Chapter 19 - The Interrogation
We drifted in the open ocean for six grueling hours before a heavily armed Coast Guard cutter finally intercepted our distress beacon.
I had used a secure satellite channel to contact my final trustworthy contact within the FBI, arranging a highly classified surrender.
When they pulled us onto the deck of the cutter, I handed Carlo directly over to the federal agents waiting in the rain.
He was shivering, broken, and completely devoid of the arrogant pride he had displayed just hours ago.
"Alexei Volkov is officially yours. He is the mastermind behind the cartel's recent domestic operations," I told the lead agent, handing over a waterproof drive containing Grace's downloaded evidence.
The agents dragged Carlo away in heavy iron chains, securing him in the ship's holding cell.
Grace and I were given thick wool blankets and hot coffee, sitting closely together in the ship's medical bay.
I looked at the woman who had fought beside me through literal fire and water, her strength absolutely astonishing.
"It is done, Grace. He can never hurt us again," I whispered, resting my forehead against hers.
However, there was one final loose end that needed to be permanently severed before we could disappear.
When the ship docked at a secure naval base the following morning, I demanded five minutes alone with Carlo in the interrogation room.
The federal agents reluctantly agreed, turning off the recording cameras to grant me absolute privacy.
Carlo was chained to a heavy steel table, wearing a standard orange jumpsuit that mirrored Seraphina's exactly.
I sat down across from him, staring into his defeated, hollow eyes.
"Why did you leave the fake Elara in the morgue that night, Carlo?" I asked, my voice deadly calm.
Carlo looked up slowly, a twisted, bitter smile touching his bruised lips.
"Because Seraphina wanted you entirely broken. She knew that a grieving father is blind to the knives aimed at his back," he rasped.
He confessed that he had personally bribed the medical examiner, ensuring I would never look for my daughter because I truly believed she was ash.
"You underestimated the wrong maid," I stated coldly, standing up from the metal chair.
"What happens to you now, Julian?" Carlo asked, his voice cracking with genuine curiosity. "A king cannot just walk away from his throne."
I walked toward the heavy steel door, not bothering to look back at the ruined man.
"I am no longer a king, Carlo. I am just a ghost," I replied, knocking on the door for the guards to let me out.
I walked out of the sterile military facility into the bright, blinding sunlight of a brand new day.
Grace was waiting by a black SUV, holding a secure satellite phone in her hand.
May you like
She smiled warmly, handing me the device.
"Amara wants to say good morning to her father," Grace beamed.
