Chapter 5 - The Drive in the Baby Blanket
Colonel Hale requested a secure military laptop.
The flash drive contained financial statements from Grant Defense Consulting.
Millions of dollars had been redirected into shell companies connected to Crowley Capital.
Several transfers carried Allison’s digital approval.
She had authorized none of them.
One video file showed Eric speaking with Wallace Crowley, Dana’s father.
Wallace’s voice filled the hospital room.
“Once Allison accepts command, the ethics review begins.”
Eric nodded.
“We need her signature before then.”
Dana leaned into the frame.
“The delivery gives us the perfect opening. She’ll be exhausted and medicated.”
“And if she refuses?” Wallace asked.
Eric smiled.
“Then she proves the psychiatric case for us.”
Allison stopped the video.
Her emergency childbirth had become part of their business timeline.
“Who copied these files?”
The metadata identified Megan Price, Eric’s executive assistant.
Megan had visited Allison in the hospital that morning.
She had brought flowers and asked whether Allison felt safe returning home.
At the time, Allison thought the question was strange.
Now she understood.
Colonel Hale called her.
Megan answered in a whisper.
“Is Captain Grant alive?”
Allison took the phone.
“I’m here.”
Megan began crying.
“I tried to warn you.”
She had discovered fraudulent transfers two weeks earlier.
When she confronted Eric, he accused her of theft and terminated her access.
She copied the records before leaving.
“I hid the drive in the diaper bag because Dana was watching your room.”
Allison closed her eyes.
“Did you witness anyone forging my signature?”
“I saw Eric using scanned copies from your military forms.”
“Was Dana there?”
“Yes.”
“Lorraine?”
Megan hesitated.
“She brought him the hospital paperwork.”
Every person in the foyer had participated.
Then Megan revealed one more detail.
Eric had scheduled an emergency board meeting for nine the next morning.
He planned to have Allison declared medically incapable of exercising her voting rights.
Eric expected her to be recovering from surgery and unable to appear.
But the company allowed secure remote participation.
Allison looked toward the hospital bassinets where her sons slept.
“Prepare the connection.”
Colonel Hale studied her pale face.
“You need rest.”
May you like
“I’ll rest after he stops using my blood as a business strategy.”
👉 Eric expected an empty chair at the board meeting—but Allison was about to appear with evidence that could destroy everything he had stolen.
