Joe shook his head. “I knew he was going to kill me anyway. I was willing to die with the truth if it meant protecting my family and friends.”
“I’m glad it didn’t come to that. Why did you send me the text yesterday?”
“I overheard men outside my door talking specifically about you. I could tell one of them was Miguel Cortez. That’s when I realized you were searching for answers about me and how dangerous it was for you and the girls if you didn’t stop. I felt desperate. The boy came in later. I gave him the cash in my shoe and sent the text. But you clearly didn’t listen to me.”
I gave him a small smile. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
Joe started to chuckle but then began coughing.
“Take it easy,” I encouraged him.
He reached over and grabbed my hand. “Thank you, son.”
I squeezed his hand, fought back tears.
At this point, Greta entered the room and walked over to stand next to me beside Joe’s bed. He looked up at her, and they shared a quiet moment.
“You look like hell, Joe,” she said.
“Thanks for coming, Greta.”
“Yeah, well, I needed a vacation anyway. And I’ve always liked Mexico.”
They both smiled. Greta was no longer wearing her hoodie. She was in her gray T-shirt. I spotted the white bandage wrapped around her right arm.
“Are you okay?” I asked her, nodding toward the bandage.
“Flesh wound. I’ve seen much worse.”
“So what do we do now?” I asked her.
“A team is coming to get us. They’ll be here in about an hour. They’ll take Joe back to Brownsville and allow him to walk himself into a hospital there, where he’ll tell the authorities he just escaped from his abductors. Joe will know nothing other than he’s been kept in a dark room somewhere near Matamoros the past week, where they’ve beaten him up real good. You understand me, Joe?”
He nodded. “I understand.”
“What about Miguel Cortez?” I asked.
She looked over at me. “We will take care of Cortez privately.”
“We meaning . . .”
“Yes,” she answered, clearly knowing I was asking about the CIA.
“What about me being suspected of a crime here?”
“We’ll handle that, too.”
“What does that mean?”
“It will go away.”
“What? Like it never happened?”
“Yes, all of this will go away. Like none of it ever happened.”
My mouth dropped. “You can really do that?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“So, what, we just go back to our lives in Austin?”
“Correct. And never tell a soul about any of this.”
“Will we be safe?” Joe asked her.
Greta nodded. “I’ll keep some guys around you for a little while, just to make sure of it. But I doubt you’ll see any trouble once we handle Cortez.”
Something told me that Miguel Cortez was not going to be officially arrested. But I didn’t ask any further questions. I didn’t want to know what take care of Cortez privately really meant.
“What about the money?” Joe asked. “I don’t even know where Ethan put the rest of it.”
“We’ll find it,” Greta said. “Although I doubt you’ll be getting it back. The agency often plays by ‘finders keepers’ rules.”
“They can have it,” Joe replied. “Believe me, I never wanted it to begin with. I’m glad to be free of that burden. But why are you doing this, Greta? You’re risking way too much.”
Greta sighed, pressed her lips together. “Because if I’d have jumped in sooner, Ethan might still be alive. I have to live with that regret, but I won’t make the mistake again, even if this ends up causing issues for my husband.”
“I’m grateful to you,” Joe said.
Greta leaned down, gently kissed him on the forehead. “Rest up. We ship out of here shortly. You have a long journey ahead of you.”
Then she walked back out of the room.
I shook my head. “She really is something else, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is,” Joe said.
“So I guess we’re supposed to keep this secret between us?”
Joe looked up at me with wet eyes. “Listen, son, that’s up to you. No matter what Greta said. I’ve already made my bed. I love Carol. I want to protect her from all of this. I still think it’s for the best. But I would never ask you to do the same thing with Taylor. You have to make that decision for yourself.”