Oops Wrong Girl to Bully (Angelina) by Xena Kessler novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Third Person POV

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The control room was packed with officers and technicians. Major Barlow stood in the center, arms crossed. Colonel Harrison sat in a chair to

his left. Three other officers stood along the back wall. Two technicians operated the monitoring equipment at the front desk.

Switch to Room One, Major Barlow said.

The main screen changed. Showed a candidate strapped to a chair. A guard stood behind him holding a tactical baton.

“Tell us who you’re working for, the guard said.

“Nobody! I’m just a candidate! Please!”

The baton came down. Not hard enough to cause serious injury. Just enough to hurt.

The candidate screamed.

“Next room,” Major Barlow said. His voice was flat. Emotionless.

The screen switched to Room Three. A woman was crying. Her hands were tied behind her back.

“I already told you everything! Why won’t you believe me?”

“Because you’re lying,” the interrogator said. “Your story doesn’t match the timeline.”

“I’m not lying! I swear I’m not lying!”

Colonel Harrison leaned forward slightly. “She’s breaking.”

Major Barlow nodded slightly. “Move to Room Four.”

The screen changed again. This room showed a struggle. The candidate had knocked over his chair. Two guards were restraining him.

“Get off me! You can’t do this! This is illegal!”

“Spirited one,” one of the officers commented. “How long before he breaks

“Twenty minutes,” another officer said. “He’s all rage right now. Once that burns out, he’ll fold.”

Major Barlow turned to the lead technician. “Show me Room Two,”

The technician’s fingers moved across the keyboard. The screen switched.

Everyone in the control room went completely still.

On the screen, Instructor Graham had the candidate Sterling pressed against the wall. His mouth was on hers. Her hands were in his hair. They

were kissing.

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Not a professional interrogation kiss. Not a manipulation tactic. A real ki. Intense. Passionate.

The kind of kiss that had nothing to do with military training.

The room stayed silent for exactly three seconds.

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Then the young technician, Williams, spoke up. His voice was uncertain. Sir, should we intervene? This is highly inappropriate conduct with a

candidate.

Major Barlow didn’t respond. Just stared at the screen.

Williams shifted in his seat. “Sir? Protocol requires us to report any instructor misconduct. This clearly qualifies.”

“Williams, Major Barlow said quietly. “Shut up.”

“But sirâ€TM

“I said shut up.”

Williams went silent. Looked at the other technician. She shrugged slightly.

Colonel Harrison was watching the screen with interest. “Well. That’s unexpected.”

One of the officers in the back spoke up. “Should we stop this? I mean, she’s fifteen years old. This could be a serious legal issue.”

Major Barlow finally turned away from the screen. “Graham was recommended by someone very high up in the command structure. Someone with a lot more authority than me. We’re not interrupting.”

“But sir—

“You want to tell a four-star general that his recommended specialist is compromised? Be my guest. I’ll write your transfer papers personally.

The officer went quiet.

Major Barlow turned back to the screen. His expression was thoughtful now. “Something’s been bothering me since I saw Sterling’s performance yesterday.”

Colonel Harrison glanced at him. “What’s that?”

“Derek mentioned something when he recommended her. Said some guy picked her up after training once. Young, tall, looked like he walked off

a movie set.”

He gestured at the screen. “That description matches our Instructor Graham pretty damn well.”

The room went quiet again. Everyone processing that information.

Colonel Harrison leaned back in his chair. ‘So Sterling’s connected to Graham.”

“More than connected, one of the other officers said. “Look at them. Thats not a casual relationship.”

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Major Barlow nodded slowly. “Maybe Graham trained her. That would explain the skill level. Why a fifteen-year-old moves like a seasoned

operative

Makes sense, Colonel Harrison said, “You don t develop that kind of tactical awareness from high school gym class.”

Williams was still watching the screen. His face was red. Embarrassed. S they re still going. Should I mute the feed?”

Leave it. Major Barlow said.

Then the screen flickered. Once. Twice.

The image cut to black.

Williams immediately started typing. His fingers moving fast across the keyboard. “Sir, we’ve lost visual on Room Two. Feed just died.”

He brought up diagnostic windows. Checked the system logs. All other rooms functioning normally. This is a targeted disruption.”

Williams started to stand up. “I should go check the equipmentâ€**

Major Barlow raised his hand. “Sit down, Williams.”

Williams stopped halfway out of his seat. “But sir, protocol requiresâ€**

“I said sit down.”

Williams slowly sat back down. Looked confused. “Sir, if there’s equipment failure, we need to address it immediately.”

“There’s no equipment failure,” Major Barlow said. His voice was calm. Mater-of-fact. “Graham cut that feed intentionally. We’re not

interrupting.”

“But sir, we need visual confirmation that the candidate is safe. Regulations state thata

“Williams,” Colonel Harrison said. His voice was gentle but firm. “The major gave you an order. Follow it.”

Williams opened his mouth. Closed it. Nodded. “Yes sir.”

Colonel Harrison looked at Major Barlow. A small smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Remember when we were that young, Barlow?”

Major Barlow’s expression didn’t change. “I was never that bold, sir.”

“Sure you werent,” Colonel Harrison said. He settled back in his chair. His eyes had a distant look. “Ah, young love. Makes you do stupid

things.

One of the younger officers in the back whispered to his colleague. “Did the colonel just say young love?”

“I think he did.”

“About an instructor and a candidate?”

“Apparently,”

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Major Barlow turned around. Fixed them with a hard stare. “You two have something to say?”

Both officers straightened immediately. “No sir!”

“Good. Because what you saw here stays in this room. All of you understand that?”

Everyone nodded

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“I mean it.” Major Barlow continued. “Graham is here on direct orders from command. Whatever his relationship with Sterling is, it’s not our

concern unless it compromises the selection process.”

“And if it does compromise the process?” one officer asked.

“Then we’ll deal with it. But right now, Sterling has been performing at the top of her category despite multiple sabotage attempts. Her scores are legitimate. Her skills are real. So unless Graham starts giving her unfair advantages, we have no grounds to interfere.”

Colonel Harrison nodded. “Barlow’s right. Besides, I’ve seen Sterling’s performance footage. That girl doesn’t need advantages. She’s already operating at a level most of our candidates won’t reach in five years.”

Williams was still staring at the black screen showing Room Two. “Sir, how long should we wait before attempting to restore the feed?”

Major Barlow checked his watch. “How long has it been?”

“Five minutes since we lost visual.

“Give it another hour.”

Williams looked shocked. “Another hour? Sir, that’s way beyond acceptable monitoring gaps.”

“Did I stutter, Williams?”

“No sir. But regulationsȧ€**

Are my responsibility. Not yours. You log the equipment failure. I’ll handle any questions from command.”

“Yes sir.”

The hallway outside the interrogation rooms was narrow. Five doors lined the left side. Each door identical. Heavy metal. Small window at eye

level.

Five men stood in the hallway. All wearing black tactical gear. Ski masks overing their faces. They were Evergreen Pack warriors. They stood outside Room Two. Aria Sterling’s interrogation room.

The hallway wasn’t quiet. Sound carried from the other rooms.

From Room One came the crack of a baton hitting flesh. Then screaming Stop! Please! I’ll talk!”

The warriors didn’t react. They’d heard worse.

Room Three was quieter. Just crying. A woman’s voice. “I told you everything! Why won’t you believe me?”

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