Damien Cross arrived with his entourage, dressed for the occasion. His military uniform was freshly pressed, the insignia of a colonel on his shoulders and the circular pin of the Internal Affairs Directorate gleaming on his chest. Every detail was calculated to project authority.The moment he reached the emergency room entrance, Cross lunged forward and swung his open palm at Marcus Bishop's face. Bishop's hand shot up and caught the strike mid-air, fingers clamping around Cross's wrist like a vise. "So you're Colonel Cross," he said, flat and unimpressed.Cross yanked his hand free with a grunt. "Marcus Bishop, division commander of the 24th Division, Phoenix Sector. You are under suspicion of abuse of authority. I am hereby placing you under suspension pending investigation."Donovan Adler chose that moment to rise from where he'd been crouching, his voice shrill and indignant. "I want to file a formal complaint! Bishop used his rank to force me to my knees, then

Elias Vance was satisfied with Marcus Bishop's better-late-than-never approach. He gave a curt nod, then walked into the hospital room where Elena Croft and Leo Croft were recovering, Gideon following close behind.Outside, Marcus slapped his palm against Caleb Bishop's chest hard enough to make the younger man stagger half a step. "This is your chance to prove yourself. Do not waste it. Protect Marshal Vance's friends and his parents with your life.""You have my word," Caleb said, snapping to attention with iron-straight posture. "I'll take a blood oath on it."Marcus had handed him the opportunity on a silver platter, and Marshal Vance had silently accepted it. The rest was up to Caleb alone.Elias spent a short while in the hospital room before signaling to Gideon that it was time to leave. Caleb stood at attention the entire time, hoping the Marshal would address him directly, give him an order, anything at all, but no instruction came. Yet rather than feeli

Everyone had assumed that once the Tactical Response Unit arrived, Elias Vance and his people would be swept away like stray dogs, hauled off in disgrace without so much as a word of protest.But what actually happened left the entire room speechless. Not only was Elias not detained, tactical commander Ronan Cole had snapped to attention the moment he saw that credential, listening to Elias's instructions with the deference of a junior officer receiving orders from a general. He didn't spare a single glance for the city officials who had been barking commands just moments before.A wave of shock rippled through the onlookers. Who the hell was this man? What kind of background did he have, and what on earth had he just flashed at the tactical commander?Ronan was already clearing the floor, ordering all non-essential personnel to vacate the premises immediately. His voice carried the hard edge of a man who meant every syllable when he warned them that everything they h

Outside the hospital, Caleb Bishop shifted the coffin on his shoulder and glanced back. "Marshal, what do you want done with this?""Find a spot and bury it," Elias Vance said, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather.A chill traced down Caleb's spine at the implication. "Understood, sir. I'll handle it immediately."Elias climbed into the waiting vehicle without another word, settling into the back seat and letting his head rest against the leather. "Let's head back. I could use some rest."Gideon fired up the engine and pulled away from the curb, steering toward the Vance estate while Caleb directed a handful of soldiers to haul the coffin off and find somewhere discreet to put it in the ground.The drive was short. Within minutes they were back at the estate, and Elias lowered himself onto the living room sofa with the slow, deliberate movements of a man who hadn't slept in days. "Sit wherever you like," he said.Gideon brewed a pot of

"Go to hell!"A savage grin spread across Declan Belmont's face as he anticipated Elias Vance being crushed to death by the falling coffin, a fool overestimating his own strength. A coffin weighing several hundred pounds, plummeting from fifteen or twenty feet up, would generate enough force to pulverize bone on impact. No human being could possibly catch something like that.Yet Elias raised his right hand and thrust it upward. The coffin landed squarely in his palm, and he held it there, steady as stone. What was more, the collision produced no sound whatsoever. To prevent Elena Croft inside from being injured, Elias had used some extraordinary technique to absorb and dissipate the force entirely, channeling the momentum through his body and into the earth beneath his feet.Watching this unfold, Titus couldn't help but chuckle. "I thought this was going to be boring, but looks like a real player just showed up. Now this is getting interesting." His eyes gleamed with