Chapter 5 - SHADOWS IN QUERÉTAROThe rain lashed violently against the reinforced glass windows of the penthouse suite overlooking downtown Querétaro. Inside, the room was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the pale blue glow of multiple computer monitors displaying live police scanner feeds and intercepted wiretaps.
A man sat in a high-backed leather chair, swirling a glass of amber whiskey. His face was hidden in shadow, but the diamond ring on his left hand caught the faint light every time he tapped his fingers against the armrest.
“Don Ramiro failed,” a voice echoed from the shadows near the doorway. It belonged to Mateo, the chief enforcer for the Querétaro syndicate. “The federal anti-corruption unit raided El Mirador this morning. Ramiro is in custody, and his daughter... she didn't play her part.”
The man in the chair didn't speak immediately. He took a slow sip of whiskey, his expression impassive.
“Ramiro was a fool blinded by his own arrogance,” the man finally said, his voice deep, gravelly, and laced with cold menace. “He thought he could manage a bloodline he spent a decade trying to break. He underestimated the girl.”
“Should we eliminate them?” Mateo asked, resting his hand on the butt of his suppressed pistol. “The boy, Julián Ferrer, and the Castañeda girl. If they hold the master decryption keys to the offshore accounts, the entire network in three states collapses within forty-eight hours.”
The man stood up, walking slowly toward the rain-streaked window. Below, the city lights blurred into a smear of gold and red.
“No. Not yet,” the man replied, a thin, cruel smile touching his lips. “Killing them makes them martyrs. If they publish those files, the government shuts us down anyway. But if we let them step into the trap ourselves...”
He turned around, his face catching the light. It was Roberto Silva—the sitting regional senator and Don Ramiro’s secret business partner.
“Send a message to the Puebla prison,” Senator Silva commanded coldly. “Tell Ramiro that his life is forfeit unless he convinces his daughter to hand over the physical hard drives personally. Arrange a meeting at the old Atlixco estate tomorrow night.”
“And if she refuses?” Mateo asked.
May you like
Senator Silva's eyes narrowed into dark, dead slits.
“Then we finish what started on that balcony eleven years ago. The mother fell. The daughter can join her.”
