My brother actually laughed at dinner and said, ‘I sold that useless laptop of yours for five hundred bucks. Finally got rid of your junk.’ My cousins cheered him on. Then he added, almost proudly, ‘Already handed it off to the buyer.’ I got up, stepped outside, and called my supervisor. By the time I made the report, the FBI cyber team was already tracking the device…

suddenly real. “You don’t do this over family.”

The lead agent didn’t even fully turn. “Sir, this stopped being a family issue when classified federal property entered an unauthorized sale.”

They took Derek out. Rachel followed halfway to the door and then doubled back because the children were crying. Everything had shifted out of place—chairs, glasses,continue reading …