Chapter 5 - Family Ties
"Your cousin?" I kept my service pistol raised, my eyes locked onto Agent Vance as the distant wails of incoming emergency sirens grew louder by the second. "You knew about Apex Maritime?"
"I knew he had government contracts, yes! I didn't know he was running stolen military tech through active naval slips!" Vance protested, holding his hands up defensively as he stepped into the cargo hold, his boots clicking against the steel plating. "Marlo, you have to believe me. If I had known he was using Delphine as a pawn to get to your security credentials, I never would—"
"Save it for the federal magistrate, Agent," I interrupted, my voice dropping into an icy, unyielding register. "Right now, your cousin has three crates of classified naval avionics rolling out the main gate in a refrigerated food truck, using my sister's catering company as a moving front."
Before Vance could answer, his secure tactical radio squawked violently, cutting through the damp wind.
"Central dispatch to all perimeter units! We have a white refrigerated catering van matching Plate Number 8-Kilo-Delta-9 attempting to force the North Gate security checkpoint! Driver is refusing to stop!"
My head snapped toward the gate access road in the distance. Even from here, I could see the flashing strobe lights of the military police barriers half a mile away, where a familiar white catering van was currently accelerating directly toward the reinforced steel bollards at eighty miles an hour.
"Delphine is still in the base holding cell," Kettleman said, jogging up behind us, breathless and sweating. "If Bram is driving her van through the gate right now..."
"Then she wasn't just a pawn," I finished the sentence, a cold spike of realization piercing my chest. "She was the decoy. While we were focused on her temper tantrum at Pier 12, Bram was already inside the restricted zone using her company clearance pass to clear the secondary gates."
I holstered my weapon, turning on my heel with a sharp, decisive pivot. "Master Chief, lock down the entire base perimeter. Nobody leaves—military or civilian. Agent Vance, you're coming with me."
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"Where are we going?" Vance asked, his jaw set as he jogged to keep pace with my long strides down the pier.
"We're going to catch a family reunion," I said, sliding behind the wheel of my unmarked command sedan and slamming the door shut. "And this time, we're not stopping until every single secret comes to light."
