Chapter 2
Caleb’s hand curled at his side.
Before anyone noticed, two military police officers walked onto the stage.
Their boots hit the marble floor like gunshots.
The applause faded.
The first officer grabbed Caleb’s left arm.
The second grabbed his right.
“Staff Sergeant Caleb Vance,” the MP said, loud enough for every microphone to catch, “you’re being detained.”
The hall froze.
General Hollis turned sharply.
“What the hell is this?”
Caleb did not fight.
He did not pull away.
He only looked toward the crowd as the officers tightened their grip.
His mother stood up.
“No,” she cried. “No, what are you doing to my son?”
The MP officer ignored her.
“Staff Sergeant Vance is under investigation for treason, conspiracy, and the unauthorized release of classified mission details.”
Gasps tore through the hall.
Reporters surged forward.
Cameras flashed.
Caleb’s mother stumbled, and another woman caught her before she fell.
General Hollis looked at Caleb like the floor had disappeared beneath him.
“Caleb,” he whispered. “Tell me this is wrong.”
Caleb’s eyes stayed locked on the men in black suits.
“You’re arresting the wrong man.”
Near the back doors, the man in the center smiled again.
His name was Marcus Hale.
Most people knew him as a government security consultant.
Caleb knew him as the man who had sold his unit to the enemy.
The MPs pulled Caleb backward.
His boots scraped against the stage.
The medal on his chest shifted under the lights.
Caleb looked down at it.
There, along the bottom edge, barely visible beneath the polished bronze, was a tiny scratch.
Not random.
Not damage.
A mark.
A symbol.
The same mark Caleb had seen burned into a weapons crate in the desert.
The same mark carved into a flash drive found beside a dead informant.
The same mark Hale’s men used when they moved secrets through military channels like currency.
General Hollis noticed Caleb staring.
His face changed.
“What is that?”
Caleb lifted his chin.
May you like
“That medal was bait.”
Read Part 3 to find out why the medal on Caleb’s chest was never just an award.
