Chapter 5 - In the Dark
I slid my weapon from the safe, my grip tight and steady.
Eleven years at a desk had not erased my basic combat training.
I moved silently down the hallway, pressing my back against the wall.
The kitchen was bathed in the pale light of the moon shining through the blinds.
A shadow moved near my kitchen island.
The intruder was digging through the cabinet where I kept my physical case files.
I stepped into the doorway and raised my weapon.
"Freeze and put your hands where I can see them," I commanded.
The figure froze instantly.
Slowly, the man turned around, raising his hands in the air.
It was David, my ex-husband.
He looked terrified, his eyes darting between my face and the barrel of my gun.
"Rachel, don't shoot!" he stammered.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't," I replied coldly.
"They made me do it," he whined, taking a step back.
"Who is they, David?" I demanded.
"The guys in the suits," he confessed, his voice shaking.
"They paid off my gambling debts and told me Monica would get custody."
"They said all I had to do was steal your backup hard drive."
He pointed to the black external drive clutched in his left hand.
It contained every piece of evidence I had gathered against the corrupt defense contractors.
"Put it on the counter," I ordered.
He carefully placed the drive down, sweating profusely.
"Monica is crazy, Rachel," he whispered.
"She doesn't even want Eli."
"She just wants the trust fund money they promised her."
I felt a sickening twist in my stomach at my sister's betrayal.
"Get out of my house, David," I told him.
"And if I ever see you near my son again, I won't just pull a gun."
He scrambled past me and ran out the back door into the night.
I walked over to the counter to retrieve my hard drive.
But as I picked it up, I noticed a blinking red light on the bottom of it.
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It wasn't a hard drive at all.
It was a high-grade military explosive, and the timer was counting down from ten seconds.
