Chapter 19 - The Final Audit
The sun dipped below the tree line, casting a warm amber glow across the backyard as twilight settled over the neighborhood. I walked down the steps of the deck, stepping onto the grass to call Ellie in for dinner before it got too chilly.
As I reached out to grab my daughter's hand, a sudden, sharp rapping sound echoed from the front security gate down the private access road.
I paused, turning my head toward the front entrance. Visitors after dark were rare, and since the syndicate raids, our security protocols were tighter than ever.
The intercom on the exterior wall of the house chimed softly.
"Director Ellison," the voice of the head security guard came through the speaker, tinged with a strange note of hesitation. "We have a visitor at the outer gate. It's not a courier, and it's not law enforcement."
My muscles tensed instinctively, my hand brushing against the spot on my belt where my service weapon usually rested even off-duty. "Who is it, Sergeant?"
"It's a woman, ma'am," the guard replied, the sound of static crackling slightly over the line. "She didn't give a name, but she’s carrying a battered cardboard box and a federal subpoena document. She says... she says she has something you need to see regarding the final hidden ledger of the Miller estate."
I stared toward the dark, winding tree-line of the private road, my mind racing through every possible scenario. The syndicate was dismantled, Trent was facing twelve years, and Chloe was broke and evicting. So who—or what—was still lingering in the shadows?
May you like
Slowly, a cold, intense spark ignited in my chest. The audit wasn't completely finished yet.
"Let her through," I said into the intercom, my voice steady, unshakeable, and razor-sharp. "Let's see what else they left behind."
