Chapter 13 - The Real Reason
"That's why he hated your uniform, Claire," Vice Admiral Marcus Vance said, turning back to look directly at me.
"Every time he looked at you in a Navy uniform, he saw the brother he betrayed to build his pathetic life."
"He was terrified that if you rose too high in rank, you would eventually access the old classified NCIS files."
"He was terrified that Admiral Claire Bennett would find out her father was a criminal who ruined his own brother."
I looked at my father, who was staring down at the polished hardwood floor, unable to meet my eyes for a single second.
All those years of him telling me I wasn't good enough.
All those years of him calling my service a "phase" and accusing me of seeking attention.
It was all projection—a pathetic, desperate shield built by a cowardly man terrified of his own hidden sins.
"Where is Uncle Thomas now?" I asked, my voice deadly quiet, containing a cold power that commanded the entire room.
Marcus took a deep breath, reaching into his inner jacket pocket to pull out an old, faded manila envelope.
"Thomas served his seven years in federal prison without ever exposing your father, because he wanted to protect you."
"He knew Arthur would abandon you and your mother if he went to prison, so Thomas took the entire fall."
"He spent the last thirty years living quietly in Norfolk, working as a civilian mechanic near the naval base."
"He watched your entire career from afar, Claire. Every promotion. Every command assignment. Every medal."
My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I could barely breathe.
He watched me from afar.
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All those years I thought I was alone in the Navy, fighting for respect without a family to back me up...
My uncle had been right there in Norfolk, quietly watching over me from the shadows of the base shipyards.
