Page 293 of Rangers Mountain Rescue

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Now we’re close.

Too close.

“Then get in it with me,” I say.

The room tightens.

Again.

Always again.

Because no one here is backing down.

Not them.

Not us.

And definitely not me.

Aspen’s voice cuts in.

Soft—but steady.

“What happens if you take that?” she asks.

The agent glances at her.

Just briefly.

“Then we handle it.”

“No,” she says.

Stronger now.

“What happens to us?”

That’s the real question.

The one no one wants to answer.

The agent hesitates.

Just a flicker.

But I see it.

And that’s all I need.

“They disappear,” I say.

His eyes snap back to mine.

“That’s not what I said.”

“That’s exactly what you didn’t say,” I reply.

Silence.

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