Chapter 14 - The Prosecutor
The coffee shop was crowded enough to provide safety.
Sarah wore a cap, glasses, and an oversized coat.
Elena Rostova sat near the rear exit.
She did not smile when Sarah arrived.
"You look terrible."
"Thank you."
"You're currently the most recognizable fugitive in this city."
"I noticed."
Sarah sat.
Elena leaned forward.
"Tell me everything."
Sarah did.
The playground.
Chloe.
Henderson.
The basement.
The footage.
The drugs.
Marcus's threats.
Elena listened without interrupting.
Then Sarah placed a USB drive on the table.
"This is why I'm still running."
Elena connected it to her tablet.
The video played.
Sarah watched Elena instead of the screen.
The prosecutor's face slowly changed.
Shock.
Disgust.
Anger.
When Lily disappeared over the railing, Elena whispered.
"Jesus."
The video continued.
Leo looked down.
Then walked away.
Elena replayed the push.
"He accelerated."
"Yes."
"This wasn't impulsive."
"No."
Elena removed the drive.
"What else do you have?"
Sarah showed her copies of old complaints.
Settlement records.
Witness reversals.
Correspondence linking Thorne attorneys to the academy.
Elena sat silently.
Then she said the words Sarah needed to hear.
"I believe you."
Sarah's shoulders dropped slightly.
"But belief isn't enough."
They both knew that.
Elena continued.
"We need something Marcus cannot suppress before his attorneys lock every door."
"The press?"
"Eventually."
Sarah thought of Marcus's schedule.
Then she remembered a newspaper advertisement Ramirez had once shown her.
The Thorne Foundation Annual Children's Charity Gala.
Tonight.
Hundreds of donors.
Judges.
Executives.
Politicians.
Journalists.
All gathered beneath Marcus's roof.
Sarah smiled.
Elena noticed.
"I know that look."
"Marcus is hosting his gala tonight."
Elena's eyebrows rose.
Sarah leaned forward.
"He built his reputation around protecting children."
"So?"
"So we let two hundred of his most powerful friends watch what his son actually does to them."
Elena looked skeptical.
"His estate has private security."
"I used to infiltrate cartel safe houses."
"That's not reassuring."
Sarah's smile disappeared.
"Get State Police ready."
"Not city police."
"People outside Marcus's network."
Elena studied her.
"If this works, his empire collapses publicly."
"And if it doesn't?"
May you like
Sarah slipped the drive back into her coat.
"Then at least he won't be able to say nobody tried."
