Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“We left him there. I’m just . . .” Sydney paced the living room of the safe house, unable to erase the image of Beckett on his knees with a gun to his head.
“We didn’t have a choice. We didn’t anticipate Hector would change plans and come to Chile. And you weren’t answering your phones for obvious reasons when we tried to warn you.” Carter blocked her path and set his hands on her shoulders. “Griffin and I followed you all from the hotel to Jorge’s, but?—”
“No way could you go into his estate without a plan. You were heavily outnumbered. You’d suffer casualties.” Her shoulders slumped. “But damn it, it’s killing me we left him behind.”
“I’m sorry.” Elaina’s voice redirected everyone’s attention her way. “I didn’t know more. Just the roses.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Liam told her, dropping to one knee while clasping her hands in his.
Tears rolled down Elaina’s cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut, and Liam held his daughter in a tight embrace. “I wish I could have done more.”
“Your warning about the roses helped us,” Gray said. “As soon as Beckett saw the roses, he was able to pull himself together. See, you saved us.”
That’s what happened? Sydney was still disoriented from the effects of that drug, but the entire ordeal had done a number on her—their SUV racing away in a flurry of gunfire moments before Carter blew up the guard towers was little more than a blur. But leaving Beckett behind to face God-knew-what stood out crystal clear and was the most disturbing memory.
Elaina pulled free from her dad’s embrace and peered at her mom standing beside her. “Something’s wrong. I—I think. Maybe I made a mistake.” She set a palm to her head and squeezed her eyes closed. “There’s so much pain.” Elaina began crying, and Emily sheltered her in her arms this time while Liam stood tall, appearing torn between operator and dad mode.
“Your head?” Emily asked. “Liam, get her some medicine.”
“No.” Elaina pulled away. “It’s Beckett. I think I’m feeling his pain.” She looked at Sydney and began sobbing.
Elaina’s gut-wrenching news hit Sydney hard, and she felt as though her world had been pulled out from under her. Like a vital piece of her had suddenly gone missing. And then Levi’s voice appeared in her head. You’re a warrior, Mom. Her son was right. She had to stay strong and hold it together for Beckett.
“He’ll be okay.” Mya stepped forward, and she looked like she’d been through the wringer too. The drug was still in her system, and Sydney wasn’t sure if her friend remembered anything from last night. But Oliver had apologized about kissing her, so he’d recalled some of it. “Beckett will be okay, right?”
“This is too much for her.” Emily shook her head. “Too much stress.”
“It’s not that, Mom.” Elaina frowned, tears still falling down her cheeks. “I’m upset because I can’t see what will happen to Beckett. I only know Dad saves the boy.” She turned and ran from the room.
After Emily and Liam followed Elaina from the room, Sydney gave in and fell to her knees.
“We need a new plan,” Carter spoke up. “Making our move at Jorge’s birthday party, even if it’s still scheduled to happen, is out. We need to move in sooner.”
“Beckett and Jesse may be on the inside, but they can’t take down everyone,” Griffin pointed out. “We’re going to need an army, but do we have the time to assemble one?”
“We already have an army,” Mya said, still appearing pale and shaky. “We have Marines in Mexico. Martín and his men.” Mya scanned the room, her gaze falling on Camila last. “And we have you.”
“Me?” Camila set a hand to her chest.
“Elaina can’t see what will happen, but . . .” Sydney rose from her knees. “Elaina’s never been wrong, so was she right about you?” she asked, guessing Mya may have been grasping at straws, but they’d take all the luck, fate, whatever it was called they could get. “Can you see things like Elaina does?” She swallowed as their eyes connected. “Can you help us? Help Beckett?”
Camila turned her back to the room. “The last time I tried helping,” she began, “people died anyway. Seeing things, as you put it, has only ever been a curse for me.”
“ Camila .” The normally stoic and composed Carter sounded shocked, but he quickly recovered and calmly walked her way while the rest of the room fell back to give them space.
Sydney remained rooted in place. They needed help. And she needed Beckett alive.
The universe hadn’t put her on this path with Beckett only to steal him away now, damn it.
“Camila, if you can help,” Sydney said, unable to rein in her emotions, “I’m begging you.”
Camila turned her way. “I don’t have visions like Elaina. I have dreams. And they’re messy and hard to interpret.” She closed her eyes. “More like nightmares.”
“But did you have a dream about this trip? About Beckett?” Sydney crossed the space between them, her heart racing.
“I accepted the murder case because of one, yes,” Camila confessed. “I’d have to try to remember the details. Maybe sketch what I saw in the nightmare to make sense of it.” She paused and released a shaky breath. “What if I misinterpret it and make things worse? What if it changes the outcome and someone who should’ve lived dies?”
“We need all the help we can get right now,” Sydney pleaded.
“The party planners and band will be setting up at Jorge’s tomorrow,” Carter said. “Too many civilians. Plus, unlike our original plans, they’ll see us coming.”
“Right.” Sydney worked through the problem in her head. “But do we have time to get Martín’s people here and map out an infil plan to strike tonight?”
“Not tonight.” Camila looked up, rubbing her forehead the way Elaina had done as she tried to remember the nightmare. “We must go now. Beckett doesn’t have time.” She squeezed her eyes closed and drew a hand over her heart. “The details aren’t very clear, but I can see your friend Jesse, the one from the club last night. He’ll try to stop them from killing Beckett today.” She gave Sydney a grave look. “But they both die.”
“Well, that ain’t gonna happen, I can promise you that.” Sydney recognized that deep voice and Southern accent and turned just as A.J. dropped his duffle bag in the doorway.
“What are you doing here?” Carter asked.
“Caught a flight yesterday. I couldn’t let my brother do this without me.” A.J. removed his ball cap and ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair as Liam joined them. “The terrorists aren’t going anywhere. They can wait,” A.J. gritted out. “But from the sounds of it, Beckett and Jesse can’t.”