Chapter 9 - The Day of Reckoning
Back at the gala, Alejandro was on stage, giving a speech about corporate philanthropy. He looked invincible.
Suddenly, my phone—which Alejandro had returned to me just for the evening—buzzed in my evening bag. It was an unlisted number. I stepped into the quiet hallway to answer it.
"Mariana?" It was Sarah Lin, her voice frantic. "Robert got the data, but he was cornered at the docks. He fought his way out, but he's hurt. He's at the Federal Plaza right now with AUSA Vance. The FBI is moving. You need to get out of that building right now."
Before I could turn around, Alejandro’s heavy hand gripped my shoulder from behind. He had finished his speech.
"Where do you think you're going?" he whispered, his eyes dark with sudden suspicion. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, and as he read the message, the color drained completely from his face.
The federal authorities had just frozen all his firm's accounts.
"You bitch," Alejandro snarled, dragging me violently toward the private service exit of the hotel. "You think you've won? If I'm going down, you're coming with me."
We burst out into the rainy alleyway behind the hotel, where his black sedan was waiting. But before his driver could put the car in gear, the alley was suddenly flooded with blinding white light.
Sirens wailed from every direction. Tactical FBI vehicles blocked both exits.
"Alejandro Vance! Step out of the vehicle with your hands up!" a loudspeaker boomed.
Alejandro panicked, reaching into his jacket for a firearm, but the car doors were violently thrown open by federal agents. He was dragged onto the wet pavement, his expensive tuxedo ruined, handcuffs clicking loudly around his wrists.
I stepped out of the back seat, trembling, as the rain soaked my emerald gown. Through the flashing blue and red lights, a figure walked toward me.
It was Robert. He was sporting a deep cut over his eyebrow and his arm was in a makeshift sling, but he was standing tall. The exhaustion was gone from his eyes, replaced by a radiant, undeniable light.
I ran to him, throwing my arms around his neck, completely ignoring the rain, the agents, and the cameras.
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"We did it," I cried into his shoulder. "We did it."
"You're safe," he whispered, holding me tightly against him with his uninjured arm. "You're finally safe."
