Sins of the Flesh

by Caridad Piñeiro

  “I remember some chef saying that as long as you kept your food, your culture would stay with you,” she said, carefully forking up pieces of a tomato-laced meat that had been stewed until tender.

  “Did your mami cook Mexican food for you?” Liliana asked.

  “Your mami was Mexican? Que bueno.” Mariel clapped her hands together and riveted her gaze on Mick. “She’s a Mexicana, mi’jito. Isn’t that wonderful?”

  “Her father was an Americano,mami. Irish, right?”

  “Of Irish descent,” she replied after swallowing the delicious meat.

  “Irish and Mexican. Two cultures rich in the arts. That must explain your love of music,” his mother said before daintily digging into her own plate of food.

  “Mami was a pianist. A very good one, but… My father didn’t approve of her performing. He wanted her home and taking care of him while he built his business.” Mention of her father diminished her hunger, so she pushed around a bit of enchilada on her plate.

  “He didn’t approve of your choice of career, either, did he?” Mick asked, a tenderness in his voice that made her jerk her head up in surprise and meet his gaze.

  “No, he didn’t approve.”

  “His loss, Cat. You’re an amazing musician and your mother must have been as well to instill such passion in you,” he said.

  All three women turned to peer at him: Caterina in surprise, Liliana with a knowing grin, and his mother with pride and hopefulness.

  “Thank you,” Caterina replied, pleased by support she had not expected. In the little time they had spent together, Mick had been controlling and determined. She had even come to accept what he was—a man who would take on a dangerous and possibly illegal job for money.

  But this was just another of those fragile moments where he also showed her he was capable of tenderness and caring, confusing her.

  Caterina couldn’t wrap her head around what the real Mick was like.

  “Nice to know you’re finally liberated, hermano,” Liliana teased, dispelling the growing seriousness of the discussion.

  Mick chuckled at her comment and resumed eating, and so did Caterina. The food had been prepared with care and loving, adding a special essence to it that filled more than just their bellies.

  By the time they had finished eating and sharing a few stories about Liliana, Mick, and their other two siblings, she felt relaxed, but also tired and achy. There was a growing heat in her body and pain in her joints. Caterina understood it to be a reaction to the replication inhibitor Liliana had injected her with the night before. She wondered when she would be due for another shot and whether her body could handle it.

  As Mick was ushering his mother out the door, insisting that Caterina had to rest and he had work to do, Mariel trailed her motherly eye over the sweats swimming on her body.

  “Surely you have something else for Caterina to wear, Miguel?”

  Mick released an exasperated sigh and said, “There hasn’t been time—”

  Mariel slashed her hand through the air and eyeballed him before facing Liliana. “Caterina seems close to Roberta’s size, don’t you think?”

  Liliana examined her, appearing like a younger version of Mariel before she confirmed the assessment with a determined tilt of her head. “About the same as Bobbie. She left some clothes at home, didn’t she?”

  “Sí, just like Roberta. She won’t be home on leave for a couple of months, so she won’t miss them. Liliana can come get them later.”

  Before Mick could argue, Mariel was bustling out the door, leaving the three of them standing there in her wake.

  Mick was quick to say, “I’m sorry, Cat. I know she can be a handful.”

  Caterina thought about Mariel’s food, concern, and high-handedness. She could find nothing for which Mick should apologize.

  With a smile, she said, “She reminds me of my mami. I like her.”

  Caterina expected both the siblings to argue with her, as siblings were wont to do when it came to their parents, but they didn’t. Instead, Mick said, “You’re looking a little pale.”

  “Tired. A little sore,” she confessed and rubbed the top of her bowing arm, which was always the one to give her the most trouble. She’d battled with some bursitis there for years.

  Liliana frowned. “You’re not due for another shot until tomorrow, but if the aches and fever haven’t subsided by then—”

  “I’m with you, Liliana. I don’t like feeling like this,” she said.

  Mick jammed his hands into his pockets and inclined his head in the direction of the stairs. “Why don’t you go get some rest?”

  Caterina thought about the rest. Thought about an old saying she’d heard from her father more than once.

  “I’d rather find a way to help the two of you. There’ll be time enough to rest when I’m dead,” she said.

  Somehow his immediate nod of agreement brought little comfort.

  CHAPTER 26

  The three of them sat around the table for the bulk of the afternoon until both Caterina and Liliana were close to dropping off from lack of sleep.

  Mick, damn him, was like an automaton, able to function on little rest. Caterina assumed that during his time in the Army he had likely gone days without anything more than short naps.

  When he urged both her and Liliana to go get some rest, Liliana demurred, determined to walk the few blocks to their parents’ home in order to get clothes for Caterina. Since she wasn’t due back at the hospital until the next day, she assured both of them that she would be able to get all the rest she needed after that short errand.

  Mick indicated that he would accompany her, clearly fearful that Liliana would encounter Harrison once again.

  As much as she wanted not to display her weakness, Caterina’s eyes were heavy-lidded. All she could think about was sinking into the comfort of the bed.

  She started up the stairs but tripped on a step.

  Mick was immediately there to help her, sliding an arm around her waist and walking beside her to the guest room. She eased beneath the covers and he tucked her in, pulling a sleepy smile to her face.

  “You’re not such a hard nut after all,” Caterina whispered before closing her eyes.

  Not such a hard nut, Mick thought, a wistful smile on his face as he considered a sleeping Caterina.

  She was on her side, her face resting against the pillow. One hand tucked beneath her cheek. There was a rosy hue to her skin, but it wasn’t a healthy blush.

  He placed the back of his hand on her forehead and measured the heat there. Still lower than it had been the night before, but based on the papers in the medical file they had reviewed yet again that afternoon, each dose of the inhibitor might bring ever higher temperatures as the drug attacked the replication going on in her body. That attack unfortunately produced an immune response in the patient, leading to the fever and sometimes muscular and skeletal pain.

  The only treatment—the plasmapheresis to remove the antibodies and debris left behind by the inhibitor. If a patient’s blood wasn’t cleansed in time…

  There was no time to rest if they would keep death at bay, he thought.

  Which meant that it was time to pay Edwards a visit. Rattle the cage and see how he reacted when pressed.

  Gently passing a hand across her hair, he vowed to make sure that whoever had done this to Caterina would get their just rewards.

  For now, he would take a short break by walking Liliana home. Then he had to figure out the best plan of attack against Edwards.

  * * *

  It had been a toss-up between confronting Edwards at his offices at Wardwell or his home in nearby Marlton.

  The home won out.

  Edwards likely had less security there than he had at the Wardwell facility, thinking that his castle was a safe place.

  Mick had dressed for the mission, black on black on black. In his satchel he had the equipment he would need to break into the home. He was well-armed, his Glock in a holster secur
ed at the small of his back, and a smaller pistol tucked into an ankle holster beneath the hem of his black jeans. For good measure, he had a knife in a sheath strapped to his left arm for easy access.

  He would not let Mad Dog get the upper hand tonight, should he be there.

  When he walked from his office to the guest room to check on Caterina before leaving, he found her awake and easing a black sweater over her head. The action provided him a quick glimpse of the slender lines of her body, which were already looking fuller than they had a few days ago. Her skin was creamy against the ebony of the shirt and the black jeans she wore.

  Black on black on black. Not a good omen.

  Mick leaned a hand against the frame of the door and coughed to let her know he was there.

  She whirled to face him and finished pulling down the sweater. As she did so, the midnight-colored curls of her hair spilled down over her shoulders.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.

  “I’m going with you.” She dug her fingers into her hair, pulling it back and securing it with a band. It exposed the fine lines of her pale face, made more severe by all the darkness surrounding her.

  At his perusal, a slight blush came to her cheeks.

  “You’re staying here. Where you’ll be safe.”

  Hands outstretched, Caterina stated her case. “I need answers. I need to face that son of a bitch and know why he did this to me.”

  Mick understood what she needed. He just wasn’t sure that it was wise for her to be with him when he confronted Edwards. He shook his head. “It’s too risky with the way you are.”

  “The way I am?” she asked and took a step toward him. “You mean like this?”

  Before his eyes, her skin darkened in color, becoming almost as black as her clothing. The only remaining sign of color was the compelling blue of her irises and whites of her eyes.

  “You’ve been practicing?” he said and quirked an eyebrow to emphasize his point.

  “Not really,” she said with a shrug. “It just kind of happens.”

  Before his eyes, she returned to normal. “I need to go head to head with him.”

  Mick thought about what he had to do that night. Considered what role, if any, she might play in the mission.

  A risky business, taking her along, and yet…

  He understood she needed to control her own fate. He also realized that giving Edwards a show of what he had created might help them get more information.

  He stalked to her and kneeled before her. “Bring your leg here,” he said and tapped his left thigh.

  Caterina did as he asked, stepping onto his thigh.

  He pulled down the sock she wore and deftly removed the electronic monitoring device. Tossing it on the bed, he said, “I hope I don’t live to regret this.”

  “You won’t,” she urged and removed her foot so that he might rise.

  “We’ll see,” he said.

  Google Street View had accurately depicted Edwards’s home and the surrounding residences.

  He wouldn’t be able to park the Jeep on the street without attracting attention, Mick thought as he drove to the end of the court before circling around and back off the block.

  Thanks to suburban sprawl, however, the next block down to the enclave of McMansions was an everyday middle-class street of medium-sized lots and single-car driveways. A number of vehicles were parked along the street, including another black Jeep Liberty much like his, even down to the American flag cover on the spare wheel.

  He pulled into an empty driveway and did a K-turn. Returned to an open space at the mouth of the street and abutting a wooded corner lot that belonged to one of the McMansions. He parked the car and cut the ignition.

  Removing the keys and tucking them into his jeans pocket, Mick stared past Caterina as she sat beside him. She had been dozing off and on during the nearly hour-long drive to the area, her strength clearly still not back to normal. As she roused and glanced in his direction, the slight flush of her fever was visible even in the dark.

  He was concerned about her role tonight, but he couldn’t have left her home after her plea.

  He motioned to the lot as she gazed at the wooded area.

  “We’ll cut through that stand of trees until we reach the back of Edwards’s home. Then we’ll move toward the front door and catch Edwards off guard when he answers. Is that understood?”

  A curt nod of her head acknowledged his instructions.

  He handed her a spare set of keys and said, “If anything goes wrong, you drive home using the GPS. Wait for Liliana and ask her to call Ramon.”

  She took the keys from his hand and said, “Will do.”

  “Good. Let’s get going.”

  He popped open his door, but the car’s interior lights did not come on, keeping their exit secret from any eyes on the street.

  Caterina immediately ducked into the woods and he followed, but as they left sight of the street, she paused and waited for him to take the lead.

  He did so, but kept his pace moderate, aware of Caterina’s condition. If he was going to push her, it would be when they had to make their escape. He slipped an occasional glance her way, making sure she was with him. Cautious not to make too much sound as they traversed the land behind two of the homes, undetected.

  Ahead lay Edwards’s home and Mick slowed his pace, vigilant for any security systems. As at Wardwell, there were no perimeter alarms. Together they skirted the woods until they were directly behind their intended target.

  There were no lights on, from what was visible of the house or along the back of the building.

  “Do you think anyone is home?” Caterina asked in a low whisper as she leaned toward him.

  Mick brought his index finger to her lips to urge her to remain silent. Her lips were soft and warm. Maybe too warm, but he battled back his apprehension.

  They were committed to the mission now and there was no turning back.

  He eased his hand into the satchel and withdrew his night vision goggles. Slipping them on, he searched for signs of any lights or motion sensors.

  There were lights at the two farthest corners of the large home, but they had no sensors attached to them. They might be time-activated, although if they were, Mick would have set them to come on well before now.

  The area beside the garage was lined with a straight row of fast-growing arborvitae and would provide little coverage. The woods in which they were hiding, however, continued as an arm’s-length-wide strip of trees and underbrush at the opposite side of the home.

  Sufficient cover in which they could hide.

  Bending close to Caterina, Mick whispered, “Follow me.”

  Crouching low, he advanced through the woods and up that strip, Caterina close behind him. Their footfalls were soft against the leaves and underbrush until she stepped on a twig that snapped loudly, like a gunshot in the night. He paused then, as she did, waiting to see if anyone from either home might notice.

  No one did, blissfully convinced of the safety of their suburban environs.

  Their gazes connected and as they did so, Mick realized Caterina had gone camo. A useful trait for tonight’s mission, he thought. Inclining his head toward the home, he indicated they would proceed.

  More carefully, he worked his way through the remaining underbrush and trees until they were beside Edwards’s home. Only a narrow strip of grass and some landscaping around the edge of the edifice separated them from their goal.

  He perused the area with the goggles, but she whispered, “Edwards is home alone.”

  Exactly what the goggles had confirmed. “How did you know?”

  She shook her head and as he met her gaze, he noted the glitter of the inhuman there. She held up her hand before her and glanced in the direction of the nearby house. “I can see multiple shadows there.” Then she pointed to Edwards’s home. “But not in there. There’s only one shadow.”

  Her halo sight, he realized, must be capable of sensing hea
t.

  Caterina waited for his reaction. Tried to curb the fear running rampant through her body that had released her camouflage powers. Powers which she didn’t yet understand.

  Mick cupped her cheek and ran his thumb across the side of her face as if to remind himself of what she was beneath the odd-colored skin.

  “Good job,” he said, the tone of his voice low.

  “Are you ready?” He faced her and for good measure, reached beneath the hem of her black sweater to tug into position the Kevlar vest he had insisted she add for protection. Mick didn’t trust that Edwards wouldn’t be armed.

  Caterina met his gaze square on and nodded. “Ready.”

  He glanced back toward the house and noticed a light going on in one of the rooms.

  Taking hold of Caterina’s hand, he said, “Let’s go.”

  In a low crouch, they circled around the side of the home, cut across the landscaping close to Edwards’s house. They had to duck low to avoid being seen through the two big picture windows in the front. Pausing at the edge of the front-door landing, Mick reached up with a gloved hand and unscrewed one lightbulb, providing Caterina some cover.

  As they had planned during their trip to Edwards’s home, she took a spot in the shadows right by that darkened side of the door. She laid her hands on the red brick and closed her eyes. A furrow appeared in the middle of her forehead as she concentrated. Little by little the transformation took place.

  By the time Mick rang the doorbell, every inch of her visible skin was the rusty red color of the brick along the wall. The black of the vest and sweater blended into the shadows, making her nearly invisible.

  Footsteps sounded from within and Mick took two steps back from the door, wanting to draw Edwards out onto the landing and away from Caterina.

  The muffled beep-beep of someone disarming an alarm system came seconds before the door opened.