Chapter 2

The morning air at Joint Base Andrews was crisp and biting.

Allison pulled her rental sedan up to the heavily fortified main gate. She wore a sharply tailored black suit, her hair pulled back into a severe, flawless knot.

Two military police officers, armed with M4 rifles, stepped into the path of the vehicle.

"Identification, ma'am," the taller MP demanded.

Allison rolled down the window. She handed over a solid black card embedded with a holographic watermark.

The MP swiped it through his handheld scanner. The screen instantly flashed a soft, pulsing blue light-the universal Department of Defense signal for ALFA-1 level clearance.

Both officers stiffened. Their boots snapped together as they delivered a razor-sharp salute.

"Clear to proceed, ma'am," the MP said, his voice tight with respect.

The heavy steel barricades rolled back. Allison drove onto the restricted tarmac, parking in the designated VIP zone.

A sleek, unmarked C-37B military VIP transport plane descended from the gray sky. The deafening roar of its engines vibrated through the soles of Allison's shoes as it touched down.

The rear cargo ramp lowered slowly. A fully armed honor guard marched down the ramp in perfect synchronization.

General Vance, a man with two silver stars on his shoulders, walked briskly toward Allison. His face was carved from stone, his eyes heavy with grief.

He stopped two feet in front of her and snapped to attention. In his hands, he held two perfectly folded American flags.

"On behalf of a grateful nation," General Vance said, his voice carrying over the wind.

Allison took the flags. The rough texture of the fabric scraped against her palms. Her throat tightened so painfully she could barely swallow.

Four soldiers stepped out of the aircraft. They carried two black velvet-draped urns with agonizing care.

The base loudspeakers clicked on. The haunting, mournful notes of "Taps" echoed across the empty tarmac.

Allison tilted her head back. She forced her jaw to lock, refusing to let a single tear fall and disrespect the gravity of this moment.

General Vance stepped closer, lowering his voice. "They were the best CIA operatives we had. And you were the best operator Delta ever saw, Ghost. The Pentagon wants you back."

"Ghost died with this marriage, General," Allison replied, her voice flat.

Vance sighed. He pulled a classified transfer manifest from his coat and handed her a pen.

Allison didn't hesitate. She signed her maiden name, Kramer, pressing the ink hard into the paper.

The soldiers carefully secured the urns in the backseat of her rental car.

Allison turned to the General. She delivered a flawless, razor-sharp salute, then opened her car door.

As she slid into the driver's seat, her newly purchased, unregistered temporary phone vibrated violently in her purse.

The screen flashed an unknown local number.

Allison stared at it for three seconds before hitting accept.

"Where the hell are you?" Kason's voice exploded through the speaker. "The caterers are here, and you aren't home to prep the dinner party!"

Allison looked in the rearview mirror at the two velvet-draped urns.

"If you get your ass back here right now and start cooking," Kason continued, his tone dripping with arrogant charity, "I'll pretend last night didn't happen."

A dark, humorless smile touched the corners of Allison's mouth.

She didn't say a single word. She pressed the red button, powered the phone down, and tossed it into the passenger seat.

She shifted the car into drive and headed toward the Lindsay estate in Long Island.

The scenery blurred past her windows. Her mind flashed with images of the past two years. Ironing his shirts. Swallowing his mother's insults. Hiding her lethal skills to play the perfect, boring wife he claimed he wanted.

Two hours later, the rental car pulled up to the towering wrought-iron gates of the Lindsay estate.

The security guard in the booth frowned at the cheap sedan. He stepped out, ready to shout, until he saw Allison behind the wheel.

His lip curled into a visible sneer as he hit the gate release button.

Allison parked near the massive marble fountain. She turned off the engine and took a slow, deep breath.

She opened the back door, gathered the two heavy urns into her arms, and walked toward the carved oak doors of the mansion.