Chapter 19 - The Last Bargain
The memory card contained everything.
Account ledgers.
Recorded calls.
Bank transfers.
Corporate ownership records.
Political donations.
Construction contracts.
Payments to police officers.
Payments to medical facilities.
And one audio file recorded by Elena the night of her crash.
Evelyn Beltran’s voice was unmistakable.
“Stop the car before she reaches Daniel.”
Another voice asked what to do if Elena survived.
Beltran answered.
“Then make sure Daniel believes she didn’t.”
Silence filled the hospital room.
Renata started crying.
Elena closed her eyes.
I felt something inside me finally break.
Not rage.
The last piece of the man I used to be.
The Ghost would have made Evelyn disappear.
Daniel Salgado was going to make sure the entire country watched her fall.
We copied everything.
Multiple attorneys received encrypted copies.
Federal investigators received another.
Three major newspapers received instructions to release their files if anything happened to Renata, Elena, Nathan, Rafael, Maurice, or me.
There would be no burying this story.
Then Evelyn called.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
“No.”
I looked through the hospital window.
“It belongs to the people you stole from.”
“Where is my son?”
“Safe.”
“Give me the ledger.”
“Where’s Emmett?”
Silence.
So she had him.
“You don’t care about that boy.”
“I care because my daughter deserves to see all three men who hurt her answer publicly.”
“Then bring the card.”
“Location?”
She gave me a private campaign office in Manhattan.
Victor shook his head when I told him.
“It’s a trap.”
“Of course it is.”
Mateo frowned.
“You’re still going.”
“Yes.”
I wore a wire provided by investigators.
This time, The Ghost was not building an ambush.
The law was.
Evelyn Beltran stood alone inside the campaign office.
Emmett sat in a chair near the window.
His hands were bound.
He looked terrified.
“Mr. Salgado.”
“Senator.”
“You’ve caused extraordinary damage.”
“You ordered my wife’s death.”
“She survived.”
“You didn’t know that when you gave the order.”
Her expression hardened.
“You have no idea what was at stake.”
“Your career?”
“An entire political structure.”
“Built on stolen money.”
“Built on stability.”
I almost smiled.
“That’s what criminals call it when they’re winning.”
She stepped closer.
“The card.”
I held up a duplicate.
“Release Emmett.”
She did.
Emmett stumbled toward the door.
Then Evelyn said something I had been waiting for.
“His grandfather should have killed Elena nineteen years ago.”
The microphone captured every word.
I looked at her.
“Thank you.”
Her face changed.
Doors opened behind us.
Federal agents entered.
Evelyn stared at the wire beneath my shirt.
“You son of a bitch.”
“No.”
I looked directly at her.
“I’m Elena’s husband.”
They placed her in handcuffs.
Outside, cameras were already gathering.
But as agents escorted Evelyn away, my phone rang.
Sebastian.
I answered.
“You won,” he said.
“No.”
“You destroyed her.”
“She destroyed herself.”
He laughed softly.
“You really aren’t The Ghost anymore.”
“No.”
“Good.”
The line went quiet.
Then I heard wind.
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere I should have gone nineteen years ago.”
“Sebastian.”
“Tell Elena I’m sorry.”
The line disconnected.
Victor traced the call.
Then he looked at me.
“He’s at the old docks.”
I knew exactly which ones.
May you like
The place where The Ghost had been born.
And perhaps where this story finally had to end.
