Aaron’s head snaps toward me. “Ronan…?”
The signal surges, then drops.
Dead screen.
Dead air.
But the damage is done.
I stare at the console long after the room goes silent.
Because the command I buried…
The one I watched burn…
Might not be gone after all.
23
Ronan
Location: Mountain Safe Corridor
0622 Hours
Lena is sitting up when I reach her.
Wrapped in blankets. Color back in her face. Eyes sharp—tracking me the second I step into view.
She knows.
She always knows.
“It’s over,” I say.
She exhales, relief shaking through her. “He’s gone?”
“Yes.”
She searches my face carefully. “But something else happened.”
I sit beside her, taking her hand.
“I heard a voice,” I say quietly. “From a unit I was told died years ago.”
Her fingers tighten. “And?”
“And if they’re alive…” I trail off.
“They’ll be waiting for you,” she finishes softly.
“Yes.”
She studies me—really looks at me now. Not the protector. Not the feared lieutenant.
The man beneath it all.
“Does that scare you?” she asks.
