Chapter 31 - The Federal Option
The morning brought a tense, suffocating reality to the concrete bunker. Alejandro was incredibly pale and weak from blood loss, but the fever had broken thanks to Valeria’s relentless care. He sat propped up against the cold wall, the encrypted hard drive resting heavily on his lap.
He called Vargas into the room.
"We are completely out of time," Alejandro stated, his voice quiet but laced with absolute, unyielding authority. "El Escorpión knows I survived the ambush at the mansion. He knows Ignacio failed to secure the ledgers. He will systematically hunt down every single person associated with me until he finds this bunker."
"What is the plan, Boss?" Vargas asked, gripping his rifle tightly.
"We initiate the burn protocol," Alejandro said, looking directly at Valeria. "I am going to contact Special Agent Ramirez at the DEA field office in Mexico City. I am going to offer him the Holy Grail. The hard drive contains the offshore account numbers, the political bribery logs, and the entire operational blueprint of El Escorpión’s new network. It is enough evidence to effectively dismantle the cartel in a single, coordinated federal sweep."
"They will arrest you the moment you hand it over," Vargas warned grimly. "You are the former head of the organization."
"I know," Alejandro replied without flinching. "My condition for handing over the drive is full, unconditional immunity, total witness protection, and immediate extraction for Valeria, Mateo, Leo, and Doña Socorro. They get completely clean identities and safe passage to the United States. I will surrender myself to federal custody."
"No!" Valeria shouted, standing up from her stool, her eyes blazing with fierce defiance. "I am not leaving you behind to rot in a federal prison. We are a family. We go together, or we don't go at all."
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"Valeria, please," Alejandro pleaded, his expression entirely heartbroken. "It is the only way to guarantee your safety. I am a criminal. I have to pay for my sins."
"Your sins belong to the past," Valeria insisted, stepping forward and taking the hard drive from his lap. "You are a different man now. You saved my brother. You saved your son. If you are making a deal with the feds, you tell them that Alejandro Ríos requires full immunity as well. Or they get absolutely nothing."
