Chapter 20
The tires shrieked against the wet pavement as Clara's SUV shot backward through the blinding rain storm.
Richard fired two shots from a suppressed handgun, the bullets shattering her front windshield into spiderweb cracks.
Clara ducked low beneath the dashboard, steering blindly by memory as the engine roared in reverse.
Her vehicle smashed through the yellow police barricade at the Brooklyn exit ramp, spinning out onto the avenue.
Two federal marshal cruisers pulled up instantly, their red and blue sirens blinding the dark street.
Agent Harris stepped out with his weapon drawn, surrounded by six armed federal agents.
"Clara! Stay in the vehicle!" Harris shouted over his megaphone as officers swarmed Richard's approaching truck.
Richard slammed on his brakes, realizing he had driven straight into a federal ambush.
"Drop your weapon, Richard Vance!" Harris bellowed. "You are under arrest for attempted murder!"
Richard raised his hands slowly, dropping the handgun onto the wet asphalt with a bitter, defeated curse.
Clara opened her SUV door, stepping out into the pouring rain while holding the encrypted hard drive tightly.
Agent Harris rushed over to her, wrapping a heavy wool blanket over her wet shoulders.
"Are you all right, Mrs. Vance?" Harris asked urgently, looking at her swollen stomach with concern.
May you like
"I'm fine, Agent Harris," Clara answered, her voice cold and steady as ice.
"The evidence against my father and uncle is on this drive."
