The heavy door clicked shut behind them.

I sat alone in the briefing room for a long minute.

The air felt slightly warmer now that they were gone.

I stood up, smoothed the front of my service dress blue jacket, and walked out.

Miller was waiting in the hallway, holding my black leather briefcase.

“Is it finished, Admiral?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“He signed.”

“And your sister?”

“We will deal with her next,” I said.

We walked down the corridor toward the elevators.

My phone vibrated in my pocket again.

This time, it did not stop after three rings.

It kept vibrating, a steady, urgent pulse against my leg.

I pulled it out as we stepped into the empty elevator cabin.

The screen showed five missed calls from my father and three text messages.

The first message read: *Evelyn, call me immediately. There is a rumor about Nathan’s command. Fix this.*

The second message, sent two minutes later, read: *Your sister is hysterical. What have you done?*

The third message appeared on the screen just as the elevator doors began to slide shut.