Chapter 446 [ 504 words ] Chapter 446: On the truck, the army medic immediately began emergency treatment. Jarrod stood over them, his eyes locked on her face, never leaving her for a second. “Sir,” Captain Hayes reported quietly. “She’s in bad shape. Hypothermia, severe dehydration. Possible internal injuries.” K.C.
Chapter 445 [ 516 words ] Chapter 445: As they carried him away, Sterling twisted his head, his last glimpse of the dark hole a vision of Caroline’s pale, still form, left alone in the darkness. His eyes burned with a helpless, desperate rage. Cole’s team vanished into the shadows
Chapter 444 [ 548 words ] Chapter 444: The pain in his legs was a living thing now, a fire that screamed at him to stay still. But the tapping above was a promise, and he latched onto it. He forced the agony into a corner of his mind, letting
Chapter 443 [ 507 words ] Chapter 443: This time, she didn’t rely on brute force. She tried to be methodical, probing the edges of the concrete slab, searching for a weak point, a fulcrum. But it was useless. The slab was a solid, immovable tombstone. During one attempt, the
Chapter 442 [ 490 words ] Chapter 442: “We’re going to die here, aren’t we?” The question was a whisper, a fragile sound lost in the immense silence. Her body began to tremble. Sterling saw the despair taking hold of her. He forced himself to take a deeper breath, fighting
Chapter 441 [ 516 words ] Chapter 441: His words, meant to be a release, were a spark on dry tinder. She whipped her head around, glaring at him through the gloom. Tears tracked clean paths through the grime on her cheeks. “That’s not funny!” She turned back to the
Chapter 440 [ 553 words ] Chapter 440: Tears streamed down her face. She shook her head wildly, rushing back to the slab. She tried to brace against the concrete with her bandaged hands, but the sharp, stabbing pain from her healing palms flared instantly, the grit and pressure threatening
Chapter 439 [ 478 words ] Chapter 439: “So, Caroline,” he said, his voice low in the stillness. “What brings a woman like you to a place like this? What are you fighting so hard for?” She hesitated for a moment, then decided on the simple truth. “My husband,” she
Chapter 438 [ 510 words ] Chapter 438: The billionaire businessman, who probably had people to tie his shoes, knelt in the dirt in front of her. He poured the stinging liquid onto a gauze pad and began to clean her wounds with a slow, painstaking concentration, as if he
Chapter 437 [ 496 words ] Chapter 437: She pushed herself to her feet, her exhaustion forgotten. She grabbed her medical pack, pulling out a sterile wipe and a roll of gauze. “Don’t move,” she commanded. She took his arm, her touch firm and professional, and began to clean the
Chapter 436 [ 495 words ] Chapter 436: A low, weak moan, coming from directly beneath the rubble he had just saved her from. Their eyes met. For the first time, the mockery was gone from his, replaced by the same sharp, focused intensity she felt in her own chest.
Chapter 435 [ 499 words ] Chapter 435: “Should I call you brave, or foolish? To use hands like those for this kind of work. It’s a terrible waste.” Caroline looked up, squinting against the dust. A man was leaning against a broken wall, observing her. He was tall and
Chapter 434 [ 526 words ] Chapter 434: Hayes nodded, his face filled with the reverence of a soldier speaking of a legend. “The Colonel is one of a kind. I was attached to his command for that operation.” He looked at her, and a look of sudden, complete understanding
Chapter 433 [ 487 words ] Chapter 433: Brenna offered no response. She just stared at the dark horizon, her heart heavy with a fear that she knew Julian shared, even if he wouldn’t admit it. Captain Zachary Hayes led her to a makeshift triage area set up in the
Chapter 432 [ 535 words ] Chapter 432: While Caroline’s truck rumbled deeper into the ruins, back at the base, the first pale light of dawn was creeping over the horizon. Brenna O’Malley stirred, then sat up. She looked over at Caroline’s cot. It was empty. The blankets were cold.
Chapter 431 [ 495 words ] Chapter 431: He didn’t know that Caroline had slipped out of the tent the moment he left. She was hidden in the deep shadow of a supply pallet, watching him. She saw him finish his call, then walk over to a group of soldiers
Chapter 430 [ 480 words ] Chapter 430: K.C. met her eyes squarely, his expression schooled into professional composure. “Ma’am, the situation is still developing. The unit is consolidating its position and assessing the damage. We’ll have more information at first light.” It sounded logical. It sounded like standard military
Chapter 429 [ 525 words ] Chapter 429: A catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake had struck Redwood Valley, California. The screen filled with horrifying aerial footage of collapsed buildings, fractured highways, and plumes of smoke rising from a landscape that looked like a war zone. Redwood Valley. The name sent a
Chapter 428 [ 490 words ] Chapter 428: A raw pain contorted his features. “I don’t get it. A man like that… he’s cold, he’s dangerous. You’re not compatible.” “You see what you want to see,” she countered, her patience wearing thin. “Whether we’re compatible or not is for me
Chapter 427 [ 525 words ] Chapter 427: “Julian,” she cut him off. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it had a new weight, a core of tempered steel that made him fall silent. “The way I’m worried is the way a wife worries about her husband.” She emphasized the words,