Chapter 6 - The Sister's Reckoning
Elena’s house sat at the end of a quiet dirt road lined with ancient live oaks just outside San Antonio. When I pulled up the driveway at eight in the morning, the hood of my truck steaming under the rain, she was already standing on the porch holding a coffee mug, looking anxious.
Sister Teresa had called her three hours earlier.
The moment I stepped out of the truck carrying April wrapped in a dry blanket, Elena dropped her mug. It shattered on the wooden floorboards. She sprinted down the porch steps and threw her arms around us, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You're safe," she sobbed into my shoulder, pulling us inside. "Teresa told me Vance was looking for the bag. She was terrified he'd reach you before you listened to the phone."
Inside the warm living room, Elena quickly set up a crib using blankets and pillows, fussing over April with expert, maternal care. Seeing Elena—who looked so much like Marina around the eyes—care for my daughter brought a sense of peace I hadn't felt since the funeral.
"Look at her, Ignacio," Elena whispered, wiping a tear from her cheek as she held a bottle for April. "She has Marina's nose. And her determination. She survived Vance's clinic."
"She saved my life," I said quietly, sitting down at the kitchen table and laying out the contents of the brown folder. "If she hadn't cried at 3:12... if that alarm hadn't gone off..."
Elena walked over, her face hardening as she glanced down at the documents. "What do we do now? We can't just go to the local authorities. Vance has the city police chief in his pocket—he sits on the hospital board of trustees."
"We go above them," I said, pointing to a name listed at the bottom of the trial authorization pages. "This trial is regulated under federal oversight guidelines because Aethelgard holds defense contracts. Vance committed federal fraud, medical malpractice, and murder across state lines. The FBI has a field office in downtown San Antonio."
May you like
"It's risky, Ignacio," Elena said, looking up at me with concern. "If Vance realizes you're in the city, he'll use every resource he has to intercept you before you reach that building."
"Let him try," I said softly, looking over at April, who was now sleeping peacefully in the makeshift crib. "I spent six weeks being afraid of my own life. I'm done running."
