Chapter 2
Grayson’s smirk tightened.
He did not like the way Callaway said it.
He did not like that she had not looked embarrassed.
He did not like that the private behind him had gone pale.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Callaway looked down at the blacked-out folder.
Her gloved finger touched the line where the call sign had been buried under ink.
For the first time, something moved across her face.
Not fear.
Memory.
Before she could answer, the radio in the cargo bay crackled.
A woman’s voice came through.
Cold.
Sharp.
Full of authority.
“Lieutenant, step away from Ghost Seven.”
The aircraft went silent.
Even the engine noise seemed to drop.
Grayson froze.
His face changed before he could stop it.
The private behind him whispered, “Ghost Seven?”
Callaway slowly raised her head.
This time, Grayson was the one who looked away first.
The voice returned.
“This is Colonel Mara Holt. Captain Callaway is attached to this operation under classified authority. You will not interfere with her equipment, her position, or her judgment.”
Grayson swallowed.
“Ma’am, I was only—”
“You were only speaking too loudly to someone whose file outranks your curiosity.”
No one laughed now.
Callaway picked up her rifle and stood as the aircraft dipped hard through turbulence.
She was not tall.
She was not loud.
But the way she moved changed the air around her.
A soldier named Private Ellis stared at her folder.
“Ghost Seven is real?” he whispered.
Callaway heard him.
She looked at him once.
Then at the red jump light.
“Depends who you ask.”
The ramp dropped twenty minutes later.
Cold night air tore through the aircraft.
Below them, the mountains of northern Afghanistan rose like broken teeth under a moonless sky.
The mission was supposed to be simple.
Insert by air.
Move through the dry valley.
Secure a crashed surveillance drone before the enemy stripped its data core.
Extract before dawn.
That was what the briefing said.
But Callaway had stopped trusting briefings years ago.
Especially clean ones.
May you like
Clean briefings got people killed.
Read Part 3 to see why Callaway knew the valley was already waiting to kill them.
