“You’re out of your depth!” I yelled from the shadows. “I’ve already uploaded the contents of that drive to a secure military server. Every word Vance ever sent is currently being read by the Pentagon’s Internal Affairs!”
The two men exchanged a look. They weren’t zealots; they were mercenaries. And mercenaries don’t fight for a losing cause.
“Check it,” the taller one muttered, pulling out a phone.
A moment later, his face paled. He looked at me, then at his partner. Without a word, they climbed back into their crippled vehicle, backed it up, and disappeared into the snowy dark. They knew the game was up. In the world of high-stakes corruption, the moment the light turns on, the cockroaches scatter.
I stood on the bridge for a long time, the cold air clearing the last of the poison from my system.
The fallout was massive. Richard Hale was sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison. Diane received seven for her role in the conspiracy and child endangerment. Kyle, in a final act of cowardice, turned state’s evidence against our father and received four years in a minimum-security facility. Colonel Vance was arrested at a private airfield trying to flee the country; he is currently awaiting a general court-martial.
