Chapter 19
A single, sharp crack cut through the mechanical roar of the helicopter.
Vincent’s body jerked violently. The silver handgun flew from his grip, tumbling through the air and landing with a dull thud in the weeds below. He stumbled backward against the rusted railing of the crane platform, his hand clutching his shoulder, his face twisted in a mixture of shock and agony.
Two tactical officers ran up the crane’s maintenance ladder with practiced efficiency, throwing Vincent to the metal deck and securing his hands in heavy plastic zip-ties.
"Suspect is down and secured. Requesting medical transport," the radio crackled.
Laura sat up slowly behind the concrete barrier, her body trembling as the adrenaline finally began to fade, leaving her completely exhausted. She looked up at the crane. The threat was gone. Vincent was being led down the ladder in handcuffs, his power completely stripped away.
Harlan stood up, offering his hand to Laura and pulling her to her feet. "It's finally over, Laura. You can breathe now."
An hour later, the railyard was a sea of flashing red and blue lights. Laura sat in the back of an ambulance, a thick wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders while a paramedic treated the cuts on her hands and checked her bruised shoulder.
A police cruiser pulled up to the scene, its doors opening immediately.
Out ran Caleb. He didn't look at the flashing lights or the dozens of armed police officers. His eyes were locked entirely on the medical tent.
"Mommy!" he screamed, his small voice cutting through the noise of the sirens.
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From the adjacent ambulance, his mother stepped down, her body weak but her arms wide open. Caleb threw himself into her embrace, sobbing uncontrollably as she held him tightly against her chest, rocking him back and forth in the dirt.
"I'm here, baby. I'm here," she wept, kissing the top of his head over and over again. "You saved me. You did it."
