Chapter 10 - The Road Ahead
Chloe shrieked in absolute terror as unmarked black vans suddenly swarmed the warehouse parking lot.
Heavily armed federal agents poured out, surrounding the entire perimeter in mere seconds.
Silas grabbed Chloe by her expensive coat and slammed her against the hood of the Mercedes.
He snapped heavy metal handcuffs securely onto her wrists.
Mark immediately dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably and begging for my forgiveness.
Silas turned to me, looking significantly more professional without the slouch.
"Undercover agent Silas Thorne, sir," he introduced himself properly.
"We've been investigating Chloe and her brother for a massive, multi-state fraud ring."
"We needed you to draw her out with the car transaction so we could catch her red-handed."
I let out a massive breath I felt like I had been holding for an entire month.
The horrifying nightmare was finally over.
Chloe and Mark were dragged into the back of a police transport van, facing decades in federal prison.
I walked over to my beautiful Mustang, gently patting the gleaming red hood.
The car was safe, my home was mine again, and I was finally free to live my life in total peace.
I got safely behind the wheel, gripped Sarah's crooked wooden shift knob, and drove away into the bright, beautiful morning sun.
Later that evening, I sat in my quiet, peaceful living room, sipping a cup of hot tea.
I had changed all the locks on the doors and installed a brand new security system.
I walked into my bedroom, ready to get my first good night of sleep in weeks.
I pulled back the heavy down comforter to get right into bed.
Resting perfectly in the center of my pillow was a freshly developed photograph.
It was a picture of me driving the Mustang away from the shipyard that very morning, taken directly from the passenger seat.
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Flipped over, written in the elegant handwriting that belonged to my late wife Sarah, was a terrifying message.
"You drive too fast, Arthur."
