Chapter 5 - Shadows in the Rearview
The black suburban pulled alongside Mateo’s vehicle on the highway leading out of Querétaro. Mateo gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Get down!" he shouted to the kids. "Stay flat on the floor!"
The window of the passenger side of the black suburban rolled down. A man wearing a dark cap pointed a pistol at Mateo’s front tire.
They didn't want to kill him yet. They wanted to stop him.
Mateo slammed on the brakes. The heavy SUV shrieked as the tires lost traction, sliding backward. The black suburban, unprepared for the sudden deceleration, shot ahead. Mateo instantly pivoted the steering wheel, turning off the main highway onto a dusty, unpaved secondary road that wound into the arid hills.
The SUV bounced violently over the rocks and potholes, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. Mateo hoped the dust screen would blind his pursuers.
Through the dust, he saw the black suburban swing around, its tires spinning as it pursued him onto the dirt road.
"Who are they, Daddy?" Jimena cried.
"Just some bad men, sweetheart. But your dad is a better driver," Mateo lied, his heart hammering.
He knew this road. It led toward an abandoned mining area near Bernal. It was a maze of old gravel paths and crumbling concrete structures. If he could get lost in the canyons, he might have a chance to hide.
Emiliano suddenly spoke from the back seat, his voice quiet but incredibly clear. "They... they have cameras, Daddy."
Mateo glanced back. "What did you say, buddy?"
"Uncle Julian... he has cameras on the road. He told me he could see me wherever I went. That's why I couldn't run."
The psychological torture his sister and brother-in-law had inflicted on this seven-year-old boy made Mateo's blood run hot. "He was lying, Emiliano. He can't see us. He's just a man. A bad man who is about to lose."
Up ahead, the road split into three narrow pathways leading into a deep ravine. Mateo chose the middle one, which dipped sharply down into a dry creek bed. He drove the SUV under a rusted metal conveyor belt left behind by the old mining operations, shutting off the engine and the lights.
A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the car.
They sat in the dark, hot vehicle. The only sound was the clicking of the cooling engine and the rapid, terrified breathing of the two children.
A moment later, the low rumble of the black suburban approached. It slowed down at the fork in the road.
Mateo held his breath. He reached back and gently placed his hand over Jimena's mouth, while Emiliano clutched his father's arm.
Through the cracked rear window, Mateo watched the headlights of the suburban sweep across the rusted metal structures. The vehicle paused for what felt like an eternity.
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Then, with a roar of its engine, it took the left fork, disappearing deeper into the hills.
Mateo let out a long, shuddering breath. But he knew they couldn't stay here. The men would realize they had taken the wrong path soon enough.
