Chapter 21 - Echoes of the Past
Despite the monumental success of The Phoenix Initiative, the ghosts of Sterling’s firm still lingered in the periphery of Sarah's life. A year and a half after Elias Thorne’s incarceration, an unexpected letter arrived at the foundation’s headquarters. Unlike the sinister threats of the past, this envelope bore the official seal of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
It was from Richard Sterling.
Sarah stared at the handwritten pages, her initial instinct urging her to run it straight through the shredder. Sterling was serving a twenty-year sentence, his arrogance stripped away by the harsh reality of federal lockup. But curiosity, and a deep-seated need for closure, stayed her hand.
Sarah, the letter began in Sterling's familiar, sharp scrawl. I do not expect your forgiveness, nor do I deserve it. I am writing because Thorne was not the absolute apex of the pyramid. There is a failsafe he implemented—a blind trust set to activate and fund a retaliatory campaign if his appeals are denied. The appeals were denied yesterday.
She read the words twice, the blood turning to ice in her veins. Thorne had planted a digital time bomb.
I am telling you this, Sterling wrote, because the trust targets the families of those who testified. They are coming for your daughter.
May you like
Sarah slammed the letter onto her desk, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm. She immediately hit the intercom button. "Chloe, I need you in here right now. And get Reynolds on a secure line."
The war wasn't over. It had just mutated into something colder and more automated. Sterling, the man who had initiated her nightmare, was now providing the intelligence to prevent its terrifying sequel. It was a twisted irony, but Sarah had no time to dwell on it. She had to protect Lily at all costs.
