianne saw it? You're absolutely sure it's there?"
I remember Vivianne's words. "She saw it. I painted it into the picture, and she recognized it. She told me she saw it. The Swan pendant is at the Faulks estate."
"After all this time... to be so close." His eyes blaze with a fire I haven't seen in years.
"We'll get it back. Along with Vivianne."
A shadow crosses Merlin's face. "What about Nicholas? If word gets out that the pendant has resurfaced..."
"Nicholas is dead." The memory of that night in the warehouse still fresh, still haunting. "He can't hurt us anymore."
Merlin nods, but doubt flickers in his eyes, the worry he can't shake. "You know as well as I do... Nicholas has a way of surviving. Even when we think he's down, he finds a way."
I clench my jaw. "Not this time. I watched him fall. I saw the blood. He's gone."
"You've seen him slip out of tighter situations. If Nicholas is alive... he'll come for it. And for Vivianne." But Merlin shakes his head.
I want to argue, to insist that Nicholas is dead, but the fear gnawing at Merlin's expression makes me hesitate. Nicholas was always unpredictable, always a step ahead, and Merlin has the right to be cautious.
"Even if Nicholas isn't a threat, with the Faulks' increased security at the estate, there's no way we can take the Swan." Merlin exhales, dragging a hand through his hair.
"The security is... intense. Armed guards, surveillance cameras, the works. It's like they're expecting an invasion." I turn to the window, watching snowflakes dance in the wind. "As much as I hate to say it, we need help." I run a hand over my face, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down.
My jaw clenches. The thought of Vivianne trapped behind those walls, a prisoner in her own home, makes my blood boil.
Merlin is silent for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is carefully neutral. "I might have a solution."
I turn, eyebrow raised.
"There's an organization. They operate in... shall we say, gray areas of the law. Specializing in extracting people from impossible situations."
"Hostage rescue?" I run a hand through my hair. "Can they be trusted?"
"They're professionals, discreet. And they have resources we lack." Merlin shrugs.
The idea of involving outsiders sets my teeth on edge. More variables. More potential for things to go wrong. But we're out of options.
"Make the call."
Merlin nods, reaching for his phone. As he steps out, I turn back to the window, my reflection ghostly in the glass.
"Hold on, Vivianne," I whisper. "I'm coming for you."
The next few days pass in an agonizing blur. Every hour stretches into what feels like an eternity as we wait for a response from Guardian HRS.
