Dr. Millie Colburn has worked hard to become the woman Bruse knows-quiet, capable, steady-handed, and endlessly devoted to protecting her people. She keeps her practice running, shoulders more than she admits, and maintains a composure that others mistake for calm. With her wedding only days away, she wants nothing more than a peaceful future with the man she loves.

But when a gruesome killing shatters the town's calm, Millie is dragged into an investigation she never wanted to touch. Old memories begin to surface-sterile rooms, watchful strangers, and a childhood shaped by secrets she was never allowed to question. As suspicion grows and violence spreads, Millie realizes the truth may be far closer to her than she ever imagined.

Jason P. Crawford is a high school science teacher and writer living in Lancaster, California. He spends his time playing tabletop RPGs with his four kids and working with his wonderful wife on their shared dreams of publishing success. He has short stories published in Once Upon a Future Time, Vol. 4 by the Brothers Uber, The Vampire Survival Guide by Wonderbird Press, and in Starspun Lit magazine. He was also a top-ten Finalist in the Baen Fantasy Adventure Awards for 2024, received 3rd place in the Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Awards for 2025, and continues publishing novels of both science-fiction and fantasy.