Chapter 14 - The Stalker in the Shadows
Mariana’s blood ran cold. She didn't open the gate. Instead, she immediately dialed Alejandro Garza’s private number while keeping her eyes glued to the security monitor.
"Alejandro," Mariana said urgently the moment he picked up. "There's a man in a black sedan outside my gate claiming to have a settlement proposal. He just referenced Sofía's school."
"Stay inside, lock all the deadbolts, and do not open that door under any circumstances," Garza commanded over the line, his voice tense. "I’m dispatching two private security guards to your location right now. That car doesn't belong to Raúl's legal team. Raúl's public defender hasn't filed any settlement papers."
"Then who is he?" Mariana whispered, watching through the window as the man in the dark suit calmly returned to the black sedan, slid into the passenger seat, and slowly drove down the palm-lined street.
"I don't know yet," Garza repliedgrimly. "But federal prosecutors just informed me that Raúl’s prison cell was searched this morning after a fight broke out. Someone is trying to reach you through him, Mariana. Be very careful."
That afternoon, Mariana picked Sofía up from school herself, refusing to let her take the usual neighborhood carpool. As she drove down the sun-drenched avenue toward home, she noticed a matte-black sedan trailing two car lengths behind her.
No matter which turn she took, the sedan stayed locked to her bumper.
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When she pulled into her driveway and hit the remote control for the automatic garage door, the black car slowly crawled past the house, its tinted window rolling down just an inch. Through the narrow gap, Mariana caught a glimpse of a cold, scarred face staring directly at her with a predatory intensity.
It wasn't Raúl. It was something much worse.
