Surprisingly, some tears sprang to her eyes, but she dismissed them. As she sped down the open road, she knew there was the option of calling in the police to deal with the matter. But she dismissed the idea very quickly. What had they done in the ten years they had the file? Nothing. And who had ever been able to bring a serious charge against De Leon and make it stick? Nobody. So what was the use of handing it over to the police? Furthermore, De Leon was officially listed in the records as dead. It was very strange how a ghost could have such power over the living in the society.
Her mind was made up. There was no turning back. The sign indicated the desert turn was coming up. She slowed a bit to make sure she did not miss it. She thought it was very smart to hide away in the desert where thousands of caves and other such hiding places existed. One could easily disappear there and not be found for weeks, months or years. This was exactly what De Leon did.
According to the video, her two enemies were holed up in a large cave that they had literally turned into an underground home with all the comforts they needed. There were several smaller caves forming a network and in these hundreds of pounds of drugs were stored and distributed via tunnels running from Mexico to the United States. Setting up such an extensive network had taken years, but they had somehow managed to do it.
Chelsea travelled a few miles off the main highway until she came to an unmarked trail. Here she hid her bike under some shrubs. She would need it on her way out. She was being optimistic, she knew that.
She checked her gun, the spare ammunition and made sure her bullet-proof vest was fastened properly. It might make the difference between life and death. For a moment the thought flashed through her head: Suppose it was a trap and Dean had set her up?
She shook off the thought. She had come too far to turn back now. She would find out one way or the other.
She visualized the rough map that Dean had drawn and began walking. Her eyes scanned the surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. She kept telling herself that everything was going to be all right; that she could do this even though she was alone.
She heard the rumble of thunder overhead suggesting rain. But she ignored it. Rain or shine she was going in. Her right hand hovered over her gun, ready for anything that might turn up. Then she saw the boulder looking somewhat like a grizzly bear raised up on its hind feet as Dean had mentioned in the video. It blended in with the mountain perfectly and served as a marker to the entrance to the network of caves. Her heart quickened.
As she got closer, she heard voices but she did not understand what they were saying. She never learned Spanish at school and now wished she had. Dropping low to the ground, she saw two men walking towards the boulder. They looked like guards with sub-machine guns slung over their shoulders. She looked down at her gun and knew it was not equal to theirs.
Not to be daunted, she came up with an idea. It was still thundering overhead preceded by bright flashes of lightning. She waited until it thundered a few more times, which allowed her to figure out the pattern of the thunder. The next time the lightning flashed she waited a few minutes and then fired twice, killing the two men. The loud crash of thunder masked the sound of the shots and so no one within earshot heard the explosions.
She quickly moved forward and managed to haul the bodies to one side and throw some bushes over them. She hid their weapons and approached the entrance to the caves. The boulder was huge but on searching she found a lever that when pressed shifted the boulder and she was able to squeeze through the narrow passage.
There was enough light for her to see and she found herself in a kind of entrance hall with several passages forking off into different directions. In the video, Dean had told her to take the fifth one on the left and so she began walking and counting them off. She pressed herself to the wall so as not to be readily seen by anyone who might turn up unexpectedly.
The fifth tunnel was narrower than the one she had come from and she crept along it cautiously. She listened carefully for any sound, but all was silent. No one seemed to be there, but she knew she had come to the right place. Moving into the corner closest to the entrance she stayed there and waited – but what she was waiting for she did not know.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Patience is also a form of action. ~ Auguste Rodin
The hours stretched endlessly as Emma sat in the waiting room doing just that- waiting. Pierce had been whisked off to surgery over two hours ago and she did not have all the details, only that he had an accident while on duty and he was badly hurt. On hearing the news, she hurried back to town. The children were still with her brother where she knew they would be safe.
Her tears were interspersed with questions. Why did this have to happen to him? He was a wonderful husband and father – loyal, caring, everything you could ever want. Now his life was hanging in the balance. She knew when you married a cop, this was part of the territory, but she always hoped it would not happen to her.
Her head ached, her mind was in chaos and she felt powerless to do anything. She felt as if she was going crazy. She heard footsteps coming toward her.
“Mrs. Carson… “
It was one of the surgeons she had met earlier. His face was serious and her heart skipped several beats as she got up and faced him.
“First, I must tell you that your husband is going to live.”
She let out a long sigh of relief. But there was more to come, she could tell. It was following first the good news, then the bad news pattern.
“However, he had extensive trauma to his spinal cord and there is a chance he may never be able to walk again.”
There was a sharp intake of breath as the news hit her like a punch to the stomach and her knees nearly buckled.
Weakly she asked, “Does he know this, doctor?”
“No, because we were not sure until we went in.”
“When can I see him?’
“Soon. He is being taken to the ICU and should be waking up soon.”
“Thank you,” she said as he walked away.
Trembling, she sat down to absorb the news. She could not imagine Pierce not being able to walk again. She was relieved that he was alive, yet saddened by the thought of him not being able to move around. More importantly, how would he take the news? Pierce was a proud and fiercely independent man. To be disabled and dependent would hurt him terribly.
An hour later, Emma entered the ICU to find her husband hooked up to several machines. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be asleep. She pulled up a seat and gently intertwined her fingers with his. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes.
He looked at her tenderly and somewhat scared. He attempted to cover up his feelings, but was not successful.
“Em”, he whispered.
“I’m here.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I have been run over by a steam roller.”
“Well, if it is any comfort to you, the doctor says you’ll make it.”
For a moment there was silence between them. Emma struggled as to how he was going to react when he learned about the possibility of not being able to walk again.
He squeezed her hand, “Em,” he said in a voice thick with emotion. “I can’t feel my legs.”
She got up and kissed him on the forehead while still holding his hand. “I know, the doctors told me. There was some sort of injury to your spine and it … they say you might never walk again.”
She saw the light die in his eyes and she could not keep back the tears any longer. After a while, she tried to console him.
“I will love you no matter what happens to you. You are my wonderful husband and the father to our beautiful children. Together we will get through this.”
“I am not a whole man anymore.” He lamented.
“Yes, you are, Pierce! Even if you can never walk again, it will make no difference. I love you for what is inside. You have a good heart. You are everything to me and our daughters.”
Pierce only no
dded but did not speak. He was thinking about everything that had happened concerning this case that started out as what seemed like a regular homicide, but had expanded into something much larger and deadlier than any of them could have imagined. One death had turned into many, and Chelsea’s past was somehow mixed up with it. Whilst she seemed to be a target for the killers, the poison had spread to affect his own private life.
Then he thought about his colleagues who were on the search of the building with him. He looked at his wife who seemed to be able to read his mind.
“Everyone got out of the building all right,” she informed him.
She noticed that he still had that worried look on his face. Something was still bothering him.
“Want to share it?” She asked.
He shook his head and fell silent. How could he begin to explain Chelsea’s obsession with revenge and his tacit agreement that she personally go after De Leon? He wondered what she and Dean were up to and hoped they were safe. He also wondered about the potential replacement officers to take over the case while he was on sick leave.
Emma sensed he did not want to tell her because it would be worse than her not knowing. It must be something very awful if telling her would be worse than not telling. She wished she could help.
“Pierce, you can tell me anything. I hope you know that.”
“I do know that, but I will not burden you with unnecessary details. Besides it is probably better for you not to know everything related to my work.”
She had to accept that for the time being. He would talk whenever he was ready. For the moment she had to focus on how they were going to proceed as a family from this point onward, especially if Pierce was not able to walk again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
In each moment the fire rages, it will burn away a hundred veils. And carry you a thousand steps toward your goal. ~ Rumi
Finally, Chelsea’s long wait paid off. She heard footsteps approaching and not long after she saw De Leon enter the cave. She hid behind a huge box in the corner and watched as he continued to walk forward. It would have been so easy to kill him there and then, but she did not. She needed some answers, then it would be time enough.
Jumping on him suddenly, she knocked him to the ground and he landed on his face. With the gun at his temple, she forced him onto his back. For a split moment there was a glimmer of fear, but he quickly recovered himself.
“Miss Preston, indeed. And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” His voice was mocking.
“You know why I am here,” she snarled. “Before I blow your brains out, I want some answers.”
There was a sudden shift in his gaze and she realized that something was amiss. As she tried to glance around she sensed someone behind her and heard the click of a gun.
“So you have come looking for us?” She was staring in the face of Galvez.
“Don’t look so surprised. We were expecting you. We suspected Weston might have told you where to find us, so we were prepared. As for him, he seemed to have died for nothing.”
Noting the surprise and confusion on her face at the mention of Weston’s name, Galvez laughed. He motioned for her to stand up. This she did, leaving her gun on the ground.
De Leon got up too from where she had knocked him down and was straightening and brushing of his clothes.
“See little girl, you’re in over your head. We’re always five steps ahead and we stay that way by the help of your own people in the police department.” De Leon was smirking as he spoke.
“One day you’ll lose. You can’t go on forever,” she said.
“Maybe, but right now we are winning. This war will never end because the people in your country are greedy and corrupt.” It was Galvez speaking.
“There’ll always be the fat cats that sit above you who know where the real money is and go after it. Or why else would they stage the death of one of their most wanted fugitives?”
“Not everyone is like that.” Chelsea protested.
“Agreed, there may be a few like you. But what about your uncle Isaac? He loved the money but thought foolishly that he could break free whenever he wanted. But that was where he erred. We don’t leave loose ends hanging.”
“Like Dean and my parents?” She was not far from tears.
“Exactly.”
“You could have just killed Isaac since he was involved. But my parents, they were innocent.”
“Let’s say we call that collateral damage. Sometimes seeing your loved ones suffer is more painful than death itself.”
She lunged at them screaming, “Monsters! You’re horrible monsters!”
De Leon slapped her hard and she fell. Her head ached and although she was down, she still sought her answers. The two men decided to humor her. After all, when all this was over, they knew exactly what was going to happen.
As Chelsea groped around for something to hold on to in order to stand up again, her hand brushed against her gun that had fallen from her grasp when Galvez had surprised her. She picked it up and held it behind her back which was against the wall. Then slowly, she rose to a standing position, as if holding on to the wall for support.
“You have been watching me the entire time I was growing up and I want to know why.” She was speaking to De Leon.
“You should already know the answer.”
“You wanted to know what I was up to in case I remembered something.” It was more a statement than a question.
“The moment you remembered anything, it would have been your death warrant.” De Leon told her.
“I see, so my trying to find my parents’ killer made you come after me.”
“Brilliant!” Galvez clapped both hands in mock congratulations.
Fuming, Chelsea shouted, “I will kill you.”
“No you won’t. Look around. There are two of us and one of you. We are men and you are a woman. And you belong in the kitchen and if you had stayed there none of this would happen.”
Galvez let out a peal of laughter when he said this. “And maybe your boyfriend would not have died.”
“Dean made his choice and dug his own grave.” She spat back at him.
“All in an effort to protect you, no doubt.”
“I’m not sure about that. This could be a trap that he set up to get me to you.” Chelsea said this, no longer sure whose side Dean was on. Her doubts were returning.
“Are you telling me you did not have any feelings for him at all?” De Leon asked.
“I did, but he betrayed me.”
“I have no doubt he did. But he also betrayed us. Do you know what we do with traitors?” Then turning to Galvez, he said, “Do you want to tell her another reason why we choose the desert as our hide-out?”
“Most certainly, I will. Because there are so many places where we can get rid of a body. We can bury you deep in the sand, we can let the desert animals feast on you or we can throw you in the sinkhole over there. It’s like a bottomless pit and maybe it leads to hell. Who knows?”
He let out a raucous laugh as he saw a sliver of terror on her face. She remained silent.
“As I was saying, Miss Preston, when people get in my way, they have to be removed. And I want you to know that you’re in my way now.”
De Leon was standing right before her and looking her full in the face. She backed further against the wall. She saw death in his eyes.
Chelsea realized that if she was going to make a move she had to make it soon. She tried to buy some more time to steady her nerves for what she was about to do.
“How could you kill your own son, Mr. De Leon, and his girlfriend? Have you no heart?”
“I lost my heart quite some time back, I’m afraid. And as for Austin, he betrayed me - wanting to leave the family business, all because of some high and mighty girl whom he met and who thought she was too good for us. She wanted to change him and he was only too willing to oblige her.”
For a brief moment De Leon paused, as if regretting what he ha
d done. Although Galvez had his gun trained on her all the time they were talking, he was less cautious since he knew she had no chance of escaping.
Chelsea seized the moment, pulled the gun from behind her back and fired rapidly at both men. Galvez’s gun roared into life too and she went down in a hail of bullets.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow. ~ Euripides
Dean came awake to find a bright light above him and to hear the beeping of monitors. That meant he was alive. He remembered firing at Parker and feeling some burning sensation as he took cover in the dark of the cemetery. After making sure that Parker was dead, he managed to drag himself out to the road near the entrance of the cemetery. There he passed out.
He had to find Chelsea. He tried to get up, but the pain made him fall back into the bed. Just then the doctor walked in.
“Hello, Mr. Weston, glad to see you’re awake. You’re a lucky man. The bullet-proof vest you were wearing helped to deflect the bullets from your chest and so your vital organs.”
Dean thanked his lucky stars he had taken that cautionary step. He hoped Chelsea had done the same.
“We have cleaned and stitched up the wounds in your arm and shoulder so you’ll be laid up for a few weeks, and then you’ll be as good as new.”
“Can I leave right now, Doctor? Someone I know is in serious trouble and needs my help.” He sat up and fell back as the pain in his shoulder gripped him.
“If it is that serious, call the police for help.”
“I am the police and I am the only person who knows where to find her.”
“Look, you are not in any condition to play hero tonight. So just lie back and take it easy.”
To make sure that this happened, the doctor gave him an injection. He watched as the doctor walked away. He was worried sick about Chelsea. He had to go find her. He was sure she needed help. Oh, God. What was he thinking when he sent her off alone to face those two blood thirsty bastards!
Romantic Thriller: Only Time Will Tell – A Romantic Suspense and Romantic Mystery Book: (Thriller Romance, Suspense, Mystery Romance, Suspense Romance) Page 11