Then Tower stepped in, Dianne Connolly and Timothy Yang behind him. “Ms. Connolly, Mr. Yang, I’d like to introduce Gabriela—your Sister María.”
Dianne’s hand flew to her mouth—and she burst into tears.
Tim stared at Gabriela as if she were a ghost.
“I’m so glad to see you both.” Gabriela walked over to them, hugged Dianne, and shook Tim’s hand. “I’ve wanted to contact you for a long time, but it just wasn’t possible. Please, come and sit. We’ve got tea and coffee.”
Tower introduced the men, using first names only. “Dylan. Malik. Lev. These three made up the reconnaissance team for your rescue—with help from Gabriela.”
Dianne and Tim thanked each of them in turn and then sat on the sofa.
Gabriela spoke first. “As Mr. Tower has explained, my life depends on you speaking about this to no one—and not just my life, but the lives of good people in Venezuela, the US, and Peru.”
“We understand.” Dianne took a tissue out of her handbag, dabbed her eyes. “I thought … I thought for sure you were dead somewhere. I thought they were going to tell me you’d been killed. I was expecting the worst.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Tower explained. “We’re breaking a bunch of rules to have this face-to-face with you. As I already mentioned, we’re doing this for two reasons. The first is that it’s important to Gabriela that you not worry. The second is that your continual search for Sister María is a threat to Gabriela’s security.”
Dianne was nothing if not persistent. She’d come dangerously close to discovering that Gabriela was a US citizen. She’d even tried to interview Mother Beatrice. Both the Agency and Cobra had agreed that something had to be done.
Tim cleared his throat, a telltale sheen in his eyes. “We understand.”
Dianne gave a little laugh. “I’m going to hazard a guess here and say you’re an agent of some sort and not a nun at all.”
Gabriela chose her words carefully. “I was working in Venezuela when we were abducted. I did everything I could to keep you safe and make a bad situation less miserable for you—though it didn’t feel like enough.”
Okay, she hadn’t planned on saying that last part, but it was true.
“If it hadn’t been for you…” Tears streamed down Dianne’s cheeks again. “Damn it! I told myself I wasn’t going to cry.”
Gabriela touched a hand to her arm. “It’s okay. You’ve been through an ordeal.”
Gabriela had shed plenty of tears of her own since then.
Tim finished what Dianne had tried to say. “If it hadn’t been for you, it would have been so much worse. The way you stood up to them…I wish I’d been that brave.”
“I’m glad I was able to help.” Gabriela then told them how she’d become aware of the Cobra team across the street and how she’d worked to get information and the key to the doors into their hands.
Tower stepped in. “Gabriela enabled us to rescue you must faster than we otherwise might. She let us know where you were being held, gave us intel about the building and the number of hostiles, and then got us that key.”
Dianne gaped at her. “You did all that?”
Dylan chuckled. “Yeah, we were pretty amazed, too.”
“I know you said no questions, but… Well, I can’t help it.” Dianne shrugged. “What happened? Why weren’t you on the helicopter?”
Gabriela told her how Pitón had tried to run off with her and how Dylan had stopped him. “But then some paramilitaries arrived and cut us off from the rest of you. We had to hide and then make our way out of the country without Cobra’s help. It took us another four days to reach safety.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ve spent every day since then imagining the worst. I’ve prayed for you every night.” Dianne looked embarrassed to admit this. “You’re not truly a nun, so you probably think that’s silly.”
“No, I don’t. Thank you. I pray. I’ve prayed for you, too—both of you.”
After that, Gabriela listened to Dianne and Tim talk about the changes in their lives since the abduction, the aftermath of terror. Nightmares. Anxiety. Difficulty focusing. An obsession with news about Venezuela.
“Did you see the headlines?” Dianne asked. “It looks like the president is out. His brother-in-law is giving evidence against him. The all-powerful Andes Cartel that worked with him is in tatters. Things are changing.”
Gabriela smiled. “Yes, they are.”
Then it was over.