My mouth felt dry. I moved my tongue underneath my upper lip, desperate to find a drop of spit, but there was none. I then check the rippled roof of my mouth and behind the lower lip. There was nothing there; in fact, I found it difficult to switch the position of my tongue as well. I could have sworn that someone stuffed my cheeks with cotton balls. They too not only felt dry, but also big and swollen, like a chipmunk’s.

I wiggled my nose, inhaling dry, familiar air. It hurt to do so. I didn’t catch the trace of smog I remembered from Long Island and no salty ocean breeze. There was only dust, dirt, and maybe even a splash of beer. Even the thought of a nice cold one didn’t salivate my mouth. I moved my tongue around again over the grains of sand between my teeth. A memory of being dragged across the desert, barefoot, swollen, dehydrated, and barely alive flashed through my mind.

“Michael, you don’t have to do this. You’re a good man.” My mother’s distant voice echoed over and over again, but that wasn’t possible. My mother was in a clinic. She couldn’t talk. What had happened to me? Was I still alive? I slowly opened my eyes, but everything blurred into a blend of brown and orange tones. The smell of candle wax hit me next.

Where am I?

I shifted in the hard seat and felt an ache in every part of my body.

Ouch.

Everything hurt: muscle and bone. Another memory was triggered: this time of a slap across my face. Its sting traveled from my cheek all the way down to my toes. In fact, I could still feel its print on my skin.

I tried to open my eyes further and realized that I could barely do so on my left side, so I just kept that one closed. In the corner of the somehow familiar room I recognized a man’s figure. It was my boss.

“Chief? What’s going on?” My throat felt hoarse. Each word scraped over my vocal chords. I needed water. It was my only hope to survive.

“Welcome home, Hope. Or should I say, Kate? Which one is it, sister?”

“Water,” I said.

“You’ll get water when you’re ready to talk.” Mike’s voice was cold and I didn’t recognize why he’d take that tone with me.

“Water,” I repeated. If I didn’t get any, I wouldn’t be able to speak again. I could feel my body failing me. Each time I breathed, it hurt, and that was when I remembered that not long ago someone had kicked me in my ribcage. The pain surged through my chest each time I inhaled, and so I chose to take shorter breaths.

Don’t ever lose hope. Cameron’s last words rang in my ears, and that was when the events of the last twenty-four hours began coming together. I remembered sleeping in his bed, calling my mom, and then I went to my office.

Mike kidnapped me. He kept asking about fifty million.

It hurt even more when my body suddenly tensed. My muscles couldn’t take much more abuse. Mike Donaldson took me home? Where was home? I looked around the room some more and realized that I was sitting by a table on one of the wooden chairs at the Bistro, in Pace.

He took me back to Aaron Cortez?

“Water,” I begged. If I had a chance to explain that I had no clue where their money was, maybe I could still save myself. From the way my leg felt, it was broken, so running was out of the question. My feet pulsed, cramping each time I shifted. They felt blistered and bruised. Even if my leg was okay, I was sure my body would fail me at the first step. Why did Mike call me sister?

“Where’s the money, Kate?” he asked.

“For God’s sake, haven’t you done enough?” I heard a familiar voice. Was it real?

I forced my right eye open and couldn’t believe my sight. I wanted to cry but I knew that no tears would fall. My body was too dehydrated, and I had nothing to cry with.

“Enough? I’ve been waiting for this moment almost thirty years, Ma. You gave me up. You didn’t want me. You killed my father. All I want is what’s rightfully mine. I want this family to regain the value of its name.”

They found her, and she was speaking again. A sudden urge to run to her, take her away from here and hide her again, jolted my body upright. Along with the sudden move came the agony from the distress of my injuries. My stomach cramped and I felt nauseous.

“Water.” I didn’t realize that I’d asked for some again.

“Here’s your fucking water.” Mike reached for a glass on a table and spilled the water right on my face. I licked my lips, trying to catch the drops with my tongue.

“Now talk,” he demanded.

I looked at him, the image my eyes caught still blurry, and flashed hate and bitterness from underneath my right lash as I repeated, “Water.” If the son of a bitch wanted me to talk, I had to ensure that I could survive this.

He finally passed me a glass and set it on the table. When I tried to reach for it, I realized that I couldn’t do so with my right arm. From the way it felt, that was broken as well. It must have been a few hours old because the swelling made my fingers look smaller.

I pulled on my left arm but that one was tied to the chair.

“I’m not untying you,” Mike grinned.

“Mikey, honey, this isn’t you. You’re a good man, I know you are,” I heard my mother say. I still couldn’t believe that she was talking.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You don’t know anything about me.”

“They stole you from me. They took you away from us. I held your cold body in my arms, baby, and I don’t know how you did it, Mateo, but I’ll never forgive you. I’ll never forgive any of you for stealing my baby.”

“You kept a child away from his father. You deserved it.” I turned my head a little to the side. That made my neck hurt like hell, but I needed to see the man with the deep voice, and when I saw him, I recognized Mateo Cortez.

Shit, this isn’t good.

“He was just a child. He didn’t deserve this. Michael, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

I watched Mike shift in discomfort, as if my mother’s plea had reached a piece of his soul; and then just as quickly, it vanished.

“You stole me from my father’s arms. You gave me Atropa belladonna. You drugged me, and my father thought I was dead.”

“That’s not true, Michael. It was the other way around. I would never have given you poison! I loved you.”

“Did you keep me away from my father?” he asked.

“Benjamin was a ruthless man. He hurt so many people. John was your father.”

“I did a DNA test. I know my real family.”

“And I know that you’re a good man. I know that God put you on this path for a reason. No matter what your uncle has told you, you were a good child, and you were loved. We both loved you from the bottom of our hearts.”

“You kept a child away from his father, and then you murdered his father. I was there. I saw everything.” Mateo Cortez, Ben’s brother and Aaron’s uncle, replied.

“Mikey was ours, Mateo,” my mother said, with conviction in her voice. “Mine and John’s.” The man walked closer to my mother. I tried to keep them both in focus with the one eye. It took all my concentration to keep them both on the opposite ends of my peripheral vision.

“That’s bullshit. You tried to keep Mikey away from his family, burned Ben’s house down, and stole our money. And if that wasn’t enough, your friend killed my brother. Was Xavier too scared to come tonight? Where the fuck is he?”

He couldn’t be talking about my mother, could he? She wasn’t violent; but then again, she’d been ecstatic when she learned that I would be a detective. But in that one moment, when I saw determination in my mother’s eyes, I realized that I barely knew her at all. She was one of the strongest women I’d ever known, but I hadn’t been aware that she had so many secrets. I never realized that my mother had such a huge price on her head. If Mike Donaldson was truly her son, she would have never placed him in harm’s way. My mother gave me a normal upbringing and she would have done the same for him. Until recently, I hadn’t been aware of the danger that had been part of my life. I never knew that my mother and father were trying to keep me safe from a cartel.

“He’s dead,” my mother replied, but her eyes said that was a lie. Either she knew that he wasn’t dead or she didn’t believe that he was. I turned my aching body some more, and that’s when I saw Father John, my biological father, sitting beside my mother. His arm was around her, and he was holding onto his left side. Blood seeped between his fingers.

Oh no!

“Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?” Mateo asked. “Good. Now if Kate here would only tell us where the fifty million is, we could all end the day on a good note.” He then came up to me and yanked my head back by the ponytail.

Fucker!

“Looks like they want you to suffer some more, chiquita.”

“Stop it!” my mother screamed. “Haven’t you done enough already?”

“You want to talk, Anna? Let’s hear it.”

But my mother kept her lips sealed. She knew as well as I did that the moment she told them about the money, we were all dead.

I prayed to feel one spark of energy, but even breathing was difficult. I prayed for anything to get out of here. Mateo lowered the gun in his hand and shoved it underneath my chin, “I’m not fooling around, Anna! This is it. You know we don’t give second warnings.”

“She doesn’t know anything about the money,” my mother said. “You let her go and let Father John go, and I’ll take you to it.”

What?

“Mom, don’t.” I struggled to get the words past my swollen lips.

“You tell me where it is, Anna, or I will shoot right through her mouth and into the brain.”

“You shoot her and you will never find that money. You harm her any further and I’ll take it all to my grave,” my mother shot back. She then turned toward her son, “Mikey, you’re not him. You’re not a Cortez. You can still make this right.”

I thought I saw another flash of doubt in Mike’s eyes.

“Father!” A loud voice boomed through the room, and Aaron, Mateo’s son, stepped through the front door. “How many times have you vowed not to make grandpa’s mistakes? I need to speak to everyone. Now.”

Mike exchanged a gaze with Mateo, who nodded.

“He’s right, uncle. Let’s get our shit together and take her with us. If she’s lying, they’re all dead anyway.”

I had a feeling that unless I pulled a miracle out of my ass, we were all dead. The men all left to the back room, and my mother and Father John both rushed to my side.

My mother gently swept the hair away from my face and held the glass of water to my lips while Father John worked on untying my wrist.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I never meant for them to find you.”

It hurt to swallow, but my mouth wouldn’t let go of the glass until I emptied it. It felt like I was drinking pure life. I couldn’t answer my mother until I was done. When I finished, I took a deep breath asking, “Is it true? Is Mike my brother?”

My mother nodded in response.

“We thought he was dead,” Father John said.

“And you?” I tried to open my left eye to look at him, but it still hurt. “Do you know the truth? Do you know who I am?”

“I… I think I do, Kate. I think you’re my daughter.” He glanced to my mother for confirmation and she gasped.

“John, I’m sorry.”

He closed his eyes in pain. My mother’s eyes filled with regret.

“Father John, you’re hurt.” I pointed to the gash in his abdomen.

“It’s not deep. I’ll be fine,” he said.

Eight months ago, I would have believed a priest; but now, I wasn’t too sure.

“John, what are we going to do?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but we sure could use Xavier’s help now.”

“Xavier’s been gone for ten years. I’m really beginning to lose hope,” I replied.

“Don’t ever lose hope, Kate. Don’t ever.” Father John gently touched my arm. I felt love radiate from him, and it wasn’t only because he was a priest. It was because he was my father.

“I’m sorry about everything,” I said to him. “I can’t even imagine what you must be feeling.”

“I’m thinking how blessed I feel to have such a thoughtful daughter,” he smiled. “Keep your faith and hope intact, the way you always have, Kate. Or is it Hope?”

“Either one is fine,” I replied. “We’re a family. We need to stick together.”

A miracle would be appreciated as well.

“Mom, whatever happens, you can’t lead them to the money, and we must stick together. Do you understand?”

“Hope, you get away from them if you can.” She looked at the window to the side. “It’s getting dark now. When we go to get the money, run. I’ll… I’ll create a distraction. Don’t you think about me and just get away from them – do you understand? Because once they have the money, they won’t spare a soul.”

“Mom, I can’t leave you.”

Even if I wanted to, I wasn’t physically capable of doing so.

“You can and you will.”

“Anna, Kate’s right. We can’t run away from this. We have to stick together. God will guide us.”

I could see my mother struggling on the inside. Her faith had been tested in the past, and so she chose to follow her own rules – which obviously hadn’t worked.

“We need to stick together,” I repeated, but didn’t get a chance to hear any argument from her because the trio of Cortez men came back inside, and Mateo pointed to the door. “It’s time to finish this, Anna. Lead the way.”

“She needs another glass of water.” My mother pointed to me.

Mike passed me a glass, and my mother helped tilt it to my lips. When I finished, she said, “Her leg is broken. Hope needs someone to carry her.”

“Now you’re pushing it,” Mike said.

“You’re giving up on fifty million that fast? I thought you’d been waiting for this for a long time.”

He frowned.

“I’ll carry her,” Mike mumbled, with annoyance.

“All of you, get in the car,” Mateo ordered.

“There’s no need,” my mother said. “The money’s within walking distance.”

By the look of their flaring nostrils, they didn’t like the answer. Or perhaps they didn’t like obeying anyone else. After a quick exchange of looks, Mateo left out the front door.

Mike came toward me and in haste lifted me in his arms.

“Ahh!” I yelped out in pain as he adjusted the weight of my body in his hold.

“You need to be careful,” my mother said. “She’s still your sister.”

I thought I felt him tense a little, then relax. “And you need to show us where you hid the money. Now.”

Mike eased his grip and carried me out the front door. We followed my mother and Father John, who led the way flanked by Mateo and Aaron. The night was cool, and when I shivered, I felt him bring me closer to his body. We were heading west of town, toward our family chapel.

“How long have you known you were a Cortez? Or have you always known?” I asked.

“My parents told me early on that I was adopted. I was curious about my biological parents but found them both listed as deceased. At eighteen I went to find my extended family, and that when I found my uncle. He told me that my mother tried to kill me and that my father was murdered. My uncle welcomed me with open arms.”

“He lied to you. Our mother’s a good person. You have to believe that.”

Mike shook his head. At that moment, my only hope was getting to him. I needed him to realize that he was fighting the wrong battle. “Come on. You’re a detective. You’re a smart man, Mike. This is Cortez we’re talking about.”

“Just shut the fuck up. This is my family, and by the end of the night, I’ll be able to retire.”

Okay, obviously trying to play off his intelligence wasn’t working.

“How long have you known about me?” I asked. The further he walked, the weaker I felt. My head was spinning, and I felt like I was falling in and out of consciousness.

“My uncle convinced me to become a detective. He helped me move to New York, where I found you day one at the precinct.”

“Did you take the job because of me?”

“I’m not stupid, Kate. I’ve been hoping you’d know something about the money; after all, Mother kept you.”

I tried to take a deeper breath, but I couldn’t. They’d brainwashed him so thoroughly, it seemed his values were different than mine.

“She thought you were dead. She’s loved you and mourned you her entire life. Ouch.” I winced, bringing my hand to my left eye, or whatever was left of it. All I could feel was a pulsing pain.

Setting me gently on top of a large rock, he reached into his pocket and passed me a tissue. “Hold that by your eye.”

“Thank you. I’m not sure I have much longer.”

“Just hold that.”

“I’ve known you for three years now, and you don’t strike me as a Cortez.”

I looked up to the night sky and saw a falling star. I wished for Cameron not to find me dead. I wished to have enough strength to at least say goodbye. My head was burning up, and I felt my first feverish chill.

“You think you know people, but you don’t know people. I’ve seen enough in my life to know that nobody can be trusted.”

“Of course you have, just like I have. You’re a detective. But as a detective, you should also know that you can’t ever lose hope. We get rid of the bad guys.”

I recalled Cameron’s words and wondered where he was. Was he worried about me? Was he searching for me?

“People are cruel,” he replied. “You’ve already felt how cruel they can be, and I’m sure you’ll feel it again tonight.”

My stomach turned from hunger, nerves, and exhaustion. It made me feel queasy.

“People aren’t perfect. They’re people. They’re a compilation of a little bit of everything in different parts: compassion, love, hate, fear, and experiences. You’re not a Cortez.”

“Are you two coming?” Aaron called out from the front.

“You should shut up now,” he said quietly and lifted me back into his arms.

I didn’t say anything else until we arrived at our family chapel, and I thought it was as good time as any to try something different.

“I have to pee,” I said.

“Now?”

“I had a lot of water.”

“Uncle!” my brother called out. “A small break?”

“How much further, Anna?”

“Not far,” My mother replied. “Let her go to the washroom first.”

“Take her. Don’t leave her on her own.”

Shit!

Mike carried me a few feet into the desert to behind a rock. He set me down and grasped at my ripped leggings.

“I can do it. I’ll balance on my good leg.” I pushed his hand aside.

“I’m not stepping away.”

“Turn around, at least.”

He grunted. Supporting most of my weight on the rock, I crouched to the ground. As soon as I did so, I felt another cramp in my lower stomach, and I almost fell over. Behind a shrub at the rock’s side, I saw a pair of familiar eyes.

Lola? I mouthed.

She put her finger to her lips and removed her cell phone. I read the typed message she passed me.

Cam and Brook are here.

Take them to the crypt.

She then took the phone back into her hands and typed something else.

You look horrible. Hang on. Now piss.

I immediately let go of my bladder.