Chapter 15 - The Trap at the Railway Yards
Midnight at the abandoned freight depot near the Querétaro railway yards was a landscape of deep shadows, rusted metal containers, and flickering amber streetlights.
A sleek, unmarked federal tactical van sat parked behind a concrete embankment three hundred yards away from the main warehouse. Inside the van, Commander Vargas of the federal financial crimes unit stared at a tactical monitor displaying thermal imaging coordinates of the entire yard.
"We have three armed hostiles stationed inside the main warehouse," Vargas whispered, adjusting his headset. "And two more patrolling the perimeter gates. It's a textbook kidnapping and extortion setup orchestrated by Don Lorenzo's syndicate."
In the front passenger seat, Alejandro Garza turned to Mariana, who sat wearing a dark tactical jacket and a quiet, steely expression. "Are you absolutely sure you want to walk in there wearing the body-wire, Mariana? We can send a tactical assault team in right now and bypass the meeting entirely."
"No," Mariana replied, her voice unwavering. "If we raid them now, Don Lorenzo's inner circle will scatter, and they'll find a way to slip through the federal net. I need to walk in there, look my ex-husband in the eye, and draw them out into the open."
"We'll be right behind you on the audio channel every second," Vargas assured her, handing her a small, discreet tactical earpiece. "The moment they threaten your safety, the team breaches."
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Mariana slipped the earpiece into her ear, checked the concealed recording device clipped inside her jacket pocket, and stepped out of the van into the cool midnight air.
She walked across the dusty, gravel-strewn yard toward the open double doors of the warehouse, her heels clicking softly against the concrete—a sound of absolute defiance.
