Chapter 10 - The Reckoning
The deafening roar of federal vehicles quickly flooded the quiet mountain road, surrounding the crashed sports car with flashing red and blue lights.
Heavily armed federal agents swarmed the area, securing Jessica and Ryan in heavy iron chains while reading them their Miranda rights.
An FBI director stepped out of a black command vehicle and offered me a crisp, highly respectful military salute.
He informed me that the forged deed transfer had already been flagged and legally nullified by the Department of Defense security algorithms.
Jessica screamed vicious curses at me as she was shoved into the back of a federal transport van, facing decades in federal prison for treason and espionage.
Ryan wept pathetically, trying to claim he was entirely innocent, but the agents ignored his pathetic pleas and locked him away as an accomplice.
I watched them drive away into the night, feeling an overwhelming sense of closure and absolute justice.
Three weeks later, I stood on the pristine cedar deck of my fully restored lake house, watching the peaceful morning sunrise over the water.
The military engineers had completely repaired the explosive damage, reinforcing the structure and making my sanctuary more secure than ever before.
My corrupt property manager had been fully exonerated, and Deputy Miller was currently sitting in a federal holding cell awaiting trial.
I took a deep sip of my hot coffee, finally enjoying the quiet, uninterrupted seventy-two hours of peace I had originally fought so hard for.
My family finally knew exactly who I was, and they would never dare step foot on my property again.
The nightmare was completely over, and I was exactly where I belonged.
Suddenly, the secure military phone resting on my glass patio table began to ring with an encrypted, priority-one alert.
I picked it up and heard a cold, unfamiliar voice on the other end, speaking with a thick Eastern European accent.
May you like
The voice softly whispered that my sister was just a convenient distraction, and the real assassination team was already in position.
Before I could ask a single question, a tiny red laser dot appeared directly in the center of my coffee mug.
