Chapter 43 Game Of Shadows

• Rodrigo leaned back in his leather chair, a slow smile playing at the edges of his thin lips. The dim lighting in his penthouse office cast sharp shadows across his face, accentuating the predatory gleam in his dark eyes. Before him, a bank of monitors displayed a grainy live feed, Mariana, bound to a chair, her head slumped forward. Bruises marred her pale skin, her wrists red and raw against the restraints. Yet, even in her weakened state, there was defiance in the way she sat, her chin lifting slightly, her lips curling in silent resistance.
• Rodrigo turned his gaze to the man seated across from him, Diego Montero. The once untouchable king of the financial world, now a man teetering on the edge of desperation.
• Reaching for his tumbler of whiskey, Rodrigo thought, "I imagine you're already strategizing." Before taking a leisurely drink, he watched Diego through the crystal as he swirled the amber liquid. "Seeking to be the hero in some way." With a gentle clink, he put the glass down. "The problem is that there is no rescue that is free."