General Carter stopped three feet away.
His gaze moved briefly to my blazer.
The secure phone was almost completely hidden, but one edge showed near the inside pocket.
His eyes returned to mine.
“Samantha Hayes.”
He said my name clearly, with the expectation that it meant something.
For the first time that day, every member of my family was looking directly at me.
The general extended his hand.
I took it.
His grip was brief and formal, but there was nothing casual about it.
“You’re here?” he said quietly. “After what happened this morning, I didn’t expect to see you standing in this room.”
Daniel’s expression tightened.
“What happened this morning?” he asked.
General Carter did not turn toward him.
He kept his attention on me.
“Did Washington confirm the extraction?”
The question changed the temperature of the space around us.
The officers closest to the conversation went still.
