Chapter 10 - The Retaliation|
I spent the next three days inside the Sewickley estate.
It was the first time in six months that I slept through the entire night without waking up in a cold sweat. There were no frantic phone calls, no subtle threats, no heavy footfalls outside my door. I walked through the estate's sprawling gardens, read books in the sunroom, and slowly felt the suffocating knot in my chest unbind.
Ronin returned every evening by six. He didn't pressure me. He ate dinner with me, listened to me talk about my day, and treated me with a gentle, fierce respect that I had forgotten I deserved.
On Friday evening, as a heavy autumn rain lashed against the conservatory windows, Gideon walked into the study carrying a thick leather binder.
Ronin looked up from his desk. "Report, Gideon."
Gideon looked at me, then at Ronin. "Preston Vance just handed in his official resignation to the DA's office ten minutes ago. The financial audit hit his desk this afternoon. He's facing four counts of wire fraud."
I let out a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"And?" Ronin prompted coldly.
"And he tried to take a late-night flight to Miami an hour ago," Gideon continued with a grim smile. "Federal marshals picked him up at the gate. He'll be held without bail until his arraignment."
I sank back into the plush leather armchair, a wave of profound, absolute relief washing over me. It was over. The shadow that had haunted my life for months had been completely erased.
May you like
Ronin stood up from his desk, walked around the mahogany wood, and stood in front of my chair.
"You're safe, Laurel," Ronin said softly. "Permanently."
