Chapter 9 - The Homecoming
The final hearing was a formality. Marcus Thorne was sentenced to twelve years in federal prison for conspiracy and fraud. Elena received five, contingent on her continued cooperation.
As the gavel fell, I walked out into the bright, blinding sunlight of the courthouse steps.
I looked up at the sky. For the first time in fifteen years, I didn't have to look over my shoulder. I didn't have to keep secrets about where I was going or who I was meeting.
Maya met me at the bottom of the steps.
“It’s over, Sarah.”
May you like
“No,” I said, watching a military transport vehicle idle at the curb. “It’s just beginning.”
I had a daughter to raise. I had a rank to uphold. And I had a life that I had built with my own hands—a life that no man, no mistress, and no corrupt dynasty could ever touch again.
