Not yet. Possibility. Then another thought hit her. If Sloan controls that footage, Naomi went still. Neither sister spoke for several seconds because both understood the same thing at once.
The video could prove everything if it still existed. That night, East Baltimore felt smaller than usual. Rain tapped against the apartment windows and uneven bursts. Headlights moved across the ceiling whenever cars passed on the street below. Somewhere in the distance, a bus sighed to a stop and pulled away again.
Nia sat at the kitchen table with her suspension notice in front of her. The cardboard box from Wellington rested beside the wall. Naomi stood at the counter making coffee she did not need. Neither sister had spoken for several minutes. Finally, Nia said, what if they erase it?
Naomi poured the coffee. Then the deletion becomes part of the story. That sounds comforting. It wasn't supposed to. Nia looked at her.
Naomi carried two mugs to the table and sat down. The battered EMT bag was on the chair beside her. For the first time, Nia noticed the zipper was open. The black and silver coin rested inside. She looked at it.
Then at Naomi. You said you'd tell me another time. Naomi followed her eyes. For a long moment, she did nothing. Then she reached into the bag and placed the coin on the table.
It landed with a dull metallic sound. Maryland National Guard. Combatives. The lettering was worn around the edges. Nia ran her thumb across it.
Reeves gave you this? Naomi nodded. When? The day I finished instructor certification. Nia looked up.
Instructor? Naomi leaned back. Senior combatives instructor. Nia stared at her. You never said senior.
I didn't say a lot of things. Apparently. Naomi almost smiled. Then her face settled again. Daniel Reeves trained me.
Just you? A lot of people. But he gave you the coin. Naomi nodded once. He gave it to me after a training block where two people lost their tempers.
Nia waited. Naomi looked down at the coin. I didn't. That was the whole test? That was the important part.
Her voice changed slightly. Not softer. Older. Reeves believed anybody could learn to hurt someone. He cared whether you could stop before you did.
Nia thought about the bruise on her wrist. About Ryan's shove. About the edited video. Control the room before you control the person. Naomi looked at her.
You remember that? You've said it before. Naomi's eyes returned to the coin. He said it first. For a few seconds the apartment became quiet except for rain.
Then Naomi continued. I stayed in longer than I planned. Taught more. Worked with teams that needed de-escalation under pressure. Later I helped adapt some of those methods for civilian emergency response programs.
Nia blinked. What kind of programs? EMS security. Athletic response. Situational control.