"I had to do more. I had to take the bullet out. It was causing an infection."
"You did that here?"
She nodded. "With Sylvia's help."
"So am I going to make it, Doc?"
She smiled, knowing that he was feeling better if he could joke. "Yes, thanks to Sylvia's concoction of herbs. But we still should get you checked out at a hospital. Unfortunately, there's nothing around for about forty miles."
"I don't need to go to the hospital. I already have a doctor and a healer. What more could I need?"
"I'll let you know after I check your leg," she said. "You may need antibiotics."
As Katherine said the words, she felt like she was insulting Sylvia, but the woman just gave her a simple smile, and said, "You'll know what's best, Katherine."
"What happened at the ranch?" Jake asked.
"We don't know yet," Katherine told him. "Paolo is going to try to find out and tell us when he comes back this morning. He said the whole mountain looked like it was on fire. Rodrigo's hideout is definitely gone."
"What about Rodrigo?"
"Unknown."
TJ came over to the bed. "Good to see you awake, Jake. It got a little dicey there for a while."
"I'm tough to get rid of," Jake said.
TJ sniffed. "What's that smell? Am I so hungry that I'm imagining food?"
Katherine suddenly became aware of a delicious aroma as well.
"I made some soup," Sylvia said.
"You made soup in the middle of the night?" she asked in astonishment.
"No, I made it yesterday before I came here, and I heated it in the microwave this morning," Sylvia said with a laugh. "I'm not a witch. I can't make food appear magically."
"Just lightning," Jake said dryly. He scooted back in the bed so that he was sitting up against the pillows. He reached for the medallion around his neck. "This saved my life, Mamich. A bullet ricocheted off of it. If I hadn't been wearing it, I would have been shot in the chest."
Sylvia paled at his words, but she gave a tight nod. "I wanted to protect you from the lightning; I'm glad it also saved you from a bullet."
"Wait. I found another medallion outside the house," he said. "Where did it go? Do you have it, Katherine?"
She pulled it out of her pocket. "Yes. It's right here."
Sylvia let out a gasp as she saw the matching medallions. "No." She put up a hand and then took a step backward.
"What's wrong, Mamich?" Jake asked in alarm.
"That medallion. It was at the ranch?"
"I found it in the dirt." His brows drew together. "You said all the men in the family had one. Did this one belong to my grandfather?"
She shook her head. "No, his medallion was buried with him when he died." Sylvia drew in a shaky breath. "May I see it?"
Katherine put the medallion in her open palm.
She stared at the front for a long moment and then turned it over. "This is your father's medallion."
"That's impossible," Jake said. "He wore his medallion every time he flew. He had it on the day he died. He always told me the bird would keep him in the air."
"There is an engraving." Sylvia handed the medallion to Jake. "Your father's initials, WM."
Katherine moved closer so she could see the initials. Her heart stopped at the sight of those two little letters. Jake met her gaze. Shock, amazement, and anger ran through his eyes.
"I don't know what to think," he muttered.
She didn't, either.
"It was your father's," Sylvia said again.
"But how can that be?" Jake asked. "How could it get to the ranch?"
"He was there," Sylvia said. "That is the only answer. You said you saw him holding it in his hand right before you found it. He was sending you a message. He made sure you found it. It's important to his story, to his journey."
"Did you know he went to that ranch?" Jake asked. "Was he here right before he died? When I visited you a year after his death, you said you hadn't seen him in several years. Was that true?"
"Yes, it was true," Sylvia said with sorrow in her eyes. "I had not seen him in three years. He did not come to the village, Jake. He was not here right before he died. But he must have been at that ranch."
"But…" Jake's voice trailed away as he traced his father's initials with his fingers. "I don't understand." He looked over at Katherine. "What do you think?"
"I have no idea," she said, shaken by this latest development. "Alicia said she thought there was more to your dad's accident than anyone knew. Maybe she was right."
"And it was Jerry who told her that. Jerry, my father's best friend," Jake said.
"Is it possible that your dad was involved in Jerry's scheme?" she asked tentatively, worried that Jake would immediately jump down her throat for suggesting such a thing.
"My dad died ten years ago. I don't even know if Jerry was doing whatever he was doing that long ago," Jake said. "My father was a good man and a patriot. I can't believe he would have been involved with anything illegal."
"Perhaps the ranch wasn't conducting that kind of business when your dad was there," she suggested.
"That's true. Rodrigo only came into power a few years ago." He looked at Sylvia. "When did Jose die?"
"It was before your father passed away," she said, a troubled expression on her face. "You must find the answers, Jake. So your father can find peace."
"I don't know how the hell I'm going to do that, especially now that the ranch is probably burned to the ground."
"You'll find a way," Sylvia said confidently. "Now, who wants soup?" She went over to the counter, poured some soup into a bowl and brought it over to the bed, along with a spoon. She handed it to Jake. "First things first."
He grudgingly accepted the soup. "Thank you. But this isn't over. There's something I'm missing here."
TJ helped Sylvia fill up three more bowls, and for several minutes there was nothing but silence in the small cabin. The delicious soup was warm and satisfying and Katherine felt much better after she ate. It had been a long stressful night, and who knew what the day would bring?
She rinsed out the bowls in the sink and had just finished doing that when she heard the sound of a vehicle coming up to the house.
TJ ran to the window. "It's Paolo," he said, then answered the door.
Paolo stepped into the room a moment later, a question in his eyes. "Is everyone all right?"
"Jake is much better," Sylvia told him.
"
Bueno
," Paolo said.
"Can you tell us what's been happening?" TJ asked. "Did Rodrigo and his men escape the fire? Is there any more information?"
"Rodrigo's body was found early this morning. El Diablo is dead," he said with a gleam of happiness in his eyes. "The village is rejoicing."
"Even though the money dries up?" Katherine asked.
"Blood money always ends in blood," Paolo said. "The town has seen too much blood the past few years."
"What about Rodrigo's army?" Jake asked.
"No one knows how many men were there, but they've discovered at least a half dozen bodies. Some may have escaped, but since they ran instead of trying to save the ranch, their allegiance to Rodrigo and the cartel is doubtful. I believe the danger to Jake and his friends is gone."
Katherine let out a sigh, feeling as if the last weight had slipped off her shoulders. She smiled at Jake and TJ. "It's over then. We can go home."
Neither man immediately agreed with her. "What? We can't go home?"
"Rodrigo was just one part of the problem," TJ said somberly. "He's dead, but who else is out there? If I go back to Texas, knowing as much as I know, will I be safe? Will Mom?"
And just like that, her worries came rushing back. "You need to talk to some high- level authorities. Alicia said she had a contact at the FBI. We'll start there."
"We can also ask Danielle for help," Jake put in. "She works for Senator Dillon. He'll be concerned about whatever is going on at MDT. They're a big company in his home state."
"A company that supports his campaigns," TJ said.
"Then he'll want to make sure they're clean," Katherine said.
"All right, I'm game," TJ said. "Obviously, I didn't do that well on my own, so I'll take some advice."
"I do think we should stay under the radar until we get out of Mexico," Jake said.
"How are we going to get out? We don't have passports or ID or money," she said, suddenly remembering that they'd lost everything.
"I'll talk to Rusty. He can fax copies of our passports to the airport in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. We'll hire a small plane. It will be easier, and when we get to the States, we'll get Alicia or Dani to help us with whatever we need," Jake said.
"My passport is probably still at the inn," TJ said. "Unless someone cleaned out my room."
"We'll check on the way to the airport," Katherine said. "And if not, I'm betting Mom still has a copy. We'll get one of her caregivers to look for it."
"That's settled then," Jake said, swinging his legs off the side of the bed.
Katherine quickly moved to his side. "Don't get up for a second. Let me check your wound." She quickly unwrapped the bandage and was thrilled to see no sign of infection. "It looks good. I'm better than I thought."
Jake smiled. "You've always been better than you thought."
She smiled back. "Thanks." She re-bandaged his leg and then stood up.
"I have money for you," Sylvia said, pressing an envelope into Katherine's hand.
"We'll pay you back," Jake said.
"I'm not worried."
Paolo stepped forward. "You can take my truck to the airport. My cousin will drive me over there later to get it. I'll take Sylvia home."
"Thank you, Paolo—for everything," Jake said, shaking the older man's hand.
"You've freed our people from the devil. It is I who should thank you," Paolo said. "Sylvia? Shall we go?"
"A moment," she said. "I need to speak to my great-grandson before we leave."
Katherine stepped away from the bed. As Sylvia took Jake's hand, she decided to give them a little privacy. "We'll wait outside," she said, motioning for her brother to join her on the porch.
* * *
"Jake," Sylvia said.
He squeezed his great-grandmother's hand as she gave him a loving and somewhat sad smile. "Thanks for saving my life, Mamich. I don't know how you called the lightning, but when I saw the jagged streaks of light raining down around me, I felt your power."
"The power of our ancestors. I have wondered these past years what was left for me on this earth—why I was still here when so many others have gone before me. It was for this. I was waiting for you to come back."
He felt unsettled by her words. It sounded like she was ready to say good-bye. "We don't have all the answers yet, Mamich. We don't know how my father's medallion got to the ranch."
"You will find the truth, and then your father's soul will be free to move on."
He didn't know about freeing his father's spirit, but he would do everything in his power to find the truth.
"You didn't just rescue Katherine and her brother," Sylvia continued. "You stopped a lot of people from getting hurt."
He smiled at her. "I think
we
did that, Mamich. I wasn't a believer before, but I am now."
"You have the heart of a warrior." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "One day you will hear of my passing. I do not want you to be sad. Remember that we had this adventure together. That we did something great."
He didn't want to hear her talk of death, but he could see she was determined to speak.
"Your father was a good man. If he was at the ranch, it was not because he was working with the cartel. It was because he, too, was trying to stop them. I believe that with all my heart."
"I know he was a good man. I have no doubts."
"I want to give you something else, Jake."
"You've already given me so much."
"It's not for you; it's for Danielle."
She pulled a heavy gold band off her finger. "This is the ring your great-grandfather gave me when we married. I want you to give it to Danielle." Sylvia smiled. "She won't like it. She'll think it's ugly, but tell her that if she needs strength, the ring will give it to her. She won't believe you, but it is true. She's the final piece in the puzzle."
He didn't think Dani would appreciate anything Sylvia was saying, but he took the ring and put it in his pocket. He'd make sure Dani took it, even if she just put it in her jewelry box. After his great-grandfather's medallion had saved him from a bullet, he didn't doubt that she knew best when it came to protecting her family.
"And tell Alicia that I leave her my house, my herbs, your father's letters, the story of our family. Tell her to come one day and collect whatever she needs."
He shook his head. "I will bring Alicia and Dani down here in the next few weeks. You can talk to them then. You can tell them what you're telling me."
"It would be good to see them," she said, but he could tell she was only saying what she thought he needed to hear. "But just in case—"
"No, Mamich. We're just getting reacquainted," he said. "Whoever is calling you from the other side—you tell them to wait. You have more to do here."
"My sweet Jake. Always know that wherever you are, I am watching over you. When the lightning strikes, it is only to show you what you need to see."
He nodded. She helped him to his feet, and they exchanged a long hug and then slowly made their way outside. Every step was painful, but for some reason the physical pain didn't feel as bad as the ache in heart as he watched Sylvia and Paolo get into their car.
"I was going to come and get you," Katherine said, putting her arm around him. "Everything all right?"
"Yes," he said, but his gaze followed Paolo's truck down the road. He had a feeling that he would never see his great-grandmother again. He would have been sad about her loss before this trip, but now he could feel the depth of the coming pain. He'd connected to her. They'd shared a powerful moment. He told himself he'd come back before too long and hope that she still had more time left on this earth. He turned back to Katherine. "Let's go home."