He had slept four hours a night.
He had carried an ID badge that opened doors most people never knew existed.
And he had believed—with the arrogance of a younger man—that if you worked hard enough and followed the rules, truth eventually mattered.
Then one night had destroyed all of it.
His career.
His marriage.
His reputation.
Almost his freedom.
And at the center of that night had been a corporation.
Hale Dynamics.
—
At 9:14 that morning, Lauren called Victoria.
“I found him.”
Victoria sat straighter in the hospital bed.
“Where?”
“Before we discuss that, there’s something you should know.”
Victoria heard the hesitation.
“What?”
“Ethan Carter wasn’t a paramedic.”
“Then what was he?”
Lauren paused.
“He was a flight surgeon attached to an emergency-response aviation program.”
