“Take Him, Not Me” “Take him, not me!”

Three months later.

The Potter County Federal Courthouse in downtown Amarillo was surrounded by news trucks, reporters, and law enforcement officers.

Inside the third-floor courtroom, the trial of United States v. Brenda Vance, Wayne Miller, et al. was reaching its dramatic climax.

Luke Carson sat in the front row of the gallery, wearing a clean dark suit, his broad shoulders squared. Beside him sat Sarah Miller, looking significantly healthier, her face full of color, her hair neatly styled.

On the witness stand sat eleven-year-old Maddie Miller.

She wore a simple blue cotton dress, her hair combed neatly back. Her small hands rested on the wooden ledge in front of her, her jaw locked with that same fierce, unbreakable determination Luke had seen in the courthouse hallway three months ago.

The high-powered defense attorney hired by Brenda Vance’s cartel stood up, stepping toward the witness box with a patronizing smile.

“Now, Madison,” the attorney said, his voice dripping with condescension. “You expect this jury to believe that a ten-year-old girl understood complex corporate records found on a thumb drive? Isn't it true that your mother instructed you to lie about Mr. Wayne Miller to escape child neglect charges?”

Maddie didn't flinch. She didn't look at Brenda Vance or Wayne, who were sitting at the defense table in orange jumpsuits and heavy leg shackles.

She looked straight at the jury of twelve Texas citizens.

“My mother didn't tell me to lie,” Maddie said, her voice clear, articulate, and completely devoid of fear. “My mother hid that drive to save my brother’s life. And when Wayne Miller came to our house with a gun, I carried that drive because my brother was too little to carry it himself.”

She pointed a firm finger straight at Brenda Vance.

“That woman tried to separate me from my brother in this very building,” Maddie continued, her voice ringing across the silent courtroom. “She told me Ollie had to go alone into the dark. But a good man named Luke Carson taught me that people who love you don't leave you alone in the dark. They stand in front of you.”

In the gallery, several jurors nodded, their eyes fixed on the young girl with profound respect.

The defense attorney swallowed hard, his patronizing smile completely vanishing as he realized he had just destroyed his own case. “No... no further questions.”

Two hours later, the jury returned with a unanimous verdict.

Guilty on all counts.

Brenda Vance was sentenced to forty years in federal prison without parole. Wayne Miller received thirty-five years for armed assault, extortion, and child endangerment. The corrupt network that had plagued the county for over a decade was completely dismantled.

As the court adjourned, reporters crowded around the steps of the courthouse, camera flashes exploding like fireworks.

Luke, Sarah, Maddie, and Oliver walked down the grand stone steps together.

A news reporter shoved a microphone toward Luke. “Mr. Carson! Mr. Carson! You’re being called a hero across the state! What do you have to say about saving these children?”