Chapter 10 - Victor’s Bargain
Victor’s attorney requested a meeting.
Claire attended.
So did the prosecutor.
Victor wore jail clothing instead of the gray suit.
Without the tailored fabric and polished shoes, he looked smaller.
But the entitlement remained.
“I have information,” he said.
“About what?” the prosecutor asked.
“National security.”
Claire almost laughed.
Victor looked at her.
“You think this is funny?”
“I think you broke into a house with a handgun.”
“And I know why Lauren Hayes was discharged.”
Claire’s expression did not change.
Victor leaned forward.
“She participated in an unauthorized operation. People died.”
“Where did you get that information?”
“I have sources.”
“Evan Cross?”
Victor’s confidence flickered.
Only once.
Enough.
The prosecutor slid a photograph across the table.
Evan leaving a Virginia Beach bank.
Victor looked away.
“We can discuss names after charges are reduced.”
“You are not negotiating a federal military matter,” Claire said.
“You don’t know what I have.”
Victor smiled.
“Audio.”
Lauren’s mission communications.
The original warning.
Her decision to enter the compromised area.
The officer ordering her to stand down.
If real, the recording could reopen the investigation.
Victor wanted the burglary and weapons charges reduced.
He wanted access to Martha.
Supervised at first.
Then mediation.
Claire stared at him.
“You believe evidence about Lauren buys control over Martha?”
“It buys options.”
“No.”
Victor’s smile faded.
The prosecutor leaned forward.
“You entered a protected residence carrying a firearm. You aimed it toward your estranged wife. You attempted to reach a second weapon after being disarmed. Your bargaining position is poor.”
Victor’s breathing changed.
Then he said something that made Claire pause.
“If I don’t make the next call by noon, the file is released.”
“Released where?”
“Everywhere.”
Claire checked the time.
10:43 a.m.
Victor was not bluffing.
He had spent months building leverage.
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And if the file reached the public without context, Lauren could be portrayed as a rogue operator responsible for a failed mission.
👉 Victor was in custody, but he had arranged a timed release—and Lauren’s secret could become public before police found Evan Cross.
