16. Dax
DAX
An hour later, we all piled into the SUV and were on our way to the private medical treatment facility Cam had gotten Mariana into.
Apparently, it was also used for agents or officers who needed to be detoxed or treated after deep undercover work.
It was all kept on the down-low and was guarded to ensure no one would stumble upon it or the patients inside.
Cam had given the rehab center a heads-up that we were coming so when he handed over his ID, they waved us in.
The place looked like any family practice medical center I’d been to, except for the gated entrance and such. We parked in front of the building and headed to the main door, where we had to be buzzed in.
“Welcome to Grand Meadow Recovery, I’m Dr. Lowe.
You’re Agent Black, I presume?” A woman wearing a nice-looking pants suit greeted us.
She was older, probably in her late forties, with her light blonde hair swept back from her face.
Her kind green eyes looked over at the rest of us.
“I know you requested to speak to Mariana, and while I feel it’s best to let her have a few more days for the meds to take full effect, I understand there’s an investigation to be done.
My request is that you keep it to just two of you meeting with her. ”
“That’s perfectly fine,” Cam said. “I agree all of us would overwhelm her, which is why I’ll bring in my partner, Mrs. Blackmore. It might help to have another female there so she doesn’t feel ganged up on.”
Dr. Lowe regarded me for a moment then nodded.
“That should be fine. I’ll have an orderly nearby as a precaution.
” At my hesitation, she held up a hand to stop my protest. “Everyone here is cleared by the CIA and FBI since they understand that to treat them, we need to have them speak to us about their missions. We are well aware of the discretion that must be given, but Mrs. De León is a suicide risk, and I won’t allow her to take her own life. Not when we can help her.”
“Thank you for explaining that,” I said. “It’s helpful for us to be aware as well, so we can watch for signals of shifting behavior.”
That caught the good doctor off guard. “You’ve dealt with this before?”
“My twin, while he was in prison, struggled a lot, so I did as much self-education as I could to help,” I explained. It wasn’t something I ever really admitted to anyone.
Once Devin figured out that the Blackjax wouldn’t have his back, it killed him.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Dr. Lowe said, reading between the lines.
Flashing her a smile, I nodded. “Thank you, it was a long time ago. Where might we chat with Mrs. De León?”
“I’d love to say that you could chat in the common room where it’s more comfortable, but it will have to be in her room,” Dr. Lowe shared. “The orderly will stand outside the door to give you as much privacy as we can, but for Mrs. De León’s safety, he must be nearby.”
“If someone could show the rest of our team where to wait, we’ll abide by your rules,” Cam said, stepping back and gesturing for her to lead the way.
“Linda,” Dr. Lowe called to the lady at the front desk. “Can you show them to the visitors’ lounge? There’s coffee, tea, and water for you there as well while you wait.”
Eagle nodded his thanks, and the group headed after Linda.
I knew they wanted to argue about being split up, but we needed to get the information from Mariana, and if this was how it had to be, then, oh well.
What she had to give us was far too valuable to pass up just because they wanted to watch our back.
Dr. Lowe swiped her badge through the card reader, and the glass door unlocked, allowing us entry.
The place is what you’d expect from anything hospital-related—white, stark, and had the disinfectant smell every hospital I’ve ever been was infested with.
They all must use the same shit to clean, and I wasn’t a fan.
Each door had a four-inch-wide window that went from the top of the door to the door handle.
It gave you a glimpse inside but offered some privacy since that was a luxury you had to earn once you could be trusted.
When we finally reached Mariana’s room, there was already a man stationed there with a crash cart sort of deal. It was locked with a metal roll-up door to keep the meds inside safe from being stolen. The man nodded to us and swiped his keycard to let us enter.
“If you need anything, just yell. My name is Nate,” he said as his way of greeting.
Nate had a military crew cut and was muscled to the max, but I suppose some of these patients were hard to handle with their combat training.
Everything about him seemed to scream ex-military to me, and that made sense because they were big into teaching medics for all their units.
Best way to become a doctor is to do your time and get the free ride after.
“Nate has been working with Mariana fairly consistently, so he’s aware of her disposition.
I find it’s best to have as many common faces for my patients to learn to count on,” Dr. Lowe informed us.
“Please go on in. I made sure she was given something that should allow her to be as clear-headed as possible.”
I reached out and shook her hand. “Thank you for the work you do. It’s tough work, but we need good people like you to make it happen.”
She smiled at me and gripped my hand tightly in response. “Thank you for your kind words.” Releasing my hand, she turned to Nate. “Page me if you need to. I’ve made sure I’ll be available.”
Nate gave a sharp nod, and I felt like he had to hold himself back from saluting as Dr. Lowe left.
Cam and I entered the room and found Mariana in a simple padded chair, looking out her window.
There were bars on it, but it gave a clear view out into the backyard of the facility.
There was a garden with a group of patients working in it with some staff members.
“Mariana,” Cam said as he sat on her neatly made bed. “Do you remember me?”
Her caramel-colored eyes drifted over to him, and she stared for a moment. “You’re the man who refused to kill me.”
“Yes, I am,” he agreed. “When I met you back at your house, you told me that you were Marco Tesoro’s little sister. Is that true, or were you just trying to give me another reason to kill you?”
Part of me flinched at how blunt Cam was being, but how else is someone supposed to ask that? My biggest fear is that we’d send her spiraling, and then we’d be kicked out with her drugged to high heaven.
“I told you that, did I? Hmm… sounds unlike me, but then again, I was hoping it would be the end to this torturous life,” Mariana said absentmindedly.
“Marco couldn’t care less that he has any siblings in his life.
The only person that mattered to him was our father, and if I’m being honest, I feel like it was his death he wished for more than anything. ”
That seemed to track with what we were learning about the bastard. He only found people important if they could give him value.
“You know, we grew up in this beautiful little town in the mountains of Jalisco. The people called it Pueblo Alegre, Joyful Town, because my father made sure every single one of those thousand people were looked after. The Tesoro Cartel was the lifeblood for so many people with the jobs my father offered as well as protection for other cartels and ruffians,” Mariana shared, a soft smile on her face.
“I was treated like a little princess by everyone until I turned fifteen and was about to start high school. My brother, Marco, felt it was best for me to leave our home and experience the real world. He’s four years older than me and got accepted into the University of Chicago.
Somehow, he convinced my father it would be better for me to come with him and do school there where he could keep an eye on me.
” Her words drifted off like she was reliving the moment.
“Mariana, when did your father start to get sick?” Cam inquired, pulling her out of the past.
Her head lolled to the side as she took me in for the first time. “You’re the one they’ve been after, aren’t you?”
“If you mean the one they blame for ruining your family’s business, then yes,” I answered.
“How they hated a woman who could destroy what had been theirs for so long. Men don’t understand the power of a strong woman… or maybe they do since they took every opportunity to break me,” Mariana murmured, her attention returning to the window.
“Father gave into my brother’s idea and sent me to a boarding school about an hour away.
A strict all-girls Catholic boarding school that would teach me how to be a good, pure woman for my husband.
Little did I know that Marco already had that planned without our father’s knowledge.
As soon as I graduated, then turned eighteen, he had me married off to Diego De León who was in need of a new wife who could produce his heirs.
A year after we were married, I was pregnant with our firstborn, and every year after that for the next four years.
We used to be able to go back at Christmas to visit Father, but when the boys got older, Diego forbade it, saying it was too risky.
I never got to say goodbye to my father, and now he’s been gone almost four years,” Mariana said, her voice tight with sadness as tears spilled down her cheeks.
I got up from my spot, and not finding any tissues, I went to the bathroom and grabbed some toilet paper. Handing her the wad, she blinked at it a moment then gave me a weak smile. “Thank you, to show such kindness after what my family has done to you is rare indeed.”
“Mariana, you’re as much a victim as I am in all this,” I pointed out. “Why wouldn’t I look after you?”