Chapter 8 - THE NET CLOSES
orty-eight hours after the sting at the Coronado pier, the investigation had expanded into a
multi-agency federal task force.
Under the threat of a life sentence in a federal penitentiary, Commander Holt had broken
completely. He surrendered his private encrypted laptop, containing two years of direct
correspondence with Vice Admiral Sterling, detailed shipping manifests, and bank routing numbers
for offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands.
I sat in a secure conference room at Naval Air Station North Island, drying my hair with a towel
while reviewing the final arrest warrants signed by a federal judge.
“We have him,“ Admiral Vale said, walking into the room with a cup of hot black coffee. “The
Department of Justice and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) are mobilizing. Sterling is
currently at a high-level military tech symposium in San Diego, completely unaware that his entire
network has collapsed.“
“He’s going to try to run,“ I warned, taking a sip of the warm coffee. “He has the clearance to board
any military transport aircraft. If he realizes we’ve seized Holt’s servers, he’ll be on a flight to a nonextradition country before sunset.“
“We’ve already flagged his name on the Joint Air Military Command database,“ Vale assured me.
“But he still has allies. Elena, the Inspector General wants you to lead the arrest team. You earned
this.“
I looked down at the clean uniform on my desk. “This isn’t about personal glory, Marcus. It’s about
sending a message to every sailor in the fleet. The uniform we wear is sacred. Anyone who sells it out
for personal gain belongs behind bars.“
“And what about Petty Officer Mercer?“
“He’s already signed a full confession,“ I replied. “He’ll be spending the next twenty years at the
military brig in Fort Leavenworth. The junior clerks he bullied are finally breathing easy.“
“And the scar?“ Vale asked softly, looking at my collarbone.
I smiled, a genuine, warm expression that rarely touched my face. “It’s a reminder of why I’m still
here, Marcus. To protect the people who can’t protect themselves.“
I stood up, buttoning my uniform jacket, the gold insignia of the Inspector General shining in the
morning light. “Let’s go arrest an Admiral.“
May you like
The Scars of Honor: Takedown at Coronado 15
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