My hands tighten on the straps until they creak.
Chen’s voice lowers. “We think Stanton planned to use the rescue platform to hijack drones for targeted sabotage—false-flag attacks. Make it look like Ridgeway assets went rogue.”
Riley’s worst fear.
Weaponizing her work. Turning rescue into harm.
My jaw locks so hard it aches.
Chen studies my face. “Hawthorne, this is an order. You go in with the team. You do not deviate.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say.
Then I add, quieter, the truth I can’t swallow back anymore.
“I’m bringing her home.”
Chen’s gaze holds mine, and for a second the hard Major is gone and it’s just Lexi—someone who’s seen too much loss and doesn’t want another name added to the list.
“I know,” she says softly. Then the steel returns. “You’ll have an insertion option. Terrain is rough. Weather’s still unstable. A ground approach risks being spotted.”
I nod once. “We go in fast. Quiet. Recover and extract.”
“Exactly.” She lifts the tablet. “We’ll stage at the edge of the training land. You’re our best chance of getting to her without them moving her.”
My heart hammers.
Because she isn’t a casualty.
She’s my girl.
And that thought hits me with terrifying clarity.
Not mine like property.
Mine like…love.
I didn’t plan it. I didn’t choose it. It just happened—somewhere between her laughter and her fear, between her hand on my chest and her mouth on mine.
I love her.
And I’m not willing to let her go.
Chen steps closer. “Hawthorne.”
“Ma’am.”
“She’s smart,” Chen says. “She’ll fight. She’ll look for openings. But Hammond has men. He has planning. You stay focused.”
I nod. “Always.”
The team gathers. Radios check. Route brief. The kind of calm organization that keeps people alive.
But my mind is locked on one thing:
Riley’s eyes when she realizes I’m there.
The relief.
