Chapter 14
Miles away from the burning mountain bunker, Vincent dragged his exhausted, bruised body out of a concrete drainage pipe opening.
The rain had finally stopped, leaving a crisp, freezing dawn breaking over the majestic peaks of the American Blue Ridge Mountains.
He collapsed against the damp grass of a secluded highway pull-off, his chest heaving as he gasped for fresh morning air.
Headlights swept across the empty asphalt as an unmarked black sedan slowed to a stop beside the drainage ditch.
The rear door swung open smoothly, and a familiar face peered out from the shadowed interior of the vehicle.
It was Marcus Thorne, the senior federal prosecutor who had secretly worked alongside Vincent’s father decades ago.
"Get in the car, Vincent," Marcus urged quietly, holding out a warm woolen blanket and a thermos of black coffee.
"Your father’s sacrifice finally paid off. The indictments were signed twenty minutes ago."
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Vincent climbed into the backseat of the sedan, wrapping the blanket tightly around his trembling shoulders as the vehicle accelerated smoothly onto the empty highway.
He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the heavy brass key and placing it gently on the leather seat between them.
