Chapter 4: “The investigation is being restructured,” Grant said.
“The investigation is being restructured,” Grant said.
“By who?”
“CID.”
My blood went cold.
“The complaint I filed—”
“Is now the center of a federal inquiry into training abuses.”
“Federal?”
“Someone at the command level has been covering for conduct that goes beyond Vega.”
The front door opened before he could say more.
Special Agent Naomi Cross stood in the doorway.
She was tall, sharp-eyed, wearing civilian clothes that did nothing to hide her military bearing.
“Recruit Mercer.”
“Special Agent Cross.”
“You’re not a recruit anymore.”
“I completed eleven and a half miles.”
She studied me.
“Come inside.”
We followed her into a conference room.
On the table lay a manila folder stamped with my name.
I sat down.
Cross sat across from me.
“Do you know why you were selected for this assignment?”
“I was told it was because of my evaluation scores. Recruit monitoring program.”
“That’s what you were told.”
I felt something heavy settle in my chest.
“Who selected me?”
Cross opened the folder.
She turned a page toward me.
And there, in the signature block above my name, was the name I least expected.
Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Hale.
“Your assignment was authorized by the same officer who is now the subject of the investigation.”
The air left the room.
“Then Hale wanted me to report on Vega,” I said slowly.
“Yes.”
“But he also wanted Vega removed.”
“Yes.”
“And he filed the complaint against Vega personally.”
“Yes.”
“So he set me up to be the one who buries him.”
Cross closed the folder.
“That’s the theory.”
The room felt very small.
I looked at Grant.
He wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Why?” I asked, my voice barely steady. “Vega reported a training incident. Hale was responsible. Vega filed the complaint, and Hale buried it. But what does Vega have that Hale still fears?”
Cross leaned back.
“That’s the next phase of the investigation.”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
She looked at me.
“You’re supposed to ask the question that hasn’t been asked yet.”
Grand.
“Which is?”
Cross stood.
“Why did Hale volunteer to take over the investigation into Staff Sergeant Vega—the very incident that could destroy him—if he was the one who orchestrated it?”
Silence.
I stared at the folder.
“I don’t know,” I said.
Cross walked to the door.
“Then you haven’t read the whole file.”
She left.
Grant took the folder.
“What’s in it?”
He opened the last page.
His face went white.
“It’s a list of training incidents reported over the past three years,” he said slowly. “Every single one is attributed to Vega.”
“But?”
“But underneath each one is a reference to a second officer who approved continued training after medical flags were raised.”
Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Hale.
“They were approved,” he repeated. “All of them.”
And suddenly I knew why I had been chosen.
Not to watch Vega.
But to watch what happened when the truth got out.
“Sir,” I said, “who’s guarding your files?”
Grant’s eyes lifted to mine.
“Vega.”
The word hung between us.
And for the first time in my life, I didn’t know if I was protecting the truth or walking straight into a trap.
…If you want to know what happened next, type YES and like for more.
Vega.
The name landed in my chest like a stone dropped into still water. I had spent six weeks bracing against his voice, his judgment, his certainty that I was nothing. And now the one person who had the most reason to destroy me was the one standing between our files and the man who wanted them gone.
I turned to Grant. “You trusted him with that?”
“I didn’t have a choice.” Grant’s voice was low. “Hale’s people have been in and out of the records office all week. The only person I could guarantee wasn’t on Hale’s payroll was the man he was trying to bury.”
“That’s not trust. That’s leverage.”
“It’s the same thing in this building.”
I wanted to argue, but the door opened before I could.
Vega stepped inside.
He wasn’t wearing the campaign hat. His uniform was still damp from the morning formation, and there was a dark bruise forming along his jaw that I hadn’t noticed before.
“How much did you hear?” Grant asked.
“Enough.” Vega’s eyes moved to me. “You should be in the hospital.”
“I should be finishing a march.”
“You should be letting somebody else fight this.”
I stepped closer to him. “You don’t get to decide that.”
“Last time I checked, I’m still the ranking non-commissioned officer in this room.”
“And last time I checked, your authority is pending investigation.”
Vega’s jaw tightened. For a long moment, we just stared at each other.
Then Grant stepped between us. “Enough. We don’t have time for this.”