Chapter 7 - The Net Closes
By 24 hours post-discovery, Marcus Sterling was the most hunted man in Colorado.
Unable to check into a hotel and without a dime to his name, Marcus was forced to sleep in his rented SUV with the twins. The FBI had officially issued a warrant for wire fraud and embezzlement, while the local authorities issued warrants for severe child abuse and abandonment.
Detective Ramirez kept me updated via text.
We have his plates flagged. State troopers spotted his vehicle heading east on I-70. He's driving back toward Denver.
"He's coming back here," I told Arthur Vance, who was visiting the hospital to finalize the trust transfer documents.
"He is desperate," Arthur warned, adjusting his glasses. "A desperate narcissist who has just lost his entire identity is a highly dangerous man. We can hire private security for you and the boy."
"I don't need private security," I said, looking at my callused hands. "But I do need to set a trap."
I knew Marcus. He was arrogant and prone to violent fits of rage when his authority was questioned. He wouldn't run to Mexico. He would come back to the house to try and intimidate me into signing the trust back over to him. He genuinely believed that because I was a woman, I could be bullied into submission.
I arranged for Leo to be transferred to a highly secure pediatric recovery center under the watchful eye of Aunt Helen and an armed police guard.
Then, I drove back to the empty, cold house.
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I didn't turn on the lights. I sat in the darkness of the living room, wearing my tactical boots and a heavy jacket, a heavy Maglite flashlight resting in my lap.
I watched the snow fall through the front window, waiting for the devil to return.
