“So,” it starts to make sense. “He finds out he has a son he never thought he had and wants him to groom.”
“That’s my view. With no chance of having any other children, Drew’s the only male bloodline he has left.” Devil waits for a moment for that to sink in. “Seems like his wife, Mariana’s mother, kept her mouth shut as to where her two children were. But there’s a price on Mariana’s head. He’s had people looking for years. Luckily his contacts in the States aren’t that strong or haven’t much reach. So far, they’ve been unable to find her.”
The news makes me suck in a breath. “If she’s sent back…”
Devil’s face grows grim. “His network is far more extensive in Colombia. Government officials in his pay. He’ll know she’s back as soon as she steps in the country. Probably even before that, if her name appears on any deportee list that will need to be cleared by their immigration, or any application for her to get a Colombian passport or visa.”
“He’ll want to use her to get Drew to go to him. If he thinks he can persuade her,” I shake my head, “he’s got no idea about her at all.”
“If he gets his hands on her, he’ll use her as an inducement in some way or another.” Devil seems unaffected that we’re discussing the fate of the woman I’ve promised to marry. “If Drew knew she was being harmed, I doubt he could keep away.”
“Drew’s not going anywhere,” I tell him forcefully, clenching my hands. “And neither is Mariana. With this information, there must be some way to keep her Stateside.”
“Are there plans to take The Procurer out?” Drum steps in, a warning look in my direction.
“We knowwhohe is, but not where he holes up,” Devil explains.
A really bad feeling starts growing inside me. “If Mariana returns to Colombia, he’ll know, and he’ll take her.” I stand so fast my chair rocks backwards and falls with a crash. “You bastard,” I roar, leaning over Devil and getting into his face. “You’re going to fuckin’ use her, aren’t you?”
See? I can put information together too.Of course, that’s their plan.
“Sit down, Brother,” Drum says sharply, then turns to Devil. “If that’s what you intend to do, I like it as little as Mouse does. Haven’t met her myself, but from what Mouse has said, she’s young, innocent, and not equipped to be an international spy.”
Devil shrugs. “She won’t go without backup. Remember the GPS locator we used for Sam…?”
Drummer humphs loudly. “Like that worked well, I can’t forget we almost lost her, Devil. I recall you and I havin’ words about that.”
Instead of being cowed, Devil leans forward, and his eyes find mine. “Chances are she’ll be deported, Mouse. If we get her onside, we can make sure she’s protected.”
“Chances are if she’s got a credible reason to be afraid of returning, the judge will let her stay,” I fire back. “I’m telling her lawyer.”
“And put yourself in the sights of the CIA?” Devil challenges. “You’ll be blowing up a plan we,they’vebeen working on for years. You’ll gain nothing from that.”
I’m thinking fast. “How about keeping Mariana here and using a decoy instead? Someone who’s trained and can deal with this shit.”
“You’re missing the fact that no matter what you say she could be deported. Her mother lost her plea for asylum and was sent back to a bloody rapist. Haven’t got much sway over what the judge determines or what mood he’s in on the day. Isn’t it better to have her onside so she can help us?”
Again I stand, this time placing my hands flat on the table. “And you’re talking about the woman I’ve claimed. The woman I want to be my wife. What do you expect me to fuckin’ do? Live apart? Go make a life for myself in Colombia? Once she’s deported, she can’t come back for five years at least.”
Drum raises his eyebrows at Devil. “Man means what he says, Devil. He’s serious about the girl. I can’t lose him from the club. Don’t know what you have to do to get her out of this mess, but I say, you fix it. Don’t like putting bitches in danger. Mouse has given you enough, the identity of this Procurer you’ve been seeking. You owe him for that.”
“She can’t do it, Devil.” For the second time, I find myself planting my ass in the chair. “She’s been living on her nerves all her life, I want her to feel easier, not make things worse. The life’s already gone out of her.” I want her here with me, so I can start building her back up. Taking away that fear she’s lived withfor years. “I know her. Any suggestion of her coming face to face with the man who killed her mother, she’ll completely shatter. My assessment? Too risky. Unless you don’t give a damn. One more immigrant out of the country and what’s the value of one life?”
“You look here,” Devil snarls, taking me by surprise. “I’m not from the US. Don’t give a damn about your immigration policies. Don’t give one fuck whether she stays here in a house with a picket fence or not. What I do care about is the hundreds of people separated from their families and turned into slaves, I do care about people being killed by others equipping their private armies, and the amount of drugs on the streets. You say she’s worth more than that?”
“That’s what he’s saying,” Drummer points out. “You caught me in this trap once before, Devil. Yeah, so that turned out right in the end, but it could have gone south. Find another way, Devil. If you want to help Mouse, get a statement from the CIA to confirm there’s a credible threat to Mariana if she returns, help her to stay. But if you want to rely on me and my help in the future, do not set her up.”
Devil shoots him a look which speaks volumes, but doesn’t offer any commitment one way or the other.
Chapter 23
Mariana
Was I wrong to refuse to see Drew or Tse?I turn the question over and over in my mind, changing my view on the answer as many times as I ask myself. The reasoning that I was right comes back to me time after time. If I’m never going to see them again, better get used to it sooner rather than later. If all I have to rely on is myself, best I start now.
I’m depressed, and it doesn’t take the time I’ve been studying as a nurse to understand that. Then again, most of the people around me are all trying to come to terms with their likely fate. That the system’s not letting me go even now that I’ve been proved innocent seems to have sealed my future. This country, the home I’ve only ever known, is determined to get rid of me.
Apart from Tse and his people, apart from the blacks who were brought here as slaves, everyone in the States is an immigrant or a relatively recent descendant of one. Do they have less compassion due to that fact, that they don’t want anyone else to enjoy the advantages they had? Is it because my features are Hispanic, my skin not white, that they want me to leave?
