Chapter 2 - The Fall of Bram
The high whine of approaching patrol sirens echoed across the naval station, bouncing off the steel hulls of the warships docked along the waterfront. Delphine’s fingers trembled as she fumbled in her designer purse, frantically pulling out her phone. She didn't call our father, and she certainly didn't call an attorney. Her first instinct was to call Bram Vance—no relation to the NCIS agent, but her long-time fiancé and the self-proclaimed mastermind behind their high-end catering enterprise, Crestview Hospitality.
""Bram! Bram, get out here right now!"" Delphine cried hysterically into the receiver. ""Marlo is having me arrested! She’s playing some sick military prank on me, and she’s got guys with guns surrounding the van!""
I watched in silence as an unmarked security patrol vehicle slid to a halt behind Delphine’s van, followed instantly by a marked harbor security truck. Four armed security forces personnel disembarked, their presence commanding immediate quiet from the civilian dockworkers who had gathered near the safety line.
From the far end of the pier, near the glass-walled administrative building where Captain Kellerman’s retirement reception was scheduled to take place, a man in a bespoke linen suit came jogging down the walkway. Bram Vance fancy-stepped around grease patches and mooring ropes, his face red and slick with sweat. He was a man who traded entirely on perceived prestige and charm, a relentless social climber who had spent the last five years whispering into Delphine’s ear that our family was nothing without his elite connections.
""What the hell is the meaning of this?"" Bram boomed as he approached the perimeter, trying to project authority he did not possess. ""Do you have any idea who we are? We are personally contracted by the Kellerman family! Where is the officer in charge of this dock?""
Master Chief Kettleman took half a step forward, his jaw tight, his voice like grinding gravel. ""You’re looking at her, sir. Commander Vail is the commanding officer of this waterfront inspection detachment. And you are crossing an armed federal cordon.""
Bram stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes darted from Kettleman’s imposing stature to me. He had met me twice before—once at our mother’s funeral and once at a disastrous Thanksgiving dinner three years ago. On both occasions, Bram had smirked openly, referring to my Navy service as ""a decent government safety net for people with limited corporate ambition."" He had spent hours boasting about his high-level private clients while implying that I was little more than a low-level clerk who couldn't cut it in the real world.
Now, seeing the sidearm strapped to the guard's hip, the silver oak leaves on my collar, and the grim expression on Agent Vance's face, the color drained entirely from Bram’s cheeks.
""Commander?"" Bram whispered, his pompous demeanor collapsing like a house of cards. ""Delphine... what did you do?""
""She threw Commander Vail's tactical pack into thirty feet of river water,"" Agent Vance stated cleanly, stepping between Bram and Delphine. ""Inside that pack was classified documentation concerning national defense infrastructure. That elevates this incident far beyond a civilian misdemeanor. Sir, step back to your vehicle and keep your hands visible.""
""Wait, no! There’s been a misunderstanding!"" Bram stammered, raising his palms and taking two frantic steps back. ""I had nothing to do with this! Delphine went down there on her own! She said she was just going to tell her sister to stay away from our event!""
Delphine spun around, staring at the man she was supposed to marry in four months. The betrayal in her eyes was almost instantaneous. ""Bram? You told me she was here to sabotage us! You said she was trying to steal our thunder because she was jealous of our success!""
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""I told you to handle it discreetly, not throw federal property into the damn ocean!"" Bram shouted, sweating profusely as a harbor security officer placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. ""Officer, I run the company, but she acted entirely rogue! Don't let her drag my business into this!""
Standing there between the river and the sirens, I watched the fragile foundation of their relationship disintegrate in real-time. Delphine had built her entire identity on being Bram’s glamorous partner, the successful sister who lived in a gated neighborhood while I supposedly struggled in barracks. Yet at the very first sign of genuine consequence, Bram threw her to the wolves without blinking.
