Chapter 10 - The Horizon
One year later.
The high sun of early summer beat down on the vast, desert landscape north of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A fleet of brand-new, bright silver cement mixers and flatbed trucks bearing the clean, bold blue logo of Preston Logistics & Infrastructure stood lined up in perfect rows across a twenty-acre, state-of-the-art distribution facility.
Nora Preston stood on the second-floor observation deck of the main administrative terminal, wearing a white hard hat, a slate-gray linen suit, and a dark pair of sunglasses.
Beside her stood Arthur Vance, holding a leather folder containing the final closing documents for her acquisition of a major regional competitor.
"The merger is fully finalized, Nora," Arthur said, handing her a pen. "With this facility operational, Preston Infrastructure is officially the largest independent construction materials distributor in the American Southwest. Net enterprise valuation is now estimated at one hundred and eighty million dollars."
Nora took the pen, signed her crisp, elegant signature on the execution line, and handed the folder back.
"Thank you, Arthur," she said, looking out over the roaring engines of her new fleet.
"I received a letter from the state department of corrections yesterday," Arthur added tentatively. "Edgar filed a second petition for a sentence reduction based on his medical leg condition. His public defender asked if you would be willing to submit a character statement."
Nora took off her sunglasses, looking out toward the distant, purple-tinged peaks of the Sandia Mountains.
"Tell the clerk that my statement remains unchanged," Nora said smoothly. "He is exactly where he belongs."
"Understood," Arthur nodded. "And Heather?"
"She called this morning," Nora smiled softly—a genuine, warm smile that reached her eyes. "Little Mason started preschool in Prescott this week. The trust fund paid for his tuition without a hitch. She’s doing well. She’s built a real life for herself."
Arthur smiled, shook her hand, and headed down the stairs toward the main offices.
Nora stood alone on the deck for a long time.
May you like
The desert wind was warm and clean, blowing away the lingering dust of the past. The betrayal, the poisonous secrets, the shattered marriage, and the horrific night in Paradise Valley were behind her—buried deep under twenty feet of cold concrete and steel.
She leaned against the railing, took a deep, clean breath of the desert air, and looked out at the vast, open horizon that belonged entirely to her.
