“The carriage house is secure, General,” I said. “The physical drives have been recovered, and the digital breach has been neutralized.”

Vance looked at me, his expression stern but approving.

“And the family?” he asked.

“They are in custody, sir,” I said. “The federal warrants have been executed.”

Vance nodded slowly.

“You did a difficult job, Colonel,” he said. “Most people would have let personal ties get in the way.”

“The uniform comes first, sir,” I said.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out the silver thumb drive, and handed it to him.

“This contains the encrypted list of their foreign contacts,” I said. “It should be enough to dismantle the rest of their network.”

Vance took the drive and placed it in his pocket.

“Excellent work,” he said. “The transport vehicles are ready to leave.”

I looked down at my left hand.

The gold wedding band was still there, a heavy weight on my ring finger.

I reached down, slid the band off my finger, and held it in my palm.