“I will not compromise my integrity for your convenience,” I said.

“It is not convenience,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “It is our entire life. Caroline will be devastated.”

I watched him, noting the desperate look in his eyes, the way his fingers clutched the damp folder.

“You are asking me to commit a felony to cover up your negligence,” I said.

“I am asking you to protect your family,” he said.

“You are not my family yet,” I said.

He let out a sharp breath, his desperation turning into a flicker of anger.

“You’ve always been like this, haven’t you?” he said. “The cold, distant sister who sits in the corner at dinner while everyone else talks.”

I did not answer.

“Caroline told me about you,” he said, trying a different angle. “She told me how you never could quite find your footing. How you ended up in a dead-end desk job because you couldn’t hack the real Navy.”

A small, cold smile touched my lips, though I kept it hidden in the shadow of my collar.

“Is that what she told you?” I asked.