Chapter 8 - The Poisoned Loose End
Paige violently collapsed onto the courtroom floor, her body convulsing aggressively against the polished wood.
I watched in absolute horror through the two-way glass as she gasped desperately for air.
Barrett did not rush to help the woman he supposedly loved and planned to marry.
He simply took a calm sip of his own untainted champagne and stepped casually over her twitching body.
Douglas Croft checked his expensive silver watch and chuckled darkly.
"That poison works exactly as fast as the cartel promised it would," the lawyer noted with cruel satisfaction.
Barrett smiled down at Paige as her frantic movements finally stopped completely.
"She was the only loose end who actually knew we forged Loretta's signatures," Barrett stated coldly.
He looked over at Douglas and nodded his head in approval.
Douglas pulled a portable, encrypted satellite scanner from his leather briefcase.
"I am transferring the remaining cartel funds to our clean offshore accounts right now," Douglas said, rapidly typing on the device.
They had fully confessed to every single major crime on a live Homeland Security feed.
The operative standing next to me in the booth pressed a button on his tactical radio.
"Take them down right now," the operative ordered into his microphone.
The main courtroom doors were violently kicked open, splintering the heavy wood off its hinges.
Dozens of heavily armed federal tactical teams flooded into the room from every single exit.
Red laser sights instantly painted both Barrett and Douglas's chests.
Barrett realized in a fraction of a second that his perfect victory was an elaborate, inescapable trap.
His eyes darted wildly around the room in absolute, sheer panic.
Suddenly, Barrett pulled a hidden, razor-sharp ceramic knife from the tailored sleeve of his suit.
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He lunged toward the front row of the gallery and grabbed little Wyatt by the collar.
Barrett aggressively yanked his own son backward and pressed the deadly blade directly against the child's throat.
