Chapter 6 - INTO THE LION’S DEN
The world seemed to fracture around Gabriel.
Victoria Sandoval? The woman who had given them shelter, who had stood by their side, whose family was currently at his ranch?
"You're lying," Gabriel growled, pressing the gun harder against Vargas's throat. "You're trying to tear us apart from the inside."
"Check... check her offshore accounts..." Vargas choked out, his eyes bulging. "Two years ago... when you stole the ledgers... Victoria’s family was bankrupt. Her husband’s business was dying. The Cofradía offered her a deal: monitor you, keep you safe and comfortable in Tapalpa until the ledgers were located... and then deliver you when the time was right!"
Gabriel’s mind raced through the past two years—how easily Victoria had guided them to Tapalpa, how she had insisted on managing their security, how she knew every detail of their daily routine. It was the perfect cage, built with golden bars and disguised as a paradise.
"Where is her syndicate contact taking the ledgers?" Gabriel barked.
"Punta Mita..." Vargas gasped. "The old lighthouse... Julian is meeting her there tonight. They know... they know Carlos would stage a fake attack at your ranch to force Valeria out into the woods... where Julian's men could capture her without a fight!"
Gabriel realized with horror the full extent of the trap. The attack at the ranch wasn't meant to kill Valeria—it was meant to drive her directly into the waiting arms of Victoria's men in the forest! Carlos wasn't defending her; he was herding her!
Without a word, Gabriel drew back his fist and struck Vargas hard across the jaw, knocking the old villain unconscious. He didn't waste a second shooting him; time was running out.
Gabriel sprinted out of the facility, jumping into his high-powered SUV parked in the alleyway. He ignited the engine, slamming his foot on the gas pedal, the tires screaming as he tore onto the highway heading back toward the Tapalpa mountain range.
He grabbed his satellite radio, bypassing Victoria's secure channel, dialing a direct, unlisted frequency that he had set up with a trusted former military comrade, Commander Ramos, who headed an independent tactical security group.
"Ramos! It’s Gabriel!" he yelled over the roar of the engine.
"Gabriel? Where are you? The local comms are jammed!" Ramos replied.
"Victoria Sandoval and Carlos are traitors!" Gabriel shouted, his voice dripping with desperation and rage. "They staged the attack at my ranch! They have herded Valeria and my children into the pine forests near the northern ridge! I need an air unit and full tactical support at Punta Mita and the Tapalpa northern pass immediately!"
"Understood! Moving teams now! Hold on, Gabriel!"
Gabriel pushed the SUV to its absolute limit, weaving through mountain traffic at breakneck speeds. The speedometer needle touched 110 mph as he carved through the winding forest roads.
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His chest burned with agony. Valeria was alone in the freezing, foggy woods with two young children, believing she was escaping toward safety, completely unaware that the people she trusted to protect her were the very monsters hunting her down.
"Hold on, Valeria," Gabriel prayed aloud, tears of desperate fury blurring his vision as he roared through the mist. "Hold on... I'm coming."
