Chapter 58Aurora still shook from the revelation in the command tent. Damien Cross—Elena’s own father—had been behind the poisoning. But as the camp returned to tense normality, another shadow darkened her mind: what if this was only the beginning?She found Liam at the helipad that evening, the sky a bruised purple. The wind off the hills tugged at his flight jacket. He was on edge—she could tell by the way he stared into the gathering dusk.“Aurora,” he said as she approached, voice low. “There’s something I need to show you.”She followed him to the nearest supply crate. He lifted a folded piece of paper from inside a pocket of his jacket.“I found this in Damien’s safe,” he explained. “He’d taken it from my father’s private files. I thought it was just blackmail material… until I read it.”Aurora felt her heart thump. “What is it?”He unfolded the paper carefully. It was a single page of official Blackwood Station documents: passenger manifests, water testing logs, and a receipt
Chapter Sixty One Aurora woke before dawn to the distant wail of sirens. The whole camp seemed to be shuddering awake at once—medics snatching up their kits, radios crackling orders, spotlights sweeping the tents.She scrambled into her scrubs and rushed outside. Within moments she collided with Liam at the edge of the command tent. His face was grim. His uniform clung to him with sweat and dust.“Report,” he snapped.Aurora swallowed. “There’s an outbreak in the pediatric ward. Several children have high fevers and… internal bleeding.”Liam’s jaw tightened. “Show me.”They sprinted across the courtyard, past rows of stretchers and medics rushing wounded. Sirens punctuated the chaos. Aurora’s pulse hammered as they reached the small cluster of tents where the children were housed.Inside, four children lay in a row of cots. Their sheets were soaked dark, their breathing ragged. Nurses hovered, terrified. One child moaned, clutching her stomach.Aurora swallowed bile. “They were fine
Elena slammed the tent flap behind her and burst into the dusty twilight. Tears stung her eyes, hot and relentless. She pressed a hand to her mouth as sobs shook her shoulders. The air was cool, but she felt burned from the inside.She stumbled toward the edge of camp, digging her phone from a pocket. Hands shaking, she typed a quick message to Lucas:I need you. Urgent. Please come get me.She hit send and sank onto a wooden crate, head bowed. Minutes passed like hours. The camp lanterns flickered. A helicopter droned in the distance. But there was no reply.Elena swallowed her fear and rose. She needed to move. With one final glance at the tents where Liam and Aurora worked together, she slipped into the darkening road beyond the perimeter.She walked with purpose, phone in hand, waiting for Lucas’s pickup. She had called him so many times over the years—he was her anchor, her laughter, her safe place. Tonight she needed him more than ever.A rumble of an engine made her look up. Br
Chapter 57Elena sat on her bunk late that evening, scrolling through her phone under the soft glow of a single lantern. The camp had gone quiet after curfew—only distant generators droned, and the olive trees whispered in the cool night breeze. She had hoped to sleep. Instead, she found herself reading a fresh round of gossip.“Sergeant Blackwood still refuses to see Miss Rossi off-duty.”“Liam’s heart belongs to someone else—rumor says a Florence nurse.”“Commander’s daughter is moping around; maybe it’s that Blackwood’s fault!”Elena’s chest tightened with each line. She shut her eyes and let out a soft breath. She had come here seeking purpose, a challenge, and perhaps—just perhaps—a connection with someone who understood the calling that drew her. Liam had been kind, professional, even protective. She had hoped there would be something more.But these rumors stung. She shoved her phone aside and climbed down from the bunk. She needed answers—and maybe one last chance.She stepped
Liam spent the next morning on edge. He arrived early at the helipad, already dressed in his flight suit, heart pounding before the first light glimmered on the rotors. He scanned the tents where Aurora and Elena worked. Aurora was nowhere to be seen—she was on rounds, he had been told—but Elena stood beside the medevac truck, helmet in hand, as if waiting just for him.He squared his shoulders and approached the chopper. “Lieutenant,” he said, voice curt.She lifted her gaze and offered a crisp salute. Her green eyes held something more—warmth? Hope? He couldn’t tell. He swallowed and returned her salute.“Sergeant,” she replied. “Thank you for the briefing yesterday.”He nodded. He had no intention of encouraging small talk. He wanted to keep this strictly professional.Elena tossed her helmet onto the truck’s hood. “I improved the drill plan. I moved the evac routes closer to the tents. I thought it might save time.”Liam looked at her, torn between admiration and caution. She was
Chapter 56Aurora was finishing her afternoon rounds when Captain Rossi called her over. He stood by the edge of the command tent, arms folded, eyes bright with an unusual mixture of pride and nerves.“Miss Calloway,” he said, voice low but firm. “I’d like you to meet someone.”Aurora wiped her hands on her scrub pants and stepped forward. Rossi gestured toward a sleek transport vehicle that had just rolled into the camp. Its side door opened, and a young woman in pilot’s fatigues climbed out.Aurora’s breath caught.The woman was tall and lithe, with sunlit hair pulled into a neat braid. Her uniform fit perfectly. Her eyes were a clear green, curious and confident. Around her neck she wore the same style of dog tag Aurora did. In an instant Aurora recognized a kindred spirit.“This is First Lieutenant Elena Rossi,” the captain announced. “My daughter. She just graduated from flight school and requested an assignment here. Elena, this is Nurse Calloway.”Lieutenant Rossi smiled polite