"I'm sure she does as well. Perhaps now is your time."
A very big part of him wanted to believe that. "I wonder," he said. "But how could I trust that she wouldn't run again?"
"Is she not worth the risk?"
"I don't know. I honestly don't think I could go through that pain another time." He'd never admitted that to anyone—not friends, his mother or his sisters—but somehow here in this small kitchen in the middle of nowhere, the words poured from his lips.
"You have no decision to make, Jake. You think you have a choice, but you don't. Katherine is already inside your heart. Even if she leaves, she'll always be with you."
"I don't want her to leave and take my heart. I couldn't be like you, Mamich. I couldn't love someone and let them go."
Sylvia smiled with the wisdom of the ages in her eyes. "You are thinking only of yourself, of what you need, how you feel. What does she need from you? Love looks outward, not inward." A knock came at the door. "That must be Paolo."
Jake got to his feet, relieved at the interruption. The last thing he needed to be thinking about right now was love.
* * *
After washing up in the bathroom, Katherine headed outside. She needed to get some air, to think about what to do next. She had mixed feelings about whether or not to contact MDT or the police or anyone in a position of power versus trying to save her brother on her own. Her logical brain told her she was insane to think she and Jake could infiltrate the headquarters of a drug cartel and rescue TJ. On the other hand, it was doubtful anyone in the local area would help them.
The Calderon family had been running this territory for years and the deaths of innocent villagers hadn't inspired the local government to do anything that would stop the funnel of money coming from the cartel to the town. So why would anyone want to help them? In fact, if they asked too many people around town for help, there was a good chance that someone would relay that information to the Calderons, and they'd have no chance of saving TJ.
If they were going to take anyone by surprise, they would have to do it fast, before too many people knew they were in town or could get the information to the men in the black van.
She wandered through the garden as her mental debate continued. Stepping into the shed, she stopped to sniff some of the herbs. Sylvia had jotted down some names by some of the plants, and she knew enough about plant properties used for medicine to recognize some of them: agave, acacia, chamomile, lemon grass. Sylvia really did have an herbal pharmacy behind her house. She wished she had time to talk to Sylvia about what she used for what symptom and how she used it.
But first she had to find a way to save TJ, and distracting herself with the science of herbs wasn't going to get her any closer to that goal. She needed to go back into the house and hope that Sylvia's friend Paolo would be able to help them put together a better plan to get onto the ranch property than the one they'd come up with so far.
As she stepped out of the shed, she heard a footstep behind her.
She was just about to turn when someone grabbed her from behind. She opened her mouth to scream, but someone shoved a rag into it, gagging her. A bag came down over her face. She kicked out her feet, but someone picked her up and tossed her over their shoulder. A moment later, she landed on something hard. An engine roared and she suddenly knew exactly where she was—in the back of a black van.
It looked like she'd found her own way onto the ranch or to wherever TJ was being held. He had to be alive, she thought desperately. They wouldn't kidnap her if he wasn't—would they?
Fifteen
Paolo Garcia was a lean, wiry man somewhere in his mid-sixties who'd known Jake's father and claimed a long friendship with Sylvia. He'd also known the Calderons and had worked at the ranch for several years while Rodrigo's father, Jose Calderon, was in charge. He'd told Jake that there was only one way onto the ranch without using the main road and that would require him to climb down a rather steep hillside. He also said that Rodrigo had put a lot of ex-soldiers on his payroll in recent months. There was talk that Rodrigo was planning a takeover of some territory, perhaps the state to the north that was run by another family cartel.
Everything Jake heard reinforced the doubts he'd already had. He needed to find Katherine and make her listen to Paolo. He knew she would run into fire for her brother, and he wanted to help TJ, too, but he also didn't want to lose Katherine in the process.
"Where is she?" he muttered.
"I think she needed a moment to herself," Sylvia said, meeting his gaze.
"I was happy to give her the space, but I need her in this conversation." As he finished speaking, he heard the slam of a car door, the roar of a motor, and through the living room window, he thought he saw a flash of black. He jumped to his feet. "Did you see that? It looked like the van from earlier today."
He walked over to the window and saw nothing but a dusty street in front of the house. That dust cloud also reminded him of the van.
Turning away from the view, he called out, "Katherine?"
He walked down the hall. The bathroom was empty. The bedrooms were empty, too. His heart flipped over in his chest as he saw the back door ajar.
"Katherine," he yelled again, as he ran outside.
The door to the shed was open, but the building was empty.
"She's gone," he said as Sylvia and Paolo came into the yard.
"Maybe she took a walk," Sylvia began.
He gave a definitive shake of his head. "She wouldn't leave without telling me." He knew without a doubt that Katherine had not left the yard voluntarily. "They took her—Rodrigo's men. She must have come outside, and they grabbed her. Dammit."
He wanted to put his fist through a wall. How had he been so stupid? He should have realized that whoever had grabbed TJ had seen Katherine running after the van. They'd come back to get her. And apparently, she'd given them the perfect opportunity when she'd stepped outside of the house. There was no more time for planning, no option for second thoughts. "I need to go to the ranch now, Paolo."
Paolo nodded, his expression grim. "You can take the truck. We will make a plan together."
"They may expect you to come," Sylvia said, concern in her dark eyes. "It will be more dangerous now."
"I don't care. I'm getting Katherine and TJ out of there tonight."
"I understand. We must speak for a moment first," Sylvia said. "Paolo, will you wait in the house?"
The older man nodded and left them alone.
"Don't try to talk me out of this, Mamich."
"I wouldn't do that," she said quietly. "I have been thinking while you and Paolo were talking. I can help you, but only if you choose to believe."
"Believe in what?" he asked, a little frustrated by her cryptic words.
"In me. Come with me."
He followed her back into the shed. She walked over to a box in the corner and pulled out a three-foot-long iron rod. "I have six of these. When you get to the ranch, you must plant them a dozen feet apart, as close to any brush or trees as you can get. I will call down the lightning. The rods will show it where to go and the flashes of light will lead you to Katherine."
He stared at her in bemusement. "You're going to call down lightning? How are you going to do that?"
"It doesn't matter. I have done it before, and it has worked—when the gods are willing to listen. They are listening now. I didn't understand why you and Katherine were coming. Even when you said it was to save her brother, there was something missing, but now I know that you are here to save the world from the evil at the ranch." She gave him a tired smile. "I am not explaining it well, and I know you have trouble believing in what you cannot see, so all I ask is that you believe in me. Can you do that? Can you trust me, Jake?"
"If whatever you're going to do will save Katherine and TJ, then I can believe. I can trust you." Here in this world of Mayan culture, his own reality seemed very far away. He was going to need a miracle to rescue Katherine, so why not hope the lightning gave him one?
"Good. Rodrigo fears the lightning as many do in this area. He believes in the gods. He will be afraid. The lightning will be his weakness, and it will be your strength." She put her hand on the side of his face. "Be careful, Jake."
"I was going to say the same to you. If Rodrigo's men took Katherine from this yard, you may be in danger. You might want to stay with a friend tonight."
"I'm not afraid. The devil has been ruling our world for too long. Tonight, good will triumph over evil."
"I hope so."
"I have something to give you." She led him into the house, into her bedroom. Walking over to her dresser, she opened her jewelry box and pulled out a gold medallion.
He recognized it immediately. "Dad had one of those."
"Yes. So did your great-grandfather and your grandfather. They were made especially for the men in the family. This one belonged to your great-grandfather." She handed it to him. "The gold comes from the earth. The bird in the middle will remind you to look to the heavens. When you see the flutter of birds that I see in my dreams, you will know it is time. You will wear this medallion, and it will protect you. It is blessed."
"All right," he said, slipping it over his head. "I'll take anything that will help: medallions, birds, lightning, dreams…" He paused, looking into his great-grandmother's eyes. "I have to find her, Mamich. She's…"
"I know," she said, taking his hand and wrapping her fingers around his. "She's
yours
. Bring her home."
"I will," he said, knowing he would die trying to keep that promise. He just hoped it wouldn't come to that.
* * *
Katherine felt bruised from the bumpy road and sick to her stomach from the motion of the vehicle and the blindfold that prevented her from getting her bearings. The men had tied her hands behind her back, so she couldn't reach for the blindfold or protect herself from the jarring dips in the road.
She knew there were two men nearby. They'd spoken in Spanish only once to each other, words that she didn't understand. But aside from throwing her into the vehicle, they hadn't touched her or hurt her.
She had to be in the van, because there were no seats or seat belts, not that anyone would have worried about buckling her up.
Hopefully, they were taking her to TJ, and together they could figure a way out. But it felt like they'd been on the road at least half and hour. Were they going to the ranch that Sylvia had told them about or somewhere else?
If it was somewhere else, Jake would never find her, but she knew he would try.
That thought was both reassuring and terrifying. She wanted Jake to rescue her and her brother, but she didn't want him in danger. There was no way one could happen without the other, unless she could find a way to escape and take TJ with her.
She inwardly winced as her hip hit the floor hard. She prayed the trip would end soon.
Finally, some ten minutes later, the road became smoother. The vehicle stopped. A rush of cold air came into the van.
One of the men got her to her feet and walked her forward. Then he lifted her up and set her on the ground. Another man grabbed her arm and pulled her along what felt like a dirt path.
They walked for longer than she would have thought, at least a few minutes. Then they stopped.
A door opened, and she was shoved inside a room. The light behind her bag brightened.
"No," a man said, his voice deep and tortured. "Oh, God, Katherine."
Her eyes filled with tears. "TJ?" she asked. "Let me see him. Let me see my brother," she yelled.
The bag was ripped from her head. She blinked against the suddenly bright light.
It took her a moment to figure out where she was. She appeared to be in some sort of computer lab. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. She'd thought she'd end up in a barn at a ranch, but this looked like a high-tech lab.
Her brother stood in front of three computer screens. He was being held in place by the two beefy males who'd grabbed her. His face was bruised, his shirt ripped. He'd fought to get away, and they'd hurt him. She reminded herself that he was still alive and that was what mattered most.
She turned her head to the left and saw another man, one she didn’t recognize. He was dressed differently than the others, wearing gray slacks and a buttoned-down light plaid shirt. His hair was styled. There was a heavy gold ring on his hand, and he stood tall and proud. Was this Rodrigo? El Diablo? He wasn't dressed like the devil, but there was an evil smile lurking in his eyes. He was enjoying their fear, their discomfort.
"Welcome," he said. "A beautiful unexpected guest."
"Where am I? Why are you holding my brother? Why did you kidnap me?"
"Ah, so many questions. You're here because you wanted to be. Did you not try to catch up with your brother earlier today?"
So they had seen her chasing the van.
"Why did you take him?" she asked, ignoring his question.
"Because he is needed."
She looked at TJ. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," he mumbled.
He was lying. Was it because he didn't want to speak the truth in front of his captors? She had to believe that was the reason. "What is he needed to do?" she asked the man in charge.
"Your brother has information and skills that others do not have. He has a job to do, but he has been reluctant to do it. Perhaps now that you are here, he will change his mind."
"Let her go," TJ said. "She's not part of this."
"She is now. It's up to you. If you want your sister to leave in the same condition she arrived in, then you will do as we ask. You have two hours to show me progress. If not, your sister will spend some time alone…with my men."
Katherine's heart thudded against her chest, and she saw TJ turn white at the threat.
"Two hours," the man repeated. He looked at Katherine. "It would be a pity to scar such a face, but I do not play games, and I am weary of this one your brother is playing. If you want him to live, you will offer your encouragement."