Scars of Honor (The Brave Delta Force Division #3)

Chapter 1 Logan

Logan

Not the polite chime of a normal phone call — the encrypted buzz that meant something had gone wrong.

I was already awake.

Couldn’t sleep. Not lately. Not since Missouri. What happened to catching the cartel? They were so much easier.

Not since watching my best friend almost die in a tower full of nightmares, only to walk out holding the hand of the detective who finally made him stop running from himself.

Good for Hawk. He can take off for a couple more months, unless we need to bring him in with us.

Bad for me.

Because when the adrenaline crash came, there wasn’t anyone waiting on the other side of the door for me.

The secure line buzzed again.

I snatched it up, thumb sliding across the accepted code. “Carter.”

Static first. Then a breath. Then Aaron’s voice, low and sharp.

“This is Aaron from Delta Five. We have a problem.”

My spine went straight. “Where?”

“West Texas.”

I rubbed a hand down my face. “Thought the threat cells out there were dormant.”

“They were.” Aaron paused. “Until two hours ago.”

I sat up fully. “What happened?”

There was a long, heavy silence before Aaron answered.

“A tactical convoy was hit six miles outside Marfa.”

“Hit how?”

“Ambushed. Precision explosives. Coordinated fire. Three wounded, one critical. And…” Aaron exhaled hard. “We’re missing someone.”

My pulse stopped, held, then hammered.

“Who?” I asked.

More static. More silence.

Then:

“Raine,” he said. “Your sister’s missing.”

Cold, sharp dread sliced through me. “She wasn’t supposed to be in the field.”

“She wasn’t,” Aaron growled. “This wasn’t an op. This was a black-bag transport—no one was supposed to know about it.”

I stood, grabbing my go-bag with one hand and my boots with the other. “Who knew?”

“Someone who shouldn’t. Someone smart. Someone connected.”

“And you want my eyes on it,” I said. “Where the hell is Adam?”

“Adam is in Asia, he’s on his way back. But I want your instincts on it,” he corrected. “You’re the best tracker we've got. And you know Raine. If she got away, she’ll leave a trail only you can read.”

“And if she didn’t get away?”

The silence said everything I didn’t want to hear.

“Where’s Hawk?” He asked.

“DC transition briefings. I’m not pulling him. He finally stepped into something stable. I’m not ripping him out of it unless I have no choice.”

Fair.

Hawk had earned the right to breathe.

I… hadn’t. Not yet.

“Send me the coordinates,” I said. “I’m wheels-up in ten.”

“There’s something else,” Aaron said, voice tightening. “We found a symbol at the ambush site.”

“What kind of symbol?”

“Painted on the road. Black. Crude.”

Another inhale.

“A circle with a line through it.”

My blood iced over.

“That’s not possible,” I said.

“It is,” Aaron said. “Because it’s fresh.”

I stared at the wall, heart thudding.

The mark didn’t belong to any cartel.

Or insurgent group.

Or rogue unit.

It belonged to someone I thought was dead.

Someone who should’ve stayed dead.

“Logan,” Aaron said quietly. “I need to know if we’re dealing with Sentinel.”

I closed my eyes.

Raine.

Gone.

A reactivated ghost of our past.

And a new war opening up right beneath our feet.

“I’m on my way,” I said. “Let’s bring Russ and Boone in on this.”

The line clicked dead.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, boots still in my hand.

For years I thought the worst part of my job was the blood. The bodies. The missions that didn’t leave survivors.

I was wrong.

The worst part was the moment before the mission — the silent truth that whispered what I’d never said out loud:

You might not bring her home this time.

How did they get close enough to Raine without Adam knowing?

Not the one person I’d die a thousand times for.

I shoved my boots on, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door.

Outside, the night was dark and sharp, the kind of cold that smelled like something coming.

My phone buzzed once more.

A text.

Unknown number.

She’s not who you think she is.

And you’re already too late.

Does that mean it’s not Raine? Then who could it be if not her?

My chest went still. No! My heart shouted.

Because only one person could’ve sent that.

Only one person knew the code.

Only one person knew exactly how to carve fear into my bones.

Sentinel.

Back from the dead.

And he had my sister. How was that possible?

My hand tightened around the phone as I headed toward the waiting SUV.

“Hold on, Raine, or whoever it might be,” I murmured into the darkness.

“I’m coming for you.”

One way or another.