Chapter 22 The Twenty Minutes Gamble

• The night was deep and still when Logan slipped quietly out of the house. Celeste, exhausted after a long day of arguments and pressure from her family, had finally drifted into an uneasy sleep. He didn’t want to wake her; there were things he had to set in motion, and for that, secrecy was his only ally.
• Under the shadow of the old sycamore tree near the gate, a figure was already waiting. She wore a dark coat, her hair tied back in a sharp braid, her posture alert despite the hour. Red Phoenix stepped forward the moment she spotted him.
• “Sir,” she greeted softly, inclining her head.