3
Pitón shoved Gabriela so hard that she fell to the floor and struck her cheek. “You stupid bitch! Stay inside!”
Topo was there to help her up. “If you hurt her, the Boss will have your balls. She just wanted to see the rain.”
“Why does she need to see the rain? It’s just rain,güevón. If she goes outside, someone might see her and recognize her from the news.”
That had been precisely the point—to let anyone who might have the warehouse under surveillance see that she was here. Delta Force usually handled hostage rescues, and there was no way they would charge in without knowing for certain that the hostages were here. Then again, the US wouldn’t risk getting caught on Venezuelan soil.
There might not be a rescue.
Gabriela straightened her tunic, doing her best to seem unfazed, her cheek throbbing. “Thank you, Topo.”
“I’m sorry,Hermana.”
She turned and faced Pitón. “I forgive you.”
His face reddened, and he opened his mouth to speak.
Gabriela cut him off. “You treat me like a prisoner, but I am no man’s captive. I can do God’s work, no matter where I am. There is no reason to behave like a guard dog. I would not try to escape and leave the hostages alone with you.”
With that, she turned her back to him, determined to show him that he didn’t scare her. Her words seemed to have had their desired effect. When she glanced back, Pitón stood there, his eyes burning not with lust, but with loathing.
She’d made an enemy of him. She’d dressed him down in front of the other men. He wasn’t the kind of man to put up with that. He would want to get even.
But not today.
She made her way downstairs and sank down on her blankets, the throb in her cheek now a headache.
Dianne noticed first. “What happened?”
Gabriela touched her fingers to her cheek. “I stepped outside to see the rain. One of the men didn’t like it. He dragged me inside and shoved me. I fell and hit my cheek on the floor.”
Tim leaned in. “You’re probably going to have a black eye. The bastards. Er… Sorry, Sister.”
“Do not be sorry.” Gabriela wished she had some ice. “God knows you are under great distress. Besides, I think you may be right. Some of them might be bastards.”
She smiled at the shocked expressions on their faces. “Do you think I’ve never used profanity before?”
“What made you decide to be a nun?” Dianne asked.
Under Gordito’s glowering watch, Gabriela told them the story—how she’d known from an early age that she wanted something different for herself, how she’d always loved church, how her priest had arranged for her to meet a religious sister one Sunday after Mass.
“Sister Benedicta invited me to visit her convent. I knew from the moment I stepped inside and felt the peacefulness that this was the life I was seeking.”
Gabriela had told the story a hundred times and knew she was convincing. She’d spent months preparing for this assignment. But there was one element of truth in it.
She’d been a restless teen and had, indeed, wanted more from life. She’d studied law enforcement, thinking she might be a detective or work for the FBI. But the Agency had recruited her after graduation, their interest piqued by her linguistic skills and her ties to Venezuela. She hadn’t looked back.
“You’re so young.” Tim looked like he felt sorry for Gabriela. “Aren’t you going to wish one day that you had a husband or children?”
How like a guy to think that all a woman needed to be happy was a guy.
“The world is full of children who need food, shelter, and love. Those are my children, and I love them all. I know my own mind. For me, there is no love like the love of God.”
Dianne smiled, looked over at Tim. “Is that hard for your male ego?”
It was apparent the two had worked together for years and were good friends.