With trembling fingers, she powered on the satellite phone, a device designed to reach someone who didn't want to be found. After three attempts, a gruff voice answered with only authentication numbers. Aaliyah swallowed hard and recited the code Reggie had given her, then said simply:
"Dad, I need you."
The silence on the other end lasted so long she thought the connection had been lost. Then, a single word in a voice that sounded like gravel:
"Confirmed."
Three days passed with no further word. Aaliyah began to believe her father had abandoned them again, that his momentary acknowledgement was all she would get. She told herself it didn't matter; they would find another way to fight back against Logan and his protected circle.
Then Detective Ross called with strange news. "Someone's asking questions around town about Logan and his friends. Someone with military bearing who knows how to avoid cameras. The mayor is spooked enough to request additional security."
That night, a text arrived from an unknown number with just coordinates and a time. Monica recognized the implications immediately, her face showing both relief and terror.
"He's coming," she whispered.
Meanwhile, at the Hastings mansion, security systems were upgraded and armed guards patrolled the perimeter, the mayor sensing a predator's approach without understanding exactly what he had awakened.
As Aaliyah lay in bed that night, she found herself both hopeful and afraid. The father she'd thought dead was coming back into her life, but not for a happy reunion—for war. She thought about Logan's smug face, his absolute certainty that no one could touch him, and felt a dark satisfaction knowing that his world was about to change.
Yet she also wondered what kind of man her father had become during his years away. What kind of soldier would abandon his family to protect them? What kind of father would return only when called to battle? And most frightening of all, what would he do to those who had threatened his daughter?