Her pace doubled in speed. Her leather heels clicked a staccato rhythm on the city sidewalk. She forced air in and out, in and out, against the burn crawling up the walls of her lungs. Nine o’clock, that’s what Lane’s roommate had said when the operator connected his call that morning. Told her that his conscience wouldn’t let him ship off without at least telling her Lane was in town, but if she wanted to see him, she had until nine o’clock. She’d raced out the door. No time to think. At last, she was almost there.... A young soldier stood up ahead. He hugged his bayonet-fixed rifle across his chest, his stance undoubtedly fresh from Army basic. He stared hard into the sky, as if reading his mission etched in the ribbon of clouds. The enemy, have to protect our country from the enemy. The thought curled Maddie’s fingers. In a glance briefer than a blink, the GI sized her up, her ivory skin an armor of presumed innocence. She swerved around him, not missing a beat. To her left, personal effects awaited transit in a snaking queue.
