Page 56 of Safeguarding the Witness

“Wait.” Mollie maneuvered her body so she was sitting up. Her head was on a level with her sister’s. Face-to-identical-face. Her shoulder continued to bleed, and she became aware of dizziness and throbbing pain. “You’re not going back to your office.”

“Excuse you, Mollie girl. You don’t get to tell me what I’m going to do.” She swabbed her cheeks and gave a signature toss of her head, sending ripples through her shoulder-length hair. “I’m a very, very successful businesswoman.”

“No doubt.” Mollie truly believed her. She knew that Madison was capable of intense focus and brilliant goal setting. “I’m sure you realize that partnering with Julio Flores wasn’t an ace move. Even if you haven’t broken any laws, you need to be accountable.”

“Yeah, sure.”

The smug, self-satisfied tone was unmistakable. Mollie figured that her twin was—as usual—thinking several steps ahead and plotting a way to get out of trouble. Madison had probably set up offshore accounts and investments to protect her finances. Mollie nodded. “You’ve got it covered.”

“I want you to know,” Madison said, “I never arranged to be kidnapped by Julio. He did that on his own because he was obsessed with me. And I didn’t plan the explosion on the yacht and faking our deaths. I mean, really, why would I want to blow up a gorgeous boat?”

“Were you in love with him?”

“Yes. At first. He gave me expensive gifts. Diamonds, Mollie. Gold chains. Precious gems. I had designer gowns and handmade shoes.”

“You were Princesa.”

And Julio was her handsome man—a bad boy she planned to turn into a shining star. Mollie wondered how long it took for her sister to realize that Julio was too seriously flawed to become what she wanted.

“One more thing,” Madison said, “I never broke the law. I’m not a criminal. I didn’t take part in his drug dealing and the horrendous human trafficking projects. I never knowingly harmed anyone.”

“Hard to believe.” Mollie winced as she looked down at her still-bleeding shoulder. “Are you sure you didn’t set the explosives to destroy the cabin?”

“As soon as I figured out what Julio was doing, I came here to stop him. He used some kind of remote device to get past the security. I tried to leave you a warning so you could all get out and make a run for it.”

“As soon as we were out the door, we were fired upon.”

“I’m sorry, so sorry,” Madison said. “The bomb was Julio’s doing. He was furious about the pepper spray. His problem. Not mine.”

Spence joined them. He seemed to be careful not to get too close to Madison, and Mollie remembered that he didn’t think she was a good kisser. Take that, sis. You’re second best.

“We have a little problem,” he said. “The pilot took a bullet and needs to lie down.”

“The copilot?”

“Doesn’t know how to fly a helo. He came along as a shooter.”

With an edge of panic, Madison said, “Who’s at the controls?”

“The pilot. For the moment.”

Proudly, Mollie said, “Spence can fly this bird.”

He squeezed Mollie’s hand. “Can you hold out for a little while longer? I’d rather not try a landing on the helipad at the hospital.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Grandpa’s house.”

“Let’s do it.” She couldn’t resist giving him a brief kiss and hoped Madison noticed their easy intimacy.

“Nice,” Madison said when Spence had returned to the cockpit. “I’m happy for you, Mollie. Looks like you and Spence are a good fit.”

“We’ll find a way to be together. It’ll be easier when Julio is in custody and not hiring snipers to shoot me. Is there anybody else from the Peligro Cartel who wants revenge on me or our father?”

“You’re in the clear,” she said. “The old guys who Dad testified against are going to be in prison for a long time, and they’ve given up on praying to La Santa Muerte, an underworld saint who deals in vengeance.”

“When did you plan to let us know about this? I’m sure you remember WITSEC. Not a fun program.”