“Lucy! Lucy!” Kain’s voice cracked as he shook her arm violently, panic clawing at his chest. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might burst.

He forgot everything — the mission, Falcon, Georgia, the danger surrounding them. There was only her, her still body, her silence, the horror of believing she was gone.

Kyle, slumped beside him, was battered and barely conscious, but he still managed to rasp. She was not dead. He’d seen her fall, seen her brother strike her down, and despite his own pain, he had made sure he was certain that she still lived. He grunted weakly, his face was swollen, blood trickling from his...