The refrigerator hummed softly as it worked away in the background, while the normal chaos of three seven-year-old children getting ready for school was occurring around me, filling our kitchen with noise.
I stood at the counter in my Class-A Uniform making three identical turkey sandwiches. My precision in preparing these sandwiches had become so natural to me that it felt almost like an extension of myself. In Military Intelligence, a single number that was incorrect could lead to the loss of a life; here at home, forgetting one minor detail could cause a child to cry before breakfast.
“MOM!! Maya took my blue marker!” shouted Connor.
“It was cerulean!” shouted Maya in defense.
Meanwhile, Logan sat quietly at the kitchen island, staring at me with the serious eyes of a child who notices everything going on around him.
“Three minutes, team,” I called out. “Time to gear up.”
At that moment, both my cell phone and my encrypted government phone started vibrating simultaneously.
My personal phone vibrated against the countertop while my government phone chimed loudly next to it.
From the living room, I could hear the muted sounds of the television turned down low; there was a red banner along the bottom announcing BREAKING NEWS. I grabbed the remote control and turned the volume up.
The news anchor was speaking in a solemn tone, explaining that “Former Officer Garrett Cole has reportedly died in a classified combat zone. Although his career ended in controversy, sources inside the Pentagon are referring to him as a fallen hero who sacrificed himself to protect his brothers-in-arms.”
As soon as I read those words, my stomach tightened painfully.
Garrett.
I didn’t have time to think about what I had just read before I received a text message on my personal phone. The number was not saved in my phone, but I recognized the message immediately.
It was from Beatrice Cole, my ex-mother-in-law.