I pointed at Vicki, then Amy. “I’ve seen them on the news,” I said. “She’s a diver or something? American?”
He put two more photos down. “You know these men?”
“Paco and Hector. They work for my husband; it was Hector who showed me the safe room yesterday, and Paco was sitting down there at the security desk.”
“When was the last time you saw them?”
“I saw Hector when I came home from work. He told me to wait in the bedroom for my husband before he locked me in.”
“I see.” Reaching over, he unlocked the handcuffs. “Your story checked out, although your coworkers at the hospital are upset you got married and didn’t tell them.”
“Hernando told me not to tell anyone, and we’d have a big wedding in a few months.”
“Mr. Vespucci is dead, Consuela. Hernando, Hector, and Paco all killed themselves rather than face trial over the kidnapping of the six American girls.”
I shook my head. “No, it can’t be.”
“I’m afraid it is. Your lawyer will escort you out.”
I stared at the door and started crying as the detective walked out. A few minutes later, a merman in his late twenties walked in the door. “Francisco de Leon, at your service, Mrs. Vespucci.”
“Consuela, please. I never had a chance to get used to my new name.”
“If you would come with me, we can get you out of here.” He walked me out of the police station and past the cameras and reporters shouting questions at me. His driver pulled away as soon as we were inside. “Sorry about that, but there’s a lot of international press interest in your husband.”
“Why?”
“Billionaire Mexican businessman holding four teenage Americans as sex slaves? It’s only going to get worse.”
“Oh, God,” I said as I leaned back in the seat. “I just want to go home.”
“The mansion is a crime scene. I’m going to put you in a hotel for now, and my assistant will get you some clothing. Stay inside the room, and say nothing. Let me deal with the police and the press.”
I did, even though watching the news was heartbreaking. I saw the girls as the police took them out, and Master Pontalba and his people somehow kept Vespucci’s supernatural existence out. My dead husband was outed as a twisted fuck who abused girls and sold them into slavery.
Emily visited twice to update me on vampire matters, each time bringing me a bag of blood. She assured me that if I didn’t want to be part of the Mexico City coven now, I had options. “I’d take you in Boston in a heartbeat,” she told me.
“Do you trust Master Alessandro?”
“Yes. More importantly, Vicki does.” She handed me a debit card and a phone from her purse. “There is one hundred and twenty-two thousand in this account, payment for the items the Vampire Council took from your home before the police arrived. It’s a corporate account, completely untraceable, as is the phone.” She then handed me an American passport. “A new identity, should you need it. Keep this hidden, just in case.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve finished my work here, so I’m flying out tonight.” She had used her power to guide the investigation away from me and the existence of supernatural beings. “My number’s on the phone; call me if you need help.”
As she left, I realized this gave me options. I could disappear, leaving the money and the drama behind if I wanted. I hesitated to do this because it was a LOT of money. Hernando left behind hundreds of millions of dollars in assets, and I knew the money was better off with me than a Coven leader.
I met with my lawyer after New Year’s. I’d fed twice, both times from unsuspecting delivery people who wouldn’t remember a thing. “Your passport,” he said as he handed it over to me. “The case is closed, and the authorities are not charging you for what your husband did.”
“Good. Book me a first-class ticket to Sydney, please. I need to get far away from here.”
“Of course, Consuela.” He made a call, then turned back to me. “What of your home? Your husband’s fortune?”
“Liquidate it, and place it into an account for me. You have my limited power of attorney.” It allowed him to act as my agent to sell Vespucci’s estate.
His eyes got wide. “It will take a while to get a full accounting, especially as the government is still trying to determine if any of the money came from illegal sources. They’re going to soak you for taxes if you move it offshore.”
“I’m never coming back to Mexico, Francisco. Keep me posted on the progress; I’m leaving in the morning.”
I was now one of the richest single females in the world, heading as far away as I could get from the nightmare my life had become.
******
Vicki Lawrence’s POV
I didn’t see the rest of the girls before they left. Alpha Steven was still in Cancun for cleanup. He stayed to help Esmerelda and Master Monique Robinson remove any evidence of a vampire presence.
Alpha Steven did hire a jet to take the twins, Amy, Carly, and his remaining Pack members back to Eugene. The girls went straight from the police station to the airport and would rejoin the Three Sisters Pack as soon as they met with Luna Carolyn. With the FBI and the American Embassy helping hide them, the press didn’t know they were gone until they were in the air.
Fiona was still at the hospital and kept me informed via the link of how she was doing. They took X-rays, and she saw a doctor. Fiona had two cracked ribs from one of them kicking her; she’d never let on that her injuries were that bad. How she was able to throw a knife accurately with cracked ribs, I’d never know. The doctor taped her up and released her with a bottle of Tylenol 500’s for pain. Those rapists had worked her over good; her body would heal, but she’d never get her virginity back.
“Alpha, I’m leaving for the airport with Joseph, Nicholas’ parents, and the rest of our Pack members,” Fiona linked me late in the morning. “We’ve got a flight to Los Angeles in a few hours, then a stop in Sydney before connections to Melbourne and Adelaide.”
“Have a good flight,” I told her.
“Thirty-three plus hours of travel time by definition isn’t a good flight,” she complained. “It’s no wonder I never found Joseph before now, with him hiding on the other side of the world. I still can’t believe what I did when I finally DID find him.”
“You have your mate, Fiona. You can get married, have children, and create something special down under.” I could sense her longing for pups through the Pack link. “What you did for us will not be forgotten. Nicholas and I have vacated the remainder of your punishment. Go home and claim your mate as soon as his divorce is final.”
“Thank you, Alpha.”
“I’ll see you at the wedding,” I promised.
“You might need to have a press conference before you go, Vicki. It’s a zoo out front with all the cameras. They even wanted ME to talk, but I don’t get paid to be out front,” she told me.
“Thanks a lot, Fiona.” The press angle would need handling. I reached out to Nicholas, asking him to talk to my publicist and Linda about how I should handle them.
I was finally released in the afternoon, as the fluids and food helped stabilize my blood pressure at an acceptable level. I asked the hospital to set up a podium outside for a press statement; they gladly complied, happy to be getting rid of the circus out there. Adrienne had dropped off some clothes for me, so I changed while she and Leo went to get the car. I got dressed in a conservative Bodyglove shark print dress with grey heels while Nicholas gathered my discharge papers. I sat in a wheelchair, and Nicholas walked alongside me as the nurse pushed me into the hall.
We went out the front door, and I stood up and took Nicholas’ hand as the press corps gathered around and shouted questions. I walked to the podium and held up my hand until they quieted down. “Hello, everyone,” I said quietly. “I want to start by wishing you all a Merry Christmas. This Christmas will always be special to me because it is the day my friends and I got rescued from a fate worse than death. One moment I was excitedly talking to my friends about diving this incredible cenote, and then I was watching in horror as bandits killed our guide in cold blood. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of Juan and Santiago, who don’t get to go home.”
I paused for a moment, wiping away a tear. I squeezed Nicholas’s hand and moved back to the microphone. “The girls and I survived, thanks to family and friends who never gave up looking, and the swift actions of the Mexican Federal Police to rescue us. They are all heroes to me, along with the anonymous caller to the tip line that set the rescue in motion. I’d like to thank everyone involved today, including the staff here at Angeles Metropolitano. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to spend some time with my fiancé and my family. Thank you.”
The press shouted questions, but I wasn’t taking them. Nicholas pulled me into his side and led me through the crowd and into the waiting car. Colleen pulled out before the door even closed, and a minute later, verified we had no tails. “Nice job on the press conference,” Leo said from the passenger seat.
“I still get nervous every time a camera goes on that I’m not controlling,” I said.
“Well, Linda’s been busy. She wanted me to tell you that the season-ending episode of your show is going to be huge.” The last episode was supposed to be our final tour stop in Acapulco, but now it would be our kidnapping and rescue. “Your publicist wants to know when you can sit for an interview with the press. She’s fielding calls from every major network and news show, and Discovery Channel wants to promote your series with this.”
Our series wasn’t premiering until Sweeps Week in February. “What’s the schedule for us?”