Six Months Later
Code Name: Raven
Jade Mitchell stood at the edge of the balcony, gripping the metal railing of her suite at the Palmas del Sol Resort. Below, the surf tumbled against the shore, soothing her battered nerves. The breeze rustled the palms, and the salty air hit her nose. She closed her eyes and inhaled.
She’d done it. She’d made it to Mexico. Even if it meant she’d used the medication her therapist had prescribed, she’d call it a win. Next on the list—leaving her resort room. Daylight gave her an edge on her phobias, making it possible to enter the outside world, sweaty palms and all. But nighttime? No. Just no.
The therapist called it exposure therapy. She called it torture.
Baby steps into the real world away from the screens, the task force, and her small house in Benton Harbor, Virginia. A week in the coastal town of Bahía Sombra, Mexico, where no one knew her name, her job, or her fear of open spaces and night.
Bahía Sombra had been the compromise to the large resorts. Medium-sized. Quiet. Off-season with fewer people. Nestled between a cliff and the ocean, and the surrounding Sierra Oscura mountains, the resort had just enough forest cover to keep her anxiety at bay.
But now, the thought of leaving her room and walking the beach stole the air from her lungs.
When she’d arrived, she’d hidden in her room for two hours like a coward until her anxiety diminished enough for her to step out onto the balcony. She loosened her death grip on the rail and tilted her face to the sun. A bird called from somewhere in the trees, and the water rolled in rhythm below.
Familiar to home. Peaceful. But wrong.
Her skin itched, and every instinct screamed she’d made a mistake coming here. She didn’t trust the calm anymore after Echo Team’s situation six months ago. Not after the silence that followed her report. Not after realizing how easy it was to vanish without a trace. How close Echo had come to being erased like bad data. If not for Liam and his team, Echo wouldn’t have survived.
The trip was supposed to help her control her fears, not make matters worse. She had to get out of her head.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Releasing a long breath of air and settling her runaway thoughts, she retrieved it and glanced at the message from her therapist, Breana.
Breana: You made it!
Jade huffed and texted back:
Barely. But yes, I’m here. The room is nice, and I’ve ventured out onto the balcony.
Breana: Excellent. I knew you could do it. You’ve come so far over the past few months.
Jade: Yeah, well, my therapist is cruel.
A smile formed on Jade’s lips. Breana was the sweetest and didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
Breana: And don’t you forget it. LOL! So, how is it?
Jade: The resort is beautiful.
What she’d seen of it when she arrived, anyway.
Jade: I plan to take a walk on the beach in a few minutes.
Breana: Good idea. Don’t push yourself into exploring at night yet. We’ll tackle that later.
As if.
Jade: Trust me, I won’t.
Breana: Remember, allowing yourself to work through the fear means your brain is rewiring. That’s progress. Be kind to yourself.
Jade: I’ll try.
Breana: Good enough. I won’t bother you again. Call or text if you need me.
Jade: Thank you. I really mean that.
