“Captain, that was years ago.”
“Not for me,” he said softly. “Your team carried us out while under fire. I never got to thank you.”
Rhea swallowed hard. “It wasn’t just me.”
His eyes softened. “You were the one who didn’t come home unbroken.”
Her breath caught. He knew about her medical separation.
“Look,” she said quietly, “I don’t want attention. Please don’t make this a spectacle.”
“I won’t,” he promised. “But I’ll make damn sure you get the respect you earned.”
The flight took off smoothly… until mid-air turbulence struck. The plane jolted. Oxygen masks dropped in rows behind her. People screamed. Someone yelled they smelled smoke. Flight attendants rushed down the aisle.
Instinct slammed into Rhea like a switch flipping. She unbuckled, assessing the cabin. Not panic—calculation. A burning smell. A faint electrical crackle. A frightened passenger hyperventilating. Another fainting.
Across the PA, Captain Markell spoke urgently: “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a minor electrical malfunction. Please remain calm.”
But Rhea’s trained senses registered something off. Not malfunction. Not turbulence. Sabotage. Then she saw him—
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