Page 226 of Broken Oath

The man turned slightly toward the camera.

One profile.

One impossible moment.

Sarah stopped breathing.

Wade.

Older.

Thinner.

His hair was longer than she remembered, and a scar crossed one side of his face.

But she knew the way he held his shoulders.

She knew the shape of his jaw.

She knew him.

“That’s Wade.”

Her voice broke.

Only slightly.

But Rook heard it.

Everyone did.

Fathom enhanced the photograph without speaking.

The software compared the profile against Wade’s military records.

A result appeared.

FACIAL MATCH: 94.7%

Sarah placed one hand against the table.

The room blurred.

For five years, Wade had existed inside photographs and memories.

Now she was looking at him standing in snow eleven days earlier.

Alive.

Not a document.

Not a status code.

Her brother.

Rook moved beside her.

He didn’t touch her.