Chapter 9 - The Collapse
The piercing sound of police sirens finally began to echo from the distant highway.
The FBI had received our signal and was rapidly approaching the heavily armed compound.
"Get Sofia to the extraction point in the woods," I ordered Mateo firmly.
Mateo nodded, grabbing my crying sister and leading her safely into the dense tree line.
Valeria and I sprinted back into the grand mansion, desperate to stop her father from detonating the estate.
The beautiful interior was now a chaotic warzone, completely destroyed by flying bullets and shattered glass.
We fought our way down to the sub-basement, moving with terrifying synchronization.
We finally breached the reinforced steel door of the primary utility room.
Alejandro was standing next to a massive, blinking explosive device wired to the main support columns.
He looked absolutely deranged, his elegant suit covered in dust and his eyes completely wild.
"You took my daughter, you took my legacy, but you will not take my life," Alejandro spat.
I lunged forward, tackling the older man forcefully onto the hard concrete floor.
We struggled violently, exchanging brutal punches as the countdown timer on the bomb ticked ominously.
Valeria rushed to the explosive device, her fingers flying desperately across the complicated keypad.
I managed to pin Alejandro's arms down, fully restraining the tyrant who had haunted my family for decades.
"It is over, Alejandro," I told him, breathing heavily.
"The police have already surrounded the entire perimeter of your precious fortress."
Alejandro laughed, a wet, horrifying sound that sent a massive chill down my spine.
"You really think you won, boy?" Alejandro whispered maliciously.
Valeria suddenly gasped in pure horror as she stared at the explosive's digital screen.
"The manual keypad is a complete fake," Valeria screamed in terror.
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Alejandro pulled a small, hidden detonator from his sleeve and violently pressed the final trigger button.
The timer instantly jumped from two minutes down to exactly ten seconds.
