Chapter 20 - The Badge of Corruption
Valeria gently opened the door and stepped into the playroom, keeping her movements slow and entirely non-threatening.
Sofia flinched violently, pulling her sleeping toddler tighter against her chest, her eyes wide with absolute panic.
"It's okay. You are safe here, Sofia. My name is Valeria,"
She said soothingly, kneeling down on the soft rug a few feet away.
"No one is safe from him,"
Sofia choked out, tears instantly flooding her bruised face.
"He will find me. He promised he would kill me and bury my daughter in the desert."
"We have the best security in the state. He cannot cross our gates,"
Valeria promised fiercely.
Sofia shook her head frantically, her breathing becoming rapid and shallow.
"You don't understand! He isn't just a man. He is Commander Ruiz. He runs the entire tactical police division in this district!"
Sofia sobbed in pure despair.
"He has the system. He has the guns. He can do whatever he wants!"
Valeria felt a jolt of ice shoot down her spine, but her face remained a mask of absolute, unyielding calm. The stakes had just been astronomically raised. They weren't just fighting an abusive husband; they were fighting a corrupt, heavily armed officer of the law.
"He had the system, Sofia,"
May you like
Valeria corrected her softly, her green eyes burning with a sudden, lethal determination.
"Now, he has me."
