Part 32
The headlights of the armored SUV cut through the heavy downpour, illuminating the front yard of my estate as it pulled to a stop.
I didn't wait for the agents to open the door for me. I ran out into the pouring rain, ignoring the cold drops soaking through my clothes, my eyes locked on the vehicle's rear door.
The heavy metal door swung open, and there she was.
Elena. My beautiful, seven-year-old girl, wrapped in an oversized gray federal blanket, her eyes wide with fear and confusion.
"Mommy!" she cried out, her small voice piercing through the sound of the howling wind and the crackle of police radios.
I caught her in my arms as she lunged forward, lifting her tightly against my chest, burying my face in her damp hair.
I held her so tightly I was afraid I might hurt her, but she only clung to me harder, her tiny hands gripping the fabric of my jacket like a lifeline.
"I'm here, baby, I'm here," I whispered repeatedly, my tears mixing with the rain on my cheeks. "Nobody is ever going to hurt you again. I promise you. Mommy’s got you."
She was trembling violently, her small body shaking against mine as the trauma of the past twelve hours finally caught up to her.
I carried her back into the house, passing the teams of forensic tech agents who were busy bagging evidence and scanning the room where Victor had met his downfall.
Agent Vance met us in the hallway, her expression softened by the sight of the reunion, but the urgency in her eyes remained.
"We need to move both of you to a secure federal location immediately," Vance said, keeping her voice low so as not to scare Elena. "Sterling's lawyers are already mobilizing, and the media is descending on this area like vultures. This property is no longer safe."
I looked down at Elena, who had fallen into a fragile, exhausted sleep against my shoulder, her thumb tucked into her mouth.
I looked back at the house that had been my sanctuary, now violated and transformed into a crime scene.
"Give me ten minutes to pack her things," I told Vance, my voice shifting back to the cold, calculated tone I had used to destroy Victor.
I knew Vance was right, but I also knew that relying solely on the government for protection was a rookie mistake.
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Federal walls could be breached by bribery, and federal agents could be bought by the highest bidder.
If I wanted to keep my daughter alive in the coming days, I had to trust no one but myself.
