Part 2
The entire formation of 140 soldiers whipped their heads around so fast I could hear the synchronized rustle of their uniforms. Gasps rippled through the ranks as I marched straight up the center aisle. Every step I took felt like a hammer striking the concrete.
Sterling’s eyes bulged from his skull. He looked from the paper, to me, and...
PART 2
Every head in the drill hall turned as I crossed the floor.
Rourke lowered the order as if it had suddenly become too heavy to hold.
I stopped two feet in front of him.
“Major, finish reading.”
His jaw flexed.
“Ma’am…”
“Finish.”
He looked down.
“Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Mercer will assume command of the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion effective immediately.”
Silence.
Then, almost as one body, the formation...
Part 2
Marcus Sterling, the ruthless titan of the defense industry, ignored the shattered glass at his feet. He walked slowly around the massive mahogany table, his eyes fixed on me as if I were a ghost.
My parents exchanged bewildered glances. "Mr. Sterling," my father stammered, offering an awkward, apologetic laugh. "I assure you, it’s just Samantha. She doesn’t really...
PART 2
I felt every set of eyes in the room turn toward the folder in my hand.
“Yes,” I said.
Brooke blinked. “Wait. You know her?”
Richard Caldwell gave a humorless laugh.
“Know her? Your sister cost my company six weeks, twelve million dollars, and the angriest board meeting I’ve had in twenty years.”
My father’s face lit with vindication.
“There, see? That sounds more...
Part 2
The engine roared as he slammed the accelerator, the heavy truck violently fishtailing before the all-terrain tires gripped the snowy road. I threw my hands against the dashboard to brace myself. Through the blinding blizzard, I caught a fleeting glimpse of the dark SUV's headlights flashing once before vanishing entirely behind the wall of white.
"Who is that?" I...
PART 2
I couldn’t answer.
For five years, I had imagined what I would say if I ever saw that face again.
Nothing I rehearsed survived the moment.
Ethan stepped closer.
“You were on that aircraft?”
“Yes.”
“You treated me?”
“Yes.”
His eyes searched mine. “And Tommy?”
There it was.
The name I had spent five years avoiding.
I looked toward Lily.
“Not in front of her.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he nodded.
After...
Part 2
The heavy radio hit my palm, the cold plastic instantly snapping me back into combat mode. Vargas was unconscious at my feet, his breathing shallow. The banging against the north glass escalated, the cracks spreading like spiderwebs across the reinforced pane.
"Get away from the desk!" I barked at Ms. Bell, who was hyperventilating and clawing at the carpet....
PART 2
The radio felt strangely familiar in my hand.
Not comforting.
Familiar.
“Marcus, did you cut the network?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Controlled failure test. The staff was told the system might go offline.”
Melissa stared at him. “You intentionally shut it down?”
“I tested the backup plan.”
“There is no backup plan,” I said.
His expression darkened.
That was the first twist.
The drill had not failed because...
Part 2
General Sterling stood frozen as if struck by lightning. The crystal champagne flute in his right hand slipped from his fingers, shattering into a hundred glittering pieces against the polished hardwood. The sharp crash echoed like a gunshot through the dead-silent ballroom.
"General?" Marcus asked, his arrogant smile faltering. He stepped forward, reaching out a hand. "Sir, I'm Captain...
PART 2
For three seconds, nobody breathed.
Then chairs scraped backward all across the ballroom.
General Pike still held the salute.
I stood slowly.
“Sir,” I said.
His jaw tightened. “Welcome home, Chief Ellison.”
Travis made a strangled sound beside me.
“Chief?”
I returned the salute, then lowered my hand.
“I’m retired now, General.”
“Not from what you did.”
My father pushed through the crowd. “There must be some mistake. Mara...
