Chapter 6 - The Weight of Retaliation
The metallic slam of the holding cell door echoed down the white-tiled corridor long after the marshals had hauled Richard Vance’s disgraced clients away.
Captain Miller remained standing by the security checkpoint, holding the dossier under his arm as he watched the heavy doors lock into place. He turned his head slowly, his eyes meeting mine with a mixture of professional respect and deep, lingering caution.
"You just kicked a hornet’s nest that's been building for twenty years, Corporal," Miller said, his voice dropping into a quiet, gravelly tone. "Vance isn't just some high-priced corporate defense hack. His firm represents half the defense contractors tied to this region's logistics supply chain. By pushing for federal indictments instead of a standard base restriction, you've turned a local family feud into a high-level jurisdictional battle."
I winced slightly, pressing a palm against my wrapped ribs where a dull throb reminded me of Brooke’s boot. "A family feud implies both sides have skin in the game, Captain. They broke into a secure military facility. They assaulted a service member. If I let that slide because of a last name or a corporate lawyer, I'm abandoning every standard this uniform stands for."
Miller offered a faint, approving nod. "Command agrees with you. The base commander has already authorized a full lockdown of visitor clearance for the three detainees. But Vance isn't going down without a fight. His associates are already filing an emergency writ of habeas corpus in the civilian district court, claiming military overreach."
"Let them try," I said, my jaw tightening. "Federal law regarding military installation security is crystal clear."
"It is," Miller agreed, stepping closer. "Which brings us to the real problem. While you were dealing with Vance in the hallway, NCIS finished processing your father’s personal effects recovered from the car they drove onto the base. They found something else in Daniel Mercer’s coat pocket."
My breath hitched. "What?"
Miller pulled a folded, weathered envelope from his pocket and handed it to me. "A certified cashier’s check made out to your father’s name for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, dated three days ago—signed by an LLC that currently holds a multi-million-dollar supply contract under Vance’s primary corporate umbrella."
May you like
I stared at the slip of paper, the numbers blurring slightly under the fluorescent lights. My father hadn't just followed Lenora and Brooke to my apartment because he was trapped. He had been bought.
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