Whispered Lies

Carlos scoped out the sole guard left, whose eyes were unfocused as a ma

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.

“You’re the best parts of me,” he whispered, barely able to speak, then cleared his throat. “Please don’t be angry with Gabrielle if she says she…hates me. I’ve hurt her even though I didn’t mean to.” He swallowed against the lump of emotion clogging his throat. “And tell Eduardo I forgave him a long time ago. We’re blood. Family takes care of family. I love you. Now go before Durand gets any angrier with you.”

“I love you as a son.” She hugged him again, kissed his cheek, and left.

Julio stepped inside the room with three more men.

“I see you’ve elevated yourself in a pit of snakes,” Carlos told Julio. “From a foot soldier to a mass murderer. Nice.”

“I merely stepped in to help Durand when his own son turned his back on family.”

“I can sleep at night. Can you?”

Julio ignored the question. “You have until they are on the airplane, Alejandro, then you will go with me to the granero. You remember the shed, no?”

AT THE MAIQUETIA International Airport in Caracas, Gabrielle climbed down from the sport utility parked next to a hangar with a private jet. Numb from everything that had happened, wind swept her unbound hair back and forth as she waited for instructions.

Black clouds joined forces and approached from the west, warning them to go airborne soon or be grounded.

The armed guard who had traveled in the rear of the van with Eduardo stepped out and swung the barrel of his automatic weapon to indicate a spot fifteen feet away. Gabrielle followed his silent directions and planted herself in the designated position. Satisfied with her acquiescence, the guard returned to the van and began unloading Maria’s son.

Maria walked over to stand by Gabrielle. The woman hadn’t even acknowledged her during the entire drive. Armed as heavily as the other guard, the driver strode across the tarmac to where they stood. He addressed Maria in Spanish, but Gabrielle caught enough to know he asked if she needed a weapon to prevent Gabrielle from ru

Carlos’s aunt didn’t answer right away, just stared in stony silence until the guard shuffled uneasily. Then she told him she was an Anguis and therefore capable of keeping one mousy female in place. When he bowed his head in deference, she then reminded him his immediate concern was to oversee the safe loading of Eduardo and his wheelchair. She arched an eyebrow and lifted her gaze past the driver to where the other guard struggled to wheel the chair and drag a bag to the plane.