Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13: THE VISIT
The federal detention center in Manhattan was a grim, brutalist structure. I sat behind the bulletproof glass, waiting.
When the door opened, Santiago Rivas walked in, flanked by two armed guards. He looked pathetic. The orange jumpsuit was oversized, his hair shaggy, the arrogance stripped from his face—until he saw me. Then, that familiar, twisted smirk returned.
"Valeria," he sneered, sitting down and picking up the phone. "Come to watch the show? I heard my father took a little swim. A shame. But the machine he built doesn't stop for one death."
"Your father is dead, Santiago. Your mother is losing her mind in a medical ward. And your partner, Evelyn, is down the hall in a holding cell," I said, my voice completely flat, devoid of any anger. Anger gave him power. Indifference destroyed him.
"And yet, you’re the one facing twenty years for international smuggling," Santiago laughed, leaning closer to the glass. "You think you won because you have your daddy's money? My father’s American allies are going to dismantle Grupo Salazar piece by piece. You’re going to join me in a cage, teacher."
"I don't think so," I said softly. I pulled a small digital audio player from my pocket and pressed it against the glass.
Through the speaker, a voice played. It was Santiago’s own voice, recorded three years ago during a private dinner party in Aspen, long before I knew who he really was. He was bragging to an offshore banker about using Vance Global's charity foundations to wash money for American senators.
Santiago’s smirk froze. The color drained from his face.
"Where did you get that?" he whispered, his hands tightening around the phone.
"You left a box of old digital dictaphones in the Lomas de Chapultepec mansion, Santiago. You thought they were blank. I spent the last forty-eight hours having our forensic tech restore the deleted flash memory," I smiled, a dark, victorious glint in my eyes. "This tape doesn't just clear my name. It names twelve sitting US congressmen and your new savior, Christopher Sterling."
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"If you release that... they will kill you," Santiago stammered, his voice trembling.
"They can try," I replied, standing up and hanging up the phone. "But until then, enjoy the new addition to your sentence. I believe the word you're looking for is treason."
