Chapter 23
|
"Claire Bennett," Julian spat, struggling against the grip of the federal agents. "You think you've won? You think destroying my company brings your pathetic husband back?"
I stopped a few feet away from him, completely unaffected by his venom. He looked so small, so desperate.
"I don't want you destroyed, Julian," I said, my voice echoing clearly over the sound of the jet engines spinning down. "I want you exposed. I want the whole world to know that you are a coward who murdered a good man to save your profit margins."
"I didn't kill him!" Julian screamed, his composure entirely shattered. "It was an accident! You can't prove anything!"
A tall man in a dark FBI windbreaker stepped forward, holding up a plastic evidence bag containing a printed copy of the emails we had extracted from the flash drive.
"We have your emails ordering the fraudulent data, Mr. Cross," the FBI agent said coldly. "And we just raided the mechanic who serviced Mr. Bennett’s car. He confessed to cutting the brake lines for fifty thousand dollars. He named your head of security as the bagman."
Julian’s face went entirely slack. The reality of a life sentence in federal prison finally crashed down upon him.
"You're going away forever, Julian," I said softly, looking him dead in the eye. "And the bridge will be rebuilt properly, with Evan’s true calculations serving as the safety standard. You failed."
Julian was shoved into the back of a federal SUV, his empire of lies crumbling to dust on the cold tarmac.
Liam stood beside me, watching the convoy drive away.
"It's over, Claire," Liam said quietly, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You did it. You brought him justice."
May you like
I took a deep breath, the crisp Colorado air filling my lungs. For the first time in three years, the crushing weight on my chest was completely gone.
"No," I replied, a tear of profound relief slipping down my cheek. "We did it."
