Chapter 1 - The Commander Covered in Beer
The entire bar went silent when Sergeant Ryan Cole finally understood whose dress he had just soaked in beer.
Thirty seconds earlier, he had been laughing.
Now he looked like a man watching the floor disappear beneath his boots.
Beer dripped from Elena Graves's dark red satin dress and gathered in small amber puddles around her heels. French fries were scattered across her lap, the table, and the sticky wooden floor.
Across from her, Jake Miller had stopped smiling.
Chris Dalton's mouth hung slightly open.
Matt Brooks still held his phone in front of him, but his hand had begun to tremble.
On the wet table between them lay Elena's military identification.
Ryan stared at it.
Then at her.
Then back at the card.
"Commander Graves?"
Elena slowly rose.
She didn't wipe the beer from her dress.
She didn't raise her voice.
That somehow made the moment worse.
"Sergeant Ryan Cole," she said.
Ryan swallowed.
"Ma'am, I—"
The front door opened.
Colonel Thomas Mercer entered with two uniformed officers behind him.
Every Marine in the bar immediately recognized Mercer.
Several patrons straightened instinctively.
Mercer crossed the room, stopped beside Elena, and looked at the destruction surrounding her.
The overturned fries.
The empty beer glass.
The wet dress.
Then he noticed Matt's phone.
"Is that recording?" Mercer asked.
Matt lowered it.
Elena stopped him.
"No."
Matt froze.
"Keep recording."
Ryan's face lost its color.
Elena picked up a napkin and slowly wiped beer from her cheek.
"Commander," Ryan said quickly, "this was a misunderstanding."
"No."
Her answer was quiet.
"It wasn't."
Ryan glanced toward his friends.
Jake immediately looked away.
Chris stared at the floor.
Matt lowered his phone another inch.
Elena pointed at it.
"I said keep recording."
Matt reluctantly raised it again.
Elena turned toward Ryan.
"You poured beer over a civilian because you believed she couldn't do anything about it."
Ryan opened his mouth.
"You allowed your friends to humiliate her because you believed your uniform protected you."
"Ma'am—"
"And then you gave her your name."
A few people in the bar exchanged looks.
Ryan's arrogance was disappearing rapidly.
Elena leaned slightly closer.
"That was the smartest thing you did tonight."
Ryan swallowed again.
"Commander Graves, if you'll allow me to explain—"
"Tomorrow."
Elena picked up her purse.
Ryan blinked.
"Tomorrow?"
"0600."
She stepped around him.
"Building Twelve."
Ryan's expression changed.
Everyone stationed at Fort Harrison knew Building Twelve.
Administrative investigations.
Command review.
Career-ending conversations.
"Commander..."
Elena stopped beside him.
"Bring your friends."
Jake looked up sharply.
Chris whispered something under his breath.
Matt finally stopped recording.
Elena looked directly at him.
"And bring the original video."
Mercer opened the door for her.
Before Elena stepped outside, Ryan found enough courage to ask the question everyone was thinking.
"Ma'am... what exactly is happening tomorrow?"
Elena looked over her shoulder.
"The reason I'm here."
Then she left.
The door closed.
For three seconds nobody moved.
Then Jake grabbed Ryan by the shoulder.
"What the hell did you just do?"
Ryan shoved him away.
"Me?"
"You poured beer on the incoming commander!"
"You dumped fries on her!"
"Because you started it!"
Chris looked toward Matt.
"Delete the video."
Matt hesitated.
"Now!"
Matt unlocked his phone.
But before his thumb reached the screen, a new message appeared.
Unknown number.
DO NOT DELETE GOVERNMENT EVIDENCE.
Matt's face went white.
Ryan snatched the phone.
"What?"
Then another message appeared.
YOU FOUR ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES BEING TESTED.
The men stared at one another.
The laughter in the bar was gone.
Ryan slowly looked toward the door through which Elena had disappeared.
For the first time that night, he realized something far worse than humiliating his new commander might have happened.
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Elena Graves had known exactly where they would be.
And she had walked into that bar alone.
