Chapter 10 - The Federal Shield
"Stay down on the floor, Callie! Cover your head!" I shouted, frantically reaching for the door handle to put myself between my daughter and the approaching men.
Before I could push the door open, a deafening roar of sirens shattered the stillness of the mountain pass.
From around the bend behind the syndicate SUVs, three unmarked black-and-white cruisers surged into view, their emergency strobes painting the pine trees in violent flashes of crimson and blue. Before the mercenaries could react, the cruisers rammed the rear bumper of the lead SUV, pinning it against the commercial semi-truck with a deafening screech of crumpled steel.
Megaphones blared through the winter air.
"Federal Law Enforcement! Drop your weapons immediately and place your hands on your heads!"
Doors flew open as a dozen federal marshals in heavy tactical gear spilled out onto the asphalt, their assault rifles trained squarely on Richard Vance’s men. Caught between a federal ambush and a blocked road, the mercenaries dropped their weapons into the snow one by one, raising their hands in surrender.
A tall man in a dark trench coat stepped out from the lead federal vehicle, walking cautiously through the snow toward my driver’s side door. He tapped twice on the frosted glass.
I slowly rolled the window down, keeping my hands visible on the steering wheel.
"Jack Cooper?" the federal agent asked, flashing a gold badge under the strobe lights. "Agent Miller, FBI Financial Crimes Division. We've been looking for this ledger for three years. Are you and the girl alright?"
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I let out a ragged, trembling breath, looking across the seat at Callie, who was peering up at me with tired, trusting eyes.
"We're alright," I whispered, resting my forehead against the steering wheel. "We're finally alright."
