Chapter 16 - Audrey Caldwell Cuts All Strategic Ties
Inside the grand office of the Base Commander, Major General Caldwell sat behind his massive oak desk.
Audrey Caldwell stood across from him, her face tight, her posture defensive as her father glared at her.
“Did you take money from Evelyn Hawthorne, Audrey?” Caldwell demanded, his voice like grinding stones.
“Dad! Of course not!” Audrey yelled, tears of anger rising in her eyes.
“Evelyn told me she was investing in my interior design firm! She said it was a gift because she wanted me to marry Ethan!”
“You fool!” Caldwell roared, slamming his fist down on the desk so hard his brass lamp rattled.
“That money came directly out of stolen military logistics funds!”
“The Inspector General’s office is tracking every cent, and your name is written all over those Delaware bank transfers!”
Audrey fell back into a leather chair, covering her face with her hands as her composure completely dissolved.
“What am I going to do, Dad?” Audrey sobbed. “I didn't know it was stolen!”
General Caldwell walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the parade grounds of the base.
He could see the black vans belonging to the Inspector General’s office parked outside the logistics building across the field.
He realized that his thirty years of spotless military service were now hanging by a thin, fragile thread.
If he tried to protect his daughter, Mara Vance would crush him along with the rest of the Hawthorne family.
“You’re going to hire the best civilian defense lawyer in D.C., Audrey,” Caldwell said softly without turning around.
May you like
“And you’re going to give the Inspector General every piece of evidence, every text message, and every check Evelyn ever gave you.”
“We are not going down with the Hawthornes.”
