Page 27 of Tango

“I did die,” Paul cut in. “That wasn’t a lie. Frank told me his team began to work on me and managed to get a heartbeat. Once they did, he realized the opportunity.” He glanced at Frank. “Then I guess I was taken to some other room away from you all. When I woke up, I was in so much pain. I didn’t know what end was up. Then I was given a choice, an opportunity to help and protect all of you. Just from a different side.”

“Jesus, I had no idea,” Cole muttered as he side-hugged Savannah. “For the record, up until this very moment, I was in the dark, too.” Again, a few sets of angry, hurt eyes moved to where Frank stood.

“Then what?” John broke the silence.

“I listened to what Frank had to say. I began to understand what it might mean to have someone on the other side. He made me see how valuable I could be. I didn’t have any blood relatives to leave behind, and Frank knew that, too. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was one I had to make quickly. I hardly remember agreeing to it. I just knew that if I could help in some way, it would be worth taking the chance.” He paused and bit down on his knuckle, clearly trying to control his emotions.

“So, you just became a member of the Cartel?” Mike blurted. “Just like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“Not just like that, but I stepped into an already moving operation. Frank had it all set up. I just needed money, knowledge, the right mindset, and a solid backstory—”

Cat jumped in and fired off a question. “Which was?” Paul’s reaction to her was subtle but obvious as he glanced toward Keith and his dazed children.

“Maybe we can visit that another day.” He directed his eyes back to Cat.

“Agreed. Just stick to basics for now,” Frank added with a no room for argument tone.

“Um,” Paul tried to find his place, “my job was to take charge of the tunnel from San Diego through Rosarito. Which was run by Martin Castillo.” I felt the mood in the room shift.

“The man who took Lexi,” Keith confirmed.

“Come on, kids, I think it’s time for some ice cream.” Doc held out a hand toward Reagan, and Abigail threw him a relieved look. Reagan stood, and he swept her into his arms. Brandon got to his feet and folded his arms, and Olivia went to stand next to him. Their expressions were set, and it was obvious they were going to stand their ground. Doc looked at Keith and then Cole, but neither said a word, so he took Reagan into the kitchen. I was pleased that she was too tired to care about leaving everyone. The older children relaxed. I felt they needed to be included. It was a difficult subject, but they weren’t your average kids. Paul hesitated but then continued his story.

“Yes, but he had help. Long story short, Rosa Coppola owed Castillo for reasons that would take a while to explain. She and her right-hand man, Tieri, were running from Elio Capri for a different reason.” Ty looked at Keith, and they shared a quick moment. “Castillo found Rosa and Tieri and nabbed both of them. Rosa was desperate and, again, a long story, made a deal with Castillo to give him Lexi. Through a series of events, Tieri, through sheer coincidence, had found out where she was through her old friends the Almas Perdidas. Tieri was the one who led Castillo to her, yes, but I want to be clear here. It was Castillo who ordered her to be taken.”

“Holy Christ.” Keith sank back into his chair, and Savannah quickly joined him. Brandon put a hand on his father’s shoulder.

I spoke up. “This is a lot. Should we stop?” I could tell this was hard for Paul, and his story was certainly complicated.

“Just a little more,” Mark urged gently. “What role did you play in all this?”

“Okay, um,” he rubbed his head to help sort out his thoughts, “normally, I’d get the girls when they came through the tunnel, keep them at my house until things were safe, then sell them to my buyer.” I noticed he didn’t give a name. “Once the money cleared, my buyer would hand the girls to another set of people, and they’d return them safely to the U.S. It was one big loop, tunnel, me, buyer, sent back to the U.S.”

Sue addressed the elephant in the room. “The glaringly obvious omission is who is responsible for grabbing those young people in the first place.”

“That’s the part we need to stop, but at least I played a part to get them back. Especially Lexi. I really tried.” Paul directed a painful look at Keith. Brandon glared at Paul, and he turned away.

The room was quiet as they absorbed the information.

“Thank you, Paul.” Sue placed a hand on Daniel’s arm, and he nodded and stood with her. “I think it’s safe to say we are unbelievably happy you’re here, and now we have the gift of time to learn all the details. But right now, we have a loved one to lay to rest.”

Everyone went their separate ways, and I went to my room to prepare.

I was almost changed and ready to leave. Ty tapped on the door and opened it. He leaned his hip against the doorframe and folded his arms over his broad chest. His muscular body filled the space. A lot of emotion could be felt throughout the house, and some I secretly kept hidden because I didn’t want to let the others know I was terrified of Ty leaving tomorrow. I forced the nerves aside and started to button up the last few pearls on my blouse. He pushed away from the door and stood behind me in the mirror and took over. His big hands were gentle as they moved upward. Once he was finished, he buried his face in my neck and breathed in deeply.

“You okay?” I tried to keep my own voice normal, but I knew the truth of how I felt was written all over my face right now that I was with only him.

“I will be when…” He stopped himself.

“If you get b-back?” I stumbled over the words and caught his gaze in the long mirror.

“When,” he corrected and placed a soft kiss below my ear. “When I get back.”

I closed my eyes and willed myself to live in the moment even if it was just a few seconds.

“Come on. I don’t want to be late.” I started for the door, and he caught up to me and slowed my near run with his hand. He put his arm around me, and we walked silently together.

Abby found us as we walked together up the mountain. The well-cleared path we followed was one the guys often used to get to training.

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