The apartment smelled of sweat, old tequila, and ambition.
Valentina stood at the head of a creaky wooden table, her eyes scanning the room. Her crew sat in a rough circle, lit by a single buzzing ceiling fan. Not one of them looked like a soldier. That was the point.
"Everyone in this room has something to lose," she said, voice low. "But that's also what makes us dangerous."
She flicked on a small projector. An image of a high-end nightclub filled the wall—Club Solaris, one of Xavier's prime money-laundering spots.
"We hit this," Valentina said. "Not for cash—for access. Their servers run on a backdoor protocol my father used to design. We get in… we get closer to unlocking the Veracruz file."
Yazmin, the ex-med student turned hacker, raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do we walk into Solaris without getting shot?"
Valentina smiled faintly. "We don't walk in. We perform."
Same night – Club Solaris, Cancún
The club was pure cartel luxury—crimson velvet walls, gold fixtures, armed bouncers disguised in Hugo Boss suits. It pulsed with reggaeton, smoke, and money.
On stage, Valentina stood behind a mic in a slinky red dress, singing a haunting rendition of "La Llorona." The crowd hushed. Her voice, raw and trembling with sorrow, hypnotized them.
While all eyes were on her, Yazmin slipped through the back hallway, Mateo keeping watch. Within minutes, she plugged a tiny black drive into the manager's office terminal.
"I'm in," she whispered into her earpiece. "Downloading now."
Backstage – minutes later
Valentina exited the stage, breathless and sweating. A shadow stepped into her path.
Lucia Ortega.
Wearing all black, face unreadable, she extended a single rose.
"You have a beautiful voice," she said softly. "But dangerous places like this swallow pretty girls whole."
Valentina blinked. "Then it's a good thing I bite."
Lucia smirked. "I like women with teeth. Tell me something, Reina… who taught you to play with fire?"
"Someone who died trying to put it out."
Lucia's eyes flickered. "Be careful. The throne you're chasing? It's rigged with traps you'll never see coming."
And just like that, she vanished into the crowd.
Elsewhere – Xavier's Private Estate, Mexico City
Xavier sipped a glass of wine, eyes locked on surveillance footage. His tech guy paused the video on Valentina's face mid-performance.
"Who is she?" Xavier asked.
"Name's Valentina Cruz. Recently resurfaced. Records were… wiped."
A slow smile curled Xavier's lips. "Then she's hiding something. And I do love secrets."
He walked to the fireplace, staring into the flames.
"Send a message to Club Solaris. If this woman ever steps on that stage again… silence her. Permanently."
Safehouse – hours later
Valentina stared at the laptop screen as lines of code decrypted before her eyes.
A progress bar blinked:VERACRUZ FILE: 39% Unlocked.
Inside, a list of names appeared—senators, mayors, judges. All paid by Xavier.
She exhaled sharply. This isn't just a war.It's a purge waiting to happen.
Mateo leaned over her shoulder. "What did I tell you, reina? Monsters in disguise."
"No," she whispered. "This city is worse than monsters."
Her fingers hovered over the names. "It's full of ghosts pretending they're saints."