Chapter 10 - The False Victory
The safety glass finally shattered, raining sharp fragments onto the front seat.
I reached through the broken window and grabbed the steering wheel, jerking it hard to the right.
The van careened off the road, crashing through a guardrail and slamming into a massive oak tree.
The airbags deployed violently, knocking Brooke completely unconscious.
I kicked the damaged back doors open and helped my mother and brother escape the smoking vehicle.
I dragged Brooke out of the driver's seat and handcuffed her to the steering column.
I found her satellite phone and dialed the emergency federal hotline, using my absolute override code.
Within ten minutes, a fleet of armored federal vehicles swarmed the crash site.
The tactical units arrested Brooke, intercepted Director Vance at the precinct, and captured Captain Landry.
Medics loaded Arthur onto a stretcher and assured me he would survive his injuries.
I watched the corrupt officials get shoved into armored transports, finally feeling a profound sense of victory.
I had dismantled the entire network and saved my family from absolute destruction.
I walked over to my mother, who was sitting quietly in the back of an ambulance wrapped in a thermal blanket.
I told her the nightmare was finally over and that we were safe now.
She smiled warmly, reaching out to stroke my cheek with her uninjured hand.
As she moved, her cardigan shifted, and a heavy silver locket slipped out from underneath her collar.
It was the exact same locket she claimed was empty when we were in the car.
I grabbed the locket, my heart pounding in my chest, and snapped it open.
Inside was a small, high-resolution photograph of Director Vance, Captain Landry, and my mother shaking hands over a table covered in cash.
I stepped back, my entire world completely shattering as I looked into her cold, calculating eyes.
She picked up a discarded tactical radio, pressed the transmit button, and spoke in a chillingly calm voice.
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“The investigator has outlived her usefulness,” my mother whispered into the mic.
“Burn the ambulance to the ground with her inside.”
