Chapter 28 - The Cold Dawn
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The federal tactical team swarmed the backyard, their heavy boots crunching against the decorative desert landscaping. Vance Hale was slammed against the stucco wall, his hands wrenched behind his back as heavy steel cuffs were ratcheted shut.
Irene stood beside me in the living room, the reinforced glass separating us from the chaos outside. Her grip on my hand was like a vise, her knuckles white, her breathing shallow but steady. We had done it. We had caught the monster who had been hunting our family.
"Clear the perimeter! Check the alleyway!" the tactical commander barked, waving his flashlight through the darkness.
Julian stepped out from the side gate, his assault rifle lowered but his eyes scanning the horizon with the paranoid vigilance of a man who knew the war was never truly over. He walked up to the French doors and gave me a sharp, single nod.
I holstered my tactical sidearm and unlocked the glass doors, stepping out onto the patio. The cold desert air bit at my skin.
"Is the house secure?" I asked Julian, keeping my voice low so Irene wouldn't hear the lingering tremor in it.
"For now," Julian replied grimly, wiping a streak of grease from his cheek. "They had two getaway drivers parked three blocks down. Feds intercepted them. It’s a clean sweep."
Two agents hauled Vance Hale toward the side gate. As he passed the patio, Vance suddenly dug his heels into the dirt, stopping dead in his tracks. He turned his head, locking his dark, feral eyes onto mine.
"You think this is the end?" Vance hissed, a bloody smile creeping across his scarred face. "I'm just a soldier. The Board is watching, and they don't forgive debts."
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"Get him out of here," the commander shoved Vance forward.
As the squad car sirens faded into the distance, I looked over at Julian. His face was pale under the floodlights. He knew exactly what 'The Board' meant. Our nightmare in Phoenix was over, but a much darker chapter had just begun.
