Major Hayes stepped between us and the door, her uniform immaculate despite the tension in the room.

“Stay behind me,” Hayes said quietly to Jake.

She turned the brass lock and pulled the door open just a few inches.

“Captain Vance,” Hayes said, her voice cutting through the chilly corridor air. “I am currently advising my client on a matter of federal financial fraud.”

“Your client is a deserter, Major,” Vance said, his face appearing in the gap.

He had a dusting of dry snow on his shoulders and smelled of stale tobacco.

“The commander signed the emergency custody hold,” Vance added, pushing his shoulder against the door frame.

“He did not,” Hayes said, her voice steady and hard as granite. “I know the commander’s schedule, and I know you do not have a signed warrant in your hand.”

She didn’t wait for him to reply.

She stepped forward, partially blocking his view of the desk where Reyes was working.

“If you attempt to detain Captain Vance without a signed DD Form 458, I will file a formal complaint of administrative abuse before the ink on your report is dry,” Hayes said.