Chapter 12: The Reckoning**
In the cold, violent currents of the Rio Salado, Mateo wrestled the weapon from Ramos’s grip. The two men rolled through the gravel and foam, trading brutal blows until Mateo pinned Ramos beneath the waterline.
Mateo held him there, his muscles coiled, the ancient, ruthless killer inside him screaming to finish it. It would take only ten more seconds to drown the man who had threatened his family.
Then, Mateo looked up.
Standing on the muddy bank, drenched in the freezing rain, was Aurelio. The boy wasn’t shouting; he was simply watching, his eyes filled with the same pure humanity that had saved Mateo a decade ago.
Mateo exhaled. He grabbed Ramos by the collar, hauled the gasping criminal out of the water, and dragged him onto the sand, tossing him at the feet of the arriving federal agents.
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"Take him," Mateo said quietly. "He's all yours."
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