Wind blows outside the SUV as I take a left turn, hopping off the highway and into the ridgeline. The city of Erbil sits below, lit up as the sun sets over the horizon. I push harder on the gas pedal, hearing the tires briefly squeak as they desperately grab the rough tarmac below.

     I catch Suri gritting his teeth slightly as the SUV lurches forward. His hand clings to the handle on the ceiling, holding on like his life depends on it. The upshift of the transmission shifts my focus back to the road ahead, my eyes scanning each passing vehicle like a border customs agent. No one seems to be following us - so far - but I'm not taking any chances.

     General CJ Barr. The one who welcomed me to Delta Force as a soldier with promise. Amazingly, Lucas and I are still friends, since I've lost everyone else associated with that era of my life. When Lucas followed me to Maelstrom, it felt right, like I managed to keep the closest thing to a brother I'd ever have, despite the news he was forced to break to me.

     I thought I'd outrun Barr for good. The elite pedigree of Maelstrom had Delta Force members salivating at the thought of receiving an invite. Lucas and I had never heard from Barr since our departure. I'm convinced he tries to keep any more soldiers from dreaming of the opportunity, but the will is still there. Mena, the first and only female Navy SEAL ever,  proves it.

     "Adara," Suri stammers, knocking me off my tightrope of thought. His years as a street-hardened exile trained his face well, but I could see the anxiety slipping out from behind the mask. "Please tell me what's going on!"

     "I..." I start, debating telling him in my head. I shouldn't. This man is, functionally, cargo for me to escort. I shouldn't want to involve him at all...

     "Remember how I told you I used to be in Delta Force?" I say quickly, a part of me trying to keep myself from holding the info forever.

     "Yeah," he responds promptly, his eyes darting from window to window like he's scanning the outside of the Port Boy's refuge. 

     "I saw the general in the market," I blurt out, and his eyes widen immediately. "His name is CJ Barr."

     "What?" Suri says, confused. "Why is he here?"

     The thoughts dance around in my skull like kids in a bouncy castle. That question is one I've been trying to answer since I spotted him. Is there a Delta Force operation going on in northern Iraq? Surely I would've heard about this during my briefing, though. Raleigh always tells us what to expect, and he's never wrong. Never.

     "Adara?" He presses, and I nod my head in response.

     "I..." I stammer, trying and failing to mask my own creeping dread. "I don't know."

     A jolt shoots through my spine as my phone surprises me in my pocket. I begin passing a slow car as I pull it out and accept, my finger shaking over the call button as I do. "Hello?" I say, short and clipped.

     "Adara!" I hear Mena's normally soothing voice pang with worry in my ear. "Your heart rate is spiking, and I doubt you've had that much caffeine!"

     "Delta Force is here," I shiver, not registering the joke Mena had said. "It's Barr."

     "What?" She stammers, and I can hear the clicking of keys in the background. "Delta shouldn't be there, right?"

     "No," I assert, continuing to drive along the winding ridge road. "We need to get low. Can you help me find a hideout?"

     "Can do," Mena's bubbly personality gives way to staccato speech as I continue to scan the ever-darkening horizon. Millions of thoughts race through my head as I scramble to focus on a single one. Suri looks ahead, face frozen with worry.

     "Five kilos ahead," Mena replies quickly. "Turn right off the road. There's an abandoned house on the ridgeline. Pinging it now."

     "Thank you," I say, scrunching my eyes as an idiot forgets to turn off his high beams as he passes me. "Going dark."

     "Please be safe," Mena pleads, the anguish hurting me through the phone. "Please, Adara."

     "I will, Mena," I reply, feeling a little bad for putting her in this same boat. "I promise."

     "Good," she replies quickly. "Or I'll kick your ass myself." Somehow, a smile creeps up on my face as the call ends. Only Mena could manage that. 

     I dart down the road as the last of the sunlight fades, riding the SUV like a racecar through the corners as I stare at the location ping. Seeing it get closer, I flip on the high beams to see the structure. An old, dark house sits right off the road, with a less-than-spectacular view of the valley and Erbil below. It's not as dilapidated as I thought, but it's clear it hasn't been lived in recently.

     The SUV jostles below us as I pull off and behind the few trees that fence it off. The vehicle fights as it climbs an old, cratered dirt drive to the small property above. My lights dance on the walls of the structure, briefly illuminating the desolate interior of some of the rooms. In any other case, I'd be scared I'm walking into a haunted house.

     Luckily, I'd already seen a ghost today.

     I park behind the building, quickly exiting as Suri follows behind. I rip my sniper out from the backseat with intent, slinging it on my shoulder as the two of us climb through a shattered window. Old floorboards creak below my feet as I shine my flashlight around. An old bedroom is revealed with a stained mattress and cracked plaster on the walls.

     "Adara," Suri says quietly, scanning the area. "Why does this Barr guy scare you so much?"

     "I'm not scared," I retort swiftly.

     "I'm not stupid," he counters, and I roll my eyes. Wouldn't take a genius to see through that, I guess.

     "Barr released me from Delta Force," I sigh, pushing through a door and into a small living room. Dusty couches sit opposite nearly opaque, caked windows with a kitchen off to the right. I step through the room, seeing a hallway behind me and a clearly abandoned kitchen in front. Old cabinet doors sit half-opened, as if the wind had tried to get plates and cups for itself.

     "Oh," he replies, still following behind me as I survey in front. "Wait, released? Why?"

     The ragdoll of that girl's corpse in Baghdad rockets through my mind, nearly paralyzing me in place. I manage to turn around, looking directly at Suri. His face shifts to curiosity as I watch him fidget with his shirt and tap his foot. "I don't want to talk about that," I state flatly, trying to be as assertive as I can.

     "Is he coming for you?" Suri presses, a hint of accusation in his tone. 

     My brow furrows. "This is not the time, Suri."

     "But wh-" he begins, our trains of thought silenced as I notice lights bump against the front of the house. Even if I can't see through the caked dirt, I can hear the sound of multiple vehicles approaching. My heart sinks in my chest as my eyes go wide. 

     For the first time in a while, true fear fills my chest. Taking down a band of militants is one thing, but... I know who these people are. It isn't even a question. The questions of how they tracked me and why they are here fade from my mind as I scan the house. My generally tactical mind seeps with dread as I count entrances like stars in the sky.

     "Get down behind the couch, NOW," I order to Suri, my tone breaking his mind fog and sending him hiding. I pull out my rifle, grabbing a new proximity alarm as I fire one into the roof of the window we had come in from. Another is launched at the end of the hall immediately after reload. Another goes out. I pull my magazine - full. The bolt clicks into place as I chamber a round, sweat cascading down my face.

     Light surrounds the building as I hear vehicles park and doors slam shut. The clanking of tactical gear rings through the house from the numerous cracks in the window sills. The air sits still inside the house, as if it's trying to pause time like I want to right now. Having the Kamar would be really nice right now, huh?

     "Konsdóttir."

     I flinch as I hear the gruff, raspy voice breach the walls of the structure like a battering ram. The same voice that gave me a shot at being an operator. The same voice that told me I was dismissed three years ago. The same voice that threatened me with a court-martial. My eyes widen as I lose my combat focus, realizing the stakes. It's just me - I have no squad. No matter how much training I have, I can't take down an entire Delta Force Squadron on my own. 

     These could be my last moments.

     "Barr!" I shiver, sounding surprisingly defiant as I imagine all the ways I could die here tonight. I glance over to Suri, who looks at me in terror. I blink as his expression reminds me it isn't just me. If I die... who will protect Suri? Barr can't get his grubby hands on him. 

     I won't let him.

     Even if it kills me.

     "Konsdóttir, hand him over," Barr says slowly, almost like he's toying with me.

     "Why do you want him?" I bark, glancing at the lights outside the windows as I hide in the inner hallway. "How do you even know I'm here?"

     "What do you mean?" He asks, almost incredulously. "Just give him over."

     "Leave," I snap, bringing up my rifle and aiming for the door. "I'll shoot, damnit!"

     "Wouldn't be the first Delta Force member you killed, huh?" Barr fires, his voice rising. "Or do you even remember his name?"

     Anger builds up as my finger shakes on the trigger. "Fuck you, Barr-"

     I feel a pinching pain in my left arm as the front door blows open. The rifle drops from my hands as I stagger forward, trying to reach for my pistol but not having success. It's like it's stuck as I watch Delta members flood in, finding Suri easily. My eyes go wide as I attempt to rush over, staggering before a soldier's hand slams into my face violently.

     My body crumples to the floor as I try to scream, but nothing emerges. My eyes dart to my arm, where a single needle attached to a small syringe-like tank pokes out. My vision begins to slowly fade as I watch Suri be removed, kicking and screaming, and my vision goes black.