Chapter 5 - The Ambush
The doctor's voice echoed in the tight space of the armored vehicle.
"The police are waiting at the emergency room entrance right now, Elias."
"They have a psychiatric hold order signed by a local judge who attends Garrick's church."
Elias disconnected the call without saying a word.
His expression hardened into something entirely terrifying.
Garrick had used his connections in the religious community to trap me in the legal system.
If the police took me into custody, they would force me back into Garrick's care under the guise of mental instability.
"Change of plans," Elias barked to the driver.
"Take us to the underground facility in Dallas."
The driver immediately swerved across three lanes of traffic and took a hidden access ramp.
"I'm sorry, Elena," Elias said, checking my bandages.
"I underestimated how deeply Garrick had manipulated the local authorities."
The pain medication was finally starting to work, clearing the horrific fog from my brain.
"He has a massive life insurance policy on me," I managed to say.
"And his mistress is the broker who approved it."
Elias's eyes darkened, and he pulled a sleek tablet from his briefcase.
"Then we won't just destroy his reputation," Elias murmured softly.
"We are going to dismantle his entire existence."
We drove for another hour before pulling into a massive, abandoned warehouse district.
The SUV descended down a concrete ramp into a brightly lit, state-of-the-art private medical bunker.
A team of actual nurses and a trauma surgeon were waiting for me on the loading dock.
They rushed me into a sterile room, cleaned my infected incisions, and finally managed my pain properly.
For the first time in weeks, I slept deeply and without fear.
When I woke up, the digital clock on the wall told me two full days had passed.
Elias was sitting in a chair beside my bed, reviewing a thick stack of printed documents.
"You look significantly better," he noted, handing me a glass of cold water.
"I feel like I can actually breathe," I replied, sitting up slowly.
Elias dropped the stack of papers onto my lap.
"I had my team dig into Garrick's precious church accounts."
"Your husband hasn't just been planning insurance fraud, Elena."
"He has been embezzling money from the church's orphanage fund for three years."
I stared at the highlighted bank transfers, my stomach turning with sheer disgust.
He had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from innocent children.
"I want to expose him," I said, my voice completely steady.
"I want Miriam to watch him lose everything in front of the entire congregation."
Elias smiled, a terrifying expression that perfectly matched my own.
May you like
"Sunday service starts in exactly three hours," Elias said.
"And I have already hacked their main projector."
