Part 2
The crushing weight of Colonel Vance’s grip sent a shockwave of pain up my arm, but it was nothing compared to the absolute terror seizing my chest. I tried to rip my wrist away, twisting my body, but his fingers were locked around my skin like steel cables.
"I said, where did you get this?" Vance roared, the polished...
"Drop the weapon, you little bastard! Now!" Webb’s voice usually boomed with authoritative arrogance, but right now, it cracked into a pathetic, helpless squeak as the live muzzle of an M4 carbine locked dead onto my forehead.
The harsh halogen lights of the Camp Pendleton killhouse glared down on us, casting long, jagged shadows across the blood-pumping, high-stakes chaos of...
Part 2
I pulled my sleeve down.
“Colonel Knox, this room is not secure.”
His expression sharpened. “Then the report was true.”
“Which report?”
“The one received this morning stating that a Black Lantern survivor had resurfaced in Northern Virginia.”
Cole looked from him to me. “Survivor? Natalie teaches workshops.”
“No,” Knox said. “She led recoveries in places our government could not publicly admit we had...
Part 2
General Sterling’s heavy boots echoed like slow, rhythmic gunshots against the hardwood floor. The entire room was paralyzed. My mother had her manicured hand clamped tightly over her mouth, while my father stood frozen, his previous bluster vanishing entirely in the face of absolute, undeniable authority.
Chloe, however, was practically vibrating with arrogance. She stepped forward, physically brushing past...
Part 2
Emergency lights flashed red along the walls.
I heard chairs scrape and people begin to rise.
“Everyone stay seated,” I ordered.
My command voice cut through the room. The officers obeyed first. The civilians followed.
Colonel Mercer handed me a secure phone.
“Building Twelve lost external communications thirty seconds ago.”
Brooke grabbed my sleeve.
“Caroline, what is happening?”
I pulled free. “Who had access to your...
The heavy iron door slammed shut with a final, echoing thud that rattled the shelves of the isolated Fort Bridger supply room, sealing me off from the rest of the base. Damon Barrett blocked the threshold, his massive frame blotting out the hallway light, flanked closely by Trent Hudson and Reed Sullivan. Their eyes gleamed with a toxic blend...
The sharp metallic smell of copper and unyielding adrenaline hit the back of my throat like raw acid. On the concrete floor of the bustling staging area, Sergeant First Class Miller was actively drowning in his own blood, his chest heaving in frantic, useless gasps as a massive shrapnel wound pumped arterial crimson onto the dirt.
"Move, kid! You're freezing...
Part 2
I took the envelope from General Harrington’s hands, the heavy cardstock feeling like a death warrant in my grip. The fragile, pathetic housewife persona I had worn for four years melted away in a microsecond. I straightened my spine, my chin lifting as the familiar, icy surge of adrenaline flooded my veins.
"Status on the perimeter, General?" I asked,...
Part 2
I moved before Celeste could twist the serpent’s head.
She pulled the bracelet from her wrist and lunged toward a champagne bucket. I caught her hand above the ice.
“Let it go.”
Her nails cut across my scar, reopening a small scrape beneath the torn dress seam. She drove her shoulder into me, but I turned with the impact and pinned...
Part 2
“My signature is stored on a secured token,” I said. “Ryan has never had access to it.”
“Then we may be looking at a copied credential,” the duty counsel replied. “Do not return home alone.”
I turned to the police officer.
“I need to retrieve my documents.”
Three hours later, I stood outside the apartment with Detective Lena Ortiz, a uniformed officer,...
