“You cannot threaten me,” I said.

“This is not a threat,” Margaret said. “This is a statement of fact. By the end of the week, you will be suspended from your command at Fort Liberty.”

She paused, letting the words hang in the heavy air of the office.

“They will strip you of your security clearance,” she said. “And then they will begin the process for a dishonorable discharge.”

“For protecting my daughter?” I asked.

“For abusing your power,” Margaret said. “You will be ruined, Colonel. You will have no pension, no rank, and no credibility.”

I looked down at the desk phone, my jaw clenched so tight it ached.

“And your daughter,” Margaret added, her voice dropping to a whisper, “will still be married to my son.”

The line went dead with a sharp, final beep.

The office was silent again, save for the sound of Brandon’s shaky breathing.

He looked up at me, a cruel, desperate smile beginning to form on his lips.

“You heard her,” Brandon said, his confidence returning like a slow poison. “You can’t win this, Hart.”

I did not answer him.