Chapter 10 - The Unbroken OathSix months later, the spring sun was warm and bright as our family gathered around a long wooden table in the backyard of Nora’s new home.
There was no tension in the air. No rehearsed excuses. No hidden bruises. No frantic midnight phone calls.
Just the sound of clinking glasses, sizzling food on the grill, and the sound of our younger brother Leo laughing as he told wild stories about his recent deployment.
Nora walked out of the kitchen carrying a large tray of fresh lemonade, her steps light, confident, and full of life. She set the tray down on the table, sat back in her chair, and smiled across at me.
“You know,” Nora said, resting her chin in her hand with a playful glint in her eye, “I still can't believe you actually raided a multi-million-dollar corporate headquarters over a domestic dispute.”
I laughed, taking a slow sip from my glass.
“Technically,” I corrected with a smirk, “I raided a multi-million-dollar corporate headquarters because someone committed federal extortion, financial fraud, and compromised classified military intelligence.”
Leo grinned, raising his glass in a mock toast. “And here I always thought being an Army CID Supervisory Special Agent was just paperwork and desk investigations.”
“Never underestimate a sister with a badge and a federal warrant,” I replied, raising my glass to join theirs.
The three of us tapped our glasses together, the clear, bright sound ringing out into the afternoon breeze.
Marcus Hayes was locked away in a 6-by-8 cell where he belonged. Apex Defense Logistics was a distant, disgraced memory. And my sister was finally free, surrounded by the people who loved her most.
I looked down at the shiny Army CID pin clipped inside my jacket resting on the chair beside me, then back at Nora’s beaming smile.
Some oaths are written on paper.
May you like
Others are carved into your very soul.
And ours was unbreakable.
