Chapter 4 - The Sergeant’s Ultimatum
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I looked back at Monica, who had already grabbed a heavy cast-iron skillet from the drying rack, her face pale but resolute.
"Don't open it," Monica hissed.
"If I don't, they'll break it down," I whispered back, looking at Lily sleeping peacefully in the bassinet Monica had hastily set up. I couldn't let danger touch my baby. I adjusted my shirt, took a deep breath, and unlocked the door, pulling it open just a few inches with the chain guard still latched.
Raymond Walker’s cold, steel-gray eyes peered through the gap. He didn't look like a grieving grandfather; he looked like a commanding officer inspecting a breached perimeter.
"Open the door, Sarah," Raymond said, his voice flat, gravelly, and entirely devoid of warmth.
"Get off this property, Raymond," I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady. "Your son is in custody. If you take one more step, I'm calling Deputy Harris back."
A grim, humorless smile touched the corners of Raymond’s mouth. "Harris? The county deputy who thinks he’s playing detective? Let him play, Sarah. It won't change the reality of your situation. You’ve poked a sleeping bear, and now you and your newborn daughter are bleeding out in the woods, and you don't even know who holds the rifle."
"Where is Emma?" I demanded, gripping the edge of the door. "What did you and Linda do to that poor girl and her mother?"
Raymond’s expression hardened instantly. The polite facade vanished, replaced by a chilling menace.
"Natalie Brooks was a mistake," Raymond said coldly. "A civilian distraction that threatened Ethan’s commission and our family’s standing in the military community. She ran off, abandoning her child. As for the child—Emma—she was placed into a secure environment where she wouldn't drag our name through the mud."
"Secure environment?" My voice rose, sharp with fury. "There was blood on her anklet, Raymond! Your note implied she was dead!"
"My note was a warning to Ethan to keep his new wife on a tight leash," Raymond corrected smoothly. "Linda and I gave you a choice. We stayed away, we gave you your little wedding, your little family fantasy. But you just had to go digging into things that don't concern you."
He reached into his jacket pocket. I flinched, expecting a weapon, but instead, he slid a thick Manila envelope through the narrow gap of the chain guard. It fell softly onto the welcome mat inside.
May you like
"Sign the non-disclosure agreement and the immediate divorce papers inside that envelope, Sarah," Raymond whispered, leaning in close to the door. "Hand over custody of Lily to Linda and me, and we’ll make sure Ethan gets a clean discharge and a quiet defense. Refuse, and within twenty-four hours, the military police will charge Ethan with desertion, financial fraud, and obstruction—and you will find yourself penniless, homeless, and stripped of your parental rights by a federal judge who respects military jurisdiction far more than local civilian laws."
The door clicked shut as he turned on his heel, leaving the Manila envelope lying like a ticking time bomb on the floor.
