Chapter 3: The Escape
The deadbolt turned with a slow, metallic click.
Mateo's heart slammed against his ribs.
He scooped Sofía and Camila into his arms just as the front door began to open.
Only an inch.
Then two.
A polished black shoe appeared in the gap.
"Mr. Solís," the older man's calm voice drifted inside. "Please don't make this more difficult than it has to be."
Mateo shoved the door shut with all his strength.
The man on the other side barely moved.
Instead, another hand caught the edge of the door.
Strong.
Steady.
Prepared.
"They're forcing it open," Mateo growled.
Dalia looked around frantically before pointing toward the hallway.
"The service entrance."
"What?"
"The kitchen has a service exit. Housekeepers use it. It leads to the emergency stairwell."
Mateo had lived in the condo for nearly four years.
He had completely forgotten it existed.
Another shove rattled the front door.
The frame groaned.
The twins began crying again.
"Go!" Dalia urged.
Mateo didn't hesitate.
He carried both girls through the kitchen while Dalia hurried behind him.
The narrow service door was hidden behind a pantry cabinet.
She unlocked it with shaking hands.
Cold air rushed into the stairwell.
"Down," she whispered.
"Not up."
Behind them came a loud crack.
The front door had finally given way.
Footsteps entered the condo.
"Clear the living room," a man's voice ordered.
"They're inside," another replied.
Mateo raced down the concrete stairs, holding both daughters tightly against his chest.
The twins clung to his shirt, frightened by the noise.
Above them, footsteps thundered into the kitchen.
"They found the service exit!"
"They're escaping!"
Dalia looked over the railing.
"They're coming!"
The four flights down felt endless.
Every step echoed through the stairwell.
By the time they reached the parking garage, Mateo's lungs burned.
He rushed toward his SUV.
"No," Dalia said sharply.
"They know your vehicle."
Mateo froze.
She was right.
The black SUV outside the building had almost certainly recorded his license plate.
"We need another car."
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed across the garage.
"Mr. Solís?"
An elderly maintenance worker stood beside a golf cart, staring in confusion.
"Everything okay?"
Mateo recognized him instantly.
Luis.
He had worked in the building for years.
Mateo hurried toward him.
"Luis, I need your truck."
The old man blinked.
"My truck?"
"Please."
Before Luis could answer, the stairwell door burst open.
The younger man in the gray suit stepped into the garage.
His eyes immediately locked onto Mateo.
"There he is."
The older man followed calmly behind him.
"No sudden movements, Mr. Solís."
Luis looked back and forth between them.
"What's going on?"
The older man smiled politely.
"We're with Santa María Hospital."
Mateo laughed bitterly.
"No, you're not."
The smile disappeared.
Luis sensed the danger instantly.
Without another word, he tossed Mateo a ring of keys.
"Blue pickup," he said. "Row C."
Mateo caught them.
"Thank you."
The younger man reached inside his jacket.
Mateo's stomach tightened.
A gun?
No.
A radio.
"They're heading for the garage exit."
More voices crackled through the device.
"Intercept."
Mateo sprinted through the rows of parked vehicles.
Behind him came pounding footsteps.
Dalia kept pace despite struggling to breathe.
"There!"
A faded blue pickup sat near the back corner.
Mateo unlocked it.
He quickly secured both girls in the rear child seats.
Dalia climbed into the passenger seat just as the suited men rounded the corner.
The engine roared to life.
The older man raised one hand.
"Mr. Solís!"
Mateo looked at him through the windshield.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
"No," Mateo answered.
"I think I'm finally starting to."
He slammed the truck into reverse.
The tires screeched across the concrete floor before the pickup shot toward the exit ramp.
Behind them, another black SUV entered the garage.
Then another.
"They've got more vehicles," Dalia whispered.
Mateo gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"How many people are after us?"
"I've never stayed alive long enough to find out."
They burst onto the busy streets of Cancún.
Tourists wandered the sidewalks.
City buses rumbled past.
Taxi drivers honked impatiently.
For everyone else, it was just another beautiful afternoon.
For Mateo, his life had become a nightmare.
He glanced into the rearview mirror.
The black SUVs emerged from the garage one after another.
Three of them.
Keeping a precise distance.
Never too close.
Never too far.
"They're following us," he said.
"They always follow."
Mateo took three quick turns through side streets.
The SUVs copied every move.
"They're trained."
Dalia nodded.
"They don't want witnesses."
"So why not stop us now?"
"Because they want something."
"What?"
She looked at the twins sleeping quietly in the back seat despite everything.
"I've spent a year asking myself the same question."
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
She stared at the screen.
Her face turned white.
"What is it?"
"I don't have this number saved."
"Answer it."
With trembling fingers, she pressed the speaker button.
Neither of them spoke.
For several seconds, only silence filled the truck.
Then a man's voice came through.
Calm.
Friendly.
Almost gentle.
"Dalia."
She froze.
"I've been looking for you."
Neither Mateo nor Dalia answered.
The man continued.
"You should never have gone back to the Solís family."
A chill ran down Mateo's spine.
"We gave you a chance to disappear."
The caller paused.
"You've made a very unfortunate decision."
Dalia finally found her voice.
"Who are you?"
The man chuckled softly.
"You already know."
Another pause.
Then he said the words that made Mateo's blood run cold.
"The twins were never the miracle."
Silence.
"They were the mistake."
The call disconnected.
For several seconds, neither Mateo nor Dalia spoke.
Then Mateo looked into the rearview mirror again.
The three black SUVs were still there.
May you like
Only now...
A fourth one had joined the pursuit.
