I reported my brother-in-law to NCIS after noticing his $80,000 Rolex.

Miller walked up the stairs personally. He gently gripped the back of my chair and pulled me six feet away from the ledge.

“Nice work on the paper trail,” Miller said quietly. “We found the offshore shell company within minutes of your ping. They were planning to move the rest of the funds at midnight.”

Jillian was sitting on the top step now, sobbing into her hands. “It was just a few million,” she moaned. “The Navy has billions. It didn’t matter.”

I leaned forward, looking at my sister. “It mattered to the sailors who won’t get their chairs this year, Jillian. It mattered to me.”

I turned my chair around, navigating toward the elevator my father had installed years ago but rarely let me use because it “ruined the aesthetic” of the hallway.

“Miller,” I called out.

“Sir?”

“Make sure you log the watch as Evidence Item One. I’d hate for it to get lost.”

As the elevator doors slid shut, I looked back at the grand staircase. For the first time in years, I didn’t feel like a prop in the corner. I felt like the only person in the room who could actually stand tall.