Chapter 7 - The Checkmate
I huddled in the bedroom with my arms wrapped tightly around Nora and Marcus. Marcus was trembling, his hands clamped over his ears. Nora was holding his hand, whispering to him about her favorite cartoons, being braver than any six-year-old had a right to be.
Through the thick walls, I heard the titanium doors groan and finally breach.
Shouts of "NYPD! Get on the ground!" echoed through the penthouse.
Then, I heard Declan’s voice. It wasn't a shout. It was a deadly, chilling calm.
"Officer, before you raise that weapon at me in my own home, I suggest you look at the men walking out of the stairwell behind you."
The shouting stopped. I crept to the bedroom door, cracking it open just an inch.
The penthouse living room was filled with tactical gear. But the SWAT officers were suddenly lowering their weapons, looking confused and nervous. Standing at the entrance of the penthouse was a line of men in dark windbreakers.
The gold letters on their backs read: FBI.
A tall man with silver hair walked past the SWAT team, holding up a federal badge. "NYPD, stand down. This is a federal crime scene now, and you are operating under a warrant signed by a corrupt judge who is currently in federal custody."
One of the SWAT officers frowned. "We have a warrant for kidnapping. Shaw has a social worker and two kids hostage."
"I am not a hostage!"
I didn't think. I just pushed the door open and stepped out into the living room, my chin raised, my hands shaking but my voice steady.
Every gun in the room twitched, but Declan was across the room in a fraction of a second, standing in front of me, shielding my body with his own.
"This is Clara Lin," Declan said to the FBI agent, his voice echoing in the silent room. "She is the whistle-blower who exposed Judge Halpern’s embezzlement ring. The children are asleep in the back, safe. Halpern fabricated the kidnapping warrant to silence her."
The FBI agent looked at me, then at Declan. "Mr. Shaw, we have Halpern in custody. We found the offshore accounts exactly where you said they'd be. And we have the foster parents' confessions. Miss Lin, you're safe. The state will be assigning emergency protective custody of Marcus to you immediately, assuming you are willing to foster him during the trial."
I let out a sob, my legs giving out. Declan caught me instantly, pulling me tightly against his chest, burying his face in my hair.
"I'll take him," I cried against his shirt. "I'll take him."
The SWAT team slowly lowered their weapons, realizing they had been used as pawns. As the police filed out, the FBI agent gave Declan a long, hard look.
"You gave us a lot of good intel today, Shaw," the agent said quietly. "But you stepped out of the shadows to do it. You put a target on your back for every dirty politician in this city."
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Declan kept his arms wrapped around me, his chin resting on top of my head. He looked at the federal agent with a cold, terrifying smile.
"Let them come," Declan said. "I have something worth fighting for now."
