Chapter 3 - The Corrupt Badge
I slowly raised my empty hands into the air to show I was not a threat.
The lead FBI agent snatched my laptop from the desk without a single word.
I told him he needed to look at the video file because it contained proof of a massive criminal syndicate.
He offered a cold smile and smashed the laptop violently onto the motel floor.
He stomped on the hard drive repeatedly until the plastic and metal were completely destroyed.
I realized with absolute horror that Arthur Vance's payroll extended far beyond the local police department.
He had bought federal agents to ensure his timber smuggling operation remained perfectly hidden.
The agent ordered his men to place me in heavy steel handcuffs.
He loudly declared that I was being placed under arrest for the brutal assault of my own daughter.
He claimed they had an anonymous tip and a forged confession with my signature on it.
They dragged me out to an unmarked black SUV and threw me into the back seat.
I knew that if I arrived at a federal holding facility, I would conveniently hang myself in my cell before morning.
I needed to escape right now, or Maya would be left entirely alone with those monsters.
I waited until the vehicle merged onto the dark, winding mountain highway outside of town.
I slipped my hands under my legs and contorted my shoulders to bring my cuffed wrists to my front.
The agent sitting next to me noticed the movement and reached for his sidearm.
I slammed my elbow directly into his nose, shattering the cartilage instantly.
I grabbed his heavy tactical belt and pulled his taser free with my bound hands.
I drove the electric prongs directly into the neck of the driver.
The driver convulsed violently, and his foot slammed down hard on the accelerator.
The heavy SUV swerved sharply off the asphalt and crashed through the steel guardrail.
We went completely airborne over the steep, rocky embankment.
The vehicle flipped three times in the air before smashing brutally into the dense forest floor below.
I kicked the shattered window glass away and crawled out of the smoking wreckage.
My ribs burned fiercely, but the adrenaline masked the worst of the physical trauma.
I ran into the freezing woods, knowing I was now a wanted fugitive being hunted by the federal government.
My only advantage was that I had secretly backed up the video file to a cloud server before they breached my room.
I reached into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone to access the server.
May you like
My heart stopped completely when I felt nothing but torn fabric.
My phone was lost somewhere inside the burning wreckage of the federal vehicle.
