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
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