A Muscular Soldier Grabbed the Blonde Recruit From Behind to Humiliate Her—But 12 Seconds Later, One Kick Exposed a Military Secret They Were Willing to Kill For!

Avery's entire body wanted to believe the voice. Emma had always stretched the first syllable of her name when she was scared. The person outside did exactly that.

Ward shook her head once. “It's a recording.”

“How can you be sure?” Avery whispered.

“Because the woman outside was at my briefing this morning.”

The voice came again, softer. “I know you still carry Dad's watch.”

Avery didn't. She'd buried it with their father. Whoever built the recording had used an old file.

“Wrong detail,” Avery said. She tipped the table and found the maintenance hatch Ward had described. A square metal panel lifted beneath the back legs. It smelled of dust and warm wiring.

Someone slammed into the door. Ward fired one shot into the ceiling lock housing, jamming the mechanism. “Go!”

Avery slipped into the narrow service tunnel. By the time she crawled fifteen feet, the interview-room door splintered. She heard Ward shout and someone else order her to the floor. Then the tunnel lights went out.

She crawled by touch, counting elbows and breaths. At the first branch she turned east, as instructed. A sudden scraping behind her made her freeze.

“Lieutenant,” a man's voice whispered. “Keep moving.”

Mercer emerged from the dark with blood on his sleeve and a flashlight pointed at the floor. “They took the witnesses' phones. Ruiz got one message out first.”

“Why help me?”

“Because I thought this was a dumb demonstration.” He swallowed. “Then Voss asked me whether your sister ever taught you to fight.”

Together they reached a utility ladder. Mercer pushed up the cover into a supply room while Avery guarded their rear. His phone buzzed on silent. He read the message and went pale.

“What?” she asked.