Chapter 24 A Maid's Fear, A Final Warning

• (POV: Isabela Montoya)
• The scrap of paper Rena had given me felt like burning coal hidden beneath my mattress. The map, the contact’s name, the timing – it all swirled in my head, a fragile blueprint for a freedom I desperately craved. Operation Nightingale. It sounded hopeful, but hope felt thin, easily torn, especially after Mateo's chilling dominance last night and the silent threat of the anonymous note.
• Rena had provided the idea, the structure, the supposed connections. But there were practical things I needed; things Rena couldn't just hand me without someone noticing. Real things. Untraceable cash, enough to buy passage, bribe officials, survive until I could disappear completely. A clean phone, one not linked to the Montoya name, one Mateo's watchers couldn't possibly track, so I could potentially reach Rena's 'contact' or, God forbid, signal for help if everything went wrong.