Chapter 13 - The Texas Convict
Before Miller could pull his weapon, I threw my scalding mug of black coffee directly into his face. He screamed, clutching his eyes as I grabbed the briefcase, sprinted out the diner’s side door, and dove into my truck.
I knew the federal authorities were compromised. I couldn't trust the police, the FBI, or the state prosecutors. I had only one person left who understood the full depth of Sterling's network.
An hour later, I was sitting in the visitor booth of a maximum-security federal penitentiary in East Texas. On the other side of the reinforced glass sat my son, Rodrigo.
He looked hollowed out, his hair graying and his skin pale under the harsh fluorescent lights.
"Mom?" he rasped, holding the plastic receiver to his ear.
"Why are you here?"
"Miller is working for Sterling," I said, staring straight into his eyes.
"They have Mariana's current location, and they're coming for her."
Rodrigo's eyes widened in sudden, genuine terror.
"No... Miller promised me she'd be safe if I took the full life sentence!"
"He lied to you, Rodrigo," I whispered.
"You ruined your life for men who view you as nothing more than an expendable watchdog. If you ever loved Mariana—if there is a single drop of humanity left inside you—tell me how to destroy Sterling's facility."
Rodrigo gripped the plastic receiver so tightly his knuckles turned white. Tears streamed down his hollow cheeks as the weight of his sins finally broke him.
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"The facility isn't in Switzerland, Mom," Rodrigo sobbed into the phone.
"It's right under our feet. The underground lab is built beneath the abandoned silver mine on our family's old northern property."
