“It was a minor delay,” he said, his voice rising slightly before he checked himself. “We were on a tight schedule. The deployment could not be pushed back.”

“You lied on a federal document to meet a readiness quota,” I said.

“I made a command decision,” he said.

“You made a fraudulent decision,” I corrected him. “And you did it because your promotion depended on a clean readiness record this quarter.”

Nathan took a deep breath, the air whistling through his teeth.

He looked over his shoulder at the dark expanse of the Potomac, then turned back to me, his shoulders dropping slightly.

The defensive posture was beginning to crack.

“You don’t understand how things work at the command level, Evelyn,” he said, his tone softening into something resembling a plea.

“I understand the law,” I said.

“Caroline and I are buying a house in Alexandria,” he said, stepping closer to me. “The down payment is dependent on my promotion going through next month.”

I did not move.

“Your sister has high expectations,” he said, his eyes pleading. “You know how she is. You know how your father is.”