Chapter 9 - THE FEDERAL RAIDRed and blue police lights flashed wildly against the stained-glass windows, painting the grand foyer in a chaotic dance of color.
Dozens of heavily armed federal agents, backed by armored tactical vehicles, swarmed the front entrance, their assault rifles pointed directly at Mateo and his remaining men.
At the front of the federal unit stood Commander Vargas, a notoriously incorruptible officer whom Mateo had spent years trying to bribe.
"Drop your weapons! Federal Police! Nobody move!" Vargas bellowed through a megaphone, stepping forward with his tactical shield raised.
Mateo panicked. He realized he had been played. Octavio hadn't just been fighting back—he had used the chaos to transmit the encrypted data file Clara had photographed, along with the recovered micro-listening device, directly to the federal anti-corruption division.
"This is a setup!" Mateo screamed, raising his gun toward Octavio on the balcony.
Before Mateo could fire a shot, Octavio raised his own shotgun—not to shoot Mateo, but to fire a single slug into the crystal chandelier winch above.
The massive remaining iron frame of the chandelier dropped like a stone, crashing directly onto Mateo and pinning him beneath hundreds of pounds of iron and crystal.
Mateo shrieked in agony as his legs were crushed under the weight. The remaining mercenaries dropped their weapons immediately, raising their hands as federal agents swarmed in, slamming them to the floor and slapping cuffs on them.
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Commander Vargas walked up to the crushed Mateo, kicking the golden gun away, before looking up at the balcony.
Octavio nodded once, turned, and disappeared back into the shadows of the mansion.
