Part 2
The violent kicking against my door didn't stop. I unholstered my sidearm, keeping it hidden behind my leg, and checked the peephole. It was Danielle. Her hair was disheveled, her designer coat thrown hastily over her shoulders, and her eyes were wide with a manic, unhinged fury. It was 7:30 AM.
I engaged the chain lock and cracked the...
Part 2
“I was asleep at 2:14,” I said.
The investigator, Major Elena Park, did not blink. “Can anyone confirm that?”
“My apartment building has entry cameras. My government laptop was locked in the office safe.”
My commander removed my access badge and set it inside an evidence pouch. The soft plastic snap sounded louder than it should have.
“This is administrative, Grace,” he...
Part 2
The dining room descended into a suffocating, terrifying silence. My father was practically glued to the back of his chair, his chest heaving, his face drained of all its usual arrogant color. Daniel Carter stood over him like a sentinel, his massive frame blocking the dim chandelier light, plunging my father into a dark, imposing shadow.
"Daniel, what are...
Part 2
Dad tore the notice from Brooke’s hand. “It’s a preliminary application,” he said. “Nothing was finalized.”
Ryan stepped between them. “The lender approved it twelve days ago.” Dad jabbed a finger at him. “Stay out of family finances.”
“You made them my business when you used my future wife’s identity to secure a business line.” Brooke stood so quickly her...
Part 2
The atmosphere inside Courtroom 302 was suffocating. The air conditioning hummed aggressively, but a cold sweat trickled down my spine beneath my uniform. I sat rigid at the defense table next to Camille, my knuckles bone-white as I gripped the edge of the heavy oak desk. Across the aisle, Wade sat snugly between our parents, looking like a...
Part 2
Every face turned toward him.
“Sit down, Mr. Mercer,” Judge Whitaker ordered.
Nolan froze halfway up. Shaw grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back into the chair.
“A copying error, Your Honor,” Shaw said. “Nothing more.”
Alexis rose with a sealed folder. “Then opposing counsel will be relieved to know we obtained the certified original directly from Navy archives.”
She placed it in...
Part 1
My name is Lauren Bennett, and thirty minutes ago, I walked into the lion's den with a seven-month baby bump and zero armor.
I was standing in the center of the glittering penthouse at the HailSphere Christmas Eve gala in Manhattan, clutching my coat against the chill of fifty pairs of judging eyes. Across the marble floor stood my...
Part 1
My name is Lauren Bennett, and I was walking into the lion’s den seven months pregnant, wearing a thrifted evening gown and carrying a secret that could destroy a billion-dollar empire.
Five minutes ago, the private elevator opened onto the penthouse floor of the HailSphere Tower in midtown Manhattan. Christmas Eve was glittering through floor-to-ceiling glass, but inside, the...
Part 2
I fought the violent spin, my muscles screaming as I yanked the glider’s control toggles. The razor-sharp cliffs of Kestrel Gorge rushed up to meet me in the dark. At the absolute last second, I caught an updraft, barely clearing a jagged spire of ice by inches. The stealth fabric of my suit absorbed the enemy's radar pings...
Part 2
I jumped.
The transport vanished into the storm as my glide canopy opened. Three thermal drones swept toward my original descent path.
I cut the electronic beacon from my harness and threw it into the darkness. The drones followed its heat signature while I collapsed half the canopy, dropping hard toward the gorge.
My boots struck an ice shelf. I rolled,...
