She glared at me, her eyes filled with cold hatred.

“You always wanted to destroy this family, Allison,” she spat. “You’ve been planning this since the day you signed the divorce papers.”

“I didn’t make Grant download classified weapon schematics, Patricia,” I said. “He did that all on his own.”

“Call Arthur,” Patricia ordered, turning to a household maid who was cowering near the library doorway. “Tell him to get down here right now.”

Arthur Sterling was the family’s chief legal counsel, a senior partner at Atlanta’s most prestigious corporate firm.

He had spent thirty years burying the family’s indiscretions.

“Go ahead and call him,” General Vance said, stepping forward. “He will be here in twenty minutes.”

Vance looked down at Patricia with a look of quiet pity.

“But Arthur cannot help you with this, Patricia,” Vance said. “The evidence is absolute. There is no deal to be made.”

“We have resources,” Patricia said, her chin trembling. “We have friends on the Senate Armed Services Committee.”

“Not anymore,” Vance said. “The Senator is currently giving a statement to the federal prosecutor.”