The Restraining Order

Elena stepped off the curb, her legs trembling but her head held high. The police cruiser’s door was already open, waiting to swallow her whole.

"Hands behind your back, Ms. Vance," the officer said, her voice devoid of emotion.

Elena complied. The cold metal of the handcuffs snapped shut, biting into her wrists.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the rooftop where Julian had vanished.

"Processing," the officer said, shoving her into the backseat. "Then county."

The door slammed shut.

Elena leaned her head against the plexiglass divider, the smell of stale coffee and fear filling her nose. She closed her eyes, replaying the last ten minutes in her mind.

Julian had the ledger. He was safe.

But she was the one in cuffs.

She had made a choice. A sacrifice. For the first time in her life, she had chosen her family over herself.

But had it been the right choice?

The cruiser pulled away from the curb, sirens wailing. Elena watched the city blur past, a kaleidoscope of lights and shadows.

She thought about the page tucked into her bra. The journalist’s number.

It was her insurance policy. Her last resort.

But how was she going to use it from a jail cell?

The car slowed down. They weren't at the station.

They were pulling into a parking garage.

Underground.

Elena’s stomach dropped. This wasn't standard procedure.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice tight.

The officer didn't answer. She just killed the engine.

The back door opened.

A man was standing there. He wasn't wearing a uniform. He was wearing a dark suit.

And he had green eyes.

"Hello, Elena," Governor Halloway said.

He reached into the car and grabbed her arm, pulling her out.

"We have a lot to talk about."

He dragged her toward a black sedan parked in the shadows.

"Starting with the location of my ledger."

Elena looked around. The garage was empty. No witnesses. No cameras.

She was alone with the monster who had created her.

"I don't have it," she said, her voice shaking.

"I know," Halloway said, shoving her into the sedan. "Julian does. But you're going to tell me where he's going."

He slammed the door.

Elena looked out the window.

The officer who had arrested her was standing by the cruiser, counting a stack of cash.

She had been sold.

Again.

Halloway got into the driver’s seat. He turned to look at her, his expression cold and calculating.

"You have two choices, Elena," he said. "You can tell me where your brother is. Or you can join your mother in oblivion."

He started the car.

"Choose wisely."

Elena looked at him. She looked at his eyes. Her eyes.

And then she smiled.

"I choose option three," she said.

"And what's that?"

"I burn you down," she whispered.

She kicked the back of the driver's seat, hard.

Halloway grunted, swerving the wheel. The car slammed into a concrete pillar.

The airbag deployed, pinning him against the seat.

Elena didn't wait. She scrambled for the door handle.

Locked. Child safety locks.

She was trapped.

But Halloway was dazed.

She reached over the seat. She grabbed the keys from the ignition.

She unlocked the doors.

She tumbled out onto the concrete floor.

"Get back here!" Halloway screamed, struggling against the airbag.

Elena ran.

She didn't run for the exit. She ran for the fire alarm.

She pulled the lever.

The bells began to ring. A deafening, glorious sound.

Sprinklers erupted from the ceiling, soaking her to the bone.

She turned and looked back at the car.

Halloway was climbing out, a gun in his hand.

But he wasn't looking at her.

He was looking at the ramp.

A car was coming down. Fast.

It wasn't a police car.

It was a news van.

*Channel 4 News.*

The journalist had gotten the message.

Elena smiled.

The game wasn't over.

It was just beginning.