Chapter 4 - The Web Of Deceit
Claire didn't go quietly. She screamed, she cursed, she clawed at the troopers as they put her in handcuffs. She looked at me with eyes full of pure hatred as they led her down the driveway.
"You'll never keep them!" she shrieked into the night air. "My father will hire the best lawyers in the state! You're nothing but a glorified soldier, Brandon! You have nothing!"
She wasn't entirely wrong about her father. Richard Vance was a powerful real estate mogul with deep pockets and political connections. By 8:00 AM the next morning, while I was sitting in the hospital waiting room watching Valerie get her back adjusted by a specialist, my phone rang. It was Claire’s high-priced family attorney, Arthur Pendelton.
"Mr. Garrison," the lawyer's voice was smooth as silk. "We are prepared to offer a settlement. If you drop the domestic abuse and child endangerment charges against my client, she will agree to joint custody, and we will refrain from exposing certain... indiscretions regarding your mental health post-deployment."
"I don't have any indiscretions, Pendelton," I said, my teeth clenched.
"A judge might see your post-traumatic stress evaluations from the military differently, sir. We can make you look very dangerous to those children. Let's be reasonable. Claire had a stressful episode. The bruise on the child was an accident—a slip on a wet floor. Drop the charges, or we will destroy your reputation and take your children permanently."
They were turning the screws. They were going to use my service, the very thing I gave my youth to, as a weapon to take my children away and protect a monster.
I hung up the phone without answering. I looked through the glass window of the pediatric ward. Valerie was sitting in bed, holding a small plush bear Marcus had bought her. Mateo was fast asleep in a bassinet next to her. Her back was heavily bandaged; the doctor said the impact had caused a severe muscle tear and a minor spinal misalignment. Another inch, and my little girl might never have walked again.
"Daddy?" Valerie called out, seeing me through the glass.
I walked in, putting on the bravest face I had. "Hey, princess. How are you feeling?"
"Better," she whispered, her eyes wide and anxious. "Is... is Mommy mad at me? Did I do a bad job?"
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My heart shattered into a thousand pieces for the second time. I knelt by her bed, taking her tiny hand in mine. "No, Val. You did the best job in the world. You protected your brother. You are the bravest girl I know. Mommy is never coming back here to hurt you again. I promise you that on my life."
But as I said those words, I knew the battle had only just begun. The Vance family wasn't just wealthy; they were ruthless. If I wanted to save my kids, I couldn't just play defense. I had to go on the offensive.
