Chapter 2 - Knock in the Dark
Adrian stepped in front of Clara instantly, gesturing for her to stay quiet behind the bed. His right hand instinctively hovered near his hip before he remembered he had left his service weapon locked in the truck's lockbox. He approached the motel door with measured, silent footsteps and peered through the narrow peephole.
Standing under the flickering neon sign outside was a tall, bulky figure wearing a dark windbreaker and a faded baseball cap. The man tapped the glass pane with the edge of a silver coin—a familiar rhythmic cadence.
Adrian cracked the door open three inches, the safety chain pulled taut. ""Marcus?""
The visitor pushed his cap back, revealing the weathered, scarred face of Master Sergeant Marcus Vance, Adrian’s longtime mentor and closest confidant from their deployment in Fallujah. ""Unlatch the door, Sergeant. You don’t have much time.""
Adrian removed the chain and let Marcus slip inside. Marcus glanced at Clara, who curled smaller against the headboard, terrified of another confrontation. ""Ma'am,"" Marcus nodded respectfully, softening his rough demeanor. ""I apologize for barging in. But your mother-in-law didn't waste ten minutes after you walked out.""
Adrian stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. ""What did she do?""
""She called Colonel Briggs directly,"" Marcus said grimly, leaning against the laminate dresser. ""She claimed you deserted your post, assaulted your brother Julian, and kidnapped a woman she had under medical guardianship. She’s using her family’s political pull to push an immediate dishonorable discharge and local police intervention.""
Clara gasped, pressing a hand against her stomach as the baby kicked violently in response to her distress. ""Medical guardianship? That's insane! I'm completely sane!""
""Sanity doesn't matter when Victoria Vance writes campaign checks for the district judge,"" Marcus replied. He pulled a thick manila envelope from beneath his windbreaker and tossed it onto the bed. ""Here’s two thousand in cash, unmarked. And a temporary burner phone.""
Adrian looked at his old sergeant, gratitude mingling with disbelief. ""Why risk your rank for this, Marcus?""
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""Because a man who lets his pregnant wife get broken by snakes isn’t a Marine I’d ever follow into combat,"" Marcus said bluntly. ""And because your father left something behind before he died. Something Victoria spent ten years trying to erase.""
Before Marcus could explain, the wail of distant sirens cut through the quiet night air, heading straight toward the motel.
