(LANCE )
The cliffside safe house had become our war room.
Marcus Hale spread the final deferred-prosecution agreement across the wooden table under the single hanging bulb. Eliona sat beside me, her hand steady in mine, while I read every line with the same focus I once used to negotiate billion-dollar port contracts.
Marcus explained it clearly, no sugar-coating.
“The deferred prosecution agreement is the government’s middle ground. You plead guilty to two predicate RICO acts — money laundering through the trucking division and one count of conspiracy. In return, the major charges are dropped. No prison time. Instead, you receive twenty-four months of house arrest with an ankle monitor and restricted travel. The Black Unicorns MC enters a three-year deferred-prosecution period: manda
