Chapter 17 - The Broken Alliance
The FBI safehouse was a secure building,
hidden in plain sight,
in the heart of the city.
They brought Noah to me,
and the moment his small arms wrapped around my neck,
I knew I would never let him go again.
We sat in a briefing room,
with Agent Miller,
the man in charge of the operation.
"We've been tracking Victor for years,"
Miller explained,
showing photos on a whiteboard.
"He's the head of a massive laundering ring."
"Your husband, Ethan, or John Carter,"
"was his primary accountant."
"He stole from Victor,"
"and tried to use your money to replace it."
"Where is Ethan now?"
I asked,
holding Noah tightly.
"He's on the run,"
Miller said.
"But his alliance with your father is broken."
"Arthur Lawson was picked up an hour ago."
My father.
Arrested.
"Did he talk?"
"He's singing like a bird,"
Miller smiled coldly.
"He turned on Ethan to save his own skin."
"He gave us the location of a warehouse,"
"where Ethan is hiding out,"
"waiting for a forged passport."
Suddenly,
Miller's computer beeped.
An alert flashed on the screen.
"We have a location on Claire Lawson,"
an agent shouted from the back.
"She tried to board a flight to Costa Rica,"
"with a bag containing two million dollars."
"She's in custody."
I felt a strange mix of sadness and satisfaction.
My family was destroyed,
by their own greed.
"Emma,"
Agent Miller said,
looking at me seriously.
"We need your help to catch Ethan."
"He doesn't know you're with us."
"He thinks you're still in jail."
"We want you to call him."
"Lure him out."
I looked at Noah,
his sweet face,
his innocent eyes.
Ethan had tried to destroy us.
He had to pay.
"Give me the phone,"
I said,
May you like
my voice steady,
and cold as ice.
