Chapter 16 - The Commander’s Line
I didn't panic. In combat, panic is the quickest way to get everyone around you killed. In civilian life, panic just lets the predators dictate the terms.
"Tyler, pack a bag. You and your sister are going to Major Bennett’s house tonight," I commanded, pulling out my own phone as I climbed out of the crawlspace.
"David, what are you doing?" Lauren asked, hurrying down the stairs after me. "If you call the police, they’ll arrest Tyler! You saw the papers—his name is on everything!"
"The local police don't have jurisdiction over stolen Department of Defense communications hardware," I said, dialing a secure personal number from memory. "And Tyler is a minor who was coerced under criminal extortion. I’m not letting this bastard destroy my son to cover his own theft."
The line clicked on the fourth ring. Major Bennett’s deep, gravelly voice cut through the static. "Bennett here."
"Frank, it's David," I said without preamble. "I need your secure line, and I need a direct patch to CID Field Office East. The missing Falcon-3 comm gear from Fort Bragg isn't in Eastern Europe. It's sitting under my furnace."
A heavy silence fell over the other end of the line, followed by the sound of Bennett sitting up straight in his desk chair. "David... tell me you’re joking."
"Julian Vance planted it in my house using my son's coerced identity while I was deployed. He just threatened Tyler. He wants the cases moved to a drop site in Wilmington within forty-eight hours."
May you like
"Do not touch that gear, David," Bennett ordered, his military authority snapping into place. "Keep your family away from the house. CID has had Vance on a federal watchlist for seven months, but we couldn't connect him to the physical hardware. If he’s tracking that shipment, he’s not working alone. He has a buyer."
"I don't care about the buyer, Frank," I replied coldly. "I care about my son's future. I’m bringing Tyler and Maya to your place in thirty minutes. After that, you and I are setting a trap."
