“Right here,” he whispered. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Okay,” Hunt said. “One breath in… good… and… now.” He pulled the tube in one smooth motion.
Shannon gagged hard, body wrenching as the tube slid free. Dante’s grip tightened on her arm, not restraining, just holdingher to the world while Lucas suctioned and positioned an oxygen mask.
She coughed, gasped, then sucked in a raw, burning breath on her own. Her eyes flooded instantly, wet and furious and terrified.
Dante moved closer, his forehead almost brushing hers. “You’re okay. Breathe. Just breathe with me.”
She tried. The breaths were broken, wet and shallow. But she matched his cadence.
In… slow. Out… slower.
The alarms quieted.
Her chest didn’t feel less broken, but the world stopped spinning. Her hand curled toward him again. This time he didn’t stop her. She touched his wrist, barely a graze.
His voice dropped to a rasp meant only for her. “I’ve got you, Shannon. I swear it.”
She couldn’t speak, but she didn’t look away either. For the first time since the crash, she wasn’t falling anymore. He was holding her up.
COLONEL PRESCOTT’S OFFICE
Colonel Prescott stood behind the table, flanked by two JAG reps. The base chaplain was nearby, sitting awkwardly.
Mike Johnson didn’t sit. “Krueger was expelled for assaulting my daughter at the Air Force Academy. And he returned in a fresh uniform into the flight line.”
Prescott’s mouth tightened. “Mike, I wasn’t aware. His record was clean. Now it is clear the only one who knew was Lieutenant Johnson, and she didn’t share the information.”
“After the crash, I notified you personally,” Ford said. “Yet he was allowed to walk free on base until Chase personnel took him into custody.”
“There were political pressures.” Colonel Prescott began to sweat in the ice-cold room.
“No,” Ford Cox said behind him. “There were favors. And now there’s blood.”
“We’re opening a full investigation,” the JAG officer stammered.
Mike leaned in. “You’ll do more than that.”
Ford added, “Or Chase Security will.”
They didn’t raise their voices. They didn’t need to—Bravo Team was already on base. And Krueger’s countdown clock had started.
ICU ROOM 4 – 1803 HOURS
Shannon’s voice barely rose above a whisper. “Esten?”
Her face was pale, lips cracked, eyes unfocused. But she was here now. Conscious and sharp enough, she remembered everything leading up to the crash. And one name stuck in her throat.
He sat on the edge of the bed. “She didn’t make it,” he said with no embellishment. There was no soften-the-blow language.It was just truth. He’d make her go through the loss again. Each time she asked, he prayed the memory would stick.
Shannon closed her eyes. “I told her we’d make the turn. I told her…”
“You got her off the ridge. That’s more than anyone else could have done.”
She didn’t nod. Didn’t cry. Just breathed, shallow and uneven. The silence between them said more than words could.
Dante reached for her hand. She held on tightly.
