Chapter 25 - The Sirens in the Courtyard
Before we could even catch our breath, the serene silence of the courthouse was shattered by a chorus of approaching sirens that grew deafeningly loud in seconds. Red and blue strobe lights painted the tall arched windows of the third-floor hallway, casting wild, erratic shadows across the polished marble floors. "That’s not local county police," Tessa said, peering through the vertical blinds of the administrator's office. "Those are federal unmarked units and state troopers. They got the broadcast." A heavy thud echoed from the ground floor entrance, followed by the sound of boots storming up the marble staircase. The game of cat-and-mouse was officially over. I stood up from the desk, grabbing the tactical tablet just as the heavy oak door of the office burst open. Three armed federal agents in tactical gear poured into the room, their weapons raised, followed closely by a familiar figure in a sharp trench coat—Special Agent Vance from the Department of Justice. He lowered his weapon slowly, his sharp eyes darting from the glowing monitors to Tessa and me standing near the desk. "Rachel Vance—no relation, unfortunately," the agent said, a grim smile touching the corner of his mouth. "You've been a very busy woman tonight. Your data packet just crashed our servers in Washington. Everyone from the county executive down to the chief of police is currently being rounded up." Relief hit me so hard my knees buckled, and Tessa caught my arm just in time to keep me from hitting the floor.
