Chapter 3: The Fall of Rodrigo Villaseñor
Thirty minutes later, the first sirens appeared.
Rodrigo heard them too.
His confidence vanished instantly.
Headlights flooded the street.
Police vehicles.
State investigators.
Federal anti-corruption agents.
Rodrigo's face turned pale.
"What did you do?" one of his men asked.
Rodrigo didn't answer.
Because deep down, he already knew.
The USB drive wasn't his biggest problem.
The evidence on it was.
Inside the house, Teresa finally connected the encrypted drive to an old forensic laptop.
The password attempt counter appeared.
Three tries remaining.
Mariana stared at the screen.
Then suddenly she remembered something.
Rodrigo's obsession.
The number he used everywhere.
His private yacht.
His watch collection.
His favorite racehorse.
All carried the same date.
The day he first became a millionaire.
She entered the numbers.
The screen unlocked immediately.
Both women froze.
Folders filled the display.
Bribes.
Offshore accounts.
Secret recordings.
Judges receiving cash.
Politicians accepting favors.
Millions stolen from charities created to help abused women and children.
The evidence was devastating.
Outside, officers stormed the property.
Rodrigo attempted to flee through the rear gate.
He didn't make it twenty feet.
Federal agents tackled him into the mud.
For the first time in years, Rodrigo Villaseñor found himself powerless.
Handcuffed.
Cornered.
Afraid.
Exactly like the women he had spent years terrorizing.
