Chapter 26
26
J ack, enjoying a Saturday evening with Bethany as they piled on the sofa watching football, jerked instantly at the sound of his phone. “Yeah,” he growled.
“Jack, it’s Marc. Got news and it’s not good. Alberto called to say that his partner, Manuel, went off the grid. He’s not sure but he’s got a bad feeling that he’s headed into the states and may be after Miriam. Alberto’s fuckin’ beside himself, now seeing that Manuel was a mole for the cartel.”
“Damn! She’s with Cam at the Red Cross event right now.”
“I tried to get ahold of Cam but he’s not picking up.”
Jack jumped up and with a grimace toward Bethany, headed down to the Saint’s work area. With Marc still on the phone, Jack fired off the alert to the other men, who quickly called back using their conference connections.
“Bart and Chad, you two are closest to the event hall in Richmond and I want you on Miriam. Get there now. Luke, head here and see what you can dig up. Monty, use your connections to see what we can dig up on Manuel Reyes. Blaise, you head to the event hall also and we’ll send what information we have on Sister Genovia. She may be in danger as well. Marc, stay in contact with Alberto to see what else he may come up with concerning Manuel.”
Each man, with their duties, disconnected and headed out into the night. Bart and Chad quickly suited up with the equipment that they kept at their homes. Bart drove while Chad linked up to Luke’s intel. “So far, no one has reported an incident at the event. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
After a few minutes of being in the compound, Luke looked over at Jack and Monty. “Got confirmation from Alberto that Manuel is somewhere in the states. He’s got no location on him, but I’ll bet Monty’s FBI can place him in VA.”
Monty caught their gaze and said, “Working on it.” He continued with his contact as they tried to get a specific location on Manuel.
“Oh, damn,” Luke shouted out, once more turning his body to face Jack. “You’re not going to fuckin’ believe this.”
“What?” Jack asked, running his hands through his hair.
“Alberto’s been in contact with the man on the inside of the working camp of the cartel where Cam and Miriam were. The report that Lorainne died is true. But what was left out was that Sister Genovia became ill. She’s in a hospital.”
“Then who the hell is meeting with Miriam?”
The three men instantly knew that whoever had pretended to be Sister Genovia must have been convincing if the Red Cross in Los Mochis did not know it was not her. And whoever it was, was now with Miriam.
“Can you reach Cam?” Jack bit out as Monty sent the new info to his FBI contact and Luke relayed the information to Blaise, Bart, and Chad.
“Can’t reach him. He’s not picking up…or can’t.”
A thin line of light pierced the darkness as Cam blinked, trying to remember where he was. Consciousness came slowly and with it the realization that the light was coming from under a door. Lifting his head, he felt the cold, hard floor underneath him and moved awkwardly, as his hands were tied behind his back. It was obvious his assailant… fuck, that was Manuel… did not care about completely disabling him, but rather keeping him from being able to protect Miriam. Shit! Have they got her already?
His mind still slightly groggy, he heard his name being called from a distance. The sound became closer and clearer. Bart? Moving his feet toward the door, he began kicking as hard as his drug-induced body would let him. Surely someone will hear! He had no sense of how much time had passed, but prayed he was not too late. His heart pounded in fear, but he willed it under control. His feet continued to kick at the door until he heard a commotion on the other side.
“Cam? Cam?”
“Yeah! I’m in here!” he yelled back.
Within a few seconds the door splintered inwards, and Bart, Blaise, and Chad rushed in. Blaise dropped down beside Cam, a pen light in his hand as he immediately began to assess Cam’s condition while Bart deftly cut off his restraints.
“Do you know what they gave you?” Blaise barked out.
Shaking his head, he said, “No. Something in a hypodermic needle, but it was just a pinprick in the neck. Not a full injection.”
“Your pupils are slightly dilated. With the way you were kicking the door, it must not have been too potent.”
Bart and Chad assisted Cam up, while he roared, “It was Manuel fuckin’ Reyes, Alberto’s man.”
“We know. We got the intel, but it was too late. Do you know where Miriam is?” Bart asked.
The fear that had hold of Cam now threatened to choke the breath out of him. “Oh, shit. She was looking for Sister Genovia. They must have gotten them both.”
The dread in his eyes was replaced by confusion when he saw the glance shared by the other three.”
“Bro, the real Sister Genovia is still in Mexico. She became ill and is in a small hospital not associated with the Red Cross. We also got that intel. Someone is impersonating her. ”
Stumbling out of the closet, Cam tried to get his legs to hold him up but found that Bart’s strong arm supporting him was necessary.
“Richmond PD, DEA, and FBI are here, Cam. We called everyone in as soon as we got here and neither you nor Miriam could be found,” Chad reported.
Monty and Marc came running down the hall toward the other Saints. “Got a visual of a woman in a nun’s outfit walking out with a woman who appeared intoxicated. There was a Hispanic man with them, and we’ve preliminarily identified him as Manuel.”
Cam whirled around drunkenly, grabbing Bart’s shoulders to steady himself, gulping air to clear his mind. “No reason to grab her unless they were taking her back.”
“Back to Mexico? To whom? You think Juaquim wants her?” Blaise asked.
By then the men had made it outside the building, the cold air slapping Cam into sobriety. He continued to breathe deeply, forcing his mind to work the problem. “Maybe. Jesus, I don’t know. The only one who showed any interest was…” he jerked his head back up. “The fuckin’ doctor. Dr. Villogas.”
Marc began talking to Luke quickly, who had Alberto on the line as well. A few minutes later, Marc nodded. “Got it.” Turning to the group, he said, “CIA has uncovered recent calls between Manuel and Ernesto Villogas. Luke is tracking her on his radar. Looks like the medallion you gave her with a tracer is working. She’s heading to a little airport outside of Charlestown.
Fearful his knees would buckle, Cam stiffened his legs. Bart noticed and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, pulling his face directly in front of his.
“Bro, pull it together. We got this. But she’s needs to have you thinking clearly.”
Nodding, Cam pulled in a deep breath before looking into the eyes of the others. “Let’s go,” he growled.
The Saints rushed to action, each knowing exactly what needed to be done.
Miriam felt her body slightly bouncing as she forced her eyes to open. She had never been drunk and knew that was not what was wrong, but everything was foggy—her vision, her hearing, and her mind. The slight light hurt her eyes, so she squeezed them tightly together.
The sound of faraway voices became clearer. A man. And a woman’s voice. Close by. Very close. Instinctively recognizing possible danger, she slowed her breathing and tried not to move, mentally assessing her body with a nurse’s skill. Hands tied behind my back. Shoulder pain, but not broken. Ankles tied together also. She wiggled her fingers and toes, working the circulation back into them. Licking her parched lips, she tried to still her pounding heartbeat. Who are they? What do they want with me? Oh, Jesus. Please no. I can’t go back!
“He’s going to be surprised when I tell him we got her. He thought there was no way in hell I’d be able to pull it off. ”
“Well, don’t forget who got you this far,” the woman’s voice said. “Without me stepping in to play the part of the good nun, you’d never have gotten your hands on her.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know and you’re being paid well for your part in the charade.”
The man continued, “I’ve been paid shit for a long time, so I’m due. It’s about time that my worth was recognized.”
Snorting, the woman said, “Your worth? As a double agent? Hell, that just means that you don’t have any loyalty to anyone.”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch, or I’ll take you back with me.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” the woman bit out, anger pouring from her.
“You never know when to keep your trap shut, do you?”
Miriam was glad the two in the front seat were arguing since it gave her time to get her eyes open and her mind clear. Cam will know I’m gone. He’ll come looking for me. Fear gripped her once more… if he can get to me in time.
The vehicle slowed as it made a sharp turn onto a bumpier road, jostling her as she lay in the back seat. Unable to see anything out of the windows except for the stars, she was not gaining clues as to where they were taking her. They finally came to a stop and the man jumped out of the driver’s side, leaving the woman in the front still grumbling.
“Come on, doll face,” the man said, as he tried to heft Miriam’s body out of the back seat. “ Dios mío . How much did you give her?”
As the woman climbed out of the front seat, she jerked on her nun’s robes. “I hate wearing this,” she bit out. Then, turning to see the man struggling with Miriam’s body, she added, “Whatever you put in the needle is what I gave her.”
“Well, get over here and help me,” he growled.
Miriam tried desperately to make her body go limp and appear still drugged. Don’t give yourself away too early.
With much difficulty, the man finally hefted her over his shoulder and carried her inside a building. Sneaking a quick peek, she could see a small two-seater plane inside. Oh my God, NO! She jerked involuntarily and the man roughly laid her down on the hangar floor.
“Well, mi bonita. I see you’re awake now.”
“Where…” she croaked, then swallowed and licked her lips. “Where are you taking me?” The man’s face was vaguely familiar.
“Why, back where you belong. You left before el doctor had a chance to make you his.”
El doctor? Doctor? Ernesto! Her eyes widened in understanding, and she immediately began wiggling to loosen her bonds, to no avail.
Just then, the bottom of a nun’s robes came into sight. Lifting her eyes, she saw an older woman similar in appearance to Sister Genovia. The woman raised her hand and pulled off the grey wig, leaving her long blonde hair cascading down her back. The theatrical makeup still gave her fake wrinkles, but Miriam could now see the imposter.
Gasping in recognition, she cried out, “Sharon? You?”
Sharon glanced away, a flash of regret in her eyes quickly replaced by determination. Looking back down at Miriam, she said, “I wasn’t given much choice. It was either you or me and I’m sorry, but I’ll choose me every time.”
Manuel jerked Miriam to her feet. “You and I are going to take a little flight.” He saw the struggle in her eyes to recognize him. “You only met me once, chica . I work for Alberto…” he grinned before continuing, “and the Guzmans.”
“That’s what she meant. You’re a traitor to both.”
Getting his face into hers, he growled, “I work for me, bitch. And this’ll get me in good and tight with the good doctor and in turn, Juaquim. What the government pays me to keep an eye on the cartels barely keeps me out of poverty.”
Manuel jerked her arm once more toward the plane. “Let’s go.”
“Stop!” she cried. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom first.”
He looked at her incredulously. “How fuckin’ stupid do you think I am?”
“I do. I can’t make it without going.”
Not wanting to risk her making a mess in the small plane, he shoved her toward Sharon with a nod toward a side door. “Take her and you’d better not fuck it up or your ass will be on the plane instead. ”
Grimacing, Sharon caught hold of Miriam’s arm as she stumbled toward her. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
Having to hop with her ankles taped, she finally made it inside the small toilet. “I can’t sit with these clothes on.”
Sharon assisted and then pulled Miriam back toward the sink when she was done.
“Sharon, why? What happened? Why are you doing this?” she begged.
The other woman had the grace to look aside in embarrassment. “I had no choice. It was my only way out.”
“I don’t understand?”
“Not all of us had a rescuer come in the night, Miriam,” Sharon growled.
“If you’d been there, he would have gotten you out too. It wasn’t about me—he came to get all of us.”
A pained look crossed Sharon’s face before being replaced with indignation. “I made my choice.”
Miriam’s anger grew as she replied, “Yes. You chose to get in bed with them. So, how’d that work out for you?”
“It would have been fine if you’d stayed. After you left, Ernesto got angry and took it out on me. One day in a rage, I showed up at his villa. His wife had a fit—it seems he kept his many mistresses from her.”
Miriam noticed that Sharon needed to get her story out and tried to keep her talking as she desperately tried to stall the plane from leaving. “So, what happened then? ”
Sucking in a shaky breath, Sharon continued, “That crazy bitch hit me. Actually, walked up and slapped me.” Giving an angry huff, she said, “It was her husband that was cheating on her, but I was the one who got slapped.”
Blinking the tears back, she looked into Miriam’s eyes. “He was furious at me. Said that he’d let the men have me or I could help him. So, it’s not too hard to figure out what I was going to do. I agreed to impersonate Sister Genovia and once I did, I could stay in the U.S. while you were taken back.”
Seeing the look on Miriam’s face, she looked away again. “I’m sorry, Miriam, but I’m not going back.”
“But you expect me to? Can’t you help me? We could both get out of here!”
“I have no choice. He’s got a gun and if you go back, Ernesto will be good to you. You were always the one he wanted anyway. Me? I couldn’t become one of the camp whores.”
Shaking overtook Miriam as she realized the desperate woman in front of her was not going to help her escape. Just then, the door flew open, and Manuel strolled in. “You fuckin’ finished?” Once more, he grabbed Miriam by the arm and pulled her along for a few steps before throwing her over his shoulder.
“What about me?” Sharon yelled.
Manuel shouted back, “Let me get this one in the plane and I’ll get you the car keys.”
Miriam tried to struggle but, with her extremities bound, she was at his mercy. He climbed up on the wing and leaning down, opened the door. Twisting his body, he maneuvered her into the passenger seat of the small plane. Before she could wiggle out of his grasp, he fastened the seat belt around her body. He looked up, an evil expression crossing his face, before he jumped back down to the hanger floor.
Miriam watched in horror as he turned toward Sharon, smiling as he pulled a gun from the back of his waistband and pointed it right at her.
“Wha—”
A loud, reverberating sound penetrated inside of the hangar, causing Miriam to duck her head instinctively. Looking back up, she saw Sharon’s crumpled body on the floor, a red river oozing from underneath her.
A scream pierced the night before Miriam realized it came from her.