“We’re through the primary plate, Colonel,” Carter said.

He used a hydraulic pry tool to break the final locking pin.

The heavy steel door of the safe popped open with a dull, wet thud.

Inside the dark recess of the wall, several neatly stacked items were visible.

There were black external hard drives, stacks of bearer bonds, and three blue folders stamped with red classification markings.

Grant’s eyes locked onto those folders.

The color drained completely from his face, leaving him looking older than his forty-two years.

“Those are proprietary Monroe Aerospace files,” Grant said, his voice cracking. “You have no right to touch those.”

“These are Aegis system blueprints, Grant,” I said. “They belong to the United States Army.”

I reached in and pulled out the top folder.

The paper was crisp, smelling faintly of toner and dust.

“You tried to sell these to a logistics firm registered in Panama,” I said.

Grant shook his head, his hands twitching in the steel cuffs.

“It was a standard licensing agreement,” he said. “Our lawyers cleared it.”

“Your lawyers didn’t clear the routing transit through Zurich,” I said. “Or the destination server in Shanghai.”