Chapter 8 - THE FALL OF SAMUEL VOSSVoss didn't scream when agents cuffed him.
Men like him rarely did.
Power had taught him that consequences were things that happened to other people.
Even now, he believed somebody would intervene.
Claire stood before him.
“You'll never get this into daylight,” Voss said.
“Already there.”
Adrian held up his phone.
Encrypted copies had been sent to inspectors general, federal prosecutors, congressional investigators, journalists and attorneys representing several Ridge Kilo families.
Voss's confidence finally cracked.
“You idiot.”
“No,” Adrian replied. “I'm Evelyn Shaw's son.”
Voss looked at Claire.
“You could have had a remarkable career.”
Claire glanced toward the surviving members of Iron Team.
“I had something better.”
“What?”
“A team.”
Agents took him away.
By sunrise, the recreation bar had been closed to everyone except them.
Ten chairs surrounded the old table.
Nine operators.
One empty chair.
Thomas.
Rebecca stood behind it.
Daniel held the corrected Ridge Kilo report.
CONVOY ACTIONS: AUTHORIZED.
PERSONNEL CONDUCT: EXEMPLARY.
COMPROMISE SOURCE: EXTERNAL.
Fourteen years of shame vanished in three lines.
Mason apologized to Claire.
She accepted.
Adrian finally stood beside Daniel and Mason.
Three sons of Everett Reed.
Strangers connected by secrets inherited from people who had died trying to protect them.
It should have ended there.
Voss exposed.
Iron Team restored.
Thomas honored.
Evelyn cleared.
But Rebecca approached Claire carrying an old letter.
“My father wrote something on the back.”
Claire turned it over.
Three words appeared.
ASK CLAIRE WHY.
Beneath them was another line.
In Claire's handwriting.
IF RIDGE KILO FAILS, EXECUTE IRONFALL.
Claire dropped the page.
May you like
Because suddenly she remembered.
She had been involved before the ambush.
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