Chapter 6 - The Setup
By 4:00 PM, the country club garden was completely filled with over two hundred high-society wedding guests.
The ceremony itself went off smoothly, a textbook displays of southern wealth and coordinated floral luxury.
I sat in the third row on the bride's side, wearing a modest, tailored dark blazer that concealed my identity.
My father walked Melanie down the long white aisle with a proud, puffed-out chest, glowing under the admiring gazes.
Ethan, the groom, looked handsome in his designer tuxedo, though his eyes darted nervously around the massive crowd.
During the vows, I noticed four black SUVs with darkened windows pull into the outer parking lot beyond the golf course.
They parked in absolute perfect alignment—a tactic only driver personnel trained in high-security tactical transport ever used.
I narrowed my eyes from my seat in the third row, watching several figures in dark suits step out quietly.
Was it a security detail for one of the attending Virginia politicians?
Or had the base in Norfolk dispatched a late operational messengering team?
I kept my focus forward, determined not to draw any early attention to myself during the actual vows.
When the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, the crowd burst into enthusiastic, polite applause.
My father immediately took center stage at the exit, shaking hands with judges, politicians, and rich land developers.
"Great ceremony, Arthur," one county commissioner said loudly, clapping my father on the back.
"You must be very proud of your family," the commissioner added smoothly.
"Extremely proud," my father replied, eyeing me with cold warning as I walked past toward the main reception hall.
"My family represents integrity, tradition, and absolute dedication to high standards," he added, aiming the comment at me.
I kept walking without saying a word, my face completely impassive.
The time for quiet compliance had officially ended.
I walked up to my hotel suite on the top floor, locked the heavy wooden door behind me, and took a breath.
May you like
It was 5:15 PM.
I walked over to the closet, unzipped the protective bag, and reached for my Navy dress whites.
