An MP stepped out of the guard shack, his flashlight beam cutting through the dark.

He saw the general’s star on the bumper and saluted sharply.

We drove through, leaving the civilian world behind.

The base was quiet, the barracks and office buildings dark under the night sky.

The driver pulled up to a small, two-story brick building near the officers’ quarters.

“Here we are,” General Hayes said.

The driver carried my duffel bag up the concrete steps.

The room was small and smelled of fresh paint and industrial cleaner.

It had a single bed, a small crib in the corner, and a desk.

It was simple, but it was safe.

The driver set the bag down and saluted.

“Goodnight, Captain,” General Hayes said from the doorway.

“Lock the door behind us.”

“I will, sir,” I said.

I locked the deadbolt and listened to their footsteps fade down the hallway.

I laid Emma down in the crib, tucking her favorite bear beside her.

She sighed, rolling onto her side.

I sat on the edge of the mattress, my head in my hands.