Chapter 9 - The Final Stand
The flashing red and blue lights illuminated the broken windows of my living room.
Vanessa had perfectly timed her call to the police, screaming that heavily armed men were murdering us.
Ryan froze, his arrogant confidence instantly crumbling into sheer, animalistic panic.
"The police are here, boss!" one of the goons yelled, running toward the back door to escape.
"Don't leave me, you idiots!" Ryan screamed, entirely abandoning his plan to kill me.
He tried to run toward the garage, but Detective Harris kicked the door open with his gun drawn.
Dozens of heavily armed SWAT officers swarmed the house, tackling the fleeing goons to the grass.
Ryan immediately dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, throwing his hands into the air.
"They tried to kill me, officer, it was self-defense!" Ryan screamed, playing the victim one last time.
Detective Harris walked up to him and violently shoved him face-first into the hardwood floor.
"Save it for the judge, Ryan, we heard everything on the open 911 line," the detective growled.
The police quickly secured the house, pulling me up from the floor and checking my bleeding lip.
Elena walked into the dining room, rubbing her bruised wrists but wearing a massive, triumphant smile.
Vanessa slowly crept downstairs, crying tears of relief as she saw Ryan finally locked in handcuffs.
"You are going to prison for the rest of your miserable life," I told Ryan as they dragged him past me.
He glared at me with pure, unadulterated hatred, but he was completely powerless.
Detective Harris approached us, putting his notebook away with a satisfied nod.
"We searched his car and found the blackmail files he removed from the storage unit," the detective confirmed.
"We have enough evidence to put him away for fraud, attempted murder, and bigamy."
I let out a heavy breath, feeling the crushing weight of the nightmare finally lift off my shoulders.
"But there is one massive problem," Detective Harris added, his brow furrowing in deep confusion.
"We finally tracked the offshore account where the stolen loan money was originally sent."
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The detective looked at the three of us with intense, suspicious eyes.
"The account was completely emptied yesterday, and all the money is still missing."
