Chapter 8 - The Federal Raid
I parked my rented sedan across the street from Marcus Thorne’s gated estate.
It was a beautiful, sunny California afternoon.
At exactly 2:00 PM, a convoy of black SUVs with federal plates came tearing down the street. Heavily armed FBI agents poured out of the vehicles, swarming the iron gates.
They breached the front door with a battering ram.
Through the massive bay windows, I watched Marcus Thorne being thrown against his marble floor, his hands zip-tied behind his back.
A few miles away, at a luxury boutique in Beverly Hills, Cynthia was detained. The news helicopters caught the footage live. She was screaming, fighting the agents, her designer bags spilling onto the sidewalk as they shoved her into the back of a federal cruiser.
I rolled down my window, breathing in the fresh air.
"How does it feel?" Elena asked from the passenger seat.
"It feels like I can finally breathe," I said.
My cell phone buzzed. It was an unknown number. I answered it.
May you like
"Richard Sterling," a stern voice said. "This is Special Agent Reynolds with the FBI. We received an anonymous dossier this morning that clears your name entirely. We also have Marcus Thorne and Cynthia Sterling in custody. We’d like you to come down to the bureau to formally clear your record."
"I'll be right there, Agent Reynolds," I smiled.
