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00:00I am a five-star general, secretly decorated by the President of the United States.
00:04And my only grandson had just been beaten into the ICU by a trust fund brat.
00:08When I arrived at the hospital, the attacker's family actually tried to shut me up with money.
00:12So I reached into the inner pocket of my overcoat and drew out a military-grade encrypted satellite phone.
00:17I dialed a number that had gathered dust for years.
00:19Who is this?
00:20McRain.
00:21I said only one word.
00:22The line went dead silent.
00:24A full five seconds passed before a voice came through.
00:27Trembling with shock, dread, and perhaps even a flicker of awe.
00:30General.
00:31General McRae?
00:32Robert Harlan, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego field office.
00:37The highest-ranking federal law enforcement official in the city.
00:40His voice sounded as though it had been squeezed from the back of his throat, shaking with disbelief.
00:44I'm at Naval Medical Center.
00:46My grandson, Brian, is in the ICU.
00:50Harlan's mind went blank.
00:51The general's grandson, in an ICU in San Diego.
00:54A wave of cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his shirt.
00:58He didn't even dare ask what had happened.
00:59He knew that if the general had personally dialed his phone, the situation had already escalated beyond anything he could
01:05imagine.
01:05I'm on my way.
01:07Harlan grabbed his coat and burst out of his office.
01:12Martinez!
01:14Notify every on-duty supervisory agent.
01:16Assembly at Naval Medical Center in 30 minutes.
01:19Initiate Priority One.
01:20Everyone in the office froze, stunned by the sudden order.
01:23Priority One.
01:24That protocol was reserved exclusively for terrorist attacks or major federal cases.
01:29What on earth happened?
01:31Just one hour earlier, my son Patrick had been pacing frantically outside the ICU at Naval Medical Center.
01:37When I arrived, he rushed over to me as though he'd finally found solid ground to stand on.
01:41Dad, how did you get here so fast?
01:44Where's Ryan?
01:45Still in there.
01:46The doctors say it's bad.
01:49Blunt force trauma to the head, three broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, internal bleeding, and multiple organs.
01:54My heart sank like a stone.
01:55I turned my gaze toward a cluster of young men loitering at the far end of the corridor.
01:59The one in front, a blonde kid, was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone.
02:04His buddies flanked him, smirking and horsing around as though this weren't the entrance to an ICU, but the hallway
02:09of some nightclub.
02:09They're the ones who did it.
02:11The ringleader's name is Chad Prescott.
02:14His father is Wayne Prescott, CEO of Prescott Development Group, the biggest military base contractor on the West Coast.
02:20What about the police?
02:21They came, took a report, said it was mutual combat, both parties sustained injuries, and recommended we settle it civilly.
02:29Then they left.
02:30Settle?
02:31My grandson is fighting for his life in the ICU.
02:34That kid over there has nothing but a cast on his leg, and they call that both parties sustained injuries?
02:42At that moment, a middle-aged man in an immaculate suit strolled down the corridor, trailed by someone carrying a
02:48briefcase who had a lawyer written all over him.
02:50It was Wayne Prescott himself.
02:52It must be Ryan's family.
02:53These things happen.
02:55Young men run hot, fists fly, nobody means for it to go this far.
02:58He took an envelope from the lawyer's hand and held it out.
03:01There's a check inside for $500,000, more than enough to cover all medical expenses and rehabilitation.
03:06Sign a non-disclosure agreement.
03:08We each take a step back and we'll put this whole thing behind us.
03:11Patrick was shaking with rage, about to lunge forward.
03:13I extended my arm and stopped him.
03:16Not enough.
03:17Not enough?
03:18Half a million is generous.
03:20Push this any further and it won't end well for either of us.
03:23Besides, my son was injured too.
03:25Take this to court and it's anyone's guess who comes out on top.
03:28In this city, the name Prescott still carries a certain weight.
03:32I saw no point in continuing the conversation.
03:35I turned away, walked to a quiet corner, and dialed the number that had gathered dust for years.
03:39Wayne Prescott watched me make a phone call and then simply stand there.
03:42The contempt on his face deepened.
03:44What's this old fossil gonna do?
03:46Call someone who matters?
03:48He turned back to his son.
03:50Relax.
03:51We'll get you the best doctors.
03:53You'll be walking again in a month.
03:55Dad, that old bastard doesn't know what's good for him.
03:58Turning down our money.
03:59Chad Prescott shoved his phone into his pocket, his face radiating arrogance.
04:03If you ask me, his grandson should just die in there.
04:07Then we'll see how tough he acts.
04:09Shut up.
04:09This is a hospital.
04:11Watch your mouth.
04:11Wayne Prescott said the words, but in his heart, he felt exactly the same way.
04:16A powerless, retired old man daring to stand up for the Prescott family?
04:20Laughable.
04:20That was when sirens, urgent, piercing, and relentless, erupted in the distance and came
04:25screaming toward them, tearing through the quiet San Diego evening like a blade.
04:29The sound grew louder, closer, until it seemed to shriek to a halt directly below Naval Medical
04:33Center.
04:34Patients and visitors throughout the hospital rushed to the windows.
04:37Outside, seven or eight black Chevrolet Suburbans and several vehicles emblazoned with
04:42FBI in bold white letters converged on the hospital from every direction.
04:46Red and blue light bars blazing.
04:47Sealing off the main entrance completely, doors flew open.
04:51Agents in dark blue tactical vests stamped with FBI front and back leapt out, armed to
04:56the teeth, and immediately began stringing up yellow crime scene tape around the entrance.
04:59Then a black Lincoln Town car glided to a stop at the front of the convoy.
05:03Broad-shouldered man with silver-streaked temples.
05:06Stepped out and strode into.
05:07The building without breaking.
05:09Stride.
05:09Robert Harlan.
05:10Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office.
05:13Which floor is Ryan McCravey on?
05:15The third floor.
05:16I see you.
05:18Harlan led a phalanx of FBI agents toward the elevators.
05:21By now, Wayne and Chad Prescott had heard the commotion.
05:24Wayne frowned, a faint unease gnawing at his gut.
05:26FBI?
05:27What the hell warrants this kind of response?
05:30The elevator doors opened.
05:32Harlan and six were seven.
05:33Agents stepped out and moved, swiftly down the corridor.
05:36His eyes swept the hallway.
05:37In the instant they locked, onto the solitary figure, standing in the corner.
05:41Still an immovable ass.
05:42Bedrock, every trace of authority and swagger drained from his face.
05:46Harlan walked over.
05:46Two steps away, his feet stopped as though they hit a wall.
05:49He straightened his back instinctively, reached out with both hands, and clasped mine tightly.
05:53General.
05:54The word detonated like thunder in the dead silent corridor.
05:58That single word, asterisk, general asterisk, froze every face in the hallway.
06:02Patrick was dumbstruck.
06:03He knew his father had been in the military.
06:05Knew the rank had been substantial, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the FBI's
06:09top official in San Diego would look at his father with something close to reverence.
06:13Wayne and Chad Prescott went white as sheets.
06:15The SAC, Robert Harlan, the man whose very name made every criminal and power broker in San Diego.
06:21Had his call that old man general?
06:23The smirk on Chad Prescott's face shattered.
06:25His iPhone slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.
06:28For the first time, it dawned on him that he might have provoked someone with an unimaginable consequence.
06:32Wayne Prescott's complexion turned, the color of ash.
06:35He remembered the patronizing look on his own face moments ago.
06:38He remembered the casual disdain with which he'd held out that check.
06:41He remembered every word he'd said.
06:43Cold sweat drenched his shirt in an instant.
06:45His legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
06:48I did not acknowledge Harlan's greeting.
06:49I did not even glance at him.
06:50My eyes remained fixed on the sealed double doors of the ICU.
06:53My grandson is in there.
06:55My voice barely above a murmur.
06:57Yet it struck Harlan like a sledgehammer to the chest.
06:59He spun around, his gaze cutting toward Wayne and Chad Prescott like a drawn blade.
07:03They're the ones who did this.
07:05Wayne Prescott felt a column of ice shoot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his
07:09skull.
07:09His mind went utterly blank.
07:11Beside him, Chad's face had turned to sickly green, his lips quivering, unable to produce a single syllable.
07:17Mr. Harlan, Agent Harlan, this is a misunderstanding.
07:21It's all a misunderstanding.
07:24A misunderstanding.
07:27Harlan's voice dropped to a lethal register.
07:29The general's grandson is lying in the ICU, life hanging in the balance.
07:33And you're telling me it's a misunderstanding?
07:35He took another step forward.
07:37The sheer force of his presence bored down on Wayne Prescott until the man could barely breathe.
07:43I'll ask you one more time.
07:45Did your people do this?
07:47Yes or no?
07:50Wayne Prescott's knees buckled.
07:52He collapsed onto the floor.
07:53In his wildest nightmares, he never could have fathomed that nobody his son who had casually beaten up was connected
07:59to someone like this.
08:00General, what kind of man earns that title from someone like Robert Harlan and draws that kind of expression?
08:05It was my son.
08:06He was my son.
08:08He was reckless.
08:08Agent Harlan, just give us a chance to make this right.
08:12Harlan didn't so much as look at him.
08:13He turned on his heel and addressed the supervisory agent behind him.
08:16All suspects, take them back to the field office.
08:19Separate holding, separate interrogations.
08:21Contact the U.S. Attorney's Office.
08:22I want federal charges.
08:23Collect every piece of evidence.
08:25Pull all surveillance footage.
08:27Hospital and surrounding area.
08:28Get a warrant.
08:29I don't care how you do it.
08:30Three hours.
08:31I want a complete case file on my desk, accurate to the second.
08:35Yes, sir.
08:36The supervisory agent pivoted.
08:38With a sweep of his arm, several FBI agents moved in and slapped handcuffs on Chad Prescott and everyone his
08:43friends before any of them could process what was happening.
08:48Chad still had a cast on his leg.
08:50When an agent hauled him out of his chair, he howled in pain.
08:52Dad!
08:53Help me, Dad!
08:54Wayne Prescott lurched forward but was blocked cold by an agent's outstretched arm.
08:57Watching his son dragged away in handcuffs.
08:59Watching the empire he'd spent a lifetime, building began to crack at the foundations.
09:03Wayne Prescott's last psychological defense finally crumbled.
09:06He threw himself at my feet, scrambling on all fours.
09:08Sir, General, I'm sorry.
09:10Please spare my son.
09:11He's young.
09:12He didn't know what he was doing.
09:14I lowered my gaze and regarded him the way one might regard an insect.
09:18When your son was beating my grandson, did it ever occur to him that my grandson is also young?
09:24The words lodged every sob and plea in Wayne Prescott's throat.
09:28He collapsed in despair on the cold hospital floor.
09:31He knew, this time, no one could save them.
09:33Once those people had been dealt with, Harlan approached me again, carefully, almost deferentially, his posture as low as it
09:39could go.
09:40General, this happened on my watch in my city.
09:43You and your family were subjected to this.
09:45That is my failure.
09:46His voice was heavy with guilt.
09:48You have my word.
09:49I will see to it personally that this is made right.
09:51Patrick stood to the side, utterly speechless, a mid-level civil servant in county government, a man who spent his
09:57days tiptoeing around superiors, reading every room, watching every word.
10:01But had he ever witnessed anything like this?
10:03The most powerful federal law enforcement officer in San Diego, standing before his father with the deference of a raw
10:08recruit on his first day.
10:10I said nothing.
10:10I simply raised my hand and made a small gesture.
10:13Asterisk come closer, star.
10:14Harlan understood it once.
10:15He leaned in.
10:16What I want has never been one man's accountability.
10:19I spoke a few sentences.
10:20As Harlan listened, the color drained from his face.
10:23General, that would implicate do as I say.
10:27I cut him off.
10:27My tone left no room for discussion.
10:29Harlan clenched his jaw, then gave a single hard nod.
10:32Yes, sir.
10:34Harlan turned and walked away at a brisk clip, pulling out his phone and dialing as he went.
10:38This is SAC Harlan.
10:40Connect me to the Washington, D.C. headquarters liaison center.
10:43When the line picked up, he dropped his voice low.
10:45Sir, initiate RICO protocol.
10:48Authorization code, Eagle 7, Bravo.
10:51Priority level, Alpha.
10:53Sir, please confirm.
10:55You are requesting activation of an Alpha-level RICO protocol?
10:59You heard me.
11:01Now.
11:03RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, was the federal justice system's ultimate weapon against organized crime.
11:10An Alpha-level activation meant the FBI would coordinate with the IRS, the DEA, FinCEN, the U.S. Marshal Service,
11:18and every other relevant federal agency to conduct a full-spectrum takedown of the target.
11:22I intended to use my grandson's beating as the thread would unravel every piece of buried filth in San Diego,
11:31every criminal network, every protective umbrella, every link in the chain.
11:39Just then, my encrypted satellite phone rang, an unfamiliar number.
11:44The voice on the other end was measured.
11:49Who is this?
11:53Am I speaking with Mr. McCrane?
11:56My name is Brett Prescott.
11:58I'm Wayne Prescott's brother.
11:59I'm a United States Senator, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
12:04I believe we can discuss this like gentlemen.
12:07Before he could finish, I hung up.
12:08Then I dialed another number.
12:10This one was shorter than Harlan's, and far more consequential.
12:14A voice came through the line, powerful, full of iron and gunpowder.
12:18I'll be damned.
12:20Iron bone.
12:21What drags you out of retirement?
12:22I heard that familiar voice and felt the ice behind my eyes thaw, just barely, before a deeper cold replaced
12:28it.
12:29Bull, my grandson's been beaten into the ICU in San Diego.
12:32Who the fuck is responsible for this?
12:35William Bull Brennan, Commander, United States Indo-Pacific Command.
12:39Four-star Admiral, a man I have forged with my own hands.
12:42Thirty years ago, in the Persian Gulf, he'd been a young lieutenant.
12:45During a routine patrol, his Humvee took an RPG and burst into flames.
12:51I ran through a hail of gunfire, dragged him from the burning wreckage,
12:55and carried him on my back for two kilometers across open desert to a medevac landing zone.
13:01Who the hell did this?
13:03Give me a name, Jim!
13:04Give me a goddamn name!
13:07I will bury them so deep they'll need a submarine to find their own grave!
13:11Brennan's roar nearly blew out the speaker.
13:14Stand down, bull.
13:15That's not why I called.
13:17Just say the word, sir.
13:18What do you need?
13:19Prescott Development Group.
13:21A real estate outfit out of San Diego.
13:23They've held contracts on military-based construction projects.
13:25My grandson is still in the ICU.
13:27I don't know if he's going to make it.
13:29I don't want to see them still open for business tomorrow.
13:31I spoke slowly, but every word landed like a bullet in Brennan's ear.
13:34Brennan understood instantly.
13:36I didn't want their money.
13:36I didn't want their blood.
13:37I wanted annihilation.
13:38I wanted the Prescott family, who had no concept of the forces they provoked,
13:42to plummet from heaven to hell in a single day.
13:44I wanted the business empire.
13:45They were so proud of the crumble, like paper, in the face of absolute power.
13:50Understood, General.
13:51You'll have my answer before sunrise.
13:53After hanging up,
13:56Brennan strode back into Indo-Pacific Command's Joint Operations Center,
13:59his face dark as a thunderhead.
14:01The flag officers seated around the room exchanged uneasy glances the moment they saw his expression.
14:06Brennan walked to the command console and swept the room with a gaze cold enough to freeze steel.
14:10Contact the Inspector General's office.
14:12Notify DCA, the Defense Contract Audi Agency.
14:15Initiate the highest level national security review on every Department of Defense-related project built by Prescott Development Group.
14:20All projects currently under construction are to be frozen immediately.
14:22His voice wasn't loud, but every word drove into the ears of everyone present like a nail.
14:27All pending payments are to be suspended immediately.
14:29All Prescott personnel holding military base access cred release.
14:32Security clearances revoked.
14:33Defective now.
14:34Place the company on the DOB debarment list.
14:36He paused, then added one fine order.
14:38Contact the NCIS director.
14:39I want a protective detail at Naval Medical Center San Diego within two hours.
14:42Each command was a scalpel, precise, merciless, slicing straight through the arteries of Prescott Development Group.
14:48The flag officers in the room were stunned.
14:50A national security review combined with DOD debarment.
14:53This was the most severe sanction that could be levied against a defense contractor.
14:57Once initiated, it was, for all practical purposes, a commercial death sentence.
15:01In the entire history of the United States, no company placed on the debarment list had ever recovered.
15:06What kind of company could provoke Bull Brennan into issuing orders of this magnitude?
15:10Admiral, with all due respect, Prescott is one of the largest defense crap-triggers on the West Coast and a
15:15preferred vander of the DOEP.
15:16If we sever ties without due process, the congressional blowback alone...
15:19Did I stutter, Captain?
15:20Execute the order.
15:21Brennan whipped around, his eyes razor-sharp as a hawk's.
15:25A chill ran through every person in the room.
15:27No one dared utter another word of dissent.
15:29Meanwhile, in San Diego, an invisible storm was gathering.
15:33Inside the FBI field office's holding room, Wayne Prescott was frantically working every connection he had.
15:38Outside, his brother Brett was burning through his phone, dialing number after number.
15:42But to their horror, every line had gone dead.
15:44The politicians who had attended their fundraising gallows, played golf at their country club, happily accepted their campaign donations.
15:50Every last one of them either sent calls straight to voicemail, fired back an icy text read in a meeting,
15:56can't talk, or had blocked the Prescott's numbers outright.
15:58The law firm they retained for years suddenly claimed a conflict of interest and refused to continue representation.
16:04San Diego's entire power network had, in the span of a single night, slammed every door shut on the Prescott
16:09family.
16:10Brett was far sharper than his brother.
16:11He understood immediately.
16:13They hadn't merely crossed the wrong person.
16:15They had kicked a hornet's nest the size of the Pentagon.
16:18Wayne, you need to tell me the truth.
16:19Who the hell is that old man?
16:20I don't know.
16:21He didn't say a word.
16:22Made one phone call, and this is what happened.
16:24One phone call, Brett.
16:25Just one goddamn phone call.
16:27At that moment, Brett's phone rang.
16:29It was Prescott Development Group's CFO.
16:31Senator Prescott, we have a catastrophic situation.
16:34Every single one of the company's bank accounts has been frozen.
16:36FinCon issued a suspicious activity report.
16:39All banks cut our credit lines.
16:40IRS showed up with a search warrant.
16:43OSA has shut down all of our construction sites.
16:45The SEC sent a subpoena demanding 10 years of financial records.
16:48And worst of all, DCA seized every military contract document.
16:51Federal agents have locked down corporate headquarters.
16:54No one in, no one out.
16:55The CFO's voice was cracking.
16:56Each piece of bad news detonated like a bomb, leaving Brett dizzy and reeling.
17:01DOD debarment.
17:02Brett understood the weight of those two words better than anyone.
17:06It seemed firsthand what happened to companies placed on the debarment list.
17:09Stock price cratered to zero.
17:10Banks pulled all credit.
17:12Business partners severed ties overnight.
17:14And executives were indicted by federal prosecutors.
17:16No company had ever come back from the debarment list.
17:18Not one.
17:19Brett lowered his phone.
17:20Every ounce of strength drained from his body and collapsed into his chair.
17:23It's over.
17:24It's truly, completely over.
17:26And all of this was only the beginning.
17:28Below Naval Medical Center, a low, heavy rumble of engines suddenly filled the air.
17:32Everyone instinctively turned toward the windows.
17:35Several dark gray Chevrolet Suburbans.
17:37Windows tinted black.
17:39Devoid of any markings.
17:40Rolled up in a tight convoy and halted at the FBI perimeter.
17:43The lead man flashed federal credentials, and the cordon was open without a word.
17:47The convoy glided to a stop in front of the main building.
17:49Doors swung open.
17:50A team of men stepped out at a brisk pace, clad in dark tactical gear, gold federal badges
17:55on their chests, and armbands bearing a single, unmistakable word, NCIS.
17:59They acknowledged no one.
18:01They walked straight inside and cleared the entire ICU floor in 90 seconds, checking exits,
18:06stairwells, elevator banks.
18:07Within minutes, the ICU wing was under full federal protective lockdown.
18:12In the corridor, the SDPD officers and FBI agents already posted their instinctively
18:16step back when these men appeared.
18:17These operators carried themselves differently.
18:19The way their eyes moved.
18:21The way they walked.
18:22The unconscious, tactical posture they maintained even while standing still.
18:26Anyone who had spent time in the military could see it instantly.
18:28These were not ordinary federal agents.
18:30They were operators.
18:31Patrick watched them take up positions along the corridor like javelins driven into the
18:35floor, and his mind short-circuited once again.
18:38His father's first phone call had summoned the FBI.
18:40His father's second phone call had summoned a force capable of making the entire Pacific
18:44fleet tremble.
18:45This man, the man he had always assumed was just a retired veteran.
18:48Who the hell was his father?
18:50Doctor, how is my grandson?
18:52How is my son?
18:53Doctor Nathan Chun, chief of trauma surgery at Naval Medical Center San Diego, looked at
18:57the old man standing before him, then at the stone-faced NCIS agents lining the corridor,
19:01and felt his own pulse quicken.
19:02He drew a deep breath and willed his voice to remain steady.
19:05General Mr. McRaden, you can breathe.
19:08After an all-out effort, Ryan's vitals have stabilized.
19:10All internal bleeding has been brought under control, and the fractured ribs have been set.
19:14He's not completely out of the woods yet, but he's past the hardest part.
19:19Doctor Chin peeled off his gloves, exhaled slowly, and looked at me with a faint, weary smile.
19:24Your grandson is a fighter, General, just like his grandfather.
19:28At those words, the wire that had held Patrick together all night finally snapped.
19:31His legs gave out.
19:32He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, pressed both hands against his
19:36face, and wept without a sound.
19:37My own ramrod-straight spine swayed, just barely, just once, and the fists I kept clenched
19:42for hours slowly, finally, uncurled.
19:45Thank you, Doctor.
19:46Doctor, it's my job, General, and it's an honor.
19:49When can we see him?
19:51He'll need 48 hours of observation in the ICU.
19:54Once he's fully stabilized, we'll transfer him to the step-down unit.
19:57At that point, family members can visit during desictated hours on a rotating basis.
20:02If needed, we can arrange for one family member to stay overnight.
20:05I gave a single nod and said nothing more.
20:07I walked to the ICU observation window and stood there, gazing through the thick glass
20:11at the young figure lying in the bed, tubes and monitor leads running from every part
20:15of his body.
20:15That boy was the last bloodline of the McGrane family, the final branch on a tree that war
20:20had hacked down, generation after generation.
20:22My great-grandfather died at the Song.
20:24My grandfather died at Normandy.
20:26My father died in the ice and snow on the far side of the Chosen Reservoir.
20:30My second son, Michael, vanished 20 years ago during a classified operation.
20:34My daughter perished at a field hospital in Afghanistan.
20:36And now this boy, Ryan McGrane, was very nearly all I had left in this world.
20:41He was all I had left.
20:42Just then, the elevator doors at the end of the corridor slid open once more.
20:46Harlan had returned, and behind him shuffled a middle-aged man in an expensive suit.
20:50His face contorted with barely contained terror.
20:53Brett Prescott, United States Senator from California.
20:55Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
20:57The true power behind the Prescott family.
20:59His complexion was ashen.
21:01His legs were shaking.
21:02Two FBI agents were half-guided, half-carrying him forward.
21:05Brett knew this was his last chance.
21:06If he could not turn things around here, tonight, the name Prescott would be erased from San Diego's power structure.
21:12No, from the entire power map of the United States.
21:14He was brought before me.
21:15The icy stares of the NCIS operators scraped across him like knives.
21:19And he felt as though he were standing naked in a blizzard.
21:21General, sir.
21:23The moment Brett Prescott opened his mouth, his voice shattered.
21:26His knees buckled.
21:27He nearly crumpled to the floor.
21:28But the two FBI agents on either side caught him and held him upright.
21:32They wouldn't even let him fall.
21:33He would stand and face this.
21:35On behalf of the Prescott family, I offer you and your family my deepest, most heartfelt apology.
21:41He drew a ragged breath and tried to summon the senatorial composure he had spent 30 years perfecting.
21:46But his voice splintered all the same.
21:47As for my disgrace of a brother and his worthless son, I've already contacted the family attorneys.
21:52Wayne and Chad will be permanently removed from the Prescott family trust.
21:55They will be cut off from every Prescott asset, account, and property.
21:59As far as I am concerned, they are dead to me.
22:01He paused, as though pushing his last card across the table.
22:04I am prepared to liquidate every asset under the Prescott family name, every property, every contract, every investment, all of
22:12it placed into a compensation fund for your grandson, whatever it takes.
22:16If only you, if only you would leave us a way out.
22:19Brett broke down completely.
22:20The polished mask he'd spent three decades buffing to a shine, cracked apart, and fell away.
22:25Tears streamed down his face, dripping onto the linoleum floor of the Naval Medical Center.
22:30And yet I did not so much as glance at him.
22:31My gaze had never left my grandson in the ICU.
22:33The corridor was silent as a tomb, nothing but Brett Prescott's ragged breathing in the distance, rhythmic beeping of a
22:40heart monitor.
22:40The seconds crawl by.
22:42Each one was an eternity for Brett.
22:44Just as despair was about to swallow him whole, I slowly turned my head.
22:47My gaze settled on Brett Prescott's face.
22:49There was no anger in it, no hatred, only a fathomless indifference, bottomless and cold.
22:53All your assets.
22:54My voice was quiet, but every word pierced Brett's chest like an ice cream.
22:57Tell me, Senator, how much do you think one drop of my grandson's blood is worth?
23:02Brett's face went white, then flushed a deep crimson, then darkened almost a purple.
23:07Shame, terror, despair.
23:09The emotions crashed over him and waved out of him, each one dragging him deeper.
23:14His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
23:16He stood there, drowning in silence.
23:18I was done with him.
23:19I turned to Harlan.
23:21Case file ready?
23:23Harlan stepped forward instantly.
23:25General, yes, sir.
23:26Preliminary results are in.
23:28He produced a tablet, tapped open a video file.
23:30The footage was somewhat grainy, but clear enough to show everything that had happened.
23:34On the screen, Ryan was riding an electric scooter along the street in the gas lamp quarter.
23:38At an intersection, he appeared not to notice a red Lamborghini Huracan parked at the curb.
23:42The scooter's handlebar grazed the car door with a light scrape.
23:45The Lamborghini's doors flew open and four young men piled out.
23:48The one in front was Chad Prescott.
23:50Chad jabbed his finger at a scratch on the door, a mark so faint it was nearly invisible to the
23:54naked eye, and unloaded on Ryan.
24:01Ryan stood there, both hands raised, palms out, apologizing repeatedly.
24:06His tone was sincere.
24:07He offered to pay for the damage, but Chad didn't care about an apology.
24:10He wanted a punching bag.
24:11The four of them closed in on Ryan like a pack of hunkies.
24:14The brawn won.
24:14They shoved him back and forth between them.
24:16Ryan never once fought back.
24:17He never even lowered his raised hands.
24:19Not until Chad drove a kick in his abdomen and sent him crashing on a sidewalk.
24:23What came next made every person watching in that corridor clutch their fists.
24:26Chad and his companions unleashed a frenzy of punches and kicks on Ryan as he landed around.
24:31They were like a pack of wild dogs tearing into prey that could no longer resist.
24:35And then, the most sickening moment of all, one of them ran to the Lamborghini's trunk and pulled out a
24:39tire iron.
24:40The metal glinted cold under the streetlight.
24:42He ran back, raised it over his head with both hands, and brought it down on Ryan's skull.
24:47Blood stained the pavement.
24:49They didn't stop until Ryan had gone completely still.
24:51Then, Chad straightened up, wiped the blood off his sneakers on Ryan's jacket, and strolled back to his Lamborghini with
24:57a grin.
24:58One of them actually pulled out his phone and snapped a selfie with Ryan's motionless body in the background.
25:02Then, the engine roared the tires' scream, and they vanished into the San Diego night.
25:06Ryan lay alone in a pool of his own blood.
25:08Eleven full minutes passed before a homeless veteran was walking by dial 911.
25:12The footage was horrifying from start to finish.
25:14Patrick watched the video in silence.
25:16His jaw was clenched so tight that the muscles in his neck stood out like cables.
25:20His fingernails dug into his palms until blood seeped from between his fingers.
25:24If two FBI agents hadn't physically restrained him, Patrick would have charged across the corridor and torn Brett Prescott apart
25:29with his bare hands.
25:30Harlan's expression was equally murderous.
25:32He leaned toward the supervisory agent beside him and spoke,
25:35This isn't mutual combat.
25:37This isn't even aggravated assault.
25:38What I just watched on that video is attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
25:42Notify the U.S. Attorney's Office I want federal charges.
25:44Every suspect, every single one.
25:46No plebeos.
25:47My face remained expressionless.
25:49But anyone who knew me understood, the calmer I became, the more terrible story.
25:53I finished the video, closed the tablet, and handed it back to Harlan.
25:57Then I walked slowly before Brett Prescott was being held upright.
26:00Brett saw me coming and nearly left his body.
26:02A dark stain spread down the leg of his $3,000 trousers.
26:06A United States senator had just wet himself.
26:08I stopped in front of him.
26:09I said nothing.
26:10I simply reached out and gave his cheek a light pad.
26:12Gentle, almost casual.
26:13But Brett felt that weathered, calloused hand like a red-hot branding iron searing into his soul.
26:18Your brother raised a fine son, Senator.
26:20I held his gaze for one long, final moment.
26:22Go back and tell your family.
26:24Every last one of them.
26:25The name Prescott is finished in this city.
26:28Get out!
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