Chapter 2 - The Confrontation in the Corridor"Well, well, well," Julian sneered, stepping closer and leaning against the stone pillar with a theatrical swagger. "If it isn't our resident war hero. Tell me, Clarissa, did you have to sleep with half the Pentagon to get a Deputy Assistant Secretary to salute you, or do they just hand those out to field medics now?"
I didn't flinch. I had spent years treating soldiers screaming in agony under mortar fire; Julian's petty insecurity was nothing more than static electricity.
"Go back inside, Julian," I said evenly, keeping my voice low. "You’re embarrassing yourself."
"Embarrassing myself?" Julian scoffed, taking a sip of his drink and spilling a drop onto his silk lapel. "You’re the one standing out here in the freezing rain talking to government officials like you actually belong in this room. Father is furious, by the way. He’s inside trying to salvage his pride because a bunch of defense contractors just watched his estranged daughter get treated like royalty."
Harrison Reed turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Julian. The sheer chilling authority radiating from a senior Pentagon official made Julian step back instinctively, the bravado draining from his face.
"Mr. Vance," Harrison said, his voice smooth and lethally polite. "In my line of work, we measure a person’s worth by what they do when lives are on the line. Your sister saved a dozen wounded soldiers during a compound siege in Kandahar while under heavy fire. What, exactly, have you achieved this month besides managing to hold a glass without dropping it?"
Julian’s face flushed crimson. He opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out. He glared at me with pure venom, muttered an obscenity under his breath, and spun around, storming back into the warmth of the reception hall.
Harrison watched him go, then turned to me. "You have a target on your back, Clarissa. Your father’s network spans intelligence, defense contracting, and federal lobbying. If there’s a ledger in that Georgetown estate, you need to get to it before Arthur’s legal team locks down the property."
"My grandfather gave me clearance," I said, my mind racing. "Or at least, he implied he did. But Arthur is the primary executor of the estate."
"Executors can be bypassed if there’s a direct military directive or an independent clause," Harrison murmured, tapping his chin. "Give me two hours. I’ll check the legal framework of the General’s final directives. Meet me at safehouse delta near the river at midnight. Don't go to Georgetown alone."
"I can take care of myself, Harrison."
May you like
"I know you can," he replied with a faint, respectful smile. "That's why I'm worried about what you'll do to anyone who tries to stop you."
With that, Harrison nodded, pulled his coat tighter against the wind, and walked toward his waiting armored vehicle. The red taillights faded into the sheets of rain, leaving me alone on the steps with my grandfather's lighter burning cold against my palm.
