Brushing the pages back into place, I notice something different at the bottom of the pile. It’s glossy, and colorful, unlike the flimsy black, white, and gray of the newspaper.
At first, I assume it’s just some marketing mailer or book of coupons. But when I lift it up and flip through, I find that it’s a travel brochure. For a resort in Mexico.
Tulum.
Slumping into the seat, I absorb the details with wide eyes. I’ve never heard of Tulum before, but it looks gorgeous. Palm trees, crystalline ocean, delicious food and vibrant sunsets.
So… full of color.
I have no idea why this brochure would be here. It seems intentionally taunting, given where we are. It probably just came with the paper. The mailing address on the front just says Resident, but it has an address in Vegas.That’s weird…
The place looks purely stunning. Tropical luxury; exotic and lavish, but tranquil.
No children allowed. Perfect.
“Abre Tus Ojos…” I read the name out loud, fingers brushing the shiny color.
“Si… por favor.”
My face springs to the doorway. “Huh??” Dropping the booklet, I stalk over to the door, peering out into the hallway. Left, right. “Hello…?”
I don’t see anyone…
Who the hell was that?
I heard a voice…
Okay, I need to get back to work.
I’m leaving the break room as my phone buzzes again. Pulling it out, I’m expecting another text from my wife. But it’s not.
It’s a Google alert.
There are instant, concurrent sizzles of thrillandmortal dread weaving through my stiff muscles as I read…
Governor’s Niece Killed in Robbery Gone Wrong.
My heart stops. Comes to a crashing halt in my chest.
Suspect is Dascha Reznikov, 25, of Brooklyn…
Holy fuck…
Eyes wide and stuck to the screen, I’m quaking all over. So many things are siphoning through me, way too many feelings I don’t understand. Inevitably, I go numb.
I’m blank inside as I read on. It says that the police were working with an informant at some bank in Flatbush…Municipal Credit Union.When the suspect,Dascha Reznikov, was tipped off to the presence of SWAT outside, he took an employee hostage… Twenty-two-year-old Karly Clayton.
Clayton is the niece of Governor Antonio Russo.
The governor’s niece…
The goddamn governor’s fucking niece.
Holy shit, he’s fucked.
Governor Antonio Russo is on the board of Alabaster Penitentiary. He’s our biggest source of funding, and it’s widely known and accepted that anything Russo wants from Manuel Blanco as far as this island is concerned, he gets.
If Dash killed his niece… He’s more than just fucked.
