Chapter 242 242

Chapter 242 242
Elias

Arm in arm, we walked into the building, where a tall female agent was waiting to receive us.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, my name is Sandra Malt, and I'm here to sign you in."
Maya gave the smallest nod. I glanced at her and gave her hand another squeeze.
"Ready?" the agent asked.
I looked at her again. She looked at me.
"We're ready," I said. "Lead the way."
As we followed him through the building's polished corridors, my mind drifted—not for the first time—to Noah.
After I'd brought him to the house, it had been shockingly easy to get him to talk. We had expected some resistance. Hell, Dex was still disappointed that he hadn't got the chance to 'shake the emo boy down'. But, according to Nat, the minute they'd sat him down on that chair, he'd become very cooperative, offering to help us find Cam and even take down Margaret and Gene.
Of course, at first nobody, least of all me, had believed him. But three days in and his tone didn't change. In fact, the little snitch had offered to turn himself in to the FBI, who as it turned out, had been very, very interested in what he had to say.
When I'd asked him why he was turning on his family, he'd given me some nonsense about how he was done being their errand boy and how he had been against Maya's abduction and me being shot.
He claimed he didn't approve of what Gene and Cam had done—that he'd always tried to stay out of their darker dealings. Said he'd only tolerated it for so long out of fear and loyalty.
I didn't buy it.
Noah wasn't stupid. He was calculating. Smart enough to read the writing on the wall and see which side was losing. And the moment he realized the house of cards was collapsing, he switched teams. Did what he had to in order to save himself.
Still, we'd taken the win.
So, I'd done as he asked and called the Feds.
In a week, the Feds raided the hotel in Vegas, storming the top floor where Gene had holed up and arrested all of them, including Margaret.
Maya hadn't cried when we told her. She'd just stood there, quiet and still. Then she'd gone straight to the nursery to sit with the twins, quietly singing and talking to them. Sensing she'd needed some space, I'd left her alone. Later that night, she'd crawled into our bed and into my arms and cried.
Agent Sandra led us to a softly lit room, with surprisingly comfortable furnishings and asked us to wait.
Maya raised a brow. "This isn't what I expected. Where's the single lightbulb and two-way mirror?"
The agent chuckled. "Those are for the people on the wrong side of the law, ma'am."
Maya smiled and to my relief, that seemed to loosen her up. "That's good to know."
"Would you like something to drink? Our coffee is terrible, but I think I can rustle up something tolerable."
We both declined and soon another agent walked in, carrying a folder and a laptop. He introduced himself as Agent Maxwell, then sat across from us.
"Before we get started with your statement, Mrs. Sinclair, I wanted to update you on the case," he said. "Thanks to the information Mr. Noah provided, we were able to act quickly. We'd been building a case against Gene Dubois for years, but this finally gave us what we needed."
He glanced at his notes.
"Gene Dubois, Cameron Dubois, and Margaret Harper are all in federal custody. Cameron and Gene have been charged with multiple federal offenses, including kidnapping, racketeering, and conspiracy. We're confident they'll serve long sentences."
Maya's breath hitched beside me.
Maxwell continued, "As for Margaret, she's being charged with fraud, abduction, and aiding and abetting. If convicted, she could face up to ten years."
Maya exhaled shakily and stared down at her lap. "I know I should feel… something. Guilt, maybe. But all I feel is relief. Is that awful?"
I touched her knee and leaned closer. "It's not awful. It's human. She stopped being your mother a long time ago."
"You're right," Maya nodded slowly, but I could see the guilt still creeping into her expression.
"You don't owe her your pain," I added softly. "She made her bed. And now she has to lie in it."
Her lips trembled. Then she leaned into me, burying her face against my chest.
I held her close. No words. Just us. The agents exchanged glances but remained quiet as they waited patiently.
After a long moment, Maya lifted her head. "Okay," she whispered. "Let's get this over with."
I threaded our fingers together again and looked at the agent. "We're ready."

I'd prepared myself for the worst.
I'd imagined Maya falling apart—tears, shaking, maybe even going completely silent as the memories closed in. I expected to watch her relive the kind of pain that no one should have to speak out loud. And I knew it would wreck me.
But it didn't go that way.
She was steady. Not cold or detached, just… brave. She took her time and told the story on her own terms. And the whole time, I sat next to her, hand in hers, doing the only thing I could, be there.
Every time her voice faltered, I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb, grounding her, anchoring her to the present. I knew exactly where her mind wanted to go, and I wasn't going to let it take her there. Not alone.
She wasn't in that room anymore. She was here, safe.
With me.
And she got through it.
When it ended, she just sat there blinking, like she was waiting for the wave to crash—and it didn't. I leaned in close, brushing my lips against the edge of her hairline, and whispered so only she could hear.
"You did amazing, darling. Good job."
She blushed. Actually blushed. After everything she just laid bare, she still managed to look at me with soft, shining eyes and pink in her cheeks. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her like I could shield her from everything she'd ever faced. Her scent was faintly floral, clean, and warm, and I wanted to lose myself in it.
She didn't speak, didn't sob or shake, but when I touched her cheek, my fingers came away wet with tears she probably didn't even notice she was shedding.
The agents took the hint and left quietly, giving us space.
I pulled her into my lap, folding her against me as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And it was.
She belonged there. In my arms.