

Wings Of Retribution
Maren was once the top ace pilot of the national flight corps. In her previous life, she left the military due to a love-struck mindset and became an air traffic controller. Her ex-husband, Ian, had an affair with her best friend, Susan...My fingers hover over the console as the blip appears—Call Sign: NIGHTSHADE. Unauthorized entry, Sector 7. Altitude dropping fast.\n\nThen I hear the voice crackle over the frequency. \"ATC, this is Nightshade. Requesting clearance.\" That tone—I’d know it anywhere. Ian. My ex-husband. The man who left me for my best friend.\n\n\"You’re in restricted airspace,\" I say, voice steady despite the tremor in my chest. \"Identify yourself and state your intent.\"\n\nA pause. Then, softer: \"Maren… I need you to trust me. Just like before.\"\n\nBefore? Before he shattered me?\n\nAlarms blare. A passenger jet is climbing into his path. One wrong move and hundreds die.\n\nHe’s not responding to commands. The defense AI prepares to lock on.\n\nI have three seconds to decide: do I save the stranger-filled airliner… or the man who once held my heart?
