Chapter 26 The Market Of Shadows

• The sun hung low over San Ysidro, casting long, molten shadows across the cracked streets. The air was thick with heat and the mingled scents of charred meat, diesel fumes, and spiced citrus from street vendors’ stalls. Somewhere in the distance, a radio blared a romantic ballad, its singer’s voice aching with loss.
• Valentina followed Rafael through the winding arteries of the market, her boots crunching against scattered gravel. Every step was a reminder that she was deep in Black Rose territory too far for Dante or Hector to intervene without drawing fire. Rafael’s men fanned out on either side, forming a living corridor that kept her moving forward.
• She noticed the way the locals’ eyes followed them—some curious, some afraid. Conversations dropped to murmurs when Rafael passed. The black rose emblem stitched into his jacket was as much a warning as a badge of rank.