Chapter 2
Inside the black tool case, everything had a place.
Punch tools.
Bore light.
Magnifier.
Torque driver.
Feeler gauges.
A small inspection mirror.
Every tool was clean.
Every tool was real.
Not decorative.
Not borrowed.
Hers.
Cole’s smirk started to fade.
Kira lifted one part from the table, turned it once, checked the wear pattern, and placed it aside.
Then another.
Then another.
Her hands moved fast.
Not rushed.
Precise.
Like she was hearing a rhythm no one else could hear.
Kira looked up at Cole.
“Then watch closely.”
The armory grew quieter.
Cole tried to laugh again, but it came out weak.
Kira picked up the M249 gas tube and held it under the lamp.
She rotated it until the crack caught the light.
Then she placed it flat on the table with a sharp metallic sound.
“This gas tube is cracked.”
Cole’s face hardened.
“That weapon passed inspection yesterday.”
“No,” Kira said. “It was signed off yesterday.”
A few soldiers shifted.
Kira turned to the rack on the wall.
“Rack Seven.”
Cole’s eyes flicked toward it.
Too fast.
Kira saw that too.
She walked to the rack and pulled down an M4.
Then another.
Then a third.
She laid them side by side on the table.
No hesitation.
No guessing.
She pointed at the first rifle.
“Wrong extractor spring.”
Second rifle.
“Mismatched bolt carrier group.”
Third rifle.
“Worn cam pin. Should’ve been pulled.”
The room went silent.
Kira looked at the weapons.
Then at Cole.
“Rack Seven could get someone killed.”
That sentence changed the air.
The young soldiers stopped smiling.
One of them looked at Rack Seven like it had become dangerous just by being named.
Cole turned toward his men.
His face was stiff now.
“Who touched Rack Seven?”
No one answered.
May you like
Kira said quietly, “You did.”
Read Part 3 to find out why Kira knew Cole’s name was already written all over the evidence.
