Chapter 8 - The Desperate Run
Two uniformed police officers burst into the locker room, their hands resting on their utility belts.
"Nobody move!" the lead officer shouted.
David immediately pointed a trembling, manicured finger at me.
"That's him!" David yelled, playing the victim perfectly.
"He assaulted me, and he's wanted for custody fraud!"
The officers stepped forward, pulling out a pair of silver handcuffs.
"Leo Carter, turn around and place your hands behind your back," the officer ordered coldly.
I looked at Mason, my heart breaking at the sight of his tear-stained face.
"Dad, no," Mason whispered, stepping in front of me to block the police.
"He didn't do anything wrong, this man is lying!"
"Step aside, son," the officer warned gently but firmly.
I gently moved Mason to the side, giving him a reassuring smile that I absolutely did not feel.
"It's okay, buddy," I lied softly.
"Go back out there and finish the game."
"I'm not playing without you," Mason cried, grabbing my flannel shirt.
"Yes, you are," I insisted, looking him dead in the eye.
"You have fourteen years of hard work wrapped up in the next forty-five minutes."
"Do not let this coward steal your moment."
I turned around and put my hands behind my back, letting the cold steel of the handcuffs click tightly around my wrists.
The officers marched me out of the locker room, pushing me down the long, dim hallway.
Through the tunnel opening, I could hear the crowd roaring as the second half resumed.
David walked proudly behind the officers, fixing his tie and smirking triumphantly.
"You really thought you could win, Leo?" David taunted quietly near my ear.
"I'll have him signed to my agency before you even make bail."
As we approached the main stadium exit, a sharp voice echoed across the concrete concourse.
"Release my client immediately, or I will file federal harassment charges against this entire precinct!"
I looked up to see Patricia marching furiously toward us, waving a thick stack of papers.
The officers stopped, looking confused.
"Ma'am, we have a warrant for his arrest," the officer stated.
"That warrant was based on a fraudulent affidavit, which a judge just threw out five minutes ago," Patricia snapped.
She shoved a legally stamped document directly into the officer's chest.
"Furthermore, I have an active federal indictment from the city of Chicago for Mr. David Carter regarding wire fraud and extortion."
David stopped dead in his tracks, his arrogant smirk entirely melting off his face.
"That's a lie," David stammered, stepping backward.
"Is it?" Patricia asked coldly, snapping her fingers.
Two men in dark windbreakers with FBI printed in yellow on the back stepped out from behind the concession stands.
"David Carter, you're under arrest for federal wire fraud," the federal agent announced.
The local officers quickly unlocked my handcuffs, shifting their attention to David.
May you like
I didn't stick around to watch him fall.
I rubbed my sore wrists and sprinted furiously back toward the field, the stadium clock ticking down to zero.
