Carlos met her gaze, his dying request clear in his eyes. She fought back tears. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He waited for her acknowledgment.
She nodded, unable to deny him or speak.
The relief that spread across his face told her he was staking all on her not letting him down. That she’d get the message to Joe and save the teens.
But who would save Carlos? Oh, God, she couldn’t do this.
Julio grasped her arm. Fury burst across Carlos’s face. She couldn’t let him put himself in more danger.
What exactly would be more danger?
“I’m going.” Gabrielle swung around and walked from the room, fighting for control with each step. She tried to take a breath, told herself not to bolt back into that office and beg Durand to let Carlos go. Durand would use her against his son.
If she left, Carlos had no Mirage to give Durand unless he betrayed her. Would he?
He said Joe and Retter could get him out of there, but would his aunt allow her to contact anyone when they got to the jet? How long before she could try to reach Joe?
Outside, Gabrielle glanced around at the sprawling pale yellow house with a ten-foot-high stucco wall topped with spiked wrought iron surrounding the compound.
How could Retter get in here quickly enough to help Carlos?
When they reached a van outfitted with a hydraulic lift at the rear doors, Julio swung his weapon from his shoulder and pointed it at her. She climbed inside, taking a seat that faced a wheelchair locked into place. A man with shoulder-length black hair close to Carlos’s age sat silently staring at her.
Gabrielle turned to the driver, already behind the wheel. “Where is Maria?”
He ignored her.
So did the man in the wheelchair.
She lunged for the door, but the locks clicked shut.
CARLOS COULDN’T MOVE his eyes from the closed door of Durand’s office. He’d never see Gabrielle again. Steel bands cinched around his chest with each second that passed.
Had he really thought Gabrielle wouldn’t hate him?
No, he’d prayed she wouldn’t.
But it was unfair to expect her to understand without telling her everything that had happened the day her mother died. That Gabrielle had hesitated to leave told him she still cared somewhere in her heart. Somewhere deep beneath all the hurt and disappointment she had to be going through, she did care.
He had to believe that so he could face what Durand would do to him once Maria called to say they were on the airplane.
Durand never just killed anyone. He believed examples should be made of any breach in loyalty. He’d do his best to bleed any information from Carlos first. Let them try.
Carlos scoped out the sole guard left, whose eyes were unfocused as a mannequin’s, treating him as invisible as he’d been as a child in this household. But it only took one guard since the other one had secured Carlos to the heavy chair using cable ties again before leaving the room.
The door to Durand’s office opened silently and closed. Carlos wasn’t surprised to see Maria. He’d banked on it.
Maria told the guard, “Leave me with Alejandro.”
When the guard hesitated, she added, “Durand sent orders. He’s in the foyer should you wish to question him.”
That ended any argument from the guard, who exited immediately.
Once the door closed, Maria crossed to Carlos and bent down to hug him. Her body shook with silent sobs.
She smelled of his past.
Tears stung his eyes. This was his true mother, the woman who had rocked him to sleep at night along with her own children and given him a safe haven from Durand’s house. His aunt had loved him as one of her own when his birth mother couldn’t tolerate being in the same room with him.
If only he could wrap his arms around his aunt one more time before he died.
“Alejandro, please let me tell Durand,” she begged.
Carlos turned his face to her cheek and kissed the soft skin, then whispered, “No. This will be okay, just keep your word and don’t tell Durand. Ever.”
“He is not the boy I grew up with.” Years of anguish and disappointment poured through her voice. She hugged Carlos once more, then sat down in the chair beside him, reaching over to entwine their fingers. “I can no longer look him in the eye or he will see my hatred.”
His heart squeezed at the endearing touch of her fingers.
“My brother would not hurt Eduardo,” she reasoned. She heaved a deep breath that held years of misery. “I can make Durand understand my son was a foolish boy who tried to kill Salvatore to impress him and you took the blame to protect us. He sees that Eduardo pays daily for his mistake with his broken spine. You have carried this burden alone for too long. Salvatore will no come for revenge. He would no harm a boy in a wheelchair and his mother. Eduardo begs you to know he is so sorry for what he did and wants to tell my brother the truth.”
Carlos couldn’t let her do it. Salvatore would pursue revenge for his goddaughter’s death to the end of time. “You can’t trust Durand or Salvatore not to retaliate in some way.”
“What about you? Do you trust him to no kill you?”
Durand would do far worse to him. “I will be fine until you three are safe and my people show up,” Carlos said quietly.
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “What do you mean?” She kept her voice just as soft.
“I would have gotten you out of here a long time ago if I could without Durand turning on you, but you have a chance to escape him now.” Because Carlos trusted Joe and Tee to pull whatever strings it took to put Maria and Eduardo in the WITSEC program. BAD took care of its own, and they would do that if Gabrielle kept her word and warned them. Carlos expected Gabrielle to use the information she had to share about the teens to negotiate her own terms, but he didn’t blame her.
“How can we escape and who is this woman?” Maria asked.
“Her name is Gabrielle. She’s contacting powerful people who can protect you and Eduardo. An agency that took me in years ago and gave me a chance to do something good with my life.” Carlos fought against fear that something would go wrong. He’d trusted BAD with his life hundreds of times. He had to trust them now.
He continued, “As soon as you get to the airport, Gabrielle has to make a call to the States. Children might be killed if she does not get a message to my boss in time. The minute you can talk to her with no one listening, tell Gabrielle I want Joe to bring you and Eduardo into protective custody. He’ll make sure you’re safe and that Eduardo has whatever he needs medically. Give Joe any information you can on Durand’s operation. When you call Durand to say you’re on the plane, make him let you talk to me and just say the words ‘We’re all set’ to let me know Gabrielle got through to Joe.”
Maria and Eduardo would finally be free of Durand. Carlos had set it up a long time ago for Joe to be the administrator of his will, which assigned his savings and the proceeds from a life insurance policy to Maria once Carlos died. Joe and Tee would hide Maria and Eduardo deep in the WITSEC program with enough funds to live comfortably forever.
Once Retter learned what happened to Carlos-which he would because Durand would brag to ensure no one else crossed him-Joe could release Gabrielle, if he would. Carlos had left a note with Jake in case anything happened to him, asking Joe as a minimum to consider keeping Gabrielle in BAD since she’d be an amazing asset. Once Carlos buried Mirage forever, Gabrielle would be safe from anyone like Durand, and her ex-husband.
“And what about you?” Maria asked.
“The minute she reaches my friend Joe, he’ll send a team in to get me.” Carlos hoped Joe accepted his code black signal and did not risk sending in agents. He took a fortifying breath. Might as well put the finishing touch on his lies. “The sooner you leave here, the better it will be for me.”
Maria made the sign of the cross. “Thank God you have someone who can help you. I am of no use.” She squeezed his fingers.
