Chapter 2

The air in the hangar was thick with the smell of ozone and grief.

Rows of flag-draped caskets lined the floor, a silent, terrible testament to the cost of Sera' s betrayal. I stood before them, addressing the surviving members of my unit. Their faces were hollowed out, their eyes burning with a mixture of sorrow and rage.

I didn' t offer them platitudes or empty comfort. I gave them a target.

"Liam Vance," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "He' s currently out on bail, hiding in his corporate headquarters. He thinks he' s safe. He thinks his lawyers and his money will protect him. He' s wrong."

I turned and walked toward the hangar door, my team falling into step behind me. We moved as one, a single instrument of retribution.

We found Liam in the sleek, glass-walled lobby of Vance Innovations tower, surrounded by a team of expensive-looking lawyers. He was on his phone, yelling at someone, his face flushed and arrogant. When he saw me and my men, all in full combat gear, he actually laughed.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," he sneered, ending his call. "Come to apologize for wrecking my expo, Commander? My lawyers are going to have a field day with you. Illegal seizure, abuse of power..."

He took a step forward, puffing out his chest.

"You' re just a dumb grunt, Chen. You' re out of your league. You think you can come into my world and push me around?" he jabbed a finger at my chest. "You' re nothing. You' re a relic."

Before I could react, Chloe stepped forward.

Her movement was a blur. She grabbed Liam' s wrist, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him face-first against the polished marble wall. The sound echoed through the lobby. Liam cried out, a squeal of shock and pain.

"He is your commanding officer," Chloe' s voice was low and dangerous, right next to his ear. "You will address him as 'Sir' or 'Commander.' And you will show him the respect he is owed, or I will personally break every bone in your pointing finger."

Liam' s lawyers sputtered, shouting about assault and lawsuits. My men formed a silent, immovable wall, blocking them.

"Get her off me!" Liam gasped, his face pressed against the cold stone.

"Chloe, that' s enough," I said calmly.

She released him with a shove. Liam stumbled away, clutching his wrist, his arrogance replaced by a flicker of fear.

Just then, the glass doors of the lobby slid open with a dramatic hiss.

Sera strode in, flanked by two large, private security guards in black suits. Her face was a mask of cold fury. She looked at Liam, then at me, her eyes blazing.

"Alex, what the hell do you think you' re doing?" she demanded, her voice sharp and loud, for all to hear. "Terrorizing my brother? Assaulting him in his own building?"

She rushed to Liam' s side, fussing over him, shielding him with her body as if I were a wild animal.

"Are you okay, Liam? Did he hurt you?"

"He' s a monster, Sera!" Liam whined, playing the part of the victim perfectly. "He and his attack dog here just assaulted me!"

Sera' s head snapped toward me.

"This is what you do, isn' t it? Solve everything with brute force. You can' t stand that Liam is building a better world, so you have to tear him down. You' re pathetic."

She stood between me and her brother, a defiant protector.

"You will not touch him again," she declared. "This ends now. You will call off your witch hunt, and you will leave us alone."

I looked past her, at Liam, who was smirking behind her shoulder. I looked at her, the woman I had once promised to love and protect, now defending the man responsible for the caskets lining my hangar floor. The last ember of warmth in my heart for her died.

I met her fiery gaze with one of ice.

"This is your last chance, Sera," I said, my voice dangerously quiet. "Walk away from him. Right now. Acknowledge what he did. Acknowledge what you did. Help me make this right."

Her lips curled into a sneer. "Make what right? Your petty little grudge? Liam has done nothing wrong."

"Then you' ve made your choice," I said. I turned to Chloe. "Viper, proceed with phase two."

Chloe nodded, a grim satisfaction in her eyes.

I turned and walked away, leaving Sera standing there, her arm around her brother, a look of defiant rage on her face. She had no idea what was coming. She thought this was a personal dispute. She didn' t understand that this was no longer about my anger.

This was about justice for 108 dead men. And I was just getting started.