Chapter 29 - The Escape
The deafening echo of the gunshots faded into a ringing, terrifying silence inside the ruined study. Ignacio staggered backward, dropping the encrypted hard drive as his pistol clattered to the marble floor. He clutched his chest, gasping for air, before collapsing completely.
Alejandro stood perfectly still for a second, his own weapon smoking in his hand. Then, a sharp, searing pain erupted in his left side. He looked down to see dark, crimson blood rapidly soaking through his crisp white shirt, just below his ribs. Ignacio’s shot hadn't missed.
"Boss!" Vargas yelled, sprinting into the study with his rifle raised. He saw Ignacio dead on the floor and Alejandro clutching his bleeding side. "We have to go, right now! El Escorpión’s reinforcements will be here any minute."
Alejandro grunted in agony, ignoring the burning pain. He dropped to his knees, grabbing the encrypted hard drive from the floor and shoving it securely into his jacket pocket. "Help me up," he wheezed.
Vargas threw Alejandro’s heavy arm over his shoulder, practically carrying the injured cartel boss out of the mansion and throwing him into the back of the armored SUV. The driver slammed on the gas, tearing through the iron front gates just as three pickup trucks filled with rival sicarios turned onto the street.
A high-speed, violent chase erupted through the winding mountain roads. The rival trucks sprayed aggressive, automatic gunfire at the fleeing SUV, the heavy bullets pinging harmlessly against the thick, bulletproof glass.
"I can't lose them, Boss!" the driver shouted frantically, weaving dangerously close to the steep, rocky cliffs.
"Take the old logging trail near the river!" Alejandro ordered through gritted teeth, pressing his hand fiercely against his bleeding wound.
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The driver yanked the steering wheel hard, sending the heavy SUV skidding off the paved road and crashing through the thick underbrush. The sudden, violent maneuver completely blinded the pursuing trucks in a massive cloud of dust and debris. By the time the rivals realized where the SUV had gone, Alejandro’s vehicle had successfully vanished deep into the dense, unforgiving wilderness of the Sierra Madre.
An hour later, the battered SUV finally pulled up to the hidden concrete safe house. Alejandro was incredibly pale, his breathing shallow and rapid. He had the ledgers, but he was rapidly bleeding out.
