Chapter 471

Liam strode forward with his phone clutched tightly in his hand. His voice was sharp as he commanded, "Stay back."

Victoria ignored the order and kept pace with him. "What's wrong?" she pressed. "You're acting strange. Why do you need to find Evelyn so urgently?"

He whirled around suddenly. The intensity in his gaze made her step back. "I said don't follow me!" he growled through clenched teeth.

Victoria's expression darkened. "Liam, I'm just trying to help," she insisted.

Without another word, Liam pointed at Ryan. "Get her out of here."

Ryan immediately moved to intercept Victoria, gripping her elbow firmly. She struggled against his hold. "Let go! Can't you see something's wrong? He needs our help!"

With a weary sigh, Ryan tightened his grip. "Victoria, he's your commanding officer now, not your childhood friend. His personal business isn't your concern."

Her eyes darted to Liam, who was already dialing a number. "Personal business?" she echoed nervously.

Ryan nodded. "He's looking for Evelyn. What else could it be?" When Victoria opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off. "Some lines shouldn't be crossed. You know that."

Victoria's jaw clenched. She jerked her arm free and pointed accusingly at Liam. "It's about that woman again, isn't it? After all this time, she still has this hold over him! Why won't she just disappear?"

Ryan said nothing, watching the storm of emotions play across Victoria's face. He'd seen this coming for years.

"If only General Blackwood returned her feelings," he thought sadly. "She'd make him happy. No one loves him more fiercely than she does."

The phone rang once, twice. Liam's pulse hammered in his throat like a trapped bird.

Finally, a voice answered. "This better be important. I'm driving."

Liam's grip on the phone tightened. "It's Liam Blackwood."

A sharp intake of breath. "Oh! General Blackwood, I—I thought you were Ryan. I—"

"Pull over," Liam interrupted coldly. "Put Evelyn on. Now."

A pause. Then rustling. "Yes, sir. Evelyn? It's General Blackwood for you."

Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words.

Then, that voice. The one that haunted his dreams. "General Blackwood. To what do I owe this honor?"

The formal address struck him like a physical blow. All the words he'd prepared dissolved on his tongue.

He wanted to demand if she remembered her promises. If any of it had been real.

But her tone told him everything he needed to know.

He couldn't bear to hear her say "none of it mattered" again.

Swallowing hard, Liam forced his voice steady. "We need to talk. In person."

"Tomorrow at the base will suffice," came the cool reply.

"I mean alone," Liam pressed. "Just us. There are things we need to discuss privately."

"That won't be necessary." Her voice was ice.

Liam's gaze lifted to the skeletal winter trees. The cold in his chest outmatched the bitter wind.

A humorless smile twisted his lips. "You've changed."

The pause that followed was infinitesimal. "So have you."