ia

convulsive swallow, as if he were forcing

ucceeded," he stated, his v

gainst the vibrating flo

, I pulled the oxygen

ng anyone. I was seco

a harsh, hu

d has already forgott

broad shoulders block

that you nearly die

oice raspy from the sa

calculated maf

efully snapping my oxyg

h an easily accessible part of the coastline," he said, his

rse he had. Enzo's mind worked in flight paths and extraction vectors-and in his logic,

the one left unchosen again," he

ined finger in the d

spectacle to ensure Cass

feel like a usurper in wh

ed with a sharp

uld orchestrate such a pet

hardened into a ma

h reprimand. "You know perfectly well that Serena suffers f

, his voice dropped

o carry the crushing gui

rowning under the p

ken my home, my prote

was still cast as

anded heavily on the helipad of En

orm inside and had me sec

s, I saw Cassius arrive in a cont

y formed a barrier, barr

methodically delete the pres

l surveillance and release a statement claiming

o used to fiercely shield me from th

s nights helping him overcome

to always be my guara

how he had later used those exac

d have proven my innocence, all just to prot

d back into my room, hi

ies with you," I said,

even break

dismissed me without a

sion's mechanical vo

route has perm

would never believe me. None of them would. To them, I was not a woman desperate

erground hospital was shr

I heard Serena crying so

ng his deep, endlessly pat

t same soothing words

ed the Commission for an

the absolute brink of death without exter

Each failed extraction increases the difficulty of the next. Interveners will l

mpletely. No trackers. No predictable loc

ce, the holographic feed appe

ng fitfully by my hospit

clutching a thick stack

n, I could read the messy, franti

her be sca

he light like a ghost reaching for the living. I would try again. I would strip myself of ever