Part 2
I didn't flinch as the heavy fiberglass baton cast a dark shadow over my face. I simply shifted my weight, preparing to disarm him and break his wrist the second he brought it down. Before he could swing, the heavy double doors of the security office burst open.
"Stand down! Drop the weapon, Tyler!" a booming voice echoed over...
Part 2
“No,” I said. “I did not.”
Voss moved between me and the exit, shoulders squared. My damaged badge lay on the counter beside the little plastic circle he had cut from it.
Ron stared at the hole. “Tyler, what did you just do?”
“Followed protocol.”
“There’s no protocol for that,” I said.
The lobby doors opened. Two Federal Protective Service officers entered at...
Part 2
Julian didn't just drop Morgan's hand; he practically recoiled from her as if her touch burned. The clinking of glasses and soft jazz music in the background seemed to mute as he took a slow, deliberate step toward me. His towering frame blocked out the party lights, casting a shadow over my trembling figure.
"Julian? What are you doing?"...
## Part 2
“I’ve got you,” I said. “I’m not letting go.”
Cole pressed his hand against the table. A fork rattled against a plate.
Brooke laughed once, uncertainly. “Okay. What is happening?”
He looked at her, then back at me. “That was you.”
I remembered him now. Not the suit. Not the clean haircut. The weight of his head against my shoulder. The...
Part 2
Dad tried to laugh. “You two know each other?”
Frank kept his eyes on me. “Not face to face.”
I nodded toward Noah’s recorder. “Before you start, he gets to decide whether this is recorded.”
Noah looked at me. “Is it okay?”
“Some of it. We can stop whenever we need to.”
Frank sat down carefully. “Write Beacon first,” he told him. “Then...
Part 2
Marcus took another staggered step forward, completely ignoring my father, who was still bracing himself against the wall. The towering veteran looked like he was staring at a ghost. His broad chest heaved under his flannel shirt.
"Gunny?" Arthur stammered, stepping forward and gripping Marcus’s arm in confusion. "What are you talking about? She’s just a—"
Marcus violently ripped his...
Part 2
I vaulted up the boarding ladder of the backup A-10 Thunderbolt II, my boots slipping frantically on the metal rungs. The startled crew chief tried to grab my harness to pull me back. "Captain Reynolds! You don't have clearance for this bird!"
"I’m taking her, Chief! Clear the chocks!" I roared, kicking his hand away and diving into the...
Part 2
“Here,” I said, taking the microphone. “Wraith is here.”
The controller held up a finger. He needed the frequency clear. I handed it back and forced myself to step away.
Torres appeared at the door with my helmet. “Rest period’s complete.”
The flight surgeon had already reviewed my schedule. He checked me again, asked questions I answered honestly, and cleared me....
Part 2
The physical impact was brutal. Cole’s massive forearm locked around the Lieutenant’s throat, while Vance seized the officer’s wrist with bone-snapping force. In a synchronized, violent maneuver, they slammed the young man face-first into the thick glass wall of the terminal. The smartphone flew from his grip, shattering against the terrazzo floor before Cole’s heavy tactical boot crushed...
Part 2
“Answer him,” I said. “Ask him to call.” Connor’s thumb hovered.
Ben spoke quietly to Luis, who stepped away to contact their supervisor. Nobody grabbed the phone. Nobody announced who I was to the waiting passengers.
Connor’s phone rang almost immediately. “Sir?”
“Put Colonel Sloan on, if she’s willing.” His eyes lifted to mine. I held out my hand. “Andrew.”
“Rebecca. Are...
