Chapter 8 - Trust No One
Sarah pulled a heavy kitchen knife from the counter, her warm smile turning into a twisted sneer.
"Diego pays very well for loyal friends, Ana," she whispered, stepping toward me.
The betrayal hit me harder than any physical blow I had taken tonight.
"You sold me out for blood money?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"I have debts too, and you are just a walking paycheck," she replied, lunging at me with the knife.
I grabbed a heavy glass vase from the entryway table and smashed it violently against her head.
She collapsed instantly, dropping the knife on the hardwood floor.
I unlocked the deadbolt and sprinted back out into the freezing rain, realizing I was completely alone.
I could not run forever, because they controlled the narrative and the police.
I needed absolute proof of their crimes to give to the FBI, not the local authorities.
I needed the physical medical files from Dr. Salgado's private office.
I stole a dry coat from a lobby lost-and-found and took a subway back toward the medical district.
I broke into Salgado's private clinic through a shattered basement window, bypassing the alarm systems.
I tore his office apart until I found a hidden wall safe behind a large landscape painting.
I remembered Diego's birthdate, punched it into the keypad, and the heavy metal door clicked open.
I pulled out a thick red file labeled with my name, but what I saw inside made my heart stop completely.
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The buyer for my heart was not a cartel boss.
The name on the medical transfer forms belonged to my own estranged father.
