Chapter 1 - The Serial Number
Miles Kerr stared at the heavy black coin in his hand as if it had suddenly caught fire.
The entire dining room was so quiet that I could hear the grandfather clock ticking in the hallway.
Graham leaned forward, his military posture rigid with newfound shock.
"What else is on that coin, Miles?" Graham demanded.
Miles slowly lifted his eyes from the metal surface.
He looked directly at my husband, Evan, before looking back at me.
"It has the manufacturing serial code of the faulty turbine that nearly killed my son," Miles whispered.
The color completely drained from Evan's face.
Chase took a sudden step toward the older man.
"Give me that right now," Chase ordered.
"You have absolutely no right to read her personal property."
I stepped between Chase and Miles, planting my feet in a defensive stance.
"He has every right to read it because I earned it the day I dragged his son's jet out of the sky."
I turned to look at my husband.
"Why does Chase care about a turbine serial number, Evan?"
Evan stared down at the ruined white tablecloth.
He refused to meet my gaze.
For two years, I had believed this man loved me for who I was.
Now, I was realizing that my entire marriage might have been a calculated assignment.
Graham stood up from the head of the table.
His jaw was clenched tight with barely suppressed rage.
"Because our family's aerospace company manufactured that exact batch of turbines."
Graham turned to his youngest son with a look of pure disgust.
"Chase, did you authorize substandard parts for Navy fighter jets?"
Chase let out a nervous, high-pitched laugh.
"Dad, you cannot possibly believe this crazy woman."
He lunged across the table to grab the coin from Miles.
My hand shot out and gripped his wrist, twisting it just enough to drop him to his knees.
"Do not touch him," I warned.
Evan finally found his voice.
"Lauren, let him go before you ruin everything."
"Ruin what, Evan?" I asked.
"Did you marry me just to keep an eye on the only pilot who knew the turbines were failing?"
Evan looked at the dining room doors with genuine panic in his eyes.
"I did it to keep you alive."
Graham reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small electronic remote.
He pressed a red button on the device.
Heavy steel security shutters immediately slammed down over every window and door in the room.
"Nobody is leaving this house until I get the truth," Graham announced.
May you like
Chase smiled from the floor and reached into his own jacket.
He pulled out a silver handgun and pointed it directly at my chest.
