Chapter 5 - The Post-Surgery Arrest
In Trauma Recovery Ward 3 at Saint Anthony’s, the heavy scent of antiseptic was broken by the sharp, rhythmic beep of a heart rate monitor.
Kenneth slowly opened his eyes. His head throbbed from the lingering effects of general anesthesia, and his lower abdomen felt like it had been sliced open with a hot knife. Bandages wrapped tightly around his hips and groin area.
Across the room, behind a floral privacy curtain, he could hear Maya whimpering softly, her voice filled with pain and despair.
"Kenneth?" Maya wept. "Kenneth, my doctor says I have severe skin tears. My family in Boulder found out... Justin called my mother and told her everything! They’ve disowned me!"
"Shut up, Maya!" Kenneth rasped, his throat dry and scratchy. "Just shut your mouth! I need to think!"
Kenneth pushed himself up on his elbows, grimacing in pain. He reached for his bedside phone, intending to call his high-priced defense lawyer, David Sterling.
I can fix this, Kenneth thought desperately to himself. I’ll claim Sabrina poisoned me. I’ll claim she staged the whole thing. I’ll sue her for domestic battery and emotional distress! I’ll get her locked up!
The heavy wooden door to his private recovery room swung open.
Kenneth put on his best injured-victim face. "Doctor, I need more pain medication—"
He stopped dead.
Walking into the room was not a doctor. It was Detective Marcus Callahan of the Denver Police Department, accompanied by two armed uniformed officers, Special Agent Sarah Brooks of the FBI, and Sabrina.
Sabrina stood near the foot of his bed, holding a warm cup of coffee, looking impossibly regal, confident, and radiant.
"Good morning, Kenneth," Sabrina said smoothly. "I hope the surgical separation was a success. Doctor Alvarez told me they managed to save most of your skin, though the scarring will be quite severe."
"Sabrina!" Kenneth growled, his eyes darting to the officers. "Officers, arrest this woman! She snuck into my luggage, replaced my medical personal supplies with industrial construction glue, and caused me severe bodily harm! This is premeditated assault!"
Detective Callahan chuckled softly, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his tactical belt. "Mr. Rollins, save the performance for the jury. We’ve already reviewed the footage from your house, the statements from the hospital staff, and the report from the County District Attorney."
"What are you talking about?!" Kenneth shrieked.
Special Agent Brooks stepped forward, opening a formal federal warrant. "Kenneth Rollins, you are under arrest pursuant to a federal indictment issued two hours ago. You are charged with Wire Fraud, Embezzlement of Corporate Assets, Corporate Espionage, Theft of Trade Secrets, and Identity Theft."
Kenneth’s jaw dropped. "What?! No! That’s impossible! Who gave you those files?!"
"You did, Kenneth," Sabrina said softly, taking a slow sip of her coffee. "When you gave me the combination to your safe in Bay 4."
Kenneth stared at her in utter disbelief. "You... you went into my safe?"
"Oh, I did," Sabrina smiled—a cold, beautiful, terrifying smile. "I found the offshore accounts. I found the secret agreements with Vanguard Tech. And... I found the medical records from Dr. Aris Thorne."
At the mention of Dr. Thorne, Kenneth’s face lost every drop of remaining color. His eyes went wide with pure horror.
"Sabrina... wait..." Kenneth’s voice dropped into a desperate panic. "Sabrina, listen to me, I can explain about Thorne! It wasn't what you think!"
"You chemically sterilized me for four years, Kenneth," Sabrina said, her voice dropping into a deadly whisper that chilled the room. "You hired a rogue doctor to inject me with high-dose hormone blockers under the guise of vitamin therapy. You watched me cry every month thinking my body was broken."
Detective Callahan’s face hardened as he stepped up to the side of the bed. "In addition to federal financial charges, Mr. Rollins, the Denver DA has filed state charges against you for Felony Medical Battery, Conspiracy to Commit Assault with a Hazardous Substance, and Illegal Administration of Controlled Substances."
"No! No! You can't do this to me!" Kenneth screamed, thrashing against his hospital sheets. "Maya helped me! Maya knew about the accounts! She begged me to take the money!"
From behind the curtain, Maya screamed back: "You lying bastard! You threatened me! You forced me into everything!"
"Cuff him," Detective Callahan ordered.
Despite Kenneth’s screams and agonizing groans from his surgical wounds, the officers pulled his hands behind his back and snapped the cold steel handcuffs around his wrists, locking him to the heavy frame of the hospital bed under round-the-clock armed guard.
May you like
Sabrina walked up to the edge of his bed, looking down at the man who had tried to destroy her life.
"Your trial begins in three months, Kenneth," she whispered. "I suggest you practice sitting down. You’re going to be spending a very long time in a very small cell."
