Chapter 1: The Mirage of Peace The afternoon heat off Highway 87 wasn’t just hot; it was aggressive. It shimmered in waves…
Chapter 1: The Tomato Incident The morning sun painted long, golden shadows across the asphalt of the Eagles Rest Farmers Market. It…
Chapter 1: The Invasion of Eagle’s Point The sound wasn’t a hum; it was a tectonic shift. Hannah Collins froze, her hand…
CHAPTER 1: THE WIDOW ON THE PORCH The silence of the Montana high country was usually a physical thing, a heavy blanket…
Chapter 1: The Iron Horse The air inside the Iron Horse Saloon tasted like stale beer and bad decisions. It was the…
Chapter 1: The Ghost Inspection The California sun was just starting to burn off the marine layer when I rolled up to…
CHAPTER 1: The Sound of Failure The heat shimmered above the firing line at Camp Pendleton like liquid glass, distorting the air…
Chapter 1: The Silence of Elmsworth The air inside the Elmsworth Federal Courthouse felt frozen, preserved in a time capsule from a…
PART 1: THE SPARK CHAPTER 1: The Wrong Seat The rain in Seattle doesn’t wash things clean; it just makes the…
CHAPTER 1: The Crash The afternoon sun hit the hood of Elias’s sedan, gleaming off the polished black metal. It was a good…