—Get the fuck out of your car right now.
The cop slammed his hand firmly onto the hood of the car.
The damn red and blue headlights bounced off the windshield of the old gray sedan.
“What’s up, boss, is there a problem?” the driver asked, his voice very calm.
“Shut your mouth, get out, and put your hands on the roof!”
The chaos had already brought traffic to a standstill in the middle of the avenue.
People in other cars were already pulling out their phones to record the whole thing.
Two guys circled the car like it was carrying El Chapo himself.
“Where were you headed looking like that?” one of them muttered under his breath.
The guy, who already had white hair and was wearing a random little jacket, got out without making a fuss.
“It’s just a routine check, man,” the cop told him in a cocky voice, while giving him a shove against the car’s metal body.
What those idiots didn’t realize was that this “old man with a rat face” wasn’t a thug at all.
And that, in a few minutes, when it dawned on them who the hell they had just messed with… the little stunt wasn’t going to end in a fucking scare.
It was a little after 6:20 in the evening on one of those congested avenues in Mexico City.
The sun was already beating down, painting the pavement a pale orange.
The little gray sedan was crawling along, respecting the lines and the traffic lights to the letter.
The one who was driving was Senator Manuel Robles Herrera.
He was 74 years old, his hair as white as snow, his suit plain, no bodyguards, and no official badges in sight.
That afternoon, he felt like taking the wheel himself.
He loved doing that when he needed to sort out his problems.
He had a crazy agenda: stalled reforms, clashes in Congress, and internal conflicts with his party members.
But right now… right now, he was just a gentleman heading home after a quick chat with neighborhood leaders.
No badges, no bodyguards, no bullshit that would make him look different from any other little boss driving an older but well-maintained ship.
The municipal police patrol car suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
A short wail of the siren.