Chapter 15
The dawn brought a catastrophic political earthquake to the city. The media erupted with explosive, irrefutable evidence of Judge Sutton's deep corruption, his ties to the criminal underworld, and the undeniable proof that he had funded an armed mercenary assault on a civilian estate.
Inside his heavily guarded compound, Judge Sutton watched his career, his legacy, and his freedom disintegrate on live television.
"How did he get the audio?!" Sutton screamed, hurling a crystal glass across his opulent living room. "The intermediary swore the line was secure!"
Brielle Sutton sat shivering on a velvet sofa, still wearing the wrinkled party dress from the day before. Her fair, rosy skin was a sickly gray. The terrifying reality of Damon's promise had manifested.
"I told you," Brielle sobbed hysterically. "I told you Damon wouldn't just take the insult! You underestimated him!"
"Shut up, Brielle! This is your fault!" her older brother roared, pacing frantically. "If you hadn't tortured his kid, we wouldn't be facing federal indictments!"
The heavy mahogany doors of the living room swung open. The head of Sutton's private security detail stepped in, his face grim.
"Sir," the security chief said. "The state police have withdrawn from the perimeter. They claim they cannot provide protection for a target of an active federal investigation."
"They abandoned us?" Sutton gasped, dropping into an armchair, his political arrogance completely shattered.
"It gets worse, sir," the chief continued, swallowing hard. "The FBI task force isn't coming to arrest you. They said the jurisdiction is tied up in a legal dispute over the evidence."
May you like
Sutton frowned, confusion momentarily overriding his panic. "If the police and the feds aren't coming... then who is outside the gates?"
"The Roswell syndicate, sir," the chief whispered. "They have entirely surrounded the compound. Hundreds of them. And they are demanding we open the gates."
