How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

The search area was enormous.

Fleming soared through the night sky, carefully adjusting his altitude to a level that was both safe and gave him a clear view of the chaos below.

He knew Elodie well. In a crowd, she'd stand out she always did-so if she was down there, he'd spot her quickly enough.

Smoke still drifted up from the ground, making it hard to see. Fleming frowned, dipping a little lower for a better look.

Adrian's voice crackled in his headset. "Fleming! Are you out of your mind?

There's been no order from command! You'll be held responsible if you keep this up!"

They were military, after all-discipline was enforced with ironclad rules, and following orders wasn't optional.

But tonight was different.

Still, there would be consequences for acting on his own.

Fleming scanned the ground with laser focus.

He felt strangely detached about the risk. He knew exactly what he was doing.

After all, Esmeralda had made herself clear...

He wasn't going to overthink it.

human life, any disciplinary action seemed

Elodie was a national treasure in her field-there was no way command would let anything

matter,"

Only then did he ask, "You're doing this for Lucy, aren't you? I've seen it for a long time now-Lucy cares about you, and you always indulge her. What

he'd been swayed by Esmeralda's announcement that the engagement was

nothing stood in the way of following his

Fleming didn't answer.

think the question

to something a few dozen

racing down the road. The headlights illuminated the windshield,

sharp eyes caught a

passenger rolled down the window and

A signal.

vision was exceptional-better than most. In that instant, he recognized

Jarrod. Elodie's husband.

him

Elodie and Jarrod were likely

flicking on the aircraft's

about to descend

what it was a domestic model from Elodie's own research

swerved toward the

signaling him to hold