"...What?" Nelson Gutierrez was montarily unable to react, his mind a bit stuck.
He had anticipated all sorts of dire scenarios, but this wasn't one of them. "What did you just say? You surrendered? To whom did you surrender? The military?"
"Who else? Surrender to the taco vendor on the street corner?" Diego laughed lightly on the other end of the line. "That's right, about twenty minutes ago, when I saw tanks rolling into the city, I knew the ga was over. So I drove myself out to an Army checkpoint, raised my hands, and said to them, 'Hey, brothers, I'm Diego Rojas. I have important information to report. I need to see your officer. I surrender.'"
Nelson Gutierrez felt his blood pressure shoot up like a rocket. He roared into the phone, his voice distorted with shock and fury: "Are you fucking insane?! Diego! You complete idiot! You're brainless! You surrendered?! Do you think surrendering will save your life?! Huh?! They'll tear you to pieces! You'll die in prison! Or get executed on the spot! Are you scared out of your wits?!"
Faced with Nelson's fury, Diego Rojas remained calm, even with a philosophical tone: "Nelson, calm down, yelling doesn't solve anything. Let ask you a question, smart guy: if I don't surrender, can I still live?"
"I…" Nelson was suddenly speechless, stumped by the question.
Diego continued slowly, as if discussing the weather: "You see, here's the thing, if I don't surrender, you all, to save yourselves, would definitely find a way to silence , like you're planning to do right now, right? Don't deny it, I know you bureaucrats too well. Either you silence , dying in obscurity, publicly executed for treason, murder, and a pile of other charges, dead either way."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of sarcastic insight: "But if I voluntarily surrender, voluntarily cooperate, tell them everything I know, like who took my money, who ordered to set the fires, whose son likes playing with underage girls—explain all of it, in detail, to the investigative team, beco a state witness, then maybe, just maybe, my wife and kids at least might still be alive."
Nelson Gutierrez held the phone, his mouth open like a fish out of water, unable to produce a sound for a long ti.
His first thought was, you bastard, you surrendered and didn't tell ?
Are we even brothers anymore?
The second thought was, now that you surrendered, what about us?
It's well-known, the first to surrender and the second, their treatnts are completely different, the first eats crabs, the second eats bullets.
"You…you damned traitor! Bastard! We're like grasshoppers tethered to the sa rope!" Nelson cursed through gritted teeth.
"Oh, co on, Nelson."
Diego's tone was full of disdain, "We never were grasshoppers tethered to a rope; I was just your wallet and cleaner. Now the rope is about to break, of course, everyone's scrambling to save themselves. By the way,"
"I have already finished talking with the investigative team. They were very interested in the information I provided. So, my dear Director, and the esteed Deputy Governor and all the respectable folks in your little circle..."
"Good luck with that. You're on your own."
After saying that, he left Nelson no chance to react or curse, and the phone line ended with a decisive "beep... beep... beep..." busy signal.
Nelson Gutierrez stood frozen, phone still pressed tightly against his ear, as if he could sohow force the words he just heard back in. The air in the office seed to have solidified, with only the cigar quietly burning in the ashtray, and he hadn't even noticed that he had just extinguished an expensive cigar.
A few seconds later.
"Bang!!"
With a loud crash, Nelson Gutierrez, like a maddened beast, viciously hurled his phone at the opposite wall adorned with the State Police badge, the phone shattered instantly, fragnts scattering everywhere.
"Ah—!!!" He let out a desperate and furious howl, flipping over the heavy solid wood desk with both hands.
Files, computer, cigar box, decorations... all scattered in a ss, a complete chaos.
He collapsed amidst the ruins, his eyes hollow and lifeless, his face devoid of the previous ferocity and sneer, now only left with total, lifeless despair.
It's over.
Everything's over.
Diego Rojas, that cowardly bastard, sold them all out. And did so with such finality, such completeness.
Swaying unsteadily, he stood up only to hear the harsh yet brief screech of brakes downstairs, followed by the heavy thud of a car door being abruptly opened and slamd shut.
Like a frightened rabbit, he darted to the window, lifting the edge of the heavy curtain, peeking out to see two olive-green military jeeps aggressively parked in front of the police headquarters, a dozen soldiers with helts and assault rifles swiftly jumping out, and under a brief hand signal from an officer, storming into the building with unwavering resolve!
They're here for !
They must have received Diego that traitor's statent, and they're coming to arrest !
This thought pierced through Nelson Gutierrez's last line of psychological defense.
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