by Jordan Dane
“After I met your brother Rafael the other night, something about him stayed with me.” Camila poured her a glass of wine, but Athena declined with a shake of her head. “His name. I had heard his name before, but I had forgotten. It had been many years.”
The woman stared at Athena as she took a long sip.
“My father told me your brother killed my cousin Mateo in Chicago. He paid informants to acquire your brother’s name and his address. Nothing was beyond my father’s reach, his legacy to me now.” Camila set down her glass. “Rafael is a marksman with a rifle. A sniper.”
“He was doing his duty, under orders. Your cousin killed a grandfather and was holding a five-year old boy hostage with a gun to his head. He held others, too. Lives were in danger. Rafe did what he had to do, what he was ordered to do.”
“He killed a twenty-year-old boy. Mateo did what he did because he was scared,” Camila yelled until the veins in her neck pulsed with her blood.
“He was stoned out of his mind on meth. I read the police reports.”
“Oh, and I suppose the police in your country, they do not lie, is that it?” Camila stood and paced behind her chair.
“So where does that leave us?” Athena stood and matched her stance. “Your father killed Rafael’s wife and baby girl. He had his man carve into their bodies, the sign of your cartel.” She pointed a finger at Camila.
Athena felt heat rush to her cheeks. Her rage, against the injustice her brother had endured, was never far from the surface.
Camila winced but did not speak.
“Haven’t we all suffered enough?” Athena asked. “When will the killing stop?”
The woman cartel boss leaned against the back of her chair, resting her elbows as she considered what to say.
“If I find that your brother had anything to do with the murder of my father, if any evidence ties to him, this will not be over. I promise you. I will finish what my father started. I won’t kill Rafael. That would be too easy. I will slaughter anyone he ever knew or loved. Do we understand one another?”
Athena struggled for her next breath and it took all her strength to keep the emotion off her face.
“Yes, yes we do.”
Athena knew in that instant that she could never reveal what she’d found on the shell casing. The bullet taken from the body of Hector Borrego would have to be lost, for good. Anything that could tie Rafael to the murder of Hector Borrego would have to be destroyed, or else Camila would not stop her rampage and innocent people would continue to die.
She would have to doctor the report she would file with Esteban Ruiz and hope he didn’t know the facts better than she did. If he knew the truth, the merciless killings would start again. Her decision wasn’t to save Rafael, alone.
Athena would have to sacrifice the ethical foundation she and Grey had built the Omega Team upon—to stop Camila.
Yes, she understood everything.
At the sound of boots bounding down the staircase in the hall, Athena looked to the open door and saw Rafferty. She knew by the expression on his face that he hadn’t found her brother. He shook his head and waited by the door for her to finish.
“Thank you for your courtesy. I will leave you…in peace.” Athena turned her back on her enemy and left the hacienda with Rafferty at her side.
She had no idea where to look for Rafael—but she wouldn’t leave Cuba without him.
***
Athena walked out of the Borrego estate with Rafferty. Camila followed, but kept her distance. She had nothing more to say and nudged her head to her men to stand down. The crisis had been averted, for now.
Ruiz furrowed his brow and waited for her by his vehicle.
“I take it Rafael is not here?” the man asked and shifted his gaze to Rafferty, who shook his head.
“No. He’s not here,” Athena said. “Where else can we look for him?”
Athena didn’t know why she trusted Camila not to lie to her about kidnapping her brother. A gut instinct. The woman didn’t strike her as someone who would play games. If she wanted Rafe dead, she would have done it and signed her work with a knife.
That thought made Athena sick.
“There’s been a development while we were searching for your brother.” Ruiz looked concerned, but before Athena could ask what he meant, a phone rang.
Victor Torres, Ruiz’s second in command, took the call after he saw the number displayed. It must’ve been urgent to interrupt his boss. With a somber face, the man listened and barely spoke. He rushed to Ruiz and leaned into his ear, whispering.
“Survivors?” Ruiz asked his man.
Torres only shook his head, no.
Ruiz raised his chin and took a deep breath before he spoke. Athena held her breath waiting for him to tell her what had just happened.
“We must go. Now.” He grabbed Athena’s arm and rushed her to his armored limo.
“Why? What’s happening?” Athena asked.
“The San Ignacio cartel abducted your brother.” Ruiz shoved her into the backseat, surrounded by his men to cover them.
“What?” she asked. “How?”
“My men found witnesses who said he was taken off the streets in downtown Havana. By the descriptions, we confirmed his abductors were from this rival cartel. I warned you it was not safe, but you and your brother ignored me. These men, they do not need a reason to abduct wealthy Americans.”
When they were alone in the backseat, Ruiz hit a button to give them privacy from his driver.
“Your brother was being held at a small rancho, west of Havana. My men got an anonymous tip and raided the residence, but they found the men butchered in a barn. The bodies carried the mark, the Borrego brand carved into the skin. Camila got to them first. I don’t know how she found out where your brother was.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would she threaten to—” She stopped before she told Ruiz anything of the private conversation she’d had with Camila.
“She threatened you? In what way?” he asked. When she didn’t answer, he said, “Maybe the San Ignacio cartel thought they could extort more money from her to hand him over. Either way, it seems obvious Rafael was a pawn in all this. Do you have any idea why?”
A pawn, yes, but who had the most to gain?
She couldn’t breathe, or think clearly. Rafael, what happened to him?
“When you asked your man if there were any survivors—” Athena’s eyes burned and a lump wedged tight in her throat. “Torres shook his head, no. Did your men find Rafael? Is he—?”
She couldn’t say it.
“No survivors. Lo siento.” Ruiz couldn’t look her in the eye.
“Oh, God.” She made the sign of the cross and fought to stay in control.
“You need to leave the country now. Have your young computer analyst pack your things at the hotel or I can ship them to you. I will have someone pick Miss Lyles up. She can meet you on the tarmac.”
Stern-faced, Ruiz fixed his gaze on her.
“If Camila Borrego has started a war with the San Ignacio cartel, it will be brutal. No one will be safe,” he said. “I have my private plane ready for you at the airport. You must leave immediately. Whatever your findings in the Hector Borrego investigation—from the autopsy to any ballistics evidence—you can send me your report when you can. Entiendes?”
Athena nodded, unable to argue. The limousine jostled over the dirt road, kicking up rocks and gravel into its undercarriage, as they headed for Havana.
“My brother’s body. I need to—”
“I understand. I will see to it.” The man promised.
Athena had no intention of leaving without Rafael’s body. As his only sister, it felt wrong, but she had the safety of her team to consider. If Rafe had somehow been in the middle of this burgeoning drug war, her team could be targeted in retaliation.
“No. I will stay. My team can go home. I will not leave without my brother.”
She’d made up her mind and Ruiz didn
’t argue. Without another word, she stared out the window of the limo and watched the dying light of day. When she shut her eyes, tears streamed down her face and her mind filled with memories of Rafael.
She had desperately wanted to save him. It crushed her that would never happen now.
***
José Martí International Airport
Evening
The limousine drove past the well-lit industrial-looking airport, with its supporting steel girders and intersecting trusses, and remained on the shadowy two-lane road that led to a guarded gate and a private hangar. The Caribbean trade winds buffeted the side panels of the limo, making an eerie bellow inside the vehicle.
The driver parked on the tarmac near the plane Ruiz had promised. Athena opened the passenger door and it took all her strength to pull off her tactical gear and toss it into the trunk. She had a weight in the pit of her stomach.
When she saw Rafferty and Landry standing near the vehicle of Victor Torres, she steadied her nerves. She had to tell them about Rafael and dreaded saying the words that would make his death real, but by the looks on her men’s faces, they must’ve already known.
Torres had told them.
Rafferty didn’t bother with formalities. He hugged her and it felt good to be wrapped in his strong arms. It felt as if Grey were holding her.
“You need anything, I’m your guy,” Rafferty said.
“What he said,” Landry kissed her cheek and touched her arms with affection. “Does Jacquie know? She’s heading over here.” He nudged Rafferty and said, “Let’s beat it, give them privacy.”
The minute Jacquie saw Athena, she ran to her with fragile expectation in her eyes.
“What happened? I freaked when I got the call and was told I had to get to the airport immediately. They sent uniforms to haul me and all our stuff out. I thought it was because…” The girl swallowed, hard. “…of what I did.”
“What did you do, Jacquie?”
Athena pulled her aside and made sure no one was within earshot.
“Talk to me. Tell me everything.”
“I kinda hacked hand kisser’s email, but it was totally worth it. Are you pissed?”
“No. When it comes to men like Ruiz, my ethics are bendy. What did you find, Jacquie? Tell me. Now.”
“You’ll get to read it yourself. I downloaded everything to our server.” Jacquie shook her head and double checked they didn’t have an audience. “That man ordered Rafael to be kidnapped. He had another cartel do it. I can think of only one reason he’d do that. I think he wanted to stir up a war, but—”
“But what?”
“Do you think Ruiz knew about the shell casing evidence?”
Athena didn’t want to speculate now. They risked being overheard with too many ears around.
“Tell me everything you found.”
Jacquie told her what she suspected with the many emails she had read from Ruiz. Athena felt the heat of outrage building in her. Ruiz had used Rafael as bait and he’d hired the Omega Team to legitimize his personal war on the cartels. He worked in the shadows and his treacherous scheme had gotten Rafael killed.
Athena searched the airport terminal and the tarmac near the aircraft, looking for Ruiz. She found the man standing with Victor Torres near his vehicle, but Jacquie stopped her from leaving.
“So what happened? Where’s Rafael?” Jacquie searched for her brother. “Why are we leaving if he’s not here?”
Tears welled in Jacquie’s eyes as she reached for Athena’s hand, pleading with her. Athena fought hard not to break down in front of her team.
“I’m sorry.” She squeezed Jacquie’s hand and held on. “He didn’t—”
A commotion forced Athena to stop. A white ambulance with red and blue stripes along its sides raced onto the tarmac with its lights spiraling and siren blaring. As it drew closer, the siren and lights were shut off.
“What the hell?” Rafferty elbowed Landry. “Check it.”
Every head turned toward the emergency vehicle—everybody except Esteban Ruiz. Athena did a double take when she noticed the man staring at her instead. She narrowed her eyes in return, but the man only broadened his sneer.
She had a bad feeling Ruiz knew what she’d find in the ambulance—and braced her body and her heart. Athena didn’t want her last memory of Rafael to be his dead corpse, but it looked as if Ruiz wouldn’t give her a choice.
She should have been grateful that she wouldn’t have to leave Cuba without her brother’s body, but something in Ruiz’s face wouldn’t allow her to be indebted to the man.
***
After the driver parked the ambulance near the jet, the double doors in the back opened and a man in uniform jumped out, Cuba’s equivalent to an emergency medical technician. He reached inside and yanked out a gurney. Its legs unfolded until the wheels hit the blacktop. Athena made an effort to see beyond the door that blocked her view.
She braced for the sight of Rafael in a body bag as Jacquie grabbed for her hand. When she saw an IV drip attached to the gurney, she strained to see more—and allowed her heart to hope for the first time.
“Rafael,” she called out his name.
Her brother was strapped to the gurney. His face had been battered and one of his eyes had swollen shut. Bandages covered his chest and blood had seeped through. Oh my God, Rafael. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Jacquie yanked at her arm and they both ran to his side.
Rafael was alive.
“Holy shit.” Rafferty cried out. “Fuck me with a blow torch.”
“Will you look at that?” Landry shook his head and joined his team to walk alongside the gurney. “Damn, if you ain’t a spectacle, Rafael. Athena, you recognize this lucky son of an onion eater?”
“What’s wrong with him, besides the obvious?” Rafferty asked.
“He’s got a concussion and a couple broken ribs,” the EMT said. “Whoever did this, they cut him with a blade across his chest and down his belly. He’s got plenty of stitches. When you get back to your country, check him into a hospital for observation. They’ll want to run more tests.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Rafferty said. “Don’t worry, Rafael. Women love scars. You’ll see.”
Landry punched him in the arm.
“What?” Rafferty objected. “Am I wrong?”
“That kid doesn’t need any help from you, smart ass.”
Rafe opened his good eye and blinked until his weary gaze settled on Athena. He reached for her hand and held it.
“I never th-thought…I’d see you…again.” He winced and coughed with the pain of speaking. “We h-have to t-talk.”
“Lo sé, mi hermano.” She told him that she knew. “I promise, when you are stronger. The beautiful thing is, we have time now. “Te quiero muchísimo, Rafael.”
When she told him how much she loved him, her voice cracked and her eyes filled with warm tears. Athena leaned down to kiss him on the cheek—on the only square inch he wasn’t bruised. She ran a hand through his hair and swept a finger across his forehead.
Rafael smiled and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“My sister, my protector.”
She would always remember the look of love in her brother’s eyes. She had no words for the bond between them, made stronger now. Athena wanted to believe he had struggled to survive for a reason. She prayed that he’d found hope for a future he never counted on.
“He’s all yours, Jacquie,” she whispered.
When her brother turned toward Jacquie, he reached a shaky hand to touch her face. With a thumb, he wiped away her tears and said, “S-stay with me.”
Jacquie kissed his hand and cradled his arm to her chest, sobbing.
“I’m not going anywhere. Count on it.”
***
When Athena looked up from Rafael, with tears in her eyes, she glanced over her shoulder for Esteban Ruiz. She saw something in the man’s lingering smug expression. A slow burn finally took over, kindled by what Jacquie had told her
about Ruiz’s encrypted emails.
Athena had a hunch and had to play her hand. It would be her last chance. She wiped her face and took a deep breath before she walked over to the Vice President.
“You did this on purpose. You deliberately withheld the fact that my brother survived. Why?” she demanded.
“How else would I impress upon you how close you came to losing him?” Ruiz looked down his nose at her. “You had to feel it, and he had to understand this, too.”
“No one understands loss better than my brother. You insult both of us.” She crossed her arms and fought to stay in control. “Why did it fall upon you to deliver such a heartless message?”
“You know very well why. Do not play coy with me. It’s beneath you.”
Athena gritted her teeth. She had to be careful not to reveal the role Jacquie played with her email fishing expedition—or reveal the shell casing analysis that implicated Rafael—but Athena couldn’t leave Cuba without speaking her mind.
“Don’t act so righteous, Mr. Vice President. I may not have proof, but I suspect you know far more about this new cartel uprising than you’ve shared with me. Convenient timing. Don’t you have elections coming up?”
Ruiz glared at her and his face flushed red. She didn’t know if he would acknowledge her suspicions or deny them, but it felt good to sucker punch the arrogant bastard. When his face finally softened, his sanctimonious smile returned.
“Your country retaliated against terrorism after 9/11 and launched a war that took countless lives for years.” He shrugged. “If Cuba stirs up a war between its cartels—without the risk of lives in its police force or its army, which is the clever one, the United States or Cuba?”
Ruiz didn’t have it in him to let things go. Even if he virtually confirmed her suspicions, he simply didn’t care and had to let her know how smart he’d been.
Athena was stunned and this time she let it show on her face.
“Your soldados killed those men in the barn and butchered their bodies to make it look as if Camila Borrego had done it,” she said. “You did it to start a war without ordering soldiers to fight it. Now all your men will have to do is haul away the bodies and dump them in shallow graves. That’s why you didn’t care about following police procedure in the investigation of Hector Borrego’s murder. In your mind, he didn’t deserve justice.”
