Chapter 4 - The Court Martial
I reached into my tailored jacket and pulled out a sleek black folder, dropping it onto the podium.
"I aligned things for you, Alex," I said, my voice carrying clearly over the boarding announcements. "I always made your life smooth. But you made a tactical error. You booked a fifty-thousand-dollar international luxury vacation using the Vanguard corporate Black Card linked to my private accounts."
Clare gasped, taking a step away from him.
"I... I can pay you back," Alex stammered, the arrogant Navy Commander completely dissolving into a terrified fraud. "I just used it for the hold! I was going to transfer the funds! Please, don't do this here!"
"You aren't just guilty of credit card fraud, Alex," I continued, my gaze pinning him to the floor. "You booked international travel for an unauthorized civilian while holding Top Secret clearance, utilizing funds from a private defense contractor that actively audits the Pacific Fleet."
I nodded to the gate manager.
The manager tapped his keyboard. "Commander Stanton, Miss Lynn. I have been instructed by corporate to inform you that your tickets have been canceled. Furthermore, you are permanently banned from flying with this airline."
"You can't do that!" Clare shrieked, her face flushing crimson as the other passengers began to stare.
"I own the holding company that owns the airline, Miss Lynn," I said without looking at her. "I can do whatever I want."
I turned back to my husband. The man who had ignored my soup, my packing, and my presence for eleven months was now trembling.
"Alex," I said softly. "Look behind you."
Alex turned slowly.
Walking down the terminal concourse were two military police officers, flanked by a naval intelligence agent in a dark suit.
"They aren't here for a joint exercise," I whispered as the officers closed in on him. "Your command has been stripped. Your clearance is revoked. You are facing a court-martial for financial fraud and security breaches. You have absolutely nothing."
"Please!" Alex begged, tears finally spilling over his rigid, arrogant face as the MP's grabbed his arms. "I'm sorry! I love you! It meant nothing!"
He was weeping in front of hundreds of people. The ultimate humiliation for a man who prized his image above all else.
I didn't flinch. I picked up my boarding pass for my connecting flight to Sydney.
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"Take your blood pressure medication, Alex," I said, my voice perfectly hollow. "You're going to need it."
I turned my back on the screaming, shattered man who had tried to make me a ghost, and walked down the jet bridge into my new life.
