Part 21 (2/2)
”They wanted Jess, too. Evidently they thought she was here.”
”Till the ambulance arrives I want you to get a towel, then lie down and put the towel over the wound.”
”Gotcha.”
”Hang tight, buddy.”
Madrid disconnected and stood there for a moment trying to pull himself together. He couldn't believe the smugglers had found the church. He'd been so careful.
”What happened?”
He spun at Jess's voice, turned to face her. He hated to tell her, but she needed to know. ”They have Nicolas.”
Her hand went to her mouth. ”Oh, G.o.d, no.”
As he quickly dressed, Madrid related everything his brother had told him. ”I have to go.”
”I'm going with you.”
For the first time since his phone had rung, he gave her his full attention. ”No.”
”It's me they want.”
”And Nicolas.”
Sickened by the thought, Jess wrapped herself in a blanket and rose. ”I can't sit back and let them hurt that child. I made a promise to Angela.”
Madrid spun on her. His hands snaked out, grasped her arms and shook. ”I can't let them hurt you!” he roared. ”For G.o.d's sake, Jess, let me handle this!”
The fury behind his words stopped her; his fingers bit into her skin.
As if realizing he was holding her too tightly, he released her and took a step back. For several interminable seconds they stared at each other. Then Madrid shook himself as if waking from a terrible dream. He pulled a small device from the clip on his belt. ”I've only got one weapon and I need to take it with me.” He shoved the device and his cell phone into her hands. ”Take these.”
”What is this?” she asked, referring to the device.
”GPS. If anything happens, if you feel you're in danger, hit the red b.u.t.ton here.” He motioned to a small red b.u.t.ton on the end of the device. ”It's programmed to put out what's called a Code 99. All MIDNIGHT agents will be scrambled. A GPS signal will be activated simultaneously. You got that?”
”I got it.”
”Jess, don't open the door for anyone but me. Is that clear?”
”Madrid-”
He cut her off. ”If someone comes in through the front, you go out that back window and run for your life. You got that?”
Fear hit home with the words. Until this moment she'd felt safe. Maybe because she was with Madrid.
”I got it,” she said.
”Good girl.” He lifted his hand as if to touch her cheek, but changed his mind and dropped it. ”I have to go.”
”Where?”
”The only place I can think of.” Giving her a final, hard look, he snagged his pistol off the counter, flung open the door and was quickly swallowed by darkness.
Chapter Sixteen.
In less than five minutes Jess was bouncing off the walls. She couldn't stop thinking about Nicolas. The little boy was in grave danger. The thought of how frightened and confused he must be tore her up inside. The realization that she'd let down her friend was unbearable.
”I'm sorry, Angela,” she whispered.
Jess paced the confines of the RV, feeling trapped and helpless and so frustrated she wanted to scream. She thought about Madrid, and frustration transformed quickly into worry. Armed only with a revolver and facing a dozen men armed with semiautomatic weapons, he didn't stand a chance. Would he contact MIDNIGHT for backup? She couldn't think of anyone else he would trust. Even if he did contact someone to watch his back, would they get there in time?
The thought of Madrid getting hurt-or worse-because he was too heroic to involve her tied her into knots. Everything they'd shared in the hours before he left came rus.h.i.+ng back. The sadness in his eyes when he spoke of the past. The gentle brush of his touch. The soft whisper of his voice. The heat in his eyes when he looked at her...
The chirp of the cell phone Madrid had left her jerked her from her reverie. A number she didn't recognize came up on the display. ”h.e.l.lo?”
”Jess? It's Father Matthew.”
Surprise rippled through her. ”Are you all right?” she asked. ”Have you heard anything about Nicolas?”
”Unfortunately no. I'm in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.” His voice sounded weak and very much like Madrid's. In the background she could hear sirens. ”Is Mike still there?” he asked.
”He left five minutes ago.”
”Look, it's probably not important, but I thought of something after I hung up.”
”What?”
”Well, I've spent quite a bit of time with Nicolas since you and Mike left him here at the church. I have some experience with children who for whatever reason are noncommunicative. When I had dinner with him last night... Well, I know this might sound a little crazy, but I think he's been trying to tell us something.”
Jess found herself leaning forward, clutching the phone tightly. ”Like what?”
Matt continued. ”Early on we thought he was calling out for his mother.”
Mah-mah. Mah-mah.
Jess recalled clearly the little boy's wrenching cries. ”I remember.”
”The more time I spent with him, the more I came to realize he was not calling out for his mother. I think he was repeating a name he'd heard. Maybe even during the crime.”
Mah-mah. Mah-mah.
<script>