🧾 RECAP:
Neil Angelo has stumbled upon a crucial link to Horizon, a mysterious global syndicate project. In Zurich, he uncovers evidence that his family's tragic fate is tied to Roman Cortez, the head of a formidable South American cartel. With that revelation, Neil sets his sights on Brazil, determined to dig up the secrets hidden deep within the cartel's territory.
đź“– CHAPTER 6: The Cartel Connection
Rio de Janeiro – Nightfall
The city buzzed with life—samba rhythms, vibrant neon lights, and an undercurrent of violence lurking just beneath the surface. From the rooftop of the Hotel Amado, Neil observed the shadows flitting through the favelas, like soldiers gearing up for battle.
Tatiana adjusted her earpiece. "Roman Cortez rules Rio like a monarch. His empire is built on blood and concrete."
Neil nodded, his eyes fixed on the compound nestled among the hills. "Then I'll bring his throne crashing down."
---
**Cartel Compound – Outer Perimeter**
Armed guards patrolled the outer gates, and watchtowers scanned the streets below. But Neil had already mapped out a different approach.
He slipped through an old sewer route once used by drug runners. The stench of decay and regret filled the air, but it was his ticket inside the outer walls without being seen.
Tatiana's voice crackled through his earpiece. "The security grid goes dark in 60 seconds. After that, you're on your own."
Neil didn't reply. He was already scaling the metal scaffolding of the central mansion, each step as quiet as a whisper.
---
**Inside the Fortress**
Cortez's estate was lavish—gilded artwork, gold-trimmed furniture, and walls that seemed to murmur secrets. Neil moved like a shadow, evading motion sensors and silent alarms until he reached a grand study.
He opened the encrypted briefcase from Zurich.
A hidden drive whirred to life. Files flooded the screen. Names. Transactions. Assassination orders.
Cortez wasn't just involved with Horizon.
He was **financing** it.
And even more shocking—Neil's mother had once collaborated with him.
---
**Face to Face**
The door clicked open behind him.
Roman Cortez stepped inside, dressed in a crisp white silk shirt, a glass of dark rum casually held in his hand.
"I was hoping it would be you," he said, his tone steady. "You've really become quite the hunter."
Neil didn't budge. "You betrayed my parents."
"I gave them power," Roman countered. "Your father craved control, and your mother sought peace. I delivered both—and they chose war."
Now Neil turned, his eyes icy. "And you chose murder."
Cortez smirked. "I chose survival."
In an instant, Cortez whipped out a gun from his waist—but Neil was quicker. A shot rang out. Glass shattered. The screen behind Cortez erupted in a shower of sparks.
But Cortez had already ducked behind the desk.
"Run all you want," Neil growled. "I'll burn Horizon to the ground."
---
**Escape**
The alarms blared. Guards swarmed the hallways. Neil leaped through a glass window, landing hard on the villa roof before rolling onto a passing truck bed.
Tatiana's voice crackled in his ear. "Extraction point in ten. You still alive?"
"Barely," he muttered, feeling the blood trickle from his side. "But Cortez knows I'm coming."
---
🔫 *To Be Continued in Chapter 7: "Echoes from the Past"*