Chapter 13 - THE CLEANSING FIRE
Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder by the second.
Federal black-and-whites and unmarked FBI cruisers flooded the rail yard, their red and blue lights flashing against the dark sky.
Agent Miller, head of the federal corporate fraud division, stepped out of the lead vehicle.
Roman handed the manila folder directly into his hands.
“Everything you need to dismantle Victor Vance’s shadow syndicate,” Roman said calmly.
Agent Miller opened the folder, scanned the wire transfers and security stills, and nodded with grim satisfaction.
“Mr. Vance is going away for a very long time,” Miller said.
Two federal agents hauled the unconscious, soot-covered Victor Vance off the pavement, slapping heavy steel cuffs onto his wrists.
David Kesler was loaded into an ambulance, his shoulder wound non-life-threatening, though his bistro career was permanently finished.
Roman stood beside me in the cool night air, the adrenaline finally beginning to fade from his broad frame.
He looked down at me, his gray eyes shining with profound relief and undisguised devotion.
“You set a fire on a loading dock,” Roman noted, a faint smile touching his lips.
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“You taught me how to survive,” I replied, leaning my head against his shoulder.
“I just improvised.”
