Chapter 9: The Higher Road**
Leo’s chest heaved. The sound of rain dripping through the rusty roof filled the silence.
He slowly released his grip and stepped back.
"No," Leo said, his voice dropping into quiet authority. "My father lived for the law. You’ll die in a cage, watching the empire you tried to steal build schools and clinics for the families of the men you exploited."
Sirens wailed in the distance, echoing off the industrial dockyards. Red and blue strobe lights painted the wet concrete walls of Warehouse 4B.
Kane’s eyes widened in panic. "You called the feds?"
"I wired Sarah the second you mentioned Project Nightfall," Leo said calmly, tossing the steel pipe aside. "The entire warehouse is surrounded. Homeland Security, FBI, and state troopers."
Special agents stormed the entrance, rifles raised, pinning Kane to the floor within seconds.
Special Agent Miller walked up to Leo, looking around the warehouse packed with illegal military tech. "We’ve been hunting this ghost syndicate for eight years, Mr. Vance. Your father’s encrypted ledger—the one you unlocked today—cracked the whole network wide open."
Leo looked up at the rafters, feeling an overwhelming sense of closure wash over him. "He never stopped protecting us, did he?"
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"No, son," Agent Miller said softly, placing a respectful hand on Leo’s shoulder. "He never did."
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