Chapter 10 - The False Victory
I took the heavy satellite phone from the agent with trembling, exhausted hands.
The green light on the top of the device blinked steadily, indicating an active, encrypted connection.
The massive armored SUV navigated the quiet highway, putting miles between us and the nightmare of my father's cartel.
Leo was finally sleeping peacefully against my chest, his small, even breaths a comforting rhythm in the dark cabin.
Jackson was staring out the window, completely silent and entirely out of our way.
The federal agents were actively radioing dispatch to coordinate the massive raid on my parents' suburban home.
It was a total, undeniable victory against a monster I had mistakenly called my father.
The brass key was safely secured in federal custody, and the cartel's money laundering ledger would soon be exposed.
We were safe, protected by the highest level of law enforcement in the country, and we were never going back.
I smiled warmly at the FBI agent in the passenger seat and mouthed a silent 'thank you'.
I finally brought the cold plastic of the satellite phone directly to my ear.
"Hello?" I whispered, fully expecting to hear the voice of an FBI Director or a federal prosecutor.
"You did an absolutely brilliant job protecting our little investment tonight, my love," a cheerful, sinister voice replied.
I dropped the phone onto the floorboards in absolute, paralyzing horror.
The familiar, terrifying voice on the other end of the line did not belong to a federal agent.
It belonged to my husband.
He had died in a violent, fiery car crash five long years ago.
He was the mastermind who had orchestrated this entire nightmare to steal our son.
The FBI agent in the front seat slowly turned around, his warm smile replaced by a cold, dead-eyed stare.
The agent reached over the seat and firmly locked all the passenger doors from the master console.
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"Did you really think a few federal badges could protect you from him?" the agent whispered chillingly.
The SUV abruptly veered off the federal highway, plunging us down a dark, unmarked dirt road leading straight back into the woods.
