The Family's Secrets

by T N Lowe

  “Don’t talk like that,” I snap. “We are getting out of here.”

  “Tomorrow afternoon I will take you to the doctors,” Tomas says before leaving.

  “Rylie,” Shauna says, popping a couple more pain pills. “If something happens to me, tell Maks what happened and I love him.”

  “Shauna, you can tell Maks the next time you see him. Tomas will help get us out.”

  “How can you have so much faith in a man who is keeping us prisoner?”

  “He is not keeping us prisoner; Hector Calvo is keeping us prisoner. Tomas just works for Hector.”

  Shauna laughs, “Semantics and you know it.”

  “Something in my gut tells me he’s different. He is not a monster like his boss.”

  “Don’t be disappointed if your gut lets you down and Tomas turns out to be a monster like his boss,” Shauna proclaims before lying down and closing her eyes.

  Is she right; is the handsome man with his kind smile deceiving me? No, Shauna’s wrong about Tomas. I make a living reading people and telling the difference between a lie and the truth. Tomas is keeping something to himself, but he is not lying about helping us. Laying down, I close my eyes and try to sleep.

  I startle awake as someone shakes me. Opening my eyes, I see Tomas standing at my bedside. “Eat and get dressed, we’re leaving.”

  “What about Shauna?”

  “Let her sleep while you eat, then wake her and help her dress,” Tomas instructs me.

  “Why are you helping us?”

  Tomas looks around the room to make sure we are alone, “I’m CIA. They put me undercover to help dissolve the Mal Cartel.”

  “Won’t helping us blow your cover?”

  “Yes, but the CIA has what they need. Now it’s time to get you two out of this nightmare. I’ll be back in an hour; be ready to leave.”

  I devour the sandwich and chips, then dress in the jeans and t-shirt Tomas tossed on my bed. Waking Shauna, I help her dress in her jeans and t-shirt. As we wait for Tomas to return Shauna eats her lunch as I tie her shoes.

  An hour later, Tomas opens the bedroom door, “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  “Okay, let’s go. Stay close and do exactly what I say,” Tomas orders, helping Shauna to her feet.

  Tomas leads us quickly through old run down winding hallways. Many of the doors have large holes or are missing all together. The walls are in the same disrepair making me think they do not use this area much. Calvo likes to show off his weather and power by showing off what he has.

  It surprises me as we pass a couple of people who don’t look twice at us, but Tomas walks faster. We turn right at the next intersection and find a large man is standing guard; he sees us and asks Tomas, “What are you doing with those two?”

  “The boss wants to see them,” Tomas answers, but the guy doesn’t look like he’s buying what Tomas is selling.

  The man cracks open the door behind him and says something, then closes the door. Before he turns his head back around, Tomas strikes the man and he drops to the floor and doesn’t move. Not wasting time, he picks Shauna up and runs with me in tow. I turn to see the men from the room running after us and yelling for us to stop. Tomas tugs on my arm and I face forward and run faster.

  Rounding the next corner Tomas opens a door and waves me in before entering and setting Shauna on her feet. Bringing his index finger to his lips, he whispers, “Stay quiet. Hopefully, they will pass us, and we can meet our ride.

  Shauna and I nod and move further into the room finding an old beat up and ripped couch to sit on, “How are you feeling?” I whisper.

  “I’ll survive,” she winces, taking a seat on the well-worn couch.

  Tomas cracks the door and peeks outside, “They’re gone, let’s go.”

  I help Shauna off the couch, and we follow Tomas through the door and into the hall. We make it five feet before someone in the group sees us. Tomas picks Shauna up again, takes my hand, and runs. We twist and turn through the narrow winding hallways, then Tomas stops, tosses a door open and orders, “In.”

  I rush in without a word; Tomas with Shauna still in his arms follows. He sets Shauna on her feet quickly but gently, then barricades the door with an old wooden desk.

  Looking around at the empty dark wood shelves surrounding us, I ask, “What room is this?”

  “An old library,” Tomas answers, moving swiftly to the far left corner of the room. He runs his hands over the wall until he finds what he is looking for. Tomas rams his shoulder into the wall repeatedly until the wall gives way and sunlight floods through a child-size door. “Come on; we need to get out of here,” Tomas orders.

  I help Shauna to her feet and through the door, Tomas following me closely. “Rylie, do you know how to fire a gun?”

  “My dad and brothers took me shooting as a kid.”

  “Good, here,” Tomas says thrusting a gun at me. “The safety is on, so make sure you turn it off before you pull the trigger. Now take Shauna and run towards those trees,” he commands, pointing to a small group of trees roughly thirty feet away. “Shoot anyone who tries to stop you.”

  “Tomas?” I protest.

  “I’ll be right behind you. Now run,” Tomas shouts.

  Following orders, I take Shauna’s hand and we run as fast as she can to the group of trees Tomas pointed to. Looking back, I see men shouting and running after us. “We have to go faster,” I tell Shauna, pulling her with me. She howls in pain but forces herself to run faster.

  I look back to see that two men have ahold of Tomas’ arms and are attempting to pull him into the door we escaped through. Tomas is able to free one arm, pushing the man to the ground. Using his free hand, he punches the man who still has ahold of him. The man stumbles back as the other man on the ground stands and charges Tomas. He skillfully avoids the man’s assault and hits him, sending him back to the ground. Tomas sees us and bellows, “Run.”

  Facing forward, I run faster, pulling Shauna with me.

  “Rylie,” Shauna moans as she stumbles.

  “Sorry sweetie,” I gasp, helping Shauna to her feet and seeing that the men chasing us are now closer. “We need to go,” I scream as one of the men raises his gun and shoots, hitting the ground next to us. I turn and run, pulling Shauna with me. More bullets fly by us as we run.

  We breach the trees and come face to face with one of the lugs that kidnapped us. He tries to grab Shauna, but I move her behind me, flip the safety off as I draw the gun. I raise it to the man’s face. “Leave us alone,” I demand.

  The man laughs in my face, “Put the gun down girl.”

  I pull the hammer back, ready to shoot the man. But before I can pull the trigger, Tomas tackles the man to the ground. They wrestle on the ground as the man tries to subdue Tomas, but Tomas pins the man down, hitting him hard enough to knock him out. “Hurry, we are almost there,” Tomas says, getting to his feet and taking Shauna into his arms.

  We run further into the woods. Tomas tries to keep the branches from hitting me, but a few escape and hit me in my face, my neck, my arms. “Keep up mariposa. Our ride is on the other side of these trees.”

  I push myself to the breaking point, pumping my legs, trying to keep up with Tomas. Making our way through the trees, we find two hunter green Jeeps with their engines running. The passenger door of the first Jeep flies open and Erin jumps out and opens the rear passenger door in one quick motion. After getting Shauna settled, Erin hugs me and walks me to the door behind the driver’s side of the car and helps me in. She directs Tomas to the second Jeep as she jogs back and hops into the passenger front seat telling Landon to drive.

  I hear gunshots. Turning, I see a red truck with three men in it shooting at the Jeep Tomas is riding in. “Down,” Erin shouts.

  I lay my body on top of Shauna’s, trying to protect her.

  “Incoming,” Erin yells.

  I look up as a small red pickup truck slams into our Jeep. Shauna screams as we are b
ounced around the back seat. There are more shots fired, and the screech of metal fills the cab of the Jeep and bullets hit the side of the vehicle.

  “Get rid of them,” Erin shouts, shooting at the truck.

  I look up to as we approach a drainage ditch; Landon swerves to the right then rams the pickup, pushing it into the ditch.

  “Good job, baby,” Erin praises Landon. “Now punch it,” Erin orders.

  Sitting upright, I ask, “Where are we going?”

  Erin twists in her seat to face me, “The US Embassy. A doctor will examine you and Shauna; we’ll stay the night then fly home tomorrow.”

  “Thank you,” Shauna weeps, tears falling from her dark-circled eyes.

  Chapter Thirteen - Maks

  I’m pacing the sitting room, tossing back my third glass of brandy when my phone rings. Looking at the screen, I don’t know the number. But given the current situation, I answer it anyways, without question, “Hello.”

  “Maks,” Shauna sobs.

  “Shauna?!” my chest heaves in relief. “Are you okay? Where are you?” I ask as Patrick walks into the sitting room.

  When Patrick first introduced me to Shauna, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I was a rude asshole to her that night, trying to distance myself from the situation my father had pulled me into. I planned to take her to lunch, apologize for my behavior, and forget about her. By the end of lunch, I was enchanted by her, and knew I had to make her mine.

  “Who is it?” Patrick asks.

  “Shauna.”

  Patrick stops, a sudden look of relief spreads across his face.

  “I’m okay baby. A little scratched up and bruised, but I will survive. We are at the US Embassy in Mexico City.”

  “Patrick and I will prep the plane and be there in a few hours.”

  “No, the doctor is finishing up his exam and we’ll be home tomorrow morning. I’ll be there before you know it.”

  “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, Maks. I’m okay.”

  “Okay. I will meet you at the airport. Send me the flight information.”

  First thing the next morning, Patrick, and I are standing on the tarmac waiting for the flight crew to open the cabin door. The door opens, and Shauna limps her way down the stairs with Landon holding her arm to ensure she doesn’t fall.

  I run up the stairs and scoop her into my arms, studying her face. I swallow down my anger; my first priority is to care for Shauna. After she is recovered, she will tell me who did this to her and I will make them pay. Gently, I sit Shauna into the backseat of the SUV. Walking around the back of the car, I climb in next to Shauna and instruct Lev to take us to Patrick’s.

  Turning my attention back to Shauna, I brush her golden blond locks from her face. I still can’t help but ask, “Who did this to you?”

  “Honey, can we talk about it later? Right now I want you to hold me and tell me you love me,” Shauna says, tears in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry zhizn moya. I love you more than anything else in the world,” I declare to her, lifting her into my lap, holding her against my chest. “Seeing you like this, it kills me.”

  “I know.”

  “What did the doctor say?”

  “Three bruised and two broken ribs, a cracked cheekbone, and lots of bruises covering my body. But it could have been worse.”

  I press a kiss to the top of her head and try to calm myself. I want nothing more than to find the person who did this and kill them. “Don’t worry; we’ll get you home and feeling better in no time.”

  Shauna giggles, “I could go for some of your mom’s borsch.”

  “She’ll be thrilled,” I chuckle as Lev parks the SUV outside the Love Estate.

  The front door opens, and Lena stands in the doorway with Andrew on her hip. Patrick flies out the SUV and races to Lena, “Princess what are you doing here? I told you to stay with your father.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad sent his men with me, and Billy hasn’t left my side. I missed you too much,” Lena pouts.

  Patrick crushes his lips to Lena’s, “I missed you too, princess.”

  “They have the right idea,” I whisper to Shauna pulling her close and kiss her lightly.

  “I love you,” Shauna mumbles against my lips.

  “I love you more and more each day. You will never leave my side again.”

  “Maks, you can’t let one bad thing….,” Shauna starts.

  “One bad thing? Shauna this is the second bad thing to happen on my watch. I will never let anything happened to you again. Do you understand?”

  Shauna chews on her lower lip, “I understand. But you have to know you can’t keep every little bad thing from happening to me.”

  “Maybe not, but I can try.”

  Shauna shakes her head as someone knocks on the car window, “You lovebirds ready to come in?” Patrick asks.

  With a chuckle, I open the door and help Shauna from the car, into the house and to the living room.

  Part II

  Chapter Fourteen - Patrick

  Once everyone is settled, including our new addition, Tomas Ramirez, I look around and demand, “Okay, tell me everything.”

  Erin starts. “From what we witnessed, Calvo has people everywhere in Mexico City. He’s going to be difficult to get to.”

  “Tomas, what can you tell us about Calvo organization and plans?” I ask.

  Tomas looks around the room before saying, “I’m sorry, but it’s classified.” Tomas’s eyebrows raise to this hairline, “And without the proper clearance, I can’t tell you what I know.”

  “Don’t worry, I have clearance,” I snicker, with a sly smile. Only after Tomas makes no further comment, I huff, “Fine,” and pick up my phone and dial Samuel.

  “Patrick, is everything okay?” Samuel answers directly.

  “Yes, everything is fine. Lena and Andrew are perfect.”

  “Good. What is it that I can do for you?” Samuel asks.

  I put the phone on speaker and reply, “I have CIA agent Tomas Ramirez here. He requires me to have clearance to discuss what happened in Mexico. Can you please inform Mr. Ramirez of my security clearance?”

  Samuel laughs, “Sure. Mr. Ramirez, this is President Samuel Walsh. I can assure you my son-in-law has the highest level of security clearance and you can tell him anything he wants to know.”

  “Yes, sir,” Tomas replies, with a stern look of professionalism and a little awe.

  “Thanks, Dad,” Lena chimes in.

  “Anytime baby girl. Kiss Andrew for me. Love you,” Samuel says before ending the call.

  I turn to Tomas, “Please tell me what you know about Calvo’s operation.”

  Tomas looks around the room, still looking nervous. “Tomas, My name is Erin Jefferies and I am former FBI, now the police chief of Moose Valley, Colorado. And Fi-Fi here is FBI; so trust me when I tell you that you can trust the people in this room; you can trust me,” Erin confesses to Tomas.

  Tomas nods, “Calvo is a psycho. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. And his son is even worse than he is. He has people everywhere, and they all report to him. Calvo is paranoid; he worries that someone will betray him, no one knows more than their part. I can tell you he is working with outsiders; people beyond the Mexican Cartels.”

  “Who?” I ask, needing to know who we are up against.

  “The Russian Vory, the Chinese Triad, and a group called The Family. He has spies who feed him information.”

  “Thank you, Tomas,” I growl through gritted teeth. “Billy will take you home.”

  As soon as I hear the front door close, I lose it. Looking at Maks, I shout, “We have moles. How the fuck do we have moles?”

  “It’s Gennadi; he’s the one who did this to me,” Shauna admits. “He still has friends in high places.”

  “I’m going to fucking kill him,” Maks yells, jumping to his feet. “That fucker has some nerve kidnapping my wife again. He will not get away with
this.”

  Erin stands and takes Andrew from Lena. Lena rests her hand on my arm, “Honey, I think you need to call Dad. He may have some ideas on what to do.”

  I nod and call Samuel again. “Patrick?”

  “We have a problem,” I reply.

  “Just a second,” he responds. Two beats later, I hear a door, and Samuel says, “What’s wrong?”

  “Tomas says Calvo has spies in the Vory, Triad, and The Family.”

  “That’s not possible,” Samuel snaps.

  “It is. I know Gennadi was working with someone in The Family,” Maks interjects.

  “Who?” Samuel barks.

  “I don’t know. Gennadi was secretive when he spoke to his contact and never told me the name of the person.”

  “I’ll call Li Wei Chin and tell him he has someone leaking information. Then ask him to come to D.C. Maks, go home and talk to your people,” I suggest. “Find your leak and plug it. Erin and Fi-Fi I need you to help me locate our mole.”

  “Sounds like you have everything under control. What do you need from me?” Samuel asks.

  “Can you find out who let Gennadi leave Russia? He is supposed to be on the no-fly list and banned from leaving Moscow,” I remind Samuel.

  “Certainly.” Samuel replies. “Maks, do you know of anyone who would help your father escape?”

  “No. I don’t know anyone who would risk the wrath of the Vory elders,” Maks replies.

  “I’ll talk to the Russian President. Maybe he knows something. Let me know if you need anything else. And Patrick?”

  “Yes.”

  “Take care of my daughter and grandson.”

  “Always. I’ll be in touch,” I answer, ending the call. I shake my hands out, trying to rid myself of the need to hit something, or someone. “Maks, take Shauna home. Talk to your people and find out who’s telling our secrets.”

  “We leave tomorrow morning. We’ll be staying at the townhouse tonight,” Maks says, standing and helping Shauna up. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Turning to Rylie, “Why don’t you go upstairs and lie down. The spare room has been made up for you.”