Chapter 6 - The Federal Setup
“Marcus Ellison, you are under arrest for domestic terrorism,” the lead FBI agent announced loudly. Marcus slowly raised his hands in the air, shielding Sarah and Lily behind his broad shoulders. “You have the wrong man,” Marcus shouted over the idling engines of the tactical trucks. “My fiancée set that bomb to kill us!” The agent completely ignored his desperate explanation and forcefully slammed Marcus against the cold metal wall. Cold steel handcuffs were brutally tightened around Marcus’s wrists. “We received an anonymous tip with video evidence of you placing an explosive device beneath the banquet hall,” the agent stated. Marcus realized with absolute dread exactly why the bomb in the elevator had been fake. Diana hadn't just wanted his money or his life. She wanted to completely destroy his legacy and lock him away in federal prison forever. Two female agents gently escorted Sarah and Lily toward a waiting armored vehicle. “Don't say a single word to them, Marcus!” Sarah yelled as they dragged her away. “I will get a lawyer, I promise!” Marcus was shoved into the back of a dark transport van, his mind racing with impossible equations. The doors slammed shut, leaving him in total pitch-black darkness. The van drove aggressively for over forty minutes before finally coming to an abrupt halt. The heavy rear doors swung open, but they were not at a police station. Marcus was dragged out into the pouring rain and forced to his knees in the middle of a deserted shipping yard. Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the massive metal shipping containers surrounding him. A sleek black umbrella appeared in his field of vision. Diana stood above him, wearing a designer trench coat and a victorious smirk. “You really thought the FBI could touch me?” Diana laughed softly. “My family owns the chief of police, the federal judges, and everyone in between.” The men who had arrested Marcus slowly took off their FBI windbreakers, revealing the familiar black tactical gear of Diana’s private mercenary squad. “Where are Sarah and Lily?” Marcus demanded, struggling uselessly against the heavy handcuffs. Diana smiled and pointed toward a large metal shipping container suspended high in the air by a massive industrial crane. “They are inside that box, Marcus,” Diana whispered maliciously. “And if you don't give me the master password to your offshore accounts in ten seconds, my man will drop them straight into the freezing ocean.”
