Page 201 of Broken Oath

Was he hurt?

Did he know she had never stopped looking?

A tear slipped down Sarah’s cheek.

She wiped it away.

Behind her, boots approached.

She didn’t turn.

She already knew who it was.

Rook stopped beside her.

Neither spoke.

The storm filled the silence.

Then he held out a cup of coffee.

“I didn’t know what else to bring.”

Sarah accepted it.

Their fingers brushed around the cup.

Warmth traveled through her hand.

She told herself it came from the coffee.

She didn’t believe it.

“Thank you.”

Rook stood beside her without demanding answers or offering promises he couldn’t keep.

She appreciated that more than she could explain.

Most people filled grief with words because silence made them uncomfortable.

Rook understood silence.

“What if he’s dead?” she asked.

Rook turned toward her.

“What if he survived the mission but died later?”

The possibility had been clawing at her since Fathom found the file.

Hope always came with fear.

Rook considered the question.

Actually considered it.

He didn’t dismiss it or give her an easy reassurance.