Chapter 10 - The Unreachable Sister
Cassie Owens adjusted her white patrol cap beneath her left arm. She did not offer a grand speech, nor did she issue a formal reprimand to her younger brother. She simply turned her head and looked at Brandon one last time.
Her eyes were calm, sad, and entirely detached—the look of a senior officer looking at a junior sailor who had completely failed to understand the world he operated in.
Without saying a word, Cassie stepped past him.
Her black dress shoes clicked crisply against the metal grating of the gangway as she began her ascent toward the main deck of the USS Sterett. The Admiral and his command staff fell into step behind her, maintaining a respectful three-pace distance as they escorted her onto the ship.
On the wet pier below, Brandon Owens stood completely frozen beneath the morning sun.
The surrounding sailors stared at him in utter disbelief. The Military Police officer let out a long, shaky breath, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead despite the cold sea breeze.
Brandon stared up at the gray steel superstructure of the warship, watching his sister disappear through the heavy steel hatch at the top of the ramp.
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For thirty-two years, he had believed she was just his quiet older sister with an ordinary desk job. Now, standing alone on the cold asphalt beside the water, he finally realized the terrifying truth:
He had never actually known who she was.
