cool, damp air of t

t. The cut was sharp, hiding the lean, dangerous muscle of he

was twenty minutes past th

age was suddenly broken by the harsh ring

nswer

sounded breathless, his words rushing out in a panicked tumble. "I am so

sion didn't chan

mother... she twisted her ankle at their Hampton estate. Mr.

sted

, but she swallowed it down. Her stomach contracted,

mains-national heroes who died for their country-

She simply pulled the phone away

s flashy sports cars and stopped in

to the driver's seat. Her movements were b

deep, guttural growl that e

onto the highway, tearing straight toward Washington D.C. Hours later, as the heavy gray dusk began to s

y armed guards in tactical gear stood at the checkpoin

, holding up a gloved h

wind whipped her dark hair across her f

et and pulled out a solid black card embedded w

d it to t

card through a heav

n light flashed across the screen, indicating t

d. He looked from the s

His spine went rigid, and he delivered

er own heels together and returned the salute with equal, s

Rover into the restricted zone, a place where not even th

the edge of th

fening roar of jet engines vibrated through

sport plane was touching down, its

g into the fierce, biting wind generated by the plane's engines. Her

ramp of the C-1

in full dress uniforms, marched down the

carried two heavy

ped tightly in t

of hands rose in a synchronized, silent salute. The atmos

ns. Her boots clicked rhythm

xes, the tight control she had main

tracking a burning pa

ipping a tactical rifle, trembled as her fingers brus

es were filled with an intense, raw mixture of absolut

nd whipped around her, but in h

Special Forces-level debriefing to the