Chapter 4 - SHADOWS IN THE COMMAND
Rachel stared at her father in stunned, motionless silence.
The words hung in the air of the ruined room like a heavy poison.
"Mom's crash... was targeted?" Rachel asked, her voice barely audible over the hum of the wind outside.
"She uncovered a dark money network operating inside the defense procurement sector," the Admiral explained.
"A shadow syndicate transferring military assets to offshore private contractors."
"She brought the paper trail to me two days before her car was forced off the mountain pass."
"I spent six years trying to prove who was behind it without putting you in danger."
The agent in the blue raincoat stepped closer, pulling a encrypted satellite phone from his coat pocket.
"Admiral, we have an incoming priority call," the agent interrupted, his face grave.
"The device is ringing on the secondary secure channel."
tactical squad radio static crackled faintly from the hallway outside.
The Admiral stood up slowly, adjusting the cuffs of his white dress uniform.
"Who is caller ID showing?" the Admiral asked.
"It's routed through the Pentagon main switchboard," the agent replied, looking at the glowing screen.
"It's coming directly from the office of the Secretary of Defense."
Rachel gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hand.
"The Secretary?" Rachel whispered in horror. "Dad, is he involved in this?"
"Don't answer it yet, Marcus," the Admiral commanded, holding up his hand to stop the agent.
Agent Marcus paused, his thumb hovering just millimeters above the green answer button.
"Why?" Marcus asked, frowning slightly. "If he's calling, he knows the tactical team was deployed."
"He knows more than that," the Admiral said, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper.
"Look at the timestamp on the incoming connection call."
Marcus glanced down at the small digital display on the encrypted handset.
"It was placed two minutes before Ethan even broke through the living room door," Marcus noted, his eyes widening.
"Exactly," the Admiral said, turning his gaze toward the dark window overlooking the driveway.
"The order to clear this house wasn't sent to save Rachel."
"It was sent to eliminate Ethan before he could talk to me."
Suddenly, the glass in the bay window shattered inward with a deafening crack.
A high-velocity sniper round tore through the frame, missing the Admiral's head by mere inches.
The bullet struck the heavy oak table behind them, sending sharp wooden splinters flying through the room.
"Get down!" Marcus roared, throwing his heavy frame over Rachel and Lily.
The Admiral drew his sidearm from his hip holster in one lightning-fast motion.
"They aren't trying to capture Ethan," the Admiral yelled over the sound of incoming fire.
May you like
"They're here to wipe out everyone in this room!"
Another shot cracked through the night air, shattering the ceiling light and plunging the room into total darkness.
