Chapter 11 - THE DINER
At 5:58 the next morning, Lena sat in a booth at a roadside diner.
Colonel Hale was furious about it.
Which was why he was sitting in an unmarked car across the highway with two investigators.
Lena had agreed to go alone inside.
Technically.
A waitress poured coffee.
“You waiting on somebody?”
“Yes.”
“Boyfriend?”
Lena almost smiled.
“No.”
“Good. You look too stressed for romance.”
At 6:04, a man entered wearing jeans, work boots, and a dark jacket.
Mid-thirties.
Military posture that civilian clothes couldn’t hide.
Mason Reed.
He slid into the booth.
“You Mercer?”
“Yes.”
He studied her.
“You look younger than I expected.”
“You sound more paranoid than I expected.”
Reed almost smiled.
“Paranoia kept my records from disappearing.”
He placed a small black drive on the table.
Lena looked at it.
“That’s everything?”
“Copies.”
“Where are the originals?”
“Safe.”
“Why trust me?”
“I don’t.”
He pushed the drive halfway toward her.
“I trust what happened to you.”
Lena reached for it.
Reed held it down with one finger.
“One condition.”
“What?”
“When this comes out, Torres’ name stays private unless he agrees.”
“Fine.”
“And the others.”
“Fine.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Reed released the drive.
Lena picked it up.
Then a black SUV entered the parking lot.
Reed’s face changed.
“Do you know that vehicle?”
“No.”
He turned slightly.
Two men got out.
One was Major Eric Dalton.
Lena’s heart slammed.
“How did he know?”
Reed stood.
“That’s a damn good question.”
Across the road, Hale had already seen them.
His car door opened.
Dalton entered the diner alone.
He spotted Lena.
Then Reed.
His face went still.
“Well.”
He walked toward them.
“This is interesting.”
Lena stood.
“Major.”
“Private Mercer.”
His eyes dropped toward her closed hand.
“What are you holding?”
“Coffee money.”
Dalton smiled.
“I doubt that.”
Reed stepped between them.
“You should leave.”
Dalton ignored him.
“Mercer, you’re inserting yourself into a situation you don’t understand.”
Lena’s voice remained steady.
“I understand complaints disappeared.”
“You understand rumors.”
“I understand somebody broke into my locker.”
“Also a rumor.”
“I understand Specialist Vaughn assaulted me in front of a hundred witnesses.”
Dalton’s smile vanished.
“You need to be careful with words like assault.”
“Why?”
“Because careers can be destroyed.”
Lena looked directly at him.
“Whose?”
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Dalton lowered his voice.
“You think Colonel Hale will protect you?”
Lena felt something cold settle in her stomach.
Vaughn had said almost the same thing.
Dalton leaned closer.
“He’ll retire someday. Ruiz will transfer. You’ll move on.”
His eyes hardened.
“But the Army is small.”
Reed stepped forward.
“That sounded like a threat.”
Dalton looked at him.
“Then your hearing hasn’t improved.”
The diner door opened.
Colonel Hale walked in.
Dalton’s expression changed.
Hale approached the booth.
“Major.”
“Sir.”
“What are you doing here?”
Dalton recovered quickly.
“Personal business.”
“Forty miles from post?”
“Yes, sir.”
“At six in the morning?”
Dalton smiled.
“I didn’t realize my leave required an itinerary.”
“It doesn’t.”
Hale looked toward the SUV.
“But you’re not on leave yet.”
Dalton froze.
Hale continued.
“Your request was never approved.”
Silence.
Two investigators entered behind him.
Dalton looked at Lena’s hand.
Then at Reed.
Then at Hale.
“What exactly is happening here?”
Hale’s voice was calm.
“You’re going to tell us.”
Dalton laughed.
“You have nothing.”
Lena slowly opened her hand.
The black drive rested in her palm.
Dalton’s face lost all color.
Reed watched him.
“That look says otherwise.”
May you like
And for the first time since this started, Major Dalton looked afraid.
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