Chapter 6 - Checkmate
You would think the courtroom victory would be the end of it, but corners rats fight the hardest when they are trapped.
We had the custody order, but the criminal warrants for Wade and Richard hadn't been signed yet. The District Attorney, a crony of Richard's, was dragging his feet, trying to figure out a way to suppress Sarah's video evidence. I knew if I gave Richard Vance even 24 hours, he would find a judge to throw the evidence out, or he’d flee the country with Wade.
I couldn't let that happen. I needed a public confession. I needed them to hang themselves in front of an audience they couldn't buy.
That night, I left Ava and Tommy safely at Marcus’s heavily fortified compound. Then, I used a burner phone to text Richard Vance.
I know the DA is stalling. But I have copies of the iPad files. Meet me at the Silver Creek Manor reception hall at midnight. Come alone. Let's talk a price for my silence, or I send it to CNN.
It was a risky play. A bluff. But rich men who are used to buying their way out of trouble always assume everyone else has a price, too.
At exactly midnight, a black Mercedes SUV rolled to a stop on the gravel driveway of the dark, abandoned reception hall. I was standing on the front porch, arms crossed.
The doors opened. Richard Vance stepped out, carrying a heavy metal briefcase. But he didn't come alone. Wade climbed out of the passenger side, clutching a baseball bat.
"You're a fool, Miller," Richard spat as they approached the porch. "You think you can extort me?"
"You brought a bat to a bribe, Richard?" I asked, my voice echoing in the cool night air. "Seems a little dramatic."
"The money is in the car," Richard snarled. "Half a million dollars. Tax-free. You hand over the hard drives, you take your mutt kids back to Germany, and we never see each other again. If you say no, Wade here is going to cave your skull in, and we'll tell the cops you attacked us in a drunken rage."
Wade stepped forward, his eyes burning with hatred, tapping the bat against his palm. "I'm going to enjoy this. You ruined my life."
"You ruined your own life, Wade," I said calmly. "Just like you ruined Leo's. Just like you tried to ruin Tommy's. You're pathetic. A weak man who only feels strong when he's torturing children."
Wade roared, swinging the bat at my head.
He was slow. Sloppy. I ducked effortlessly, stepping inside his guard. I grabbed his wrist, twisted it sharply until I heard a loud pop, and drove my knee upward into his stomach. Wade dropped the bat and collapsed to the gravel, wheezing in agony.
Richard Vance panicked, reaching inside his coat for a weapon.
Before he could draw, blinding floodlights snapped on from every direction, turning the dark property into day.
From the shadows of the trees, from behind the caterer's vans, and from the roof of the manor, men in tactical gear emerged. But they weren't Marcus's private security.
They were wearing FBI windbreakers.
A tall man with a badge on his belt walked up the steps, stepping right over Wade's groaning body. "Richard Vance," the agent said. "We have everything. Extortion, bribery, conspiracy, and attempted assault."
Richard was shaking, his face pale as a ghost. "This... this is a setup! You can't do this! I own this town!"
"You own the local DA," the agent corrected. "But Mr. Miller here went above your head. He called his contacts at the Pentagon, who called the Department of Justice. We've been listening to this entire conversation through a wire Mr. Miller is wearing."
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I unbuttoned my jacket, revealing the small microphone taped to my chest. I looked down at Wade, who was currently being handcuffed and read his rights.
"Checkmate," I whispered.
