The low hum of the SUV’s engine filled the quiet space as the miles melted away behind us. I kept my eyes fixed on the dense treeline skirting the highway, watching the sky shift from pale morning gray to the crisp light of dawn.
With about forty-five minutes left on our clock, a sharp static burst cut through the silence of our earpieces.
"Communications have stopped, Kira," Michael’s voice crackled through the comms, quiet and deliberate. "The relay just went completely dark."
My stomach tightened, but I kept my breathing steady. "Copy that, Michael," I answered into my collar mic.
I turned my head to look at Drakon. His hands were clamped tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles pale against the dark leather, his jaw set in a hard, dangerous line. The window of quiet infiltration w
