Chapter 16 - The Inside Man
Maria quickly wiped her tears and sprinted toward the secure communication terminal, instantly slipping back into her lethal, hyper-focused federal persona.
The incoming call was heavily encrypted, bouncing through dozens of international proxy servers to mask its true origin. Maria punched in her authorization codes, putting the call on the bunker's main audio speaker.
"You always were incredibly difficult to track down, Maria," a voice crackled through the static-filled line.
I froze instantly. It was Andrew.
I demanded to know how my brother was calling us from the inside of a maximum-security federal penitentiary.
Andrew let out a tired, cynical laugh. He explained that his plea deal wasn't just about providing testimony; he was actively functioning as a high-level federal informant from inside the prison walls. The FBI had intentionally placed him in a facility controlled by cartel-affiliated gangs so he could secretly intercept Alejandro's communications.
"I am risking my neck in here to buy you time, Daniel," Andrew said urgently, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Alejandro is completely unhinged. He isn't sending a small hit squad this time. He has mobilized a private army of mercenaries, and they have acquired heavily armored tactical vehicles."
Maria asked him how Alejandro could possibly locate a classified, off-the-books federal bunker in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
Andrew revealed that my father’s encrypted hard drives, the ones I had stolen from the burning mansion, contained a hidden GPS tracking virus. The moment I placed those drives inside the secure federal vehicle that transported Noah to the bunker, I had unknowingly broadcasted our exact coordinates to the cartel's elite hackers.
My stomach violently dropped as the horrifying realization hit me. I had inadvertently led the most dangerous men on the planet directly to my son's doorstep.
"They are already in the desert, Daniel," Andrew warned frantically, the sound of a prison guard shouting echoing in the background of his call. "You have less than twenty minutes before they breach the perimeter. You have to get the boy out of there right now."
The satellite connection abruptly died, leaving a terrifying, heavy silence in the underground bunker.
Maria did not waste a single second. She slammed the emergency lockdown button, sealing the massive blast doors of the facility. She ran to the armory cabinet, throwing me a heavy Kevlar tactical vest and a high-powered military assault rifle.
"Wake Noah up right now," Maria ordered, her eyes blazing with absolute, uncompromising determination. "We are going to fight our way out of this tomb."
I grabbed the heavy weapon, feeling the cold steel against my palms. I was no longer just a wealthy corporate heir; I was a father fighting for the very survival of his bloodline.
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I ran into the bedroom and gently shook Noah awake, telling him to stay absolutely quiet and hold onto my hand as tightly as he possibly could. The ground above us suddenly began to tremble violently as the deafening roar of heavy diesel engines echoed across the barren desert surface.
Alejandro’s army had arrived.
