Chapter 30 The Visit

• The courtyard had been scrubbed until the white stone gleamed like bone. Guards lined the edges in silent rows, rifles slung at their sides, eyes alert but unreadable. Every detail of the afternoon felt staged down to the polished fountain that burbled lazily at the center as if Rafael wanted his uncle to walk into a theater rather than a fortress.
• Valentina stood at Rafael’s side, hands clasped tightly in front of her dress. She’d chosen black silk, deliberately plain, a sharp contrast to the ostentatious setting. If Eduardo expected her to wilt under scrutiny, she wanted to give him nothing.
• The distant crunch of tires on gravel broke the silence. A sleek, armored car rolled into the courtyard and stopped. From it stepped Eduardo la Cruz.