Chapter 28
NADIA
The blue sedan made its way back down the dusty drive to the highway, taking with it their new identities and any hope of safely disappearing.
Deputy Kira Ross had been apologetic but adamant.
Without Thomas here to sign his documentation, their new lives were on hold.
The interconnected backstories created for them couldn’t be separated.
Nadia watched the car disappear, her fingers twitching on the porch rail. Every second that passed was another second Thomas was out there, alone, walking into death’s arms.
“I never should have showed him the keys.” Cammy’s cool demeanor had long since vanished, replaced by thinly veiled agitation.
They returned inside, Nadia doing her best to keep her mounting panic under control.
“Why would he just leave like that? He wouldn’t just abandon everything without a reason.
” Thomas calculated before he executed. Whatever had him taking off, he’d been planning for some time, even if that amount of time had only been an hour. He wasn’t prone to spontaneity.
Cammy’s weathered face creased with concern. “He’s protecting you the only way he knows how.”
“By keeping me away from whatever it is he’s planning to do?
” she asked as something he’d said yesterday in the stable came back to her.
You shouldn’t have to disappear. He’d regretted getting her involved ten years ago, and he regretted even more she was involved now.
He once upended his life so she could keep hers.
Now it seemed he was willing to end it for her.
She lost control of her panic. “What exactly is he planning to do?”
Cammy’s hesitation was clear in her eyes. “Let me make some calls. Somebody might know of his whereabouts.”
Nadia nodded. Yes, that was good. They needed information.
Cammy retreated to her office, her phone already at her ear and Nadia stood alone in the living room, awash in a wave of helplessness, something she did not handle well.
She wasn’t built for inaction. While her career called for contemplation and thoughtful decision-making, she preferred direct intervention when it came to a crisis.
She couldn’t just stand here and wait.
Nadia hurried to the guest room, stripping off her sleep clothes and stepping into the shower.
The hot water didn’t wash away the fear that had lodged itself like a stone in her chest, making every breath feel labored under its weight.
But it did clear her head. She dressed quickly in jeans and a white fitted tee, pulling a thin zip-up hoodie over it.
Her damp hair went up into a practical top knot, her face left makeup free, making the purple-yellow bruising on her cheek stand out starkly.
But the wound was nothing compared to the gaping hole she felt inside where Thomas’s presence once was.
When she returned to the living room, Cammy was just finishing her call. “All the necessary agencies have been alerted.”
“And? What did they say?”
“Nothing solid. They’re aggressively tracking the cartel’s movements. They’re still searching for Ruiz. The news just now reported multiple kidnappings. Without knowing exactly what Thomas is up to…”
Cammy didn’t have to say it. Their resources were stretched too thin to actively search for someone who’d gone rogue.
Then it hit her, and her world narrowed to a single horrifying thought. This wasn’t about protecting her. Maybe she did factor into his decision to leave. But she hadn’t been the entire reason.
“This has to do with his mother. That’s why he left.”
“How so?”
“He’s trading himself for her.”
Cammy frowned as if considering Nadia’s conclusion. Then she swore. “I think you might be right.”
Nadia’s legs weakened. She sank onto the couch as her imagination did a number on her.
Images of what the Hidalgos had done to Phil plagued her mind.
The letter carved into his stomach. The missing hands and feet.
Was that what awaited Thomas? She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, willing herself not to be sick, her eyes closing.
But the images didn’t stop. Now it was Thomas, bound and bleeding.
She could picture his defiance. He’d fight them.
He’d refuse to scream even as they tortured him.
He’d face death without flinching if it meant saving Claire.
“Stop thinking about it,” Cammy said, her dread softening the sound of her words. “He’s bound to show up on the FBI’s radar. They have the truck’s plate number.”
“I’m supposed to just sit here until then?” The words came out sharper than Nadia intended, hardened by the fear and anger they wouldn’t find him until it was too late. “While he walks straight into his own execution?”
“So you stay alive? Yes.” Cammy moved to stand in front of her.
In a tone that brooked no room for argument, she said, “Let’s be realistic.
I want to find him and talk some sense into him as much as you do.
But do you think he’d listen to me? I wouldn’t get through that thick skull of his, and neither would you.
We both know how he is. We’d only slow the inevitable, putting our lives at risk in the process.
The last thing Tommy would want is you dead. ”
Nadia stared straight ahead, Cammy’s truth burrowing deep.
Even if she could somehow find Thomas, what could she say to change his mind?
The man had rearranged his entire life to protect her, to protect his family.
He’d given up the focus of his college studies so she kept a roof over her head.
He’d fabricated his brother’s death, surrendered his career, lived with the disdain of everyone he cared about.
He’d do it all again without hesitation.
So what power did she have against the weight of a lifetime of sacrifice?
There had to be something she could do, and in a flash she knew.
Only one person could get through to him.
“I know who he’ll listen to,” she announced, straightening her spine.
Cammy lifted a brow.
“James. He’s the only one who might convince him to change his mind.
” To let the professionals do their jobs.
But even as she said it, doubt crept in.
James had refused Thomas’s calls for days.
Would he even care Thomas was walking to his death?
Would he see it as the ultimate atonement for the years he’d lost because of Thomas?
She had to try.
“Reach out to your source and see if he can get a message to James for us,” Nadia said, standing abruptly. “Thomas had to have said something in one of those dozens of messages he’d left him. James might know where he’s headed or what he’s up to. I’ll try from my end.”
“Agreed.” Cammy woke up her phone. “That’s about the best we can do right now.”
It wasn’t as much action as Nadia would have liked, but it was better than doing nothing. She clung to that tendril of hope.
Aimee had James’s number, and the thought of calling her after their fallout the other day made Nadia’s stomach churn. But Thomas’s life was on the line.
She brought up Aimee’s number. The phone rang once, twice, then went straight to voicemail. She hung up and quickly typed a series of texts.
I’m the last person you want to hear from, but Thomas is in danger.
I need to warn James.
Please call me back.
Text James’s number instead.
Please.
We don’t even have to talk.
She watched the screen, impatiently waiting for the three bubbles to appear. But the messages went unread. In fact, they didn’t even show as delivered. Not like her previous messages to Aimee.
“She blocked me,” Nadia murmured.
“What’s that, dear?”
“Nothing.” The stab of rejection was too fresh to acknowledge.
She considered calling Ian. Maybe he would answer, even if just to tell her off.
She tapped in the number, one of the few she had memorized. The phone rang three times before he answered. “This is Ian.”
“It’s Nadia.”
“You shouldn’t have called me.” His tone was clipped and cold.
“She won’t answer my calls.”
“I don’t blame her. I almost wasn’t going to answer myself because I didn’t recognize this number, but I have a few words I want to say—”
“Whatever it is, I deserve it,” Nadia cut in. “But it needs to wait. Thomas is going to die if we can’t stop him.”
A pause, then, “Aren’t you with him?”
“He left last night without telling us, no note or anything.” The words tumbled out as she paced.
“We think he’s turning himself over to the Hidalgos in exchange for Claire’s life.
They’re going to kill him, Ian.” A sob broke free, taking her by surprise.
“They already murdered Phil and they’re holding Claire hostage. ”
“I haven’t heard any of this on the news,” he said, skeptical.
“I don’t think it’s hit mainstream media yet, not names anyways.
” Nadia shook as she spoke, struggling to stay in control.
“It’s bad, Ian, what they did to Phil. It’ll be worse for Thomas and I can’t let that happen.
I need to reach James. He’s the only one who might know where he went.
The only one who might be able to stop him, convince him to let the FBI handle it.
He’s on a suicide mission. I can’t afford to lose him, not when I just found him.
” She broke, her tears flowing freely now.
The silence on Ian’s end stretched long enough to make her think he hung up.
“I don’t have his number,” he finally said, his tone softer. “I’ll talk to Aimee. She’s at the café. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll tell her what’s going on.”
“Thank you.” Nadia wiped her face with the sleeve of her hoodie.
No sooner had she ended the call than her phone buzzed.
“Hello?” she answered with a shaky greeting.
“How could you lie like that?” Kristen’s accusation cut through. “What kind of friend are you?”
Nadia closed her eyes, pressing the phone to her ear as Kristen went on a tirade. Words like “selfish” and “unforgiveable” stabbed her like tiny daggers.
“Kristen, please—” she tried to interject, to explain about Thomas.
“Don’t ‘please’ me. Ten years, Nadia. Ten years of lying, and you were involved. You let Aimee suffer those first two years and you knew. You knew!”
“I’m sorry.” She delivered the apology with a hard, new urgency. “I really can’t do this right now.” She abruptly ended the call and stood there shaking. Had she truly expected anything different? She’d betrayed their trust. Why would they want to help her?
Her phone buzzed with a text notification from Ian.
She knows.
That was it. No promise of a call back, no reassurance. Just a heads up that Aimee had been informed of her situation.
She immediately called him back, relief pouring into her when he actually answered.
“I told her what you told me,” he said.
“Is she going to call me?”
“She wouldn’t tell me.”
“Did you get James’s number?”
A heavy sigh. “I asked, but no. Nadia… I’m sorry about everything. But I can’t give you anything more. You lied to my wife. You lied to me. I’m not sure I can trust anything you say anymore.” His voice softened slightly. “Good luck with everything. I mean that sincerely.”
The line went dead, leaving Nadia feeling more alone than ever. She’d lost everyone in the span of a day. Aimee, Kristen, Ian, and now, possibly Thomas.
She tucked the phone away, jingling the car keys in her pocket. The set Thomas had left behind. She pulled them out and let them dangle in the air. Looked at the used car parked in the driveway.
Thomas thought himself the villain. But villains didn’t need saving. They also didn’t leave the keys behind for someone to come find them.
He was reckless. He cared too much and loved too hard for his own good. But his life was worth more than he’d given himself credit for.
Nadia wasn’t going to let him write his own tragic ending.