As the plane touched down at 0600, a flood of emotions surged through me. I was returning home under circumstances I never imagined. Martinez, true to his word, was waiting at the terminal. His presence was reassuring in this turbulent time.
“Ready?” he asked, eyeing my somber expression.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, gripping my duffel bag a little tighter. The familiar weight on my shoulder was comforting, but the uncertainty of what lay ahead gnawed at me.
