Page 11 of Born of Vengeance

Not yet. But there’s one weak link: someone in customs flagged a manifest under pressure. A man named Santiago. Internal file says he’s under surveillance for bribery.

(05:57 BRST):

Already on my list.

(05:58 BRST):

Be careful, Rafael. This isn’t just cartel money. This is diplomatic immunity. Lawyers. Media protection. Global connections.

(05:58 BRST):

I know.

(05:59 BRST):

Do you?

A pause.

(06:00 BRST):

This won’t bring her back.

Rafael stared at the line for a long time.

Then he closed the laptop.

________________________________________

He stood at the corkboard, the orange light flickering behind him.

He found the name he’d written before—Valderrama—and drew a solid black circle around it.

Then, beneath it, he wrote:

Héctor Manuel Valderrama

Status: Confirmed

Role: Political cover. Financial organizer. Export logistics.

He pinned a printed image from the ship logs—a manifest with the word Santa Nieve scribbled in red.

Then he stepped back.

The board had changed.

No longer just scattered threads. This was a web. And in its center sat a man in a suit with clean hands and a hidden empire.

Rafael stared for a long moment, then whispered:

“I found you.”

And somewhere, behind a podium, behind cameras, behind polished glass…

Héctor Valderrama had no idea what was coming.

Chapter 6 – The Man in the Mirror

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