Chapter Fifty-Six
Bree
Maggie didn’t want me to help her with her bath, but she called for me when the comb became helplessly ensnared in her long hair. I brought her out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and set her down on the end of the motel bed. She hungrily watched an old rerun of Scooby Doo, while I untangled her hair.
It was hard to keep my hand from shaking as I thought about all the things Maggie had been through: taken from her mother, given to the cartel, and forced to carry drugs across the border. I wanted to know where she slept, what they fed her, and where she’d gotten her mismatched clothes. It had obviously been a long time since she’d had a bath.
But Maggie was tired and as I combed her hair, she swayed with exhaustion. Still, I didn’t stop because the little girl was making soft, comfortable sounds. Having her hair combed was a luxury she had gone too long without.
Nathan had excused himself before Maggie’s bath but I knew he hadn’t gone far. We could both hear his heavy steps pacing up and down the motel hallway. It was comforting even though I knew he was in a rage. Nathan would protect us and together we’d get Maggie home.
When Maggie couldn’t stay upright anymore, I put down the comb and turned off the TV. “Time for bed,” I said.
“But there’s only one,” Maggie said.
I smiled. “And it’s for you. I don’t mind the floor, and Nathan might not sleep much.”
“He’s mad,” Maggie said.
“Not at you. At the people who took you.”
Maggie glanced at the door as Nathan paced by. “I know. He wants to help me.”
I wondered how sharp Maggie’s instincts had gotten since being kidnapped. Kids had a way of seeing through adult pretenses, but she was probably even more attuned now. Maggie could probably sense the intentions of adults from across the room. I was glad that she had realized quickly that she could trust Nathan and me.
“Let’s brush your teeth,” I told Maggie.
We used the cheap motel offerings and while she scrubbed, I wondered what to give her to sleep in. Her clothes were filthy. Having nothing myself, I finally peeled off my t-shirt and slipped my sweatshirt back on, one layer short.
“Here. You can wear this to sleep in. I’ll wash your clothes in the bathtub, and they’ll dry overnight,” I said.
Maggie nodded and slipped my shirt on. She was asleep seconds after I tucked her into the big motel bed.
Nathan must have noticed me turning off all the lights but one. He paced a few more minutes up and down, his tread softer now, then he opened the door soundlessly.
“Looks like we’re sleeping on the floor,” I whispered.
Nathan smiled and slipped into the room, bolting the door behind him. “I’m glad you got her settled down.”
We stood with too many unsaid things between us. “Ah, I think I’ll get ready for bed too,” I said.
I retreated to the bathroom and faced myself in the mirror. It had been a long and head-spinning evening, and I needed a second to get my feet back on the ground. My face was smudged with dust and dirt from chasing Maggie across the border field. It was crazy to think about how I left Nathan just a few hours ago.
Not that I was sad to be back. Having Nathan a few feet away made the tight knot in my chest go away. I wasn’t alone in the world anymore and neither was Maggie.
In fact, so much had happened in the span of one evening, that I couldn’t even remember why I had left.
I scrubbed my face and stretched my mind back. I had been upset with Nathan for dragging us across the border ‘by accident.’ Yes, we’d been evading the gunmen, but I still thought it was possible that Nathan had made the decision without telling me.
Now it didn’t matter. We had Maggie, Nathan’s whole reason for recklessly charging into Mexico.
My heart fluttered. Was it really almost over?
I got ready for bed, glad that I had been wearing multiple layers when we abandoned our car. I still had a thin tank-top to wear when I slipped into our makeshift bed on the floor.
When I opened the bathroom door, I saw that Nathan had quietly done all he could to create a soft, comfortable spot for us on the motel floor. We looked at each other over the makeshift bed and both realized we were nowhere near able to sleep.
Nathan nodded toward the small table, and we both slipped into the chairs. He started to outline his plan in a hushed voice but I held up my hand.
“No. No more decisions without me, remember?” I asked.
Nathan glowered but nodded. “What do you think we should do?”
“First things first, we have to get Maggie home safe.” I held up my hand again when Nathan tried to protest. “I don’t care how badly you want to charge into the cartel with your one gun blazing. You’re not going to try to take them down when Maggie is still in danger.”
“But what about the other kids?” Nathan asked. “We can’t just leave knowing there are other children like Maggie who need help.”
“What can we do, Nathan? You’re just one man, not a whole army. Maggie made it sound like it’s a huge operation. You’re not going to be able to stop the cartel on your own,” I said. “We have to take Maggie’s story straight to the police.”
Nathan scowled. “The authorities didn’t do much for her or her mother when she went missing. What if they’re in the pocket of the cartel?”
Icy fear slipped through my veins. Who could we trust? The answer was obvious. We could only trust each other. Still, I wasn’t ready to let Nathan keep on making decisions while holding onto his secrets. Trust was a two-way street.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Are you saying I can’t call the police for help?”
“I know it sounds insane, Bree, but think about it. How are these kids getting back and forth alone with no one saying anything? The police have to hear reports of children running around after curfew, and instead of investigating, they are just letting it happen,” Nathan said.
“Maybe the cops around here, but there are other people we can call,” I said.
Nathan shook his head. “We can’t call anyone, remember? Nathan and Bree don’t exist anymore. We’d get too tangled up explaining all of that and months would go by before they finally got around to asking about the other children.”
I pressed both hands to my forehead. I knew Nathan was right but it was terrifying. We couldn’t really trust the authorities to do the right thing. They’d be too caught up trying to bring us to justice while the real bad guys kept up their operations. And those kids, the ones just like Maggie, would keep having to cross the border in the dark with backpacks full of drugs.
“So, what are we going to do?” I asked.
Nathan leaned forward and pulled my hands down from my face. He held them lightly as he looked into my eyes. “We’ll work together. You and me. And Maggie. She’s one brave kid.”
I glanced over at the sleeping child, and my heart skipped a beat. It was hard to tell if Maggie sleeping peacefully or Nathan’s light touch was causing my heart to stumble with happiness.
I pulled my hands away. It was ridiculous that in the middle of all of this, I could be so happily in love. Had I forgotten all the times that Nathan had withheld information and led me along blindly?
“Together as in you’re going to cross the border with us?” I asked, knowing the answer.
Nathan sat back in his chair and flexed his jaw, struggling for the right thing to say. “You have a much better chance of getting Maggie over the border, just the two of you.”
“And I’m supposed to leave you alone in a Mexican motel room with a gun and a backpack full of cocaine?” I asked.
“Maggie knows where they are keeping the other kids. She can at least point me in the right direction. I’ll go there and face Adrian Juarez. Remember? I have some sort of deal I am supposed to be upholding,” Nathan said.
“So, they’ll remind you of what it is before they blow your head off. How does this sound like a good plan?” I asked.
“I didn’t say it was a good plan. It’s the only one we’ve got,” Nathan said.
“We can think of something better,” I said.
It was well past two in the morning when we came full circle, and I had to admit defeat. Any plan I suggested ended with Nathan and I facing endless questions from the authorities while the children were still caught in the cartel’s control.
We’d talked about contacting Nathan’s Navy Seal team, but he refused to endanger their careers. We’d even talked about me calling Janice and getting her to bring me my social security card, but the shock would have been too great. Everyone still believed Nathan and I were dead.
“Fine,” I said finally. “Tell me your plan.”
“You and Maggie will cross the border the way we came, except you’ll go in broad daylight,” Nathan said.
“What? No.” I shook my head.
“It’s safer than going at night when Maggie’s contact will be looking for her. In the daylight, you stand a better chance of blending in on the US side,” Nathan said. “It’s a risk but it’s the best chance we’ve got.”
“And then what are Maggie and I supposed to do?” I asked.
“There’s a bus station not far from where we crossed. You’ll pretend you’re mother and daughter and buy two tickets. No one will ask for ID because you’ll pay with cash,” Nathan said.
It sounded possible and the way Nathan said it gave it a sense of finality. It would all be over soon.
“But what about you?” I asked again.
“I’ll ditch the backpack full of drugs,” Nathan said. “A few hours after you and Maggie cross, I’ll leave the backpack on the road near the first warehouse. Whoever’s looking for her will probably find it before nightfall. They’ll think that Maggie ran in Mexico, and they’ll head straight for the border station.”
“Then what?” I asked.
Nathan scrubbed the stubble on his chin and stalled. “I’ll ask around about a little girl fitting Maggie’s description, tell a few of the local shop owners that I saw her running around here alone.”
“Nathan. Tell me what you’re going to do when you find the cartel, or worse, when they find you.”
He scrubbed his chin again and then gave in. “I’ll demand to meet with Adrian Juarez. Maybe the deal is something I can still deliver. Maybe I can earn his goodwill back. Long enough to find out where they are keeping the kids.”
I shook my head, and my eyes filled with tears. “It’s too much. Too much could go wrong.”
Nathan leaned forward and wiped tears off my cheek. “Let’s sleep on it. Everything will seem more hopeful in the morning. The important thing is Maggie is with us. She’s safe.”
I nodded and crawled into our makeshift bed on the floor. Above me, the little girl let out a soft sigh that eased my tension. Nathan was right, the important thing was Maggie was with us and we were all in this together.
Nathan laid down next to me. He hesitated, shifting on his portion of the thin blanket, and then he wrapped his arm around me. I turned over and buried myself in his comforting arms.
“Thank god you’re back,” Nathan whispered into my hair. “I know I couldn’t do this without you.”
I wriggled closer into Nathan’s strong arms and felt myself falling deeper in love. It didn’t matter what my head told me, my heart had already decided. I was with Nathan until the end.