The morning sun bled through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. Sparks's eyes fluttered, then snapped open. She gasped, her hands immediately flying up to protect her face as she scrambled back against the headboard, her breath coming in ragged bursts of terror.
"It's okay. You're safe," Ethan said the leader, his voice low and steady.
She froze, her gaze locking onto him. It took a long moment for the fog of pain to clear, for her to realize she wasn't in the damp isolation cell anymore. "Ethan...?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "They... they tortured me. They wanted me to sign a confession. They wanted me to testify that the terrorist attack on Congressman Vance was your doing—that you were the one who brought those explosives to the wooden cabin."
Ethan felt a sharp pang of guilt and rage. "Why were they so cruel to you? I was just a nobody back then. Why go to such lengths just for a statement?" Ethan asked the young man.
