Chapter 8
The mountain air was crisp, biting at my lungs as we stepped onto the wooden deck.
The moon reflected off the black water of the lake like a jagged silver blade.
"Bennett found the owner of the number," I told him, gripping the wooden railing until my knuckles turned white.
James didn't speak. He just waited.
"It’s General Vance."
James stiffened.
For a man who had seen the worst of combat, it was rare to see him lose his composure.
But his jaw clenched so hard I could hear the bone pop.
"Vance was buried in Arlington," James said, his voice dropping an octave.
"I attended the honorary service myself when I was a young private."
"The coffin was empty," I countered. "They told us the body was lost at sea."
"It wasn't lost."
"He walked away."
James looked out over the dark water, his mind clearly racing through decades of military history.
"Your father was Vance's right-hand man, Daniel."
"If Vance faked his death, your father either helped him do it, or..."
He trailed off, but he didn't need to finish the sentence.
Or my father was killed because he refused to help him.
The thought sent a physical chill down my spine.
"Kevin Lawson's father, Richard, was court-martialed for selling information," I murmured, piecing the fragments together.
"Vance was the commander who signed the court-martial paperwork."
James turned to face me fully.
"Think about it, Daniel."
"Why would Kevin Lawson, a decorated First Sergeant, risk his entire career to help your mother steal your trust fund?"
"Because he wasn't doing it for your mother."
"He was doing it for his father's old commander."
"Your mother was just the distraction."
"The loud, greedy shield used to hide the real player on the board."
Suddenly, the peaceful lakeside house didn't feel so safe anymore.
The towering pine trees surrounding us felt like hiding places for watchers in the dark.
"We aren't alone here, are we?" I asked.
James reached under his jacket, adjusting the holster of his sidearm.
May you like
"No," he said quietly.
"And we haven't been since we arrived."
