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A specific sound I have trained myself to respond to no matter where and what may be happening.

My entire body goes rigid.

Blaire feels it.

Her head lifts from my shoulder.

The ringtone keeps going.

Theo doesn't even look up. He's too busy trying to tear tape with his teeth.

But Blaire's eyes meet mine. She knows that ringtone too.

“Simon.” Her voice is already shaky.

“It's probably nothing.” The words come tumbling out too quickly to be convincing that I actually believed myself.

Her face drops.

“Probably somebody needs paperwork or something.”

“At eight o'clock?”

“It’s the military. They don’t care about my schedule.” I push myself off the couch. “I'll be right back.”

I can feel her watching me all the way down the hall.

By the time I reach the bedroom, my stomach is already sinking.

Nobody calls me on this line at night because I forgot paperwork. I just didn’t want to freak her out.

I grab my phone off the nightstand. “Crane.”

“Lieutenant.” The voice on the other end is clipped.

My stomach drops the rest of the way.

“Emergency orders. You need to report to base in three hours.”

I sit down on the edge of the bed.

“What are we looking at?” I force my voice not to shake.

“Intel assignment.”

Fuck.

“Location?”

“Need-to-know once you report. Pack light and be ready to move.”

For half a second, all I can hear is Theo laughing down the hallway with Christmas music playing quietly from the TV.

My eyes close.

“Understood.” I swallow.

The call ends.