Part 2
My father stared at the tablet as if it had come back from the dead.
“Where did you get that code?”
“Not here.”
The commander held the terrace door open.
Dad stepped in front of me.
“No. If this involves Operation Lantern Deep, you tell me now.”
The name confirmed everything.
I had never told him I knew it.
“Move.”
His hand landed on my shoulder.
I turned...
Part 2
Lauren’s fingers released my arm.
For half a second, nobody moved.
Derek’s father, Thomas Whitmore, stood ten feet away in a charcoal suit. Beside him was Derek, Lauren’s fiancé, staring at me as if I had just walked through a wall.
“I’m not in Kuwait,” I said.
Lauren stepped between us. “She just got back.”
“No. I’ve been stationed at Fort Belvoir for...
Part 2
The missing call sign was Falcon Six.
Major Ethan Cole.
My father’s operations aide.
The same officer who had spent the last three years carrying Dad’s orders into every room like they were scripture.
“Why is Cole out there?” I asked.
Dad’s face hardened. “He volunteered to lead the recovery element.”
Colonel Trent looked at him. “Sir, that was not in the approved plan.”
“It...
Part 2
Madison’s face drained of color.
“Guest of honor?” she repeated.
Major Price did not answer. He looked at me instead. “Ma’am, the vehicle is ready whenever you are.”
Madison came down the patio steps too quickly, caught her heel, and grabbed my upper arm to steady herself.
“Rachel, wait.”
I looked at her hand.
She released me.
“What did you tell him?” she whispered.
“Nothing. I...
Part 1
The blinding glare of red and blue light bounced off my rearview mirror, drowning the dimly lit gas station off Highway 9 in Red Creek County. I am Serena Hail. Ten minutes ago, I was quietly refueling my sedan; now, heavy boots were crunching against the gravel, approaching my driver's side window. I rolled it down, keeping my...
Part 1
My name is Elena Hartman, and right now, my swollen belly is pressing hard against the mahogany bar counter while ice water drips down my uniform. I’m six months pregnant, working a grueling double shift at an upscale Manhattan lounge just to keep a leaking roof over my head. My feet were throbbing, but nothing hurt worse than...
Part 1
My name is Elena Hartman, and right now, the icy marble floor of the Manhattan lounge is the only thing keeping me upright. I am twenty-six years old, six months visibly pregnant, and surviving on minimum wage as a cocktail waitress.
The glass tray in my trembling fingers shattered into a hundred jagged shards, splashing bourbon all over a...
Part 1
I am Elena Hartman, six months pregnant, completely broke, and balancing a tray of bourbon while my ex-husband destroys what little dignity I have left.
The private lounge in Lower Manhattan was packed with Wall Street executives when Adrienne Cole’s laughter cut through the jazz. He stood near the marble bar in a tailored Italian suit, his arm wrapped...
Part 1
My name is Jenna, and at thirty-five, carrying my first child after four grueling rounds of IVF, I believed the hardest fight of my life was already behind me. I was wrong. The real nightmare began the night my water broke in front of thirty people, drenched in buttercream and public humiliation.
It was my eighth month of pregnancy,...
Part 1
My name is Jenna, and at thirty-five, carrying my first child after four grueling rounds of IVF, I learned how quickly a woman’s entire world can turn to ash.
I was eight months pregnant, standing in the candlelit private dining room of Giovani’s Ristorante in downtown Chicago. Thirty guests—my family, close friends, and my husband Ethan’s boisterous Wall Street...
