Chapter 25 - THE BETRAYAL WITHIN THE BADGES
"Hush now, Mr. Vance," a cold, familiar voice whispered directly into my ear.
It wasn't one of the mercenaries from the woods. The scent of expensive cologne and sterile hospital disinfectant was unmistakable.
I thrashed wildly, throwing my weight backward into my assailant, but my arms were pinned to my sides with terrifying strength. Through the swirling snow, another figure stepped out from behind a massive pine tree, holding Lily gently—too gently—by the arm. Lily let out a terrified scream, reaching out toward me.
"Daddy!"
"Let her go!" I choked out, clawing desperately at the arm around my neck until my vision swam with dark, dancing spots.
The man holding me slowly eased his grip just enough for me to gasp in a ragged breath of freezing air, shoving me hard onto my knees in the snow. I coughed violently, clutching my throat as I looked up into the face of the man standing before us. It was Agent Miller—the senior federal investigator who had supposedly been leading the raid on Eleanor's facility earlier that evening, the very man who had handed me the tactical pistol and told me to run.
"Agent Miller..." I wheezed, the horrific realization hitting me like a physical blow. "You... you were with them all along."
Miller smiled calmly, adjusting his immaculate tactical jacket as he looked down at me with an expression of mild, bureaucratic disappointment. "Marcus, really. Did you honestly believe a federal agency would mobilize an entire tactical unit for a domestic custody dispute in the middle of a blizzard without a very specific, high-level authorization?" He shook his head slowly. "Evelyn’s family doesn't just buy judges, Marcus. They *built* the compliance frameworks that fund half of our regional field offices. You were never meant to win this. You were just meant to be managed."
"You used us," I snarled, trying to lunge toward him, but two heavy-set mercenaries stepped out from the treeline on either side, kicking my legs out from under me and pinning my face into the freezing snow.
"We used *circumstances*," Miller corrected smoothly, walking over to where Lily stood trembling, gently patting her head with a sickeningly paternal gesture that made my stomach churn. "And now, circumstances require that this entire unfortunate chapter be brought to a quiet, permanent close. The girl needs her mother, Marcus. And according to the updated administrative code signed into effect five minutes ago, you have officially been declared psychologically unfit to retain custody."
"You're murderers," I spat, blood mixing with the melting snow beneath my cheek. "You'll never get away with this. The local police—the real federal investigators—they know I'm here!"
Miller laughed softly, a dry, humorless sound that echoed across the empty clearing. "Who do you think authorized the signal jammer on Route 9? By the time anyone finds this ravine, the snow will have buried you both ten feet deep. It will be classified as a tragic winter hiking accident."
May you like
He nodded to the mercenaries. One of them stepped forward, pulling a heavy, dark canvas sack from his tactical belt and moving toward Lily, who was sobbing uncontrollably, her small voice calling out my name into the howling wind.
***
