Chapter 5 - Shadows of Veracruz
El Alacrán looked down at the tiny piece of plastic. He lowered his cigar, leaned over slowly, and picked up the button. He held it up to the light, his eyes narrowing as he saw the microscopic lens embedded in the center.
“A transmitter,” he murmured, his voice dropping into a register that made even Ramiro take a step back. He looked from the button to me, a slow, terrifying smile spreading across his face. “You didn't just bring a suitcase of fake money, Marisol. You brought company.”
“Ramiro!” Brenda shrieked. “She’s recording us! The police!”
Ramiro looked like he was going to vomit. He grabbed my wrist, twisting it hard. “Who is on the other end of this?! Who are you talking to?!”
“Everyone, Ramiro,” I said, the fear completely draining out of me, replaced by a cold, hard fury. I looked past him, straight at El Alacrán. “My lawyer has the live feed. The federal prosecutor’s office has the live feed. Every word you’ve said about the plaza boss, the extortion, and the house has already been logged. You think you’re the apex predator in Veracruz? You’re just a target on a screen now.”
El Alacrán didn't panic. He calmly crushed the small camera between his fingers, dropping the broken plastic to the floor. “Twelve minutes, you said? No, your lawyer probably told you ten. But in Veracruz, the police take a long time to get through traffic. Especially when the local captain is on my payroll.”
My stomach dropped. I had prepared for Ramiro’s greed, but I hadn't calculated the depth of the systemic corruption around him.
“Ramiro,” El Alacrán said, turning toward the door. “Pack the old woman into the truck. We’re moving them to the warehouse by the docks. If the police show up here, they find an empty house. And you... you’re going to make sure your wife signs every transfer document before the sun comes up.”
“No!” I screamed, throwing myself in front of my mother’s bed as Ramiro moved toward her.
Ramiro raised his hand, the heavy glass syringe still clutched in his fist, ready to bring it down across my face. “You ruined everything, Marisol! We could have had a good life! You just had to give me the money!”
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Before his hand could fall, the glass windows of the bedroom shattered inward.
A flashbang grenade bounced across the floor, exploding in a blinding, deafening roar of white light and sound.
