Chapter 7 - The Clearing
The sun was just beginning to break over the eastern tree line by the time the last of Yates Logistics' recovery crew finished clearing the debris from the living room.
The broken glass had been swept. The ruined furniture had been hauled away. Even the front security gates had been temporarily patched with heavy steel plates brought in by one of Dad's mobile welding rigs.
I sat at the kitchen table, a fresh cup of coffee between my hands, watching Cooper happily chew on a chew toy Paulie had tossed him.
Melissa had been escorted off the property an hour earlier, stripped of her phone, her designer handbag, and any illusion she might have had about sharing in Brandon’s corporate schemes. Her association with Brandon’s investment firm was already being systematically dismantled by a team of forensic accountants Dad had mobilized before we even left the driveway.
As for Brandon himself, he was currently discovering what it meant to negotiate business terms with men who didn't recognize federal bankruptcy laws or corporate protection clauses.
Dad walked back into the kitchen, shrugging off his canvas jacket and hanging it over the back of a chair. He looked tired for the first time all night, the deep lines around his eyes catching the early morning light.
"You need to go to the hospital for that leg," Dad said, nodding toward my splinted knee.
"I'll go after we talk to the federal prosecutor," I replied steadily. "Brandon’s investment firm was funneling money through municipal construction accounts. I have the digital ledger backups on my server."
Dad paused, looking at me for a long moment. A slow, rare smile touched the corners of his mouth—not the weathered grimace he used for business associates, but the proud smile of a father looking at his daughter.
"You built those companies yourself, Emmy," Dad said quietly, pulling out a chair and sitting across from me. "Nobody handed them to you. Not me, and certainly not Brandon."
"You gave me the foundation," I said.
"I gave you a shovel," Dad corrected. "You’re the one who dug the trench."
May you like
We sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of birds greeting the morning. The nightmare of our anniversary was over, but the reality of what came next was just beginning.
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