CHAPTER 4 — "The Man Behind the Uniform"
The investigation changed overnight.
No one was allowed to leave the reserve.
Every employee—from mechanics to senior officers—was questioned.
Emily hated every second of it.
These people had become her family.
Now any one of them could be a traitor.
Director Rhodes assembled everyone in the operations room.
"We have a leak."
"If the person responsible hears we're getting close..."
"They'll run."
"So from this moment forward..."
"No one discusses the investigation outside this room."
Everyone nodded.
Except one man.
Senior Ranger Victor Kane.
Emily noticed it immediately.
His hands were shaking.
Only slightly.
Enough to notice.
Victor had trained her when she first joined the reserve.
He had celebrated her promotions.
He had comforted her after dangerous missions.
She trusted him more than almost anyone.
Which made the next discovery almost unbearable.
Late that evening, Emily reviewed drone footage from the day she had been captured.
Something caught her eye.
A white pickup truck.
It appeared only for three seconds before disappearing behind a ridge.
She zoomed in.
The image was blurry.
But one detail stood out.
A custom bumper sticker.
"Protect What We Love."
Only three reserve vehicles had that sticker.
Emily checked the registry.
Two were parked safely in the garage that day.
The third...
Belonged to Victor Kane.
"No..."
She whispered.
"There has to be another explanation."
Before she could tell anyone, her office lights suddenly went out.
The building fell into darkness.
A backup generator should have activated immediately.
It didn't.
Someone had cut the power.
Emily reached for her flashlight.
Nothing.
Its batteries had been removed.
Then...
Footsteps echoed slowly down the hallway.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
One step at a time.
A familiar voice broke the silence.
"You should've let the lions finish the job."
Emily's blood turned to ice.
"Victor...?"
A flashlight clicked on.
The beam illuminated his face.
Gone was the kind mentor she had admired for years.
Standing before her was a man with cold, empty eyes...
May you like
...and a pistol pointed directly at her chest.
"You weren't supposed to survive."
