The heavy doors swung open once more as six armed Dallas tactical officers and two Texas state troopers rushed inside.
Officer Hayes: Nobody move! Police!
The officers moved swiftly down the center aisle, their heavy boots thudding against the marble.
Richard: Officer, I am Richard Vance! You cannot barge into a private wedding venue without a warrant!
Officer Hayes: Richard Vance, you are being detained as an accessory to capital murder, felony kidnapping, and money laundering.
An officer grabbed Richard's arms, twisting them behind his back and snapping heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists.
Richard: What?! I had no idea about any brake lines! Vanessa, tell them I didn't know!
Vanessa: Shut up, Dad! Don't say anything to them!
Officer Hayes stepped up to Vanessa, who was still trembling on the marble floor in her torn bridal gown.
Officer Hayes: Vanessa Vance, stand up and put your hands behind your back.
Vanessa: Don't you dare touch me! Do you know who my family is?!
Officer Hayes pulled her up by her lace sleeves, spinning her around and ratcheting the cold steel cuffs tightly around her wrists.
Vanessa: Julian! Look at me! Tell them to take these off! You can't let them put me in prison!
Julian: I hope you spend every single day of the rest of your life staring at concrete walls, thinking about what you did to Claire and Leo.
Vanessa: You ungrateful monster! I should have told Henderson to finish the job five years ago!
A horrified shout rose from the crowd as guests backed away in disgust.
Julian: Take her out of my sight before I lose my temper completely.
Officer Hayes pushed Vanessa down the center aisle, her bare feet dragging across the flower petals that had been scattered for her processional.
Reporters and camera crews had already gathered outside the glass doors, their bright flashbulbs illuminating her smeared makeup and ripped gown.
Vanessa: Turn off those cameras! Stop recording me!
She screamed and struggled, but the officers shoved her into the back of a waiting squad car and slammed the door shut.
Inside the church, a female paramedic approached Julian and Leo, kneeling beside them with a first-aid kit.
Paramedic: Mr. Sterling? Let me take a look at the boy's cheek and that shoulder.
Julian: Please, check him over completely. Whatever he needs, get it done right now.
The paramedic gently placed an ice pack against Leo's swollen cheek, smiling warmly at him.
Paramedic: You're an incredibly brave young man, Leo. His pulse is steady, but he’s severely dehydrated and bruised. We should transport him to Dallas Children's Hospital for observation.
Leo: Dad, are you coming with me? Don't leave me alone in the ambulance.
Julian: I will never leave your side again, Leo. Not for one second.
Julian lifted the boy into his arms, carrying him past the abandoned altar and through the open doors into the warm Texas sunlight.
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