Don’t go with anyone, even someone you know, unless I’ve specifically told you it’s okay. Was it Stephanie? Luna asked perceptively. She texted dad yesterday saying she wanted to take us shopping this weekend, but he said we were staying with you.
This was news to Carmen. Dad didn’t mention that to me. He probably forgot, Mia said.
He’s been acting weird lately. Really stressed. He and Stephanie fight a lot.
Well, I’m glad the school followed the rules and called me. And from now on, one of my friends will be driving you to and from school just to be safe. Because of Abuelo’s secret work, Luna asked, lowering her voice dramatically despite being in their own home.
Yes, Carmen confirmed. Some people are interested in Abuelo’s work and they might try to use you to get to me. But I won’t let that happen.
That evening, after the twins were asleep, Carmen met with Harrington and Elena in the secure facility beneath the station. The discovery of the attempted school pickup had accelerated their timeline. We need to move on your siblings now, Harrington said grimly.
The attempt to take the girls indicates desperation. They’re escalating because they sensed the net closing. I agree, Elena added, and there’s something else.
Our surveillance picked up a meeting between Marcus and one of the men who broke in here two weeks ago. They’re collaborating now, which puts you in even greater danger. What exactly will happen? The FBI will arrest Marcus and Victoria simultaneously tomorrow morning, Harrington explained.
The charges will be made public by afternoon. Simultaneously, a separate team will detain Stephanie for questioning regarding her intelligence activities. And the men who broke in, the ones working with Marcus now, we have a team tracking them.
Elena assured her, once your siblings are in custody, we’ll move on their associates as well. Carmen nodded slowly. What do you need from me? Stay here with the girls, Harrington advised, we’ll have security in place.
Once the arrests are made, there will likely be media interest. We’ve prepared a statement for you, expressing shock at your siblings activities, cooperating with authorities, that sort of thing. And what about Estrella, the underground facility? How do we explain that if reporters start digging, the official story is that your father was a confidential informant for federal law enforcement, Elena explained.
It explains his hidden wealth as reward money for information leading to major cases, without revealing the CIA connection or the ongoing intelligence function of the station. Is there no other way? She asked quietly. Harrington’s expression was sympathetic but firm.
Your father struggled with the same question, Carmen. He delayed providing the evidence to authorities for months, hoping Marcus and Victoria would change course. But their activities were too serious to ignore.
National security implications, connections to criminal organizations. Roberto ultimately chose to protect the country, even at the cost of his own children’s freedom. I need to see the evidence, she said finally.
Before tomorrow, I need to understand exactly what they’ve done. Elena hesitated, then nodded. We can arrange that.
But Carmen, it won’t make tomorrow any easier. Throughout the night, Carmen reviewed the files her father had compiled on his own children. The evidence was meticulous and damning.
Marcus had knowingly facilitated the transfer of restricted technology to entities connected to foreign intelligence services, accepting millions in payments through offshore accounts. Victoria had helped launder over $100 million for drug cartels through her real estate business, taking a percentage of each transaction. By morning, Carmen had come to terms with what needed to happen.
When Harrington called to confirm that the arrests were underway, she felt a strange calm. This was the culmination of her father’s final mission, not just securing his legitimate assets for Carmen, but ensuring that justice would be served, even within his own family. The media explosion came faster than expected.
By noon, local and national news outlets were reporting the arrests of prominent business leaders, Marcus and Victoria Rodriguez, on charges of technology export violations and money laundering. Their connections to international criminal organizations were highlighted, along with the shocking revelation that the investigation had been initiated by evidence from their own father. Carmen kept the twins home from school, knowing they would face uncomfortable questions and possibly hostility from classmates whose parents worked for Marcus or Victoria.
Did Abuelo know what they were doing? Mia asked, her voice small as she watched footage of Victoria being escorted into the federal courthouse. Yes, Carmen admitted, he discovered it during his last year. Is that why he left everything to you instead of them? Luna wondered.
Carmen nodded. He knew I would use the inheritance responsibly, and he wanted to protect the work he had done at Estrella. The most difficult call came from Derek that afternoon.
He sounded shaken, desperate. Carmen, have you seen the news? They’ve arrested Stephanie. They’re saying she’s some kind of foreign agent, and they’ve been questioning me for hours about my connections to Marcus and Victoria.
Are you under arrest? Carmen asked. No, they seem to believe I didn’t know anything. But Carmen, this is insane.
Your whole family, spies, criminals, what the hell is going on? She could hear the genuine confusion in his voice and felt a moment of sympathy. Derek was many things, selfish, opportunistic, a mediocre father, but he apparently wasn’t a knowing participant in espionage or criminal activity. I can’t discuss it over the phone, she said carefully.
But Derek, the girls need stability right now. This is going to be all over the news, and they’re going to hear things about their uncle, aunt, and Stephanie. I need you to be supportive and present, not adding to their stress.
There was a pause before he responded, his voice uncharacteristically humble. You’re right. Can I come see them? I, I need to see that they’re okay.
Carmen agreed to a visit the following day with the stipulation that he come alone and keep the conversation positive. As the day progressed, reporters began gathering outside Estrella gas station, drawn by the connection to the sensational arrests. Carmen remained inside with the twins, grateful for the security team that kept the media at a distance.
Elena managed the perimeter, occasionally briefing Carmen on developments. Victoria’s lawyer is already floating the mentally incompetent father defense, she reported during one update, claiming Roberto was delusional about his children’s activities due to his illness. It won’t work, the evidence is too solid, but they’ll try to drag his name through the mud.
And Marcus? Carmen asked, attempting to cut a deal, offering information on his contacts in exchange for leniency. Typical Marcus, looking out for himself first. Throughout this storm, Carmen maintained the gas station’s regular hours, serving the handful of genuine customers who braved the media presence and continuing the intelligence work below ground.
The routine helped maintain her equilibrium, gave the twins a sense of normalcy and demonstrated to the operatives who depended on Estrella that the facility remained functional despite the public scrutiny. A week after the arrests, with Marcus and Victoria both denied bail due to flight risk, Carmen received an unexpected visitor, Derek’s mother Patricia. I had to see you, she said when Carmen let her in, to understand what’s happening.
Derek is a mess, the girls must be confused and you, you’re suddenly running a gas station and at the center of this scandal. Carmen had always liked her former mother-in-law who had been kind to her even after the divorce. Patricia had never fully approved of Stephanie, maintaining a relationship with Carmen and the twins despite her son’s new marriage.
It’s complicated. Carmen admitted, leading Patricia upstairs to the apartment, but the girls are doing okay. They get that from you.
Patricia observed, settling at the kitchen table. I need to ask, did you know? Carmen considered how much to reveal. Patricia was trustworthy and she deserved some explanation.
I only discovered the truth recently, she said carefully. After dad left me the station, I found evidence he had collected, realized what was happening and contacted authorities. I had no idea about Stephanie until they told me she was under investigation.
All these years, I thought Roberto was just a simple gas station owner. Then Derek calls me babbling about spies and millions of dollars and evidence hidden in secret rooms. It sounds like a movie plot.
Parts of it are Carmen acknowledged with a small smile. Dad was, not who we thought he was. He worked with federal agencies, provided important information.
The gas station was his cover and he was compensated well for his service. And now it’s yours, Patricia noted. All of it, the station, the money, the responsibility…
Обсуждение закрыто.