Chapter 7 - The Trap is Set
The blinding light from the helicopter forced Mateo to aggressively shield his eyes with his bloody arm.
The deafening roar of the heavy chopper blades completely drowned out all other sounds in the desert night.
He grabbed Elena and Lucas tightly and violently dragged them deep under the thick, overhanging roots of an old mesquite tree.
The aggressive spotlight swept past them, momentarily losing their exact location in the vast, rocky landscape.
Mateo knew instantly that hiding in the open desert from trained bloodhounds was an absolutely impossible task.
They had to somehow make a final, desperate stand or die completely exhausted like hunted animals.
He quickly led them down the winding, completely dry riverbed toward an old, entirely abandoned mining facility.
The rusted, towering metal structures of the old silver mine loomed terrifyingly like ancient metal skeletons in the moonlight.
Mateo had secretly purchased this completely worthless, barren land decades ago to serve as his ultimate fallback position.
They rushed quickly inside the main processing building, barricading the heavy iron doors firmly behind them.
Lucas asked frantically what they were possibly going to do against an entire army of heavily armed men.
Mateo walked calmly to a massive, dusty electrical panel completely hidden behind a large sheet of rusted metal.
He forcefully ripped the heavy cover off, completely revealing a highly complex, meticulously wired explosive detonator system.
He explained with total absolute calmness that the entire mining facility was heavily packed with highly unstable, commercial-grade dynamite.
He had secretly wired the entire property years ago, fully preparing for the inevitable day the corrupt town elders finally came for him.
Elena stared at him in complete and utter horror, finally realizing the truly terrifying depths of Mateo's long-term paranoia.
Mateo grabbed a heavy, red remote detonator and firmly gripped it tightly in his bleeding hand.
He solemnly told them that if they did not survive this terrible night, he would absolutely take Davies directly to hell with him.
The loud, aggressive barking of the massive bloodhounds suddenly echoed loudly right outside the barricaded iron doors.
Heavy vehicles aggressively skidded to a halt outside, completely surrounding the old, dilapidated building.
Sheriff Davies's deeply arrogant voice echoed loudly through a high-powered bullhorn once again.
He proudly declared that there was absolutely nowhere left for them to run and demanded their immediate surrender.
Mateo calmly walked directly to the broken front window, remaining perfectly hidden in the deep shadows.
He shouted loudly back that the entire area was heavily wired to explode completely at the single push of a button.
He demanded a completely secure, heavily fueled vehicle and safe, unhindered passage entirely out of the county.
Sheriff Davies simply laughed menacingly, producing a highly cruel, dismissive sound that echoed chillingly across the quiet desert.
The corrupt lawman boldly claimed that Mateo did not have the actual courage to kill his own beloved family.
To completely prove his terrifying point, the Sheriff violently dragged a heavily beaten, totally unrecognizable hostage directly into the harsh spotlight.
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Mateo felt his entire heart completely stop beating as he recognized the bleeding man begging for his life.
It was Father Thomas, the completely innocent, highly beloved local priest who had secretly helped Mateo hide the ledger twenty years ago.
