The heavy, rhythmic thud-thud-thud of the unmarked black civilian helicopter sliced through the thick coastal fog, sending a violent wave of cold, salty air crashing through the broken window of the recovery suite. The silken rope line dropped from the dark fuselage, slithering across the concrete balcony floor like a black snake. The shadow of the shifting rotor blades danced across the white walls of Room 104, turning our hard-won sanctuary into a chaotic cage of dust and noise.
"Ester, stay down!" Isaac’s voice dropped into a gravelly wire of absolute command, his long fingers wrapping tightly around the fabric of my charcoal-stained apron as he dragged me deeper into the shadow of the upturned oak table.
With his other arm, he pinned Sasha’s small body against his chest, his broad sh
