Day 11
When she woke up, his arms were still wrapped around her, and she felt so much better than she had in days. Her shoulder ached terribly, and she knew it was time for another dose of pain killers, but she felt strong and clear-headed as she opened her eyes. He was still sleeping soundly, and she didn't stir as she gazed at him, a warm feeling in her chest as she thought about the things he'd said last night. She wanted to let him sleep a bit longer, but damn it, he looked so cute and she loved him so much… she just couldn't resist. She shifted closer and softly kissed his cheek.
He opened sleepy eyes and smiled. "Good morning."
"Good morning, my love."
He blinked a few times and seemed to wake up a little more.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better", she said.
"Good", he murmured. "We have a busy day ahead of us."
"Right", she said, a bright, tingling feeling of joy spreading through her at the thought. "Our last day. In a few hours, we'll be out of here."
"Yes", he said. "By tonight, we'll be on board a ship with Paula and 2.4 billion euros, sailing far away from here."
"To our island", she whispered.
He nodded. "To our island."
"I can't wait to take walks on the beach."
"Hmm", he murmured, nuzzling her cheek. "And I can't wait to kiss you on that beach."
She smiled. "And then lie underneath the palm trees."
"I can't wait to kiss you underneath the palm trees either."
"And go swimming in the ocean."
"I don't really like swimming", he said. "But I'll kiss you in the ocean too."
Her smile widened. "You seem to be planning on a lot of kissing."
"Oh, I am", he said seriously. "I plan on kissing you every moment of the day, every day, for the rest of my life."
She looked at him, delighted. "That's a lot of kisses."
"Millions", he murmured. "Millions and millions, and I look forward to every single one of them."
"How about we start now, then?" she whispered, tilting her face up to bring her lips close to his.
"That", he said, "is an excellent idea."
He bent his head and kissed her, gently, sweetly, and she hummed with contentment as she melted against him. How she loved those first kisses in the morning, still soft with sleep, creating a little bubble just for the two of them, before the concerns of the day started intruding on their peace. But then he hugged her closer and she winced involuntarily at the pain in her shoulder, and he immediately released her.
"I'm so sorry", he said.
"It's okay", she said, unwilling to stop kissing him, but he gave her a concerned look and sat up.
"I'll go get you some breakfast so you can take your pain killers."
"Alright", she sighed regretfully. "I suppose we should get started on our day."
…
By the time breakfast was over and he'd taken care of her shoulder, the excitement of their last day was really taking hold of everyone. He told her to stay in bed, but she couldn't anymore – people were constantly moving through the tunnel now, bringing over rolls of money and talking excitedly about leaving. It was time to bring in the truck and start loading the money, so Raquel went over to Elena.
"How are you today, Raquel?"
"I'm feeling much better."
"I'm glad to hear that." Elena looked around. "Looks like you're leaving today?"
"Yes, we are."
Elena cleared her throat. "So… what's going to happen to me? Are you taking me with you as a hostage?"
"No", Raquel said. "We're leaving you here."
Elena's eyes widened in alarm, so Raquel quickly clarified:
"Just for a few hours! We'll call the command center and tell them where they can pick you up once we're far enough away."
Elena nodded, relieved. "Alright."
"But now I do have to blindfold you, so you don't see how we're going to get away."
"I understand."
"I'll stay here and talk to you, I can't lift anything yet anyway."
"Thank you", Elena said. "I appreciate that."
Raquel blindfolded her, and the beer truck was driven into the hangar. They divided the work: Nairobi returned to the Mint to oversee the last of the printing; Berlin, Tokyo and Rio were guarding the hostages; Oslo and Helsinki kept going back and forth through the tunnel with the money, and Moscow and Denver were putting the rolls of money into barrels and loading them into the truck, while Monica had been put behind the desk to watch the screens and listen to Angel's bug. Sergio was overseeing everything, regularly going back and forth between the hangar and the Mint. Raquel watched it all with a feeling of suppressed excitement as she sat beside Elena and they talked.
"I can't believe you lasted an entire ten days", Elena said.
"We had a good plan. Sergio's strategies were sound."
"Yes, they were."
"But I don't think we'd have lasted this long if you had stayed on the case. It's a good thing we caught you."
"Well", Elena said drily. "Technically I caught you. It just didn't last very long."
Raquel smiled, her eyes on Sergio, who looked very sexy as he was directing things. He went down the ladder and disappeared into the tunnel.
"So where are you going after this?" Elena asked lightly.
Raquel opened her mouth to answer automatically, then she stopped and grinned. "Oh, that was sneaky of you! I almost told you."
Elena chuckled. "It was worth a shot."
"Lisbon!" Monica suddenly called out from behind the desk. "I think something's happening!"
Raquel quickly got up and hurried over to her.
"What's wrong?"
"They're arguing", Monica said, turning up the volume of the radio.
"… been in there for ten days now, it's enough!" they heard the voice of Colonel Prieto say. "We have to go in!"
"But the hostages might get hurt!" Angel protested.
"We can't let this drag on indefinitely, Rubio. It's time for action!"
"We can't risk…"
"Rubio, you will enter that building now, or I will personally make sure you get fired!"
There was a silence, and Raquel felt every muscle in her body tense as she waited. This couldn't be happening, not now, not mere hours before they were leaving! Then, to her utter dismay, Angel said:
"Suarez! We're going in."
Raquel cursed loudly and immediately went into action. She knew the police team to enter the Mint would already stand prepared, ready to go at a moment's notice, so their own team had mere minutes to get out.
"They're coming!" she shouted at Denver and Moscow, who started moving faster to get all the barrels in the truck.
Raquel picked up the phone and called the Mint, keeping an eye on the screens, her heart racing. There was nobody in the breakroom, and nobody came as the phone rang. With the tunnel open, manning the phone had become less of a priority, and everyone was clearly busy elsewhere. She swore with frustration, then she remembered that they'd asked several members of the team to wear the headsets they had used during the first day: Berlin inside the Mint, and Helsinki going back and forth through the tunnel. She quickly put on her own headset.
"Berlin?" she said urgently. "Helsinki? Can you hear me?"
The only answer was static, however, and she cursed heatedly. The police must be using a frequency jammer to keep them from communicating with each other, which meant that there was no way to reach the team electronically.
Through the radio, she heard Angel go outside, where Suarez was giving last instructions to his team. Ten minutes, Raquel estimated, and the people in the Mint entirely unsuspecting. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
"Denver!" she yelled. "Go through the tunnel and tell everyone to get out! Now!"
Denver dropped what he was doing and raced towards the entrance of the tunnel. Next to Raquel, Monica stood up anxiously.
"I'm sorry for sending him into danger", Raquel said. "But he's faster than Moscow."
She kept the phone ringing, still hoping desperately that someone would hear it and pick up. It would take Denver about ten minutes to get through the tunnel, by which time the police would be at the door. Through the camera images, she saw Sergio talking to Nairobi, completely oblivious, and her heart was beating frantically. Get out, my love, get out! She pushed a few buttons to access the cameras on the outside of the Mint, and she saw several black vehicles approach, each loaded with armed men. She was close to panicking now, her eyes wide as she watched the police come closer, and she was fervently hoping, praying, that Denver would get there in time.
"Oh no", Monica was whispering beside her, her eyes on the screens too. "Oh no, oh no, oh no…"
The vehicles stopped at the building and men in black armored suits got out, each armed to the teeth, and the women watched on in horror as they put up explosives against the door of the loading bay. On the other screen, Sergio was still talking to Nairobi, and Raquel had to use all of her restraint not to yell at the screen that he had to get out, run, run!
"Look!" Monica said suddenly, pointing at one of the images, where Denver could be seen racing through the building, bumping into Oslo and Helsinki along the way and pointing them towards the tunnel. Raquel followed his progress with bated breath, until he reached Nairobi and Sergio, and started gesturing urgently. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, when the door to the loading bay exploded inward and the police started streaming through.
Get out, Sergio, get out! was the only thing she could think, blood pounding in her ears as she saw Denver, Nairobi and Sergio start to run. The static in her headset suddenly cleared, and she realized that the police had turned off their frequency jammer so they could communicate with their own people.
"Berlin!" she shouted, and on the camera in the museum, she could see him look up.
"Yes, Lisbon?"
"The police are in! Leave the hostages and get to the tunnel, now!"
"Understood!" he said, then she heard him shout orders to Tokyo and Rio, and a moment later, she saw on the camera that they started running towards the exit. Raquel watched everyone move from image to image, her nails biting into her palms as she saw the police march through the loading bay and into the hallways. Faster, she thought at the running figures. They're almost there, hurry!
It was essential that the team got into the tunnel with a head start, because if the police were too close behind them, people would be killed when they blew it up, policemen and team members alike. Not blowing up the tunnel, on the other hand, would mean that armed men would be streaming out of it right behind the team and there would be a shoot-out in the hangar. Raquel desperately hoped that she wouldn't have to make that choice.
Meanwhile, Oslo and Helsinki were coming out of the tunnel, and immediately started helping Moscow with the loading of the truck. Sergio, Nairobi and Denver had disappeared from view – there were no cameras near the vault where the tunnel was. Meanwhile Berlin, Tokyo and Rio were still running, the police very close on their heels. They would only just make it, Raquel realized with an icy feeling. The police were too close. She would have to blow up the tunnel while there were still people inside of it. She knew they wouldn't survive.
A horrible, horrible thought suddenly struck her. She knew Sergio, she knew him so well – he would stay, wouldn't he, until he'd seen the last person of his team to safety? Wouldn't he be the last person through that tunnel, the police right behind him? No, she thought desperately, no, Sergio, please! She felt herself go numb – for several long moments, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't move – but then she shook her head and lifted her chin. She knew she would never be able to push that button while he was still inside the tunnel. If that meant letting the police in, so be it – they would make their last stand together. You and me, she thought. Always.
By now, both the team and the police had disappeared from view and all they could do was wait, and it was agony. Raquel wanted nothing more than to jump down into that tunnel herself to go find him, but she knew that was completely irrational, so she stayed beside Monica, who took her hand and held it tight.
"It will be alright", Raquel whispered, trying to convince herself as much as Monica. "It will be alright."
Suddenly, Denver's head appeared at the entrance to the tunnel, and Monica ran to him, Raquel close behind her. Then Nairobi came through, and for several seconds, Raquel stared at the entrance to the tunnel, seeing her worst fear realized – he'd stayed behind.
"Is he… is he…" she whispered to Nairobi, but then suddenly there he was, and she clapped a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob. He was safe, he was safe, he hadn't sacrificed himself. He clambered out of the hole and straightened up, and she threw her arm around his neck and held him tight, fighting back tears.
"Thank god", she whispered. "Thank god."
"It's okay", he said, breathless from hurrying through the tunnel. "I'm alright. Is everybody here?"
"No", she said, "Berlin, Tokyo and Rio are still in there."
"What?" he said, horrified. "I thought they were ahead of us!"
"No", she said quietly. "They're not. They were a few minutes behind you, and the police were right behind them. Sergio… Sergio, we have to blow up the tunnel."
He ran towards the desk and put on his own headset.
"Berlin!" Sergio said urgently. "Berlin, where are you?"
Berlin answered immediately. "Don't blow up the tunnel yet! Rio and Tokyo are coming through!"
"What about you?" Sergio said.
At that point, gun shots could be heard through the headset, and Raquel and Sergio looked at each other in horror.
"Berlin, what about you?" Sergio repeated frantically.
"I'm a bit busy at the moment."
There were more gunshots, and Raquel clapped a hand to her mouth.
"He's keeping them off", she whispered. "So Tokyo and Rio can get through."
Sergio started shaking his head. "Enter the tunnel, Berlin!"
"Negative!" came Berlin's voice.
"Andrés", Sergio said urgently, "we're going to blow up the tunnel, you have to get out of there."
"They're closing in, it's too late. Go now!"
Raquel had a sinking feeling in her stomach as more gunshots sounded through the headset. She knew what was about to happen, but Sergio couldn't accept it yet.
"I'm not leaving here without you and you know it."
"Old age isn't meant for me", Berlin said. "Can you imagine me drooling and losing control over my bowels? No, I don't have the courage for that. I prefer this."
Raquel nodded – Berlin, already dying, was choosing honor one last time. She put her hand on Sergio's arm, but he shook her off, his eyes full of tears.
"Get out, please", he whispered.
"Sergio!" Berlin yelled. "You promised me you'd get out if things got ugly, and they're ugly. Lisbon?"
"Yes, Berlin?"
"Are Tokyo and Rio through?"
"Yes", she said, seeing them emerge from the tunnel.
"Good! Helsinki?"
"Yes?" Helsinki said through his own headset, standing at the entrance to the tunnel to help out Tokyo and Rio.
"Blow up the tunnel."
Helsinki got the remote out of his pocket, and Sergio raised his hand at him.
"No…" he said. "No…"
"Helsinki, this is an order!" Berlin shouted. "Soldier, blow up the tunnel!"
"Helsinki, no!" Sergio yelled, running at him. "No, don't!"
Helsinki caught him at the entrance to the tunnel, and they struggled.
"I love you, little brother", Berlin's voice came through the headset, and Raquel's throat felt tight. "Don't you forget it."
"Helsinki, let me go!" Sergio shouted, trying to get to the tunnel.
"Raquel?" Berlin said.
"Yes", she whispered.
"Take care of him."
She squared her shoulders so she could give him a firm answer: "I will. Goodbye, Berlin."
"Andrés, please!" Sergio sobbed, and Raquel's heart was breaking for him.
"I've always been a bit of an asshole", Berlin said. "But today… I think I feel like dying with dignity."
Raquel took off her headset so she wouldn't have to hear the shots taking Berlin down. Helsinki, still struggling with Sergio, finally managed to push the button, and the tunnel blew up, spraying sand and dust everywhere as Sergio went limp in Helsinki's arms. He lowered him carefully to the ground as his knees gave way, and Raquel hurried over to them, falling to her knees to put a hand on Sergio's arm. The moment he felt her presence, he turned to her and held her tight, sobbing, burying his face against her shoulder. She held him tight in return, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, and gently stroked the back of his neck.
"I'm so sorry, my love", she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."
"Why?" he breathed. "Why?"
Suddenly, Rio and Tokyo were beside them, still breathing hard.
"He saved us", Rio said, his voice shaking. "He saved our lives."
"We would have had to blow up the tunnel with them inside it", Raquel said to Sergio. "Your brother died to prevent that. He saved them, Sergio, he didn't die in vain."
He kept crying, and as she held him, she felt a strange mix of emotions. She was sorry about Berlin, but everyone else had made it out safely, and with the tunnel blown up, the police now had no idea where they were, and she felt a heady rush of relief as well. They were almost, almost safe. Still…
"We have to get out of here, my love", she murmured to him. "We have to get out of the city before they close it down."
He shook his head, and she realized he was incapable of giving orders right now. She looked up to see the team gathered around them.
"Someone get him a chair."
Nairobi returned immediately with one of the desk chairs, and, together, she and Raquel helped Sergio get up and into the chair, where he sat down with his face in his hands.
Then Raquel turned around, took a deep breath and lifted her chin.
"Prepare to leave", she said firmly. "Helsinki, drive the truck outside and wait there for us. The rest of you…" She glanced over at Elena, who could still hear them. "You know what to do and where to meet us. Go!"
They immediately dispersed and started taking off their red overalls to put on the regular clothes that were prepared for them. Helsinki was ready first and drove the truck outside. The moment the door closed behind it, Raquel headed over to Elena and took off her blindfold.
"So Berlin is dead?" she asked immediately.
"Yes. He stayed behind."
Elena looked over at Sergio, who was looking at the ground with the most defeated look.
"Why is he so upset?"
"Berlin was his brother", Raquel explained quietly.
Elena wrinkled her nose. "Seriously? Well, I suppose you can't choose your family."
Then she looked up at Raquel. "So. I suppose you're leaving before they close the perimeter of the city?"
"Yes", Raquel nodded. She saw that Oslo and Nairobi were both dressed and ready to leave, so she called them over.
"Yes, Lisbon?"
Raquel nodded at Elena. "Untie her."
"Are you kidding?" Nairobi said, and Elena's eyebrows shot up as well.
"Just for a moment."
"Are you sure you want to risk it, after what happened?"
"We're not taking any risks", Raquel said firmly. "Oslo, please keep your gun on her."
Oslo nodded and pointed his gun at Elena. Nairobi hesitated one more moment, then walked behind Elena's chair and unlocked her chains. Elena got up slowly, looking at Raquel uncertainly.
Raquel held out her hand. "Goodbye, Elena."
Elena regarded her steadily, then she smiled her half-smile as she took Raquel's hand.
"Goodbye, Raquel."
"I'll call the police to come and pick you up as soon as I safely can."
"Don't do it too soon", Elena warned her. "Because the moment I'm free, I'm coming after you with everything I have."
Raquel grinned. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
Elena glanced over at Sergio. "Tell him… tell him I'm sorry about his brother."
Raquel nodded. "I will."
Elena looked at her. "I hope you'll be happy, Raquel. You deserve it."
"Thank you", Raquel said. "You too. I'm sure you'll make an excellent Commissioner one day."
The women nodded at each other one last time, then Elena sat back down and Nairobi tied her to the chair again, and Raquel felt a small, bright fire kindling in her chest at the thought that they were finally, finally getting out of here.
The members of the team left one by one through the door, while Raquel went and kneeled before Sergio's chair. She caught his face between her hands and said gently:
"My love, we have to go."
He looked at her, still dazed with shock.
"He's gone, Raquel. He's gone."
She felt so desperately sorry for him.
"I know, my darling, it's awful, but this was how he wanted it. He chose his own way out, and we need to respect that. He died with dignity, he died with honor."
"Raquel… he was my only family."
"That's not true anymore", she said softly. "We're a family now, you and me. You're not alone."
She stroked his cheek.
"I'm with you", she said. "I'm right here with you, my love. Always. Always."
Suddenly his eyes focused, and he seemed to actually see her. He lifted a hand and touched her cheek.
"Raquel", he whispered. "What would I do without you?"
"That", she said firmly, "is something you'll never have to find out."
He shook himself and nodded. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly, and that seemed to give him the strength to take a deep breath and get up. Raquel felt the fire inside her burn brighter as they turned towards the door, hand in hand, to see the last members of the team step outside. She looked at him, and he looked at her, and she saw a little bit of her own fire spark in his eyes.
"Shall we get out of here?"
"Yes please", she said. "Let's go."
…
To Raquel's relief, the truck got out of Madrid before the police closed off the major roads. Helsinki and Oslo would be driving the money to Portugal, but they dropped off Sergio and Raquel at the outskirts of the city, where a car was waiting for them so they could drive to Raquel's sister's house in the suburbs. Sergio hadn't said a word on the drive out of the city, and Raquel was worried that he might not be in a fit state to drive the car, but he got into the driver's seat without comment and followed Raquel's instructions on where to go. As they drove through the suburbs, Raquel's stomach started tingling with excitement at the thought that she would finally, finally see her daughter again. A few weeks ago, Sergio had arranged some surveillance of her sister's house, and they had noticed that on school days like today, Mariví picked up Paula from school and then they were alone in the house for a few hours before Raquel's sister came home from work. It was in that window of time that they would now go get Paula.
Sergio pulled up at the curb next to her sister's house, and Raquel looked out at it, barely able to believe it. Her daughter was in there. Only a few minutes now, and she would be in her arms. Then she turned to Sergio.
"You can stay in the car if you want", she said softly.
He shook himself. "No… no, I would like to come with you."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I would like to meet your mother. Unless you would prefer to go in alone?"
"Of course not", she said, placing her hand on his arm. "I would love to have you there with me."
They got out of the car together and walked towards the front door, Raquel's heart beating fast. This was why she had agreed to participate in the operation in the first place, this was the reason why she had stepped out of that prison van and into her new life – to get Paula back. And now, now it was finally happening.
She rang the doorbell, Sergio by her side, and as she looked at him, breathless, he gave her a soft smile.
The door opened, and Raquel felt such a rush of emotions as she saw her mother standing there.
"Hello mamá", she said, her throat tight as she watched the expression of utter surprise on Mariví's face.
"Raquel", she whispered, her eyes wide. "Raquel!"
The next moment, she was in her mother's arms and they were laughing and crying at the same time. Mariví hugged her tight, then held her at arm's length to look at her.
"Raquel, are you alright?"
"Yes, mamá, I am."
"Where have you been? They told us you were taken from your prison van by armed men and I… I didn't know what to think, I…" her voice broke. "I didn't know if you were alive or dead."
"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you to let you know I was alright", Raquel said. "We just couldn't risk it."
"So what happened?"
Raquel put a hand on Sergio's arm.
"Mamá, this is Sergio. He rescued me on my way to prison and I've been… working with him."
Sergio held out his hand to a confused Mariví, and she shook it.
"It's nice to meet you", he said warmly.
"And you too", she replied. "Uhm… what kind of work have you been doing?"
"That's a long story", Raquel said. "We really don't have time right now. We're here for Paula."
"Yes, of course", Mariví said. "Of course you want to see her, come in, come in, she's in the kitchen doing her homework."
Raquel's heart was in her throat as she followed her mother through the house, Sergio close behind her.
"Paula mi amor", Mariví said. "Look who's here for you."
And there she was, a small, brown-haired figure sitting at the kitchen table, bent over her books, and Raquel's lips started trembling at the familiar sight.
Paula looked up.
"Mamá!"
Raquel kneeled down and caught her daughter in her arms, feeling like her heart would burst. Oh, oh, how she'd longed for this moment, she'd dreamt of it, she'd lived towards it for six months and she ignored the pain in her shoulder as Paula wrapped her arms around her neck and held on like she would never let go again.
"Oh", Raquel murmured, pressing her daughter close. "Oh, my darling, my darling."
She turned her head and pressed kiss after kiss to her daughter's cheek and hair.
"You're back!" Paula said, her little arms tightly around Raquel.
"Of course I'm back, mi amor, of course."
"Daddy said you would never come back."
"My darling", Raquel said, "I would never, ever leave you. Ever."
"So you're staying?"
She gently disengaged from Paula and took her daughter's face between her hands.
"I'm definitely not leaving you again, but I can't stay here. I'm here to take you with me."
"Where are we going?"
She didn't have time to explain everything properly now, and she felt that half an explanation might do more harm than good. Better to tell a white lie now and explain things on the boat.
"We're going on a trip to a different country, far away. We'll go to the beach and go swimming in the ocean. Would you like that?"
"Yes!"
"Then let's go get the things you want to take with you."
She straightened up and Paula held on tight to her hand. Then she looked over at Sergio, who was watching them from the doorway, and she beckoned him into the room.
"Paula, sweetheart, I want you to meet someone. This is Sergio."
Sergio came forward and shyly said: "Hello Paula. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Hello, Sergio", Paula said, looking at him curiously. Then, when Raquel squeezed her hand, she remembered her manners. "It's nice to meet you too."
She was still giving Sergio that curious look she had, and Raquel felt a question coming.
"Are you and my mom dating?"
Raquel smiled at her daughter's keen sense of perception, then quickly kneeled down again.
"Yes, sweetheart, we are. In fact, we love each other very much. Sergio is coming with us on our trip. Is that okay?"
Paula gave him a considering look, then nodded. "Yes, it's okay."
"Thank you", Sergio said, clearly relieved, and Raquel gave him a delighted smile.
"Alright Paula", she said. "Let's go pack a bag for you so we can leave."
Then she turned around and saw her mother's face.
"You're leaving again?"
"Yes, mamá, we can't stay."
She saw comprehension dawn on Mariví's face as she understood that, this time, Raquel wasn't coming back. As she saw the tears in her mother's eyes, Raquel suddenly realized that this would be the last time they'd ever see each other. She'd been so focused on finally seeing her daughter again, that she hadn't thought about how this would be goodbye for her and her mother, and now that it suddenly sank in, she felt like her heart would break.
"Mamá, how are you? How is your condition?"
Mariví put on a brave smile. "I'm fine."
Raquel looked around the kitchen, noticing for the first time that there were post-its everywhere.
"Mamá… do you live here now?"
"Yes", Mariví said reluctantly. "I moved in about a month ago, when the doctor said it would be better for me not to live alone anymore."
Raquel felt her stomach sink. "I thought the doctor had said it would take years before you got to that point."
There was a sadness in her mother's eyes as she shook her head. "It's an unpredictable illness. It… it suddenly got worse very fast."
"But then you need care", Raquel said, feeling more and more worried. She hadn't anticipated this. "Is Marta taking good care of you?"
Mariví hesitated, then said: "Your sister does what she can."
Raquel wasn't fooled. Her self-centered sister wasn't made to look after other people. Raquel looked at the post-its again, realizing that her mother would only get sicker from now on. How had she not thought of that before? But when she'd been sent to prison, her mother had still seemed fine… It was a shock to suddenly realize that she wasn't fine at all. Having to leave her like this made Raquel want to cry.
Sergio had been watching them, and he put a hand on her arm.
"Raquel, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yes", Mariví said firmly, holding out her hand to Paula. "We'll go pack a bag in the meantime, shall we, Paula?"
Paula clung tighter to Raquel's hand. "I want to stay with mom!"
"Go with your grandmother for just a minute, my darling", Raquel said encouragingly. "I'll be right with you."
Mariví took Paula's hand, and they left, Paula looking back at her mother. When she was alone with him, Raquel allowed her tears to spill over.
"Oh Sergio, I don't know if my mother will be okay."
"Why don't we take her with us?" he asked quietly.
She looked up sharply. "What?"
"She could come with us."
"How?"
"I have an associate in Lisbon who could get her a false passport at short notice and…" He swallowed hard. "She can take Berlin's place on the boat."
"But Sergio… are you sure about this? She's not well, she would have to live with us."
He looked down at the ground. "Family is important, Raquel. I… I don't want you to lose her sooner than you have to."
She hugged him fiercely, pressing her face against his chest.
"Thank you", she whispered. "Thank you, thank you."
"Of course, my love", he murmured, carefully wrapping his arms around her and kissing her hair.
"Mamá!" Raquel called out, and a moment later, Mariví and Paula reappeared. "Mamá, would you like to come with us?"
Mariví's face lit up. "Come… come with you? Are you sure?"
"Yes", Raquel said. "If you want to."
Her mother hesitated for only a moment, then nodded firmly. "Yes, I want to."
Raquel's heart leapt. "Then go pack some things, we don't have much time."
…
Half an hour later, they were off, Sergio driving as Raquel sat in the back seat between her mother and her daughter, feeling overwhelmed with happiness. Paula was holding on tight to her hand and talking non-stop, while her other hand was in Mariví's, who squeezed it every once in a while, smiling at her. She couldn't believe that this was real, that this was actually happening. Six months ago, she had left Madrid in handcuffs, alone, driving towards prison. Now, she was leaving with her mother and daughter and the man she loved, driving towards a life beyond her wildest dreams.
Paula wouldn't leave her side whenever they stopped for gas or bathroom breaks. After a few hours in the car, though, she'd exhausted herself talking and she fell asleep leaning against Raquel, giving Raquel a chance to talk to her mother. Mariví told her how difficult life had been with Marta and Alberto.
"And of course, only yesterday, Alberto suddenly got arrested!" Mariví said, quietly so Paula wouldn't wake up. "Some new evidence surfaced, showing that he'd been the one to steal those drugs!"
"I know", Raquel said. "It was Sergio who found that evidence."
Her mother glanced over at him. "He seems like a good man."
"He is, mamá", Raquel said warmly. "He really is. You'll like him."
Mariví leaned closer to her and whispered: "Are you very much in love?"
Raquel smiled broadly. "Yes, we really are."
"Good", her mother said with satisfaction. "That's what I like to hear."
It was almost dark when they arrived in Lisbon. Sergio made a short stop to get Mariví a passport, then they drove on towards the small harbor town where their boat was waiting for them. The rest of the gang was already there, and Mariví and Paula were introduced to the friends who would be making the journey with them. Paula looked at the boat in awe, her eyes shining at the prospect of the adventure they were embarking on, but Raquel saw that something was dawning on Mariví about the kind of 'work' she'd been doing – after all, it didn't look like they were leaving the country in the most legal way. Her mother said nothing, however, simply seeming content that she would be going with them.
Sergio shook hands with the captain, then they started loading everything on board, both the barrels filled with money, and what little luggage they had brought, and soon they were on their way to Casablanca. As the setting sun set the sky ablaze with colors, the team gathered at the railing of the ship to look out over the water. Raquel stood amongst them, feeling a stab of sorrow for Berlin, but so grateful that everyone else had made it out alive. As she watched the coastline of Europe dwindle in the distance, she realized she didn't feel any regret at all for the life she was leaving behind. She was holding her daughter's hand, her mother on Paula's other side, and Sergio was beside her, his arm around her waist. They had more than two billions euros in the hold. What more could she possibly want?
She looked up at Sergio. She knew that the joy she was feeling must be mixed with a lot of sadness for him, and she saw it in his eyes as he looked down at her.
"Hey", she whispered. "We did it."
She watched him push away his grief to smile at her.
"Yes", he whispered back. "We did it. You and me."
"You and me", she repeated.
His arm tightened around her waist.
"Raquel", he murmured. "You know how I almost didn't recruit you. In some alternate universe, I would have done this heist without you."
"I'm sure you still would have managed it."
He gazed at her steadily. "Maybe. But at what cost?"
She thought about him alone in the control room, trying to manage everything by himself and having to go out regularly. How much sooner would they have had to end the operation then? How many lives would it have cost?
"But worst of all", he said quietly, "I would have been here without you. I… I can't imagine that, Raquel. I don't want to imagine that."
"Me neither", she murmured back.
"I'm so happy you're here with me", he whispered.
She smiled. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
He looked at her, his eyes so warm, and she gazed back at him, her entire body humming with emotion. There was relief and gratitude and a glorious, golden feeling of joy, and, in the middle of her chest, a sense of love so bright and shining that she felt like it must be visible from the outside, she must be illuminated, she must be glowing. Then he bent his head and kissed her. With his lips on hers, the feeling grew so much stronger still, and she just knew that he felt it too, and that, standing on the deck of this ship sailing into the gathering darkness, together they were lighting up the night.