The deafening roar all around made Elodie's heart pound in her chest. She stared at the rising dust clouds in the distance—they were coming fast, the danger nearly upon them.

She knew exactly why: the entire team was making an emergency evacuation, scrambling to escape with all their equipment.

Her expression grew tense. "All right, pack up the gear-make sure nothing gets left behind or broken."

She barely finished before stooping to retrieve her phone from the ground. The screen was shattered, jagged from where it had struck the rocks, but it still flickered to life-barely usable.

With the crowd surging around her, Elodie moved quickly toward the exit, punching in Jarrod's number as she walked. The situation here was spiraling into chaos; she had to stop Jarrod from coming anywhere near.

But-

"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

That sterile, automated voice squeezed her heart with icy fingers.

A vague, suffocating sense of dread swept over her.

She reached the car and paused, trying Jarrod's number again.

Same result-no signal, no answer.

Elodie drew in a shaky breath, climbed into the back seat, and immediately called Esmeralda instead. Esmeralda wasn't with her; Elodie had no idea if she was safe.

connected, though Esmeralda's voice crackled and broke with panic. “Elodie?! Where are you? Are you still there? Someone just pulled me out,

country was strong, that ordinary citizens rarely experienced this kind of violence. But outside her borders, the world was a

over her ear, raising her voice to be heard over the noise. "I'm

Bang!

violent explosion rocked the car. The driver swerved and Elodie's phone flew from her grip, cutting

signal seemed to

flashed across her

to find

least she knew Esmeralda

.n

safe;

to

reach Jarrod.

finally found her phone, the screen was dead-black, unresponsive, finished after two hard

pricked her

to the big, broad-shouldered man escorting her—a security contractor from a

"Could I

His phone was old and basic, but he handed

a flawless memory-she tapped in Jarrod's

nothing. The signal here was too weak, the lines jammed or disrupted. She

to breathe, to keep her nerves steady, and gazed

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