My hand remained inches from my weapon.

“You have the diary,” Brandon said, pointing a finger at my chest.

“I do,” I said.

“That’s Melissa’s,” he said. “It has names. Dates. It has the details of how my mother paid off the medical examiner after Melissa’s ‘accident’.”

My heart gave a hard, painful thump against my ribs.

“But it’s not enough,” Brandon continued. “My mother has the judges in her pocket. She has the district attorney.”

“So what is your proposal?” I asked.

Brandon stood up from the desk and walked slowly toward me.

He stopped five feet away, just outside my striking distance.

“I know you have the flash drive,” he said.

I kept my face completely blank.

“The one Dr. Reeves stole from the hospital archives,” he added.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

“Don’t play dumb, Colonel. It doesn’t suit your uniform.”

He looked back at the two officers.

“Leave us,” he commanded.

The two men didn’t hesitate. They turned and walked out, closing the double doors behind them.

The room fell into a heavy, tense silence.