Chapter 10 - The Federal Shield
The smoking wreck of the Charger receded into the distance, but the second vehicle was already recovering, swerving back across the lanes to resume the chase.
""Conan, he’s coming back!"" Elena shouted, looking over her shoulder.
""Look ahead,"" Conan replied with a grim smile.
Just beyond the Massachusetts state line, parked horizontally across the five-lane highway, were six dark-blue cruisers belonging to the Massachusetts State Police, flanked by two unmarked black Suburbans with tinted windows.
A dozen armed federal marshals stood behind open car doors, rifles pointed directly down the highway toward the approaching vehicles.
""Sarah Mercer did her job,"" Conan muttered, easing his foot off the gas as he guided the battered police cruiser to a slow, controlled stop twenty yards before the federal barricade.
Behind them, the pursuing Charger screeched to a halt, realizing too late that it had chased its quarry straight into federal jurisdiction. The driver slammed into reverse, trying to make a desperate U-turn across the grass median.
""Federal agents! Step out of the vehicle!"" a booming loudspeaker commanded from the Suburbans.
Before the Charger could complete its turn, two state police cruisers surged forward, boxing the vehicle against the guardrail. Conan watched through the side mirror as three tactical marshals dragged the driver out onto the pavement, pinning him face-down in the dirt.
A woman in a sharply tailored charcoal suit stepped out from behind the lead Suburban, walking with purposeful strides toward Conan’s vehicle. She had sharp silver hair, rectangular spectacles, and carried a thick leather briefcase.
Conan stepped out of the cruiser, holding his hands open and low. ""Sarah Mercer?""
""Conan Vance,"" the woman said, extending a hand. Her gaze shifted to Elena, who was stepping out holding Leo against her shoulder. Sarah’s expression softened for a brief instant. ""You look like your brother. He would be proud of you.""
""The evidence is intact,"" Conan said, handing her the titanium flash drive and Julian’s wax-sealed envelope. ""Video footage of Miller administering the poison, the corporate ledgers, and Julian's final signed decree.""
Sarah took the drive, her fingers tightening around it. ""This is enough to freeze every single Vance account globally within the hour. Victoria’s lawyers are already waiting outside the probate court in downtown Boston, assuming they’re walking in to claim an uncontested estate.""
""What about Miller?"" Elena asked, her voice raw.
""Miller was apprehended ten minutes ago at his precinct by the FBI,"" Sarah replied calmly. ""He broke under interrogation the moment he realized the Charger failed to stop you on the turnpike. He has already signed a full confession naming Victoria Vance as the mastermind.""
Elena let out a long, shuddering sob, burying her face against Leo's neck. Conan put his arm around her, holding her upright as the morning sun finally broke through the gray clouds, bathing the highway in warm, golden light.
""It’s not over yet,"" Sarah warned, looking at Conan. ""Victoria still has the board of directors assembled at the corporate headquarters for the emergency succession vote at nine. If she takes the chair before the court issues the injunction, she can liquidate the company assets and flee to a non-extradition country.""
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Conan looked down at Elena, then at Leo, who was sleeping peacefully under the morning sun.
""Get the injunction, Sarah,"" Conan said, his voice cold as steel. ""I’ll deliver the news to Victoria myself.""
