Page 75 of Rangers Mountain Rescue
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Aspen
“No.”
The word comes out fast.
Sharp.
Because I’ve heard this before.
The certainty.
The plan.
The danger.
Joseph had sounded just like that.
Right before he didn’t come home.
My chest tightens painfully.
“I already lost one man to this kind of life,” I whisper.
My voice shakes now.
Not from fear.
From memory.
“I’m not letting my son lose another.”
The word is out before I can stop it.
Everyone turns toward me.
Havoc studies me carefully.
“We can’t just sit here and wait for them to come back,” he says.
“You think going after them is safer?” I fire back.
“Yes.”
The certainty in his voice shakes me.
“This is what we do, Aspen.”
I cross my arms.
“This is my home.”
“And they already turned it into a target.”
Silence.
Heavy.
