Chapter 17 - THE PRICE OF SILENCE
Blake’s arrogant posture stiffened. The cold, absolute void in Maya’s dark eyes finally penetrated his political armor, triggering a sudden, primal wave of fear that made his pulse race against his collar.
"Maya..." Blake stammered, his voice dropping an octave as he looked at the dark steel pistol in her hand. "Think about what you're doing. If I die in this office, Fort Bragg goes into full lockdown within five minutes. You'll never clear the outer gate."
"The outer gate was cleared twenty minutes ago," a deep, booming baritone voice spoke from the doorway of Office 314.
Blake turned his head toward the entrance.
Standing in the doorway, wearing his dark olive service uniform with his Master Sergeant rank insignia gleaming under the faint corridor light, was Vance.
His face was hard as granite, his hands clasped behind his back in a formal parade-rest posture. Behind him stood two Master-at-Arms officers armed with high-density security restraints and sidearms.
Blake stared at Vance in sheer disbelief. "Vance...? You're in on this? You authorized an unsanctioned breach of my administrative suite?"
"I didn't authorize a breach, Colonel," Vance said calmly, stepping into the room as the two Master-at-Arms officers moved past him to secure the corners of the office. "I accompanied the Military Police to execute an arrest warrant issued forty-five minutes ago by the Judge Advocate General’s office."
Blake’s face turned white as sheet paper. "An arrest warrant? On what charges?"
Kane stepped forward, tapping the terminal screen on Blake’s desk. "Treason, grand larceny, illegal distribution of classified defense materials, and conspiracy to commit murder against active and retired military personnel."
Vance stopped beside his daughter, looking down at the mahogany desk where the encrypted flash drive sat beside Blake’s gold-plated pen set.
"You thought you were buying silence, Blake," Vance said, his voice carrying the immovable weight of a mountain. "You thought that because Division Four operated in the shadows, nobody was watching the ledger. But you forgot one thing about operators like Maya and Kane."
May you like
"What's that?" Blake whispered, his voice trembling slightly as one of the Master-at-Arms officers stepped up behind his chair, pulling his hands behind his back to apply the heavy steel cuffs.
"They don't leave loose ends," Vance replied softly.
