Chapter 8 - The Net Tightens
Within seconds, four state troopers had their weapons drawn, pouring out of their cruisers and surrounding the black Mercedes.
“Driver of the vehicle! Turn off the engine, place your hands outside the window, and step out slowly!” a trooper’s amplified voice boomed across the highway.
Inside the Mercedes, Lucas sat frozen behind the steering wheel. For a long moment, he stared through his windshield at the wall of armed officers. Then, slowly, with trembling hands, he pushed open the driver's side door and stepped out onto the asphalt.
He wasn't the powerful, untouchable real estate tycoon anymore. He looked small, defeated, and utterly unhinged, his designer suit wrinkled, his hair disheveled.
As two troopers forced him down onto the hood of his car, slamming steel handcuffs around his wrists, Lucas turned his head and locked his eyes directly onto our truck parked fifty feet away.
Through the tinted window of the passenger door, our eyes met.
His expression wasn't remorse. It was a cold, venomous glare that promised eternal hatred. But I didn't look away. I stared right back at him, holding my head high, knowing that the monster who had tried to bury his own daughter was finally going to pay for his sins.
Arthur stepped out of our truck first, walking over to the lead state trooper and flashing his retired badge, pointing toward our back seat where Chloe was sitting safely.
Ten minutes later, an ambulance arrived at the scene as a precautionary measure. Paramedics examined Chloe, confirming that while she was still recovering from the heavy sedative in her system, she was safe, stable, and completely unharmed physically.
As the ambulance doors closed to take Chloe and me to Valley General Hospital for a thorough medical evaluation, I watched through the rear window as Lucas was led into the back of a state patrol cruiser.
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Word travels fast in a small town like Ravenswood. By the time our ambulance pulled into the hospital gates, news vans from Seattle news stations were already gathering outside the precinct.
The illusion was shattered. The pristine reputation of the Vance family was burning to the ground.
