Kael’s POV

It began as a report. A signal buried in the Accord’s dead channels, marked obsolete. I recognized the code before the system confirmed it. No one else could have used that frequency. It was hers. I told my men it was a trace check. It wasn’t.

The convoy stopped at the neutral ridge. I dismissed them under protocol, walked the rest of the way alone. Every step measured, every breath delayed. Six years meant to forget, but forgetting her had never been the goal. It was surviving ...