Chapter 22 - The Broken Empire
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By noon, the Carter Estate had been converted into a full-scale federal crime scene.
Yellow police tape stretched across the manicured lawns, and black suburban vehicles parked along the stone driveway. News helicopters circled above like vultures, their blades chopping through the crisp autumn air as reporters broadcast the stunning downfall of Senator Collins and Elizabeth Bennett.
Inside the private guest house at the edge of the property, I sat on a velvet sofa while a tactical medic wrapped a soft bandage around my bruised neck. Cooper, Ethan's silver German Shepherd, sat stubbornly at my feet, refusing to leave my side.
"You're lucky, Miss Vance," the medic said gently, closing his trauma kit. "The trachea isn't fractured, but the soft tissue is severely bruised. Rest your voice for a few days."
"Thank you," I murmured, leaning back against the cushions.
The door swung open, and Ethan walked in. He had changed out of his ruined tuxedo into a charcoal sweater and dark jeans, though he hadn't cleaned the cuts on his knuckles. Behind him walked Special Agent Ramirez, the lead investigator of the federal task force.
"Miss Vance," Ramirez said, holding a leather notepad. "We’ve taken Senator Collins and Mrs. Bennett to the federal holding facility in Manhattan. The server drives we recovered contain enough evidence to dismantle their entire network."
"And Andrew?" I asked, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Have you found Dr. Vaughn?"
Ramirez hesitated, exchanging a brief, tense glance with Ethan. "Our tactical units swept the emergency tunnel exit near the riverbank. We found his bloody lab coat and a discarded satellite phone three miles downriver, near the railway tracks."
"He hopped a freight train," Ethan said, his tone grim. "He's out of the state."
Ramirez sighed. "We’ve issued an Interpol red notice and alerted every airport and border crossing. He has no money, no allies, and his face is on every news outlet in the country. He won't survive long on the run."
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"You don't know him," I warned, staring at the agent. "Andrew built his entire career on deception. He isn't just fleeing... he's planning."
"Let him plan," Ethan said, stepping beside my chair and placing a protective hand on my shoulder. "Because the moment he steps out of the shadows, I'll be waiting."
