Chapter 5 - Eviction from Paradise
Ricardo’s phone slipped from his hand, bouncing off the polished linoleum floor. The reality of Julian’s words hit him like a freight train traveling at full speed. He scrambled to pick up the phone, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
"Julian? Julian!"
The line was dead.
Panic, cold and suffocating, seized his chest. He turned toward Daniela's room, then looked toward the elevators. He needed to get to our mansion in the gated hills of Santa Teresa, secure his personal passport, and empty the home safe of the four hundred thousand dollars in emergency bearer bonds he had stashed away over the past two years.
He didn't even say goodbye to Daniela. Leaving his overnight bag behind, he sprinted through the hospital corridors, threw himself into his black SUV, and sped through the empty streets of the city. He ran two red lights, his tires screeching as he raced up the winding roads of the private enclave.
When he reached the security gates of Santa Teresa at two in the morning, the heavy wrought-iron barriers did not lift.
Ricardo honked his horn furiously, sticking his head out of the driver's window. "Carlos! Open the gate! It's me!"
The head security guard stepped out of the stone gatehouse, accompanied by two armed private guards. Carlos did not smile. He held a laminated manifest and a printed court injunction.
"I cannot grant you access, Mr. Mendoza," Carlos said evenly.
"What do you mean you can't grant me access? I live here! I pay your salary!" Ricardo roared, slamming his palm against the steering wheel.
"Mrs. Mariana Salgado is the sole deed holder of the property, Mr. Mendoza," Carlos replied, pointing to the paperwork. "At eleven-thirty tonight, an emergency domestic exclusion order was served by the family court. Your access credentials have been deactivated. Any attempt to cross this perimeter will be treated as criminal trespass."
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Before Ricardo could shout another threat, a sleek black sedan pulled up quietly behind his SUV. The passenger window rolled down, revealing Mateo Cruz and two uniformed state police officers.
"Good evening, Ricardo," Mateo said with a razor-thin smile. "I believe you have an appointment with the financial crimes division regarding a certain unauthorized loan application involving forged signatures. Step out of the vehicle, please."
