Page 38 of Absolute Valor

“I’m gonna put you on speakerphone and let my brother Austin tell you what’s going on.” For the next fifteen minutes, Austin told him how this breach happened. Michaels recalled getting an email from OPM, letting him know his name was possibly one of the files, which was stolen. “I found a file with Chase’s and your name listed, along with several hundred other men on active duty. However, only a few of those names have a file attached to them.”

“You said something about the girl Chase had been talking to opening accounts in his name. Could she have randomly chosen names to steal their identity, all coming from what she found in the breach?” LT suggested, not knowing the whole story of Ginny.

“You have a valid point, except she has a scanner system running twenty-four-seven, giving her more credit card numbers than she’ll ever be able to use. Most likely she is selling in bulk to the mafia in Columbia or Russia.”

Dylan has been sitting at the end of the desk, listening as Austin and Zach debated back and forth as to her motive. “You’re forgetting Ginny admitted to wanting revenge on our family for not being chosen for adoption. Everything she’s done thus far, was with that motive. When Cash met his maker, her motive turned to revenge. Ginny is street smart, no doubt about that. We know she recruited Largo to help her, I say we follow the rabbit hole and see what else she was up to.”

LT’s phone starts to die and he wants to make sure his credit hasn’t been affected by all of this. “Hey! Before I forget, your buddy Ramsey is recovering from a knife wound he got from one of the locals.”

Ramsey is one of those kids who watches too many movies and spends all his free time with a game controller in his hand, pretending to kill zombies. His goal from the moment his boots hit the sand has been to go to California and train to become a SEAL. His problem is his desire to be the action star all on his own. Any good Marine will tell you, battles aren’t won by one person, but by a combination of skills on the team. LT had been trying to get him to see he has to work as a member of the team or he is destined for failure. “Can’t say I’m surprised, at least he ain’t dead.”

Austin downloaded all of the information he found, while Dylan called Carson to see who they wanted to get credit for finding all of this. Carson let us know Grace was tucked in the arms of her happy momma and the girls were anxiously waiting for us to join them.

“Send me someone who is hungry and willing to work this case hard.” Dylan advised Carson as he returned the cartons to the cabinet.

When I walked into the house Lucas was holding a little girl from her momma in, I did it only with the thoughts of making my girl happy. The further I dig, the more I’ve come to realize Audrey’s involvement in all of this, as innocent as it seems, leaves me too many questions about her motives.

“Hey, Chase.” Austin called from behind me, his investigation went from the hard drive to the drawers of the desk. Walking back over to where he stood, his head down and something in his hand. “You gave her the ring, didn’t you?”

Pinched between his fingers was a ring I picked up in Bahrain. We had just finished a long mission in Cairo when the helicopter we were in started having engine trouble and we had to land at the Navy base. I had heard of the shopping advantages in the city, and decided to pick something up for Ginny. The guy who owned the shop was all too eager to sell me anything I wanted, showing me the rarest piece he had in stock. During our conversations, she had shared her love of rubies and how she found one on the internet she’d hoped to get for her birthday. I had planned on surprising her when I got home, ask her to marry me, and give her the ultimate gift. When I found out her birthday was a month before I was getting back, I sent the ring to her, asking her to wait and open it when we could Skype. At the time, I thought I’d never seen a happier girl than I did as I watched her take the ring out of the box and place it on her hand.

“I gave it to her for her birthday, I had planned on having a wedding band made to match it.” Twisting the ring in my fingers, the light captured the facets.

“Well, it looks like you weren’t the only one.” Austin pulled out the desk drawer. Staring back at me were dozens of ring boxes, black, brown, and the most notorious blue known to man. He reached in, pulling out several boxes and lining them up in a haphazard row. I picked up the one closest to me, the lid groaning in protest as it opens to show me the diamond ring inside. “I’m going to look at what I’ve copied a little deeper, I think she was scamming more than just you.” Pulling open another drawer, there were plastic bags full of rings, looking oddly like the real ones in the boxes. “I’m not sure what purpose these served, but I’m going to find out.” Nodding my appreciation, I pocket the ring I bought her.

As we leave the house, making sure to place everything back as we found it, Dylan stands on the walkway looking down the street. “Hey, Austin, I didn’t notice it before, but look.” Following his gaze, I see what he’s talking about. It’s a clear view of the side of the apartment where Lainie and Claire live. How many nights did Ginny stare at the side of that building as she plotted and planned to ruin me?

“Hell, we could walk to the girls apartment from here.”

“I still need to get my car, Dylan. I have a honeymoon to get to, remember?”

“So? We walk over, grab Claire and her car, drive you back to the shop, and then I head home with my girl.”

“Or I can drop you both off where y’all need to go.” Having two sets of judging eyes on you is never a good thing, but I know what I need to do.

“And how do Grace and Audrey fit into this? Cause if you’re ‘bout to do what I think you’re doing…”

I raised my hand to stop Dylan’s lecture. He is, and always will be, the oldest, but I stopped taking orders from people the second I took off my uniform.

“Dylan, I found evidence that the girl I confided in was using me to get revenge for something I had no say in. Then, I find a girl I feel like I can trust, only to learn she’s keep a big secret from me. So forgive me if I’m not ready to run down the street and create this instant family with a girl I barely know.”

As I pulled away from the shop after dropping Dylan and Austin off, the last place I wanted to go was the condo I had once shared with Ginny. Momma would question why I wasn’t staying with Audrey and the baby, which left me with only one option. I needed time to find myself, get acquainted with the man I am without the uniform. When Grace looked at me, capturing my soul in her hand, something shifted, and it both scared the shit out of me, and gave me a strange sense of direction. Not being a hundred percent committed to her momma would hurt little Grace and in the end, would kill me.

Checking into a hotel in the same city where you’ve lived your entire life feels entirely too strange, but I’m not ready to face the onslaught of questions my family will have for me. Passing by the bar, I slide the bartender a few bills, and in return, he hands me a bottle of Jack. I don’t wait for the elevator doors to close before I tip the bottle back and let the burn take over.

Hot showers have always been a moment of recharge for me. But tonight memories of Audrey and the message I’m sending her by not coming to check on her and the baby are haunting me. Grace and her soulful blue eyes were like tractor beams to my heart. Audrey and her gentleness, and need to be independent were a driving factor in why I should walk away and also why I felt the need to stay. If I wasn’t careful, all of it could blow up in my face. But this was more than just about me, these were real lives, with hopes and dreams; ones crushed by one negligent man already.

The late news is filled with images of the fire I’d created. I should be paying attention to the reports of what the authorities know, but all I can think about is if my absence is making Audrey cry. Tomorrow, I’ll call Miss Georgia, see if she has any open units I can rent for them, keeping them safe while I get my shit together.

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