US Embassy

Mexico City, Mexico

As soon as the plane landed, Lee and I were whisked to the Embassy in a chauffeured sedan, where we waited over an hour to see Mr. Evans.

He was younger than I had pictured, but on closer examination, I saw the streaks of gray in his blond hair and the crows' feet around his eyes. He seemed puzzled by our presence, but we kept our identity a secret until we were behind closed doors and assured that his office wasn't bugged.

I watched his mouth fall open when I whipped out my official identification and introduced myself and then Lee as federal agents of the US government.

Evans frowned. "Why are you here?"

I tried to keep my rambling to a minimum as I outlined the girls' kidnapping, Sinclair, and Styles' "charity work", and finally the connection to a drug cartel run by the Martinez brothers.

Evans steepled his fingers together as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide and thoughtful. "You have proof that the Martinez brothers are involved?"

Lee spoke up for the first time. "That's the DEA's end of things – the Agency was focused on the missing girls and PCP – until forty-eight hours ago, we had no idea that this operation involved drugs-"

"Cocaine, Mr. Stetson," Evans sighed. "It's a much bigger problem than you think – and touches more people than you realize. Did you know that it can stop your heart the first time you try it?" He sighed again, deeper this time. "The kids in this country go to a party where it's being passed around like candy – and they think 'it's okay, I'll try it just this once' – not realizing that it's the last thing they'll ever do."

I swallowed hard, my stomach in my throat. "Did you – are you speaking from personal experience, Sir?" I whispered.

"My daughter, Eliana." Evans' eyes were haunted. "She went to a party with friends two years ago and –" He cleared his throat noisily. "We buried her three days later."

Tears slipped down my face as Lee reached over and grasped my hand.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Ambassador," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion.

"I've made it my mission ever since to find and bring to justice these drug cartels – my wife supports my work, even though it puts a target on our back. They have tremendous power and reach – I don't envy the job in front of you."

"Lee and I are just here to offer comfort to the girls after the mission is completed – this is the DEA's rodeo."

He leveled a serious look at the both of us. "You don't honestly expect me to believe that – do you? You may have fooled the agent in charge, but even I can see how invested you are in these girls. Let me help – tell me what supplies you need, and I'll see that you're outfitted before you leave in the morning."

I couldn't sleep.

Before leaving his office, Lee and Evans put their heads together and made a list of supplies for our covert op. The ambassador promised that our sedan would be loaded and ready to go at nine o'clock in the morning. Then he bid us goodnight and had one of his staff show us to a guest room on the third floor.

Lee had taken a quick shower to wash the travel smell off and then suggested I do the same. When I came back into the room, flushed and ready for a little romance, I sighed as my eyes landed on the form of my slumbering husband. I couldn't really be mad at him – after all, he was suffering from two bouts of jet lag. It wasn't his fault that he had gone on back-to-back missions that required traveling by plane, crossing time zones, and his body was finally demanding that he get some rest. It also wasn't his fault that his wife was too keyed up to sleep. The adrenaline was coursing through me, and my brain wouldn't shut off. I kept thinking about the girls – wondering if they were alive – if they were safe – how we'd find them tonight. And then I thought about Evans and his wife and how they'd lost their daughter to drugs – how do you ever get past something like that? I shook my head. You don't, Amanda. You just take one day at a time and put one foot in front of the other – but could I do that? If it was Philip or Jamie-

My mind immediately shied away from the painful thought as I crossed the room and opened the French doors, stepping onto the tiny balcony. If I lost one of the boys, it would devastate me. Oh, I'd find a way to keep going for my other son and Lee – but there would be a giant hole that could never be filled.

I jumped slightly as Lee's arms wrapped around me from behind, before sighing and leaning back into his embrace. "Hi," I whispered, turning my head to meet his eyes.

He dipped down to meet my lips, deepening the contact until I turned in his arms, running my hands up his bare chest and into his damp hair. I pulled back to draw a deep breath into my lungs, and he frowned, seeing the tears in my eyes.

"Amanda? What is it?"

"Nothing – I was just thinking about Evans' daughter."

He sighed and pulled me tight into his chest, and I rested my head over his heart, listening to the steady beat, drawing comfort from the sound.

"You must think me the biggest jerk in the world-"

"What?" I pulled back in shock.

"Here you are, needing me and what am I doing? Sleeping!"

I reached up and cupped his face, so that he locked eyes with me. "Honey, you have jet lag times two – you need your rest. Besides, I do know how to wake you up if I really needed you."

"Yeah?"

I grinned and dropped my hands as he closed the distance between us, his lips moving over mine in a slow dance, and I felt his lower body come into contact with mine.

"Lee!" I gasped, breaking away from his touch. "We're in the US Embassy – in Mexico City – do you think this is really the time and place to-"

He pecked my lips and waggled his eyebrows. "Do you know how many Embassy parties I went to with you and thought about doing this very thing?"

"Lee Stetson!" I tried to sound outraged, but I knew that my face gave me away as I blushed furiously. "That's not very professional of you – how many?"

He laughed as he slipped his hands under my knees and picked me up, carrying me bridal style back into our room. "Too many to count, sweetheart."

He laid me down on the bed and hovered over me, looking down on me with a soft smile. "Amanda Stetson, you are the best, the bravest, the smartest, most beautiful woman I've ever known-"

I lifted a hand and caressed his cheek. "You don't have to keep saying that – I already said I'd marry you – again."

He chuckled. "I keep saying it because it's the truth – and because I love you – and because I'm afraid one morning I'll wake up and find this has all been a dream and you'll be gone."

I pinched his thigh and he yelped.

"See? This isn't a dream."

"Oh, you," he shook his head at me before he covered my lips with his and rendered me speechless.

Hotel El Palmar

Palma Sola, Mexico

I had just dropped into a light doze when I felt Lee's fingers caress my bare stomach. I groaned and pulled down my sunglasses to look at my husband standing next to my lounge chair, dripping wet from doing laps in the pool.

"You're turning pink, Honey. Either you need to flip over or come join me in the pool."

I shook my head as I felt myself grow warm under his appreciative gaze. "That pool isn't heated, Stetson."

"Oh, I know. Good thing too – the sight of you in that white bikini-"

I laughed. "You packed it!"

He shook his head. "I did not! Your mother must have slipped it in when I was packing your toothbrush."

I rolled over and loosened the tiny string keeping the top on. "Put some fresh suntan oil on my back?" I asked, throwing the words over my shoulder.

Lee momentarily blocked my sun as he leaned over me to grab the bottle, squirting some of the oil on his hands. I sighed as he rubbed it into my skin, and he bent down to whisper in my ear. "Don't be a tease, Amanda."

"I can still flirt pretty well when I want to-"

He pressed his chest against my back, pushing me into the lounger. "As long as you only flirt with me-"

"Ahem- Senora?" The sound of a throat being cleared loudly had Lee leaping off my back and left me aching for my husband.

I held onto the top of my bikini and rolled over to see one of the hotel employees holding a large cordless phone.

"Phone call for you."

I thanked her in Spanish and waited until she left before answering.

"Hello?"

"Tigress? It's Smyth."

I kept my eyes from rolling with effort. Who else would call me Tigress?

"Yes sir?"

"Your hunch that Agent Johns' top priority is the cartel, and the capture of Styles is correct. I've been on the phone with his boss, and he told me that the Martinez brothers are Johns' white whale – thinks of himself as some kind of Captain Ahab. Getting the girls back would be a nice feather in his cap but if they are lost in the crossfire – he won't cry over spilt milk."

"I hardly think that's an apt analogy, Sir."

"Nor do I – remember my own niece is one of those girls. You and Stetson got all your supplies in Mexico City?"

"Yes, we're outfitted for surveillance and rescue, if necessary."

"Good, then I want both of you to head to the ranch, find a good spot a couple of miles out and wait for the action to start. Perhaps you won't be needed – but perhaps you will. Understand?"

"Understood, Sir."

"Good. Oh, and if you see Meg – tell her – tell her-"

I smiled. "I'll tell her, Sir."

"Well, good then. Get everyone home safe, Tigress."

I hung up and looked at Lee who had been listening to my end of the conversation.

"That was Smyth?"

I nodded. "He confirms that getting the girls back is way down on Johns' priority list-"

"That hardly comes as a surprise," Lee snorted.

"He also said that Johns is a bit obsessed with the Martinez cartel."

"Hmm– or perhaps he has a personal reason to hate them in particular?"

I shrugged. "In any case, Smyth wants us to go and get the lay of the land before dark, then hunker down and wait for the fireworks, just in case."

"I guess our mini vacation is over?"

I leaned in and pecked his lips. "We can come back someday, for real."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Like, on a second honeymoon?"

"Why not? Well, maybe not this exact hotel – it may not be safe – but Mexico is nice – warm, tropical – and not too far from the boys. What do you think?"

He reached around and re-tied my bikini top. "I'll go anywhere with you, sweetheart."

3.2 Kilometers (2 mi) from Tres Caballo Ranch

Up in the foothills

It didn't take Lee and I long to find an excellent vantage point from which to watch the Tres Caballo Ranch. The ranch itself was located about six miles outside the city limits, nestled in a little valley. Lee and I decided to stay up in the foothills, staying back in the sagebrush and little trees that provided some cover, and allowed us to look down on the property. The part that was open to the public was quite small, with the private residence set back and to the north, pushing up against the rising foothills on the other side. Visitors came and went all afternoon, adults and children paying for riding lessons or to have the experience of riding a horse for the first time. The ranch closed around dusk and then a calm settled over everything, with no visible activity going on outside.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?" I whispered to Lee as I surveyed the yard through night vision binoculars.

"They aren't going to make a move until it's good and dark – not before midnight – perhaps one or two o'clock."

I groaned as I looked at my watch and saw that it was barely nine o'clock. "You got any food back there?" I motioned with my head towards our concealed sedan and Lee nodded, as he retrieved some MRE's.

My lack of sleep caught up to me and I soon found myself nodding off against Lee's shoulder. He pulled me to his side, promising to wake me at the first sign of activity, but it proved unnecessary as my eyes flew open with the first gunshot.

"It's time?" I murmured as I came to my feet and Lee scanned the ranch through the binoculars.

"Yeah – I saw Johns' and his men set up a few minutes ago-" Lee's quiet voice was drowned out as a series of gun shots rang out, followed by one loud boom.

I jumped and gripped his sleeves. "What was that?"

"Sounded like a grenade – but I don't see – there! It looks like they couldn't get access to one of the buildings and they've blown the door off-"

"Subtle," I muttered under my breath. "Any sign of the girls?"

He shook his head. "I'm not seeing a lot of movement down there – shots are being exchanged – and now I see dark shadows – I think those are Agent Johns and his men – but where are the Martinez brothers and-"

From behind us came a low rumbling sound that steadily grew louder in volume. I turned my head in time to see a large portion of the ground sliding back.

"Lee!" I screamed, clutching his arm, as a head popped out of the hole. "Look out!"

He whirled around, dropping the binoculars, his gun drawn as he stepped in front of me. "Freeze, US Federal Agents!"

Behind Lee, I managed to switch on the flashlight and aim it at our surprise visitor. The beam illuminated the scared face of a Mexican young man.

"Don't shoot, please," he held out his hands. "I'm not – look – can I please help my wife and the others out? We're not the criminals you're looking for-"

Lee lowered his gun. "Slowly – and no weapons."

The young man leaped out of the ground. "We are unarmed, I promise. Jenna? Give me your hand," he called back down into the earth and after a moment, a slim hand emerged to grasp his.

I gasped as his wife emerged from the hole.

"You're Jennifer Blackwell," I whispered, stepping forward to get a better look.

She shrank before my scrutiny, her free hand coming up to rub her very pregnant belly. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Amanda, look."

I swung around at my husband's voice and came face to face with Hannah, Elizabeth, Tessa, and-

"Mrs. King?"

I swallowed a sob as Meg threw herself into my arms.

"It is you, isn't it?"

I wrapped my arms around the girl, holding her tight. "Yes, Meg, it's me."

We didn't go back to the hotel.

By silent agreement, Lee and I loaded everyone into the sedan and began the long drive back to Mexico City. Hannah, Elizabeth, Tessa, and Meg curled up in a big pile in the long back seat and fell asleep like a pack of puppies. Jennifer, who now went by Jenna, sat in the middle seat with her husband Luis, whose head was in her lap. She played with his curls as he snored softly. I unbuckled my seat belt so that I could turn around in the front seat and look her in the eye – this almost twenty-year-old who seemed so much older. She looked up when she felt my eyes on her.

"He's nothing like his father, Mrs. King. Really. Luis is generous, thoughtful – and above all, a pacifist. He wants nothing to do with the family business-"

I shared a look with Lee before I spoke. "His family may have other plans for him."

Jenna sighed. "Of course, they do. They sent him to business school so that he could be the accountant and keep the books for the cartel."

"If they find out he's still alive and he helped you escape-"

Jenna shuddered. "I know – but I won't leave Mexico without him. I love him."

"How did you get caught up in all this?"

"With the Martinez family? I was kidnapped and brought here a little over two years ago – I'm not sure why – the reason stopped mattering a long time ago anyway. When I first arrived, I was terrified all the time – I just wanted to go back home – but they made it very clear that this was my new home. After about a month of being bored out of my mind, my guard took me to a small, windowless room where three young children were sitting. I was told to teach them English, and I panicked. I said I wasn't a teacher, and I didn't speak Spanish, but the guard just laughed and left. I was locked in that room with those three kids for eight hours a day – with a short break for lunch."

I frowned. "Why did they need an American girl to teach their children English?"

Jenna sighed. "I didn't find out the reason for a long time – not until after Luis and I were married. He told me that the cartel uses children to transport the drugs across the border because they appear innocent and if they speak English without an accent, even fewer questions would be asked of them."

I shook my head at the deviousness of these people – and the thoroughness of their organization. "Did you ever come into contact with the drugs?"

Jenna shook her head. "No. My role was to teach the children English, with a 'flat' American accent. After I met and fell in love with Luis, and agreed to marry him, my tutoring sessions took place in much nicer accommodations in the main house, but I was always under guard, never left alone except for when I was in Luis' company at night."

"Was marrying Luis part of their plan to keep you in line?"

Jenna blew out her breath through pursed lips. "Maybe – I know that Junior – Luis' father - wanted us to get married because he hoped that it would finally get him interested in the business. But Junior has never understood my husband. Luis has the soul of an artist – he wants to be a writer or a painter – not someone who sells drugs to children."

"Will he testify against his father and the cartel?" Lee spoke for the first time, never taking his eyes from the road, his voice breaking into our conversation like a thunderclap.

"Testify?" Jenna echoed the word.

"It may the only way to keep the three of you safe," Lee explained. "Look, none of us know who survived the raid on the Tres Caballo tonight – but it's very likely that Junior had an escape route just like Luis did and if he's out there somewhere right now looking for you-"

"Dios Mio," Jenna breathed the words softly, but they penetrated Luis' sleep and he stirred, lifting a hand to her face.

"Querida? What is it?"

"Your father – what if – he could be coming after you – us –" Jenna's voice shook as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"He will not hurt you or the baby – not anymore," Luis vowed. "I will keep you safe." He sat up to pull her into his arms. "I will do whatever is necessary to protect my family."

She gasped into his shoulder. "But – Mexico- this life is all you know- I can't ask you to give it up-"

He shook his head as she pulled back to look into his eyes. "For better or worse, remember?" Luis turned and met my worried gaze. "Mrs. King, you and –"

"Lee."

"Si, thank you. You and Lee – you will help us? Tell me what I need to do?"

I shared another look with Lee before nodding slowly. "We'll do what we can." I promised before turning back around, slipping the seat belt over my shoulder.

"Do you think Evans can help us get an extra Visa for Luis?" I whispered as I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw that Jenna had nodded off on her husband's shoulder.

Lee shrugged. "He seemed eager to help us – as well as the kids escaping from the cartels."

"I think Luis definitely fits into that category – Lee, I can't believe we did it! We found them – all of them! Alive, after all this time."

He reached across the space separating us and I gripped his hand tightly in mine.

"You kept the hope and faith alive, Amanda. And now, very soon, these girls are going to be reunited with their families. You did that, Tigress. You. All because of your tenacity and the simple fact that you refused to give up."

I leaned my head back on the headrest, reveling in the sweet feeling.

Some days this job was truly terrible.

But some days, like today, proved that all the pain and agony of this job was worth it when cold cases such as this one got resolved.

A/N: Amanda found the girls - all of them - alive and (mostly) well! And yes, this story is winding down, but it still has a few chapters left to wrap everything up. Coming up: Amanda connects with the other girls and hears more about their time in Mexico and then the return to DC. Plese leave some love in reviews - my readers rock!