Page 67 of Freeing Savannah

“Indirectly. The concerts create diplomatic cover. All these ‘cultural exchange’ events give legitimacy. But also distraction.The Senator’s using it to grease hands. And Tomas was his foot soldier.”

“With Tomas out,” Voodoo started, “That leaves a power vacuum. How does the Senator respond?”

“He could panic and tighten control, or use it to make a bold power grab,” Flint mused.

Haley made a sound of agreement. “SYBIL’s predictive model shows a spike in secret meetings and unusual financial transfers. He’s probably planning something aggressive. Maybe to silence any loose ends.”

Voodoo exhaled slowly. “Then we need to stay ahead. Watch his allies, anticipate his next strike.”

Flint sighed. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

Voodoo leaned forward, eyes locked on the digital swirl of SYBIL’s interface as it pulsed with live intel feeds on the screen of his tablet. “Now that Tomas is in custody,” he said, voice low, “how exposed is Savannah? Do we know if the Senator has more guys planted in the tour crew?”

He heard typing, and the images on his screen changed. “SYBIL’s predictions are high. He most definitely has more men embedded.”

Voodoo raked a hand through his hair. “Shit.”

“I’ve already sent Hoot and Eggs your way,” Flint declared.

He blew out a breath of relief. Having Hoot, his former SEAL teammate and now his Condor coworker, there to have his and Savannah’s backs, made him breathe a little easier. And Ansel “Eggs” Scott, former Ghost Ops, would be just as formidable to have as backup.

Thanks, boss. That’ll help.” Another itinerary popped up on his screen, this time with the ETA of his teammates. They’d be arriving just before Savannah’s concert at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. “There still has to be something we’re not seeing?”

Haley didn’t answer right away. Voodoo’s eyes were locked on his screen as he watched SYBIL think as Haley typed in prompts. Patterns rippled across the globe in real time. Phone records. Financial transactions. Travel routes. Each thread led back to the same burning question.

Finally, she spoke. “The Senator built the entire diplomatic narrative around Savannah. America’s golden virtuoso of musical diplomacy. Polished, untouchable. She gave him legitimacy. Global access. A reason to insert his men under the radar.”

“And now?”

“Now?” Haley tapped a key. SYBIL’s forecast lit up in blood-orange. “Now she’s a liability. With a few well-placed words, the Senator could implicate her in everything, making her the scapegoat and ensuring her downfall.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Voodoo growled, his ire flaring at the thought of the bastard implicating her to cover his own ass.

“He could. Her existence on this tour is enough. She’s had proximity to Tomas, to the tour infrastructure, to the diplomats and world leaders. It puts her too close to everything. And too close to the truth. SYBIL’s prediction models show a 78% probability that the Senator’s next move is containment.”

“Define containment.”

“Character assassination first—leaks, rumors, headlines. If that doesn’t work . . .”

Flint picked up where she left off. “A fatal accident. Foreign soil makes it clean. He could blame security gaps. Blame you.”

Voodoo’s fists clenched. “Over my dead body.”

Flint sighed, a long, weary sound that mirrored the frustrations churning in his own gut. “Then we move her off the chessboard before she becomes a sacrificial piece.”

Voodoo sat at the breakfast table, coffee untouched, eyes now fixed on the skyline beyond. Beijing felt colder, quieter in a waythat wasn’t comforting. It wasn’t the kind of silence that brought peace. It was the kind that came before a storm.

Voodoo finally took a sip of the now-lukewarm coffee and glanced over his shoulder into the bedroom. Savannah was stirring now, her hand reaching across the bed before she blinked her eyes open and found him watching her. A small smile curved her lips.

She had no idea the scale of the storm still circling them.

But he’d keep it at bay. As long as he could.

“We can’t pull her yet. We’ll keep moving,” he said into the comm, eyes never leaving her. “We stay ahead of it and take a page out of the Senator’s book. We’ll use the tour as bait to draw out the Senator’s men. With Hoot and Eggs as backup, it’ll be easier to watch all the moving parts. I’ll continue to stick close to Savannah.”

A crisp “Copy that” was Flint’s concise and immediate agreement of his plan.

Haley added, “I’ll keep digging. You keep your girl safe.”

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