Chapter 14: The Leak

I’ve always had a low tolerance for alcohol. I’m already a little drunk when the clock strikes five and the sky turns pale.

The curtain flutters, then a knock cuts through the quiet. A hoarse voice calls, "General Chandler has sent a letter."

Morgan tenses. "Who would come at this hour?"

I recognize the voice. "It’s Chandler’s messenger. He often corresponded with me in Georgia."

But why would the messenger know where Morgan lives?

A man in a baseball cap slips in. "General Chandler says the President’s reached Lake Marsh. Here’s a list of officers with him."

He hands me a folder. The names inside stab at me like needles—old comrades, men I once trusted. In my last life, I never noticed who accompanied the President to Lake Marsh. Now I see: when I was in trouble, they all stood by and watched.

The messenger glances at Morgan, then lets out a cold laugh.

"Why do you laugh?" I ask.

He answers with a question: "Does the Governor know why I know where Morgan lives?"

"Why?" I stare at him.

"Because… the information around you is as leaky as a sieve. Even Chandler knows about Morgan. You think the President doesn’t?"

It hits me. This was the disaster caused by my poor judgment of people. The President’s always been suspicious.

He leans in, voice low. "Governor, the people around you are all the President’s spies. He’s never trusted you. Chandler advises you to make plans early."

He slips out, silent as a ghost. The room is silent, but the war outside had already started. And this time, I wasn’t planning on dying.