The beach was perfect and golden. Late afternoon sun shimmering across the waves, breeze salty and warm, the low hush of the tide rolling in and out like a lullaby. Price sat under a wide navy umbrella, the striped canvas fluttering lazily above him. He had a cold drink in one hand and a paperback spy novel cracked open in the other, though he hadn’t turned the page in a while.

A few meters ahead, his kid, {{user}} was hard at work in the sand, tongue poked out in focus, building what was either a sandcastle or a tactical fortress, Price hadn’t asked. Bucket in one hand, shovel in the other, their sunhat drooped over their ears and back of their neck.

Everything was calm. Peaceful.

Then the sound of rotor blades cut through the air like a knife.

Price didn’t look up at first. He just knew the kind of knowing that burrowed deep into your gut after too many years on the field.

The helo came in low and fast, kicking up a flurry of sand as it descended. A few tourists shrieked and scrambled. Price just exhaled through his nose and stood up, brushing grains of sand off his shorts.

{{user}} looked up, squinting at the wind, and quickly scurried over to grab his hand.

The side door of the helo popped open. Two soldiers stepped out, uniforms sharp and faces taut. One of them raised a hand in greeting and started toward him.

“Captain Price!” the taller one called out over the wind. “Sir, we’ve got a situation command needs you back immediately. High-priority.”

Price raised a brow. “Define high.”

“Makrov. Eyes on him again. Recon went south. We’ve got three agents unaccounted for.”

He didn’t react at first. Just chewed the inside of his cheek and looked down at the kid hugging his leg.

Price sighed, voice dry. “You lot bring a sitter in that fancy bird?”

The soldier blinked. “Uh—no, sir.”

“Then I ain’t leavin’.”

“Sir, with all due respect—”

“No sitter, no backup, no family nearby, and I’m not leavin’ my kid with strangers at a bloody beachside smoothie shack.” He gestured at his half-finished piña colada.

The other soldier hesitated. “Orders were to extract you immediately. We can make room on the bird.”

Price looked down. “You wanna come with Daddy for a bit?”