The Code Name Diaries-Chapter Thirteen

Heidi and I continued to make our way down the alley, never looking back, afraid to see someone sticking his or her heads out the window or worse, a gun. It started raining, slow at first, until the drops started falling harder and harder as we made our way down the street. I shivered from the cold and stuck my hands into my pockets. Heidi’s teeth were clattering together.1

“Katy, I have no idea where we are,” she said, slowly, as if I were a child in desperate need of understanding. 2

“ Well, if you don’t, then I definitely don’t,” I said, taking a look around. “Oh god, why are there never cops around when you need them?”3

Heidi continued to look around, as if looking for a clue that might tell her where we were. I could tell by the look on her face that she was still as lost as I was. “ Well, let’s just keep moving. The farther we are away from that apartment building, the safer we are.” 4

I nodded in agreement with her. “ All right, so …right or left?”5

She looked both ways as if testing them out. “ Right, I guess.” We both turned to the right and started walking quickly, almost running. It was late at night, perhaps early morning hours and hardly any cars were on the road. We continued walking as fast as we could, ignoring all traffic signals until Heidi stopped suddenly.6

“What? What is it, Heidi?” I said quickly. She didn’t answer, just looked around frantically. “Heidi?”7

“Katy! Katy!” she shrieked. My heart started beating faster, as I pictured Hector running up behind us. “Katy, I know where we are! I know where we are!”8

I breathed a sigh of relief. “ Great, we know where we are now…wait, where are we?”9

“ We’re in Anaheim, by some of the downtown clubs. That’s Klub Kat, the place where all the local high school bands play. Sam’s band used to play there all the time,” she explained quickly. “ Let’s see if they’re open.”10

We crossed the street quickly, running up to the club. There was a sign posted on the door and the relief I had felt before had evaporated. In big bold black letters read CLOSED. We both fell helplessly against it, unsure of what we could do next. Klub Kat was the only building for at least 5 or 6 blocks. Everything else was residential and it was pitch black, unsafe for us runaways. 11

“Oh god, now what?” I said sarcastically. “ We get pick pocketed by some maniac?”12

“ Calm down, Katy,” Heidi snapped, not very calm herself. “We’ll just have to keep on walking. I mean, what else can we do?”13

“ Not much,” I agreed. We had already walked for about a mile and my feet were tired and I was hungry and freezing. My hair was soaked, lying limply on my shoulders and goosebumps were formed all over my body. Why didn’t you bring a jacket to dinner, I thought to myself. 14

“Katy … Heidi?”15

Both of us jumped out of our skins, hearing our names, not wanting to know whose lips had formed them. I gasped and then looked up, washed with happiness, happiness that I never thought I would feel around this person ever again.16

“ Ryan!” we both cried, jumping up and into his arms. “ What are you doing here?”17

“ I was at the Kat. Sam had a show.” He raised his eyebrow curiously, unsure of what to do. I’m sure it was a weird situation for him. After all, until that moment, neither one of us had given him the light of day and now we were hugging him as if he were a friend that had returned after a long journey.  Besides, we probably weren’t a very pretty sight, soaking wet with hardly any clothes on and the clothes we did have on were dirty and torn from our climb down the side of the building.  “Katy, Heidi, what happened to you?” he asked, alarmed at our horrendous appearance. 18

I glanced over my shoulder, as if expecting to see Hector waiting for this little escapade to finish. “ Ryan, you have to get us out of here. Please, now. There’s no time for questions. Please just get us out of here,” I begged.19

Ryan didn’t hesitate. Maybe it was because we both looked like we had been beat around. Maybe it was the urgency in my pleading. Whatever it was, he took both of us by the hand and pulled us to his car. We both climbed in and buckled our seatbelts. Ryan got in, started the car and pulled away quickly. “Where are we going, Katy?”20

I looked at Heidi. “ Where do we go?”21

She shrugged. “ Tell Ryan. Maybe he knows what we could do.”22

Ryan glanced sideways at me. “Katy, what’s going on here?”23

I took a deep breath. I was so afraid that in this moment I would tell anyone who could help my story. “ Did you pay attention to the Pedro Sandoval trial last year?”24

He looked taken back but didn’t comment on it. It seemed completely off subject for him and irrelevant  “ The one that took like six months? Yeah, why?” 25

“ I was one of the girls attacked in the bathroom,” I said quickly. “ I’m not Katy …I’m Tara and Pedro’s brother just kidnapped me and Heidi and if I don’t get out of here quick he’s going to find me and kill me.” I figured the faster I got it out, the better and more understanding it would be. Boy, was I wrong. 26

“ What on earth are you talking about, Katy?” he said, disbelieving.27

“ Ryan,” Heidi said, from the back seat. He met her eyes through the rearview mirror. “ She’s telling the truth, I swear it. I’ve seen her real birth certificate. Besides, look at us. We need to get out of here.”28

“ No,” I said firmly. “ I need to get out of here. Heidi, you’ll be fine once I’m gone. I just need to leave.”29

“ No way,” she said, just as stubborn. “ I’m part of it now. We’re a team now.”30

Ryan sat back in his seat, driving, not sure of what to make of all this. “Katy, let’s just go to your house, get your stuff and get you and Heidi on a plane out of here.”31

“ Ryan, I don’t have money for a plane ticket,” I retorted.32

“ Don’t worry about it,” he said. “ I got you covered…both of you.” We both opened our mouths to protest but he held his hand up to stop us. “ No, don’t worry about it. If Katy really is who she says she is and you guys really were attacked, then this is worth it. These are your lives at stake.” 33

“ Okay,” I said nodding. “ Let’s go to my house then.” I wanted to say something about Sean. I wanted to help him, but at that moment, I wasn’t even sure if he was still alive. I felt a pain in my chest at the thought of it and tried to dismiss it. “ Ryan, would you do me another favor?”34

He took some time before answering. My eyes met his and I saw that, before I even had a chance to ask the question, he knew it was about Sean. There was hurt in that look, but understanding also. “ Yeah, Katy. I will. What is it?”35

“ It’s Sean. They have Sean. When we leave, could you call the police and send them to look for Sean?” I asked.36

I expected him to say no. He hated Sean and while he had no reason except for the fact that I was with Sean and not him, he really did hate him. “Of course I will,” he said slowly. 37

I leaned across the center console and kissed Ryan lightly on the cheek. “Thank you so much, Ryan.”38

He sighed. “ Of course. Now let’s get you out of here.” I had never seen Ryan drive as fast as he was, speeding down the freeway, trying to get home. His hands clutched the wheel tightly, his knuckles white. I knew that I was putting this people’s lives in danger and there was nothing I could do now but pray that no one got hurt. I could not have the deaths of people I loved riding on my shoulders.39

“Katy …Tara…god, I hate this,” Heidi mumbled from the back seat. “I forgot my point. Oh yes. Katy, what happens to me now?”40

I sighed. What would happen to Heidi now? She was all part of it, whether she liked it or not. I had a feeling that she may have to get a new identity just as I did seven months ago. “ I don’t know, Heidi. I honestly don’t know,” I answered, lying. “ Let’s just get out of here and figure it out from there.” 41

Ryan glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, fear but determination in his eyes. He opened his mouth a few times before finally sighing.42

“ Say it, Ryan,” I said, a bit too irritated. “ I’m not in the mood for games.”43

He looked at me and in that split second when our eyes met, I forgave him. How could I not? He was risking so much in taking Heidi and me and doing all of this for us. I owed him for the rest of my life. I didn’t know how I would repay him, but it would be done. “ So, um, Katy? Is he…Sean…is he really your boyfriend or is he just your bodyguard or something?” he asked nervously, anticipating the answer.44

I glanced back at Heidi. “ Both,” I said truthfully. 45

He nodded and continued to concentrate on the road. 46

“ Ryan, a cop…” Heidi said, pointing at a police car hidden in the parking lot of a mini mart. “ Slow down!”47

Ryan slowed down considerably and cursed loudly. “ Sorry,” he apologized. As soon as we were out of the cop’s watchful eyes, he pressed his foot on the gas again, speeding up. He pulled up in front of my house, the tires squealing as he braked hard. “ Go, now, get whatever you need and let’s get out of here!”48

Heidi and I both jumped out of the car, ready to sprint to the front door. I paused and peeked my head back in the car. “ Thank you, Ryan, so much for doing this,” I said as sincerely as I could, really meaning it.49

He looked at me exasperated. “ What are you doing, Katy? Get your butt inside; there’s no time to waste!”50

“ Right,” I agreed, turning around and running up the front lawn. Heidi stood at the door, shivering. “ We’ll get you some fresh clothes when we get inside.”51

She nodded. “ The door is locked. Your parents must not be home.”52

My mouth dropped. “ Oh my god, Heidi. My parents…where are my parents in all this?” I fumbled to pull out my keys and opened the door. “ Mom? Dad? Mommy…?” I screamed, running through the house.53

“Katy …calm down,” Heidi said, running after me.54

“ Calm down?” I cried, turning around to face her. Our faces were so close; our noses were practically touching. “ Heidi how is it possible that I can calm down now? We just ran away from one of America’s most wanted, my parents are missing and Sean just may be dead.” I felt a few tears escape the corners of my eyes. “ God and now I’m crying.” 55

“Katy,” she said simply. She laid her hand gently on my arm, a hopeless half-attempt to calm me down. “ Look, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to grab some things for our trip. Your parents are going to be fine okay? We’ll have Ryan call for them too okay?”56

“ What if they’re dead? What if they’re dead, Heidi? Then what do we do? That phone call will all be for nothing!” I said, pulling away from her touch and sinking into a chair. 57

“Katy, they’re not dead! I know they’re not and you know deep down that they aren’t,” Heidi replied, crouching in front of me.58

“ No,” I said, wiping away the forming tears, trying to keep them from falling. “ No I don’t now. My parents could be dead. Sean could be dead, Heidi! He could be dead.” An overflow of tears washed down my cheeks and onto my shirt. 59

“ Look, Katy, look,” she said as calmly as she could. “ I am just as scared as you, if not more. You’re right. They could be dead.”60

I looked up at her in surprise.61

“ Don’t give me that look. What we need to worry about right now, is you. We need to keep you from getting in their hands again okay?” she asked. I nodded. “ You’re stronger than this, Katy. I know it. You’ve done this before and you’re going to do it again. Now please can we go before a Sandoval shows up?” 62

I looked back at her and sniffled. I wiped the tears from eyes and smiled sheepishly. “ I know I am. I know I’m stronger than this. I mean, I didn’t cry in Vermont, why should I cry now?”63

“ There you go, that’s the attitude,” she said. She was glancing over her shoulder, nervously, every few seconds. “ Now, please, Katy, can we go?” 64

“ Yes! God, Heidi, why are you dawdling so much?” I scolded her, running up the stairs. We both ran into my room and started pulling random clothes out of the drawers and throwing them on the bed. “ Grab my cell phone…it’s on the charger.”65

Heidi grabbed the cell phone and stuck it in her pocket. She paused in the middle of gathering stuff and looked at me. “Katy, can I ask you something?”66

“ Uh yes, but could you still move please?” I said, reaching into my closet for my two suitcases. 67

“ How did you know that man’s name was Hector?”68

I felt my heart sink to my toes. Heidi was too quick for me. “ You caught me,” I said. “ He threatened me on Christmas and he sent a letter to me today…or yesterday I guess.”69

Heidi’s mouth dropped, disappointment written all over her face. “Katy, why didn’t you tell anyone? This could have been prevented.”70

How was I supposed to explain the deeper meaning of why I couldn’t tell anyone that Hector Sandoval was in town and after me? It was hard to explain without making it sound completely ridiculous. “ I don’t know,” I lied. “ Look it’s not important now. Let’s just go, okay?” 71

Heidi shook her head, shoving random clothes in the suitcases, not bothering to look at what she may be putting in there or worrying about neatness. She opened her mouth to say something but was caught off by a loud bang that echoed from the front yard and shook the whole house.  She turned to me, her eyes wide with fright and her hand placed dramatically across her chest. “ What was that?”72

I continued to stuff the suitcase with clothes and then zipped them shut, my hands shaking the entire time. “ I don’t think I want to know,” I said, realizing that my voice was shaking as well. I took a deep breath before another bang occurred, scaring me out of my wits. “ Oh god, let’s get out of here.”73

We started to make our way down the stairs when we heard the front door slam shut. I froze, my heart beating loudly in my chest, the one thing to give my hiding place away to whoever was down below. Heidi opened her mouth to whisper something to me. I placed a finger to her lips and shook my head. We stood there, stationary in statue positions, afraid to even breathe. Please be Ryan, oh please oh please oh please, be Ryan, I pleaded to a God that I wasn’t even sure I believed in.  My parents, Sean, the police, anybody but a Sandoval. 74

“ Oh Tara…I know you’re in here. Come out, come out wherever you are,” Hector teased quietly. I felt my heart pound harder than it had ever pounded in my entire life. This was officially it, the end. It had to be. I looked up at Heidi, whose face was a picture of shock, fear and realization. We’re going to die, I thought. All this trouble and we’re going to die. I didn’t want to die. If there was anything in this world that I didn’t want, it was to die. I motioned to Heidi to start back up the stairs, very quietly. We took a step at a time, sure that Hector heard every creak, every breath and every beat of our heart. We crossed slowly through the hallway and into my bedroom. As soon as we got in, we shut the door. 75

“Katy, it doesn’t lock?” Heidi said under her breath, in fear.76

“ No,” I said, resisting the urge to scream. “ My parents said it was a fire hazard.”77

“Katy …” Heidi started, but cut off as we heard someone coming up the stairs. I heard Bennett barking from the backyard, where we had left him while we were out at dinner. I cursed myself for not letting him stay inside while we were gone. Hector walked slowly down the hall, each step an echo in my head as he got closer and closer to my room. Heidi and I both backed up and fell onto the bed, soundlessly. I clutched her hand in mine, holding her close, dreading the moment he opened the door. The doorknob little by little turned and Hector peeked in. A malicious grin spread across his face as he saw us. 78

“ Well, well, well, look what we have here,” he drawled. “ Two little girlies who thought that they could run away and escape.”79

Neither one of us said anything in reply. I was afraid to open my mouth, afraid of what I might say. Besides, I couldn’t say anything if I wanted to. My mouth had glued shut as soon as he’d walked in the door and my whole body was numb with fear. It was like everything had shut down. 80

“ Oh come on, there’s no reason to be afraid,” he said in a soothing voice that didn’t convince me one bit. 81

I didn’t answer again. I just glared at him, with such a hateful passion. How could I not be afraid of or angry with this man? He had Sean, my parents, most likely, and I had no idea what he had done with Ryan. And, to add to everything else, he was here to finish the job off: Heidi and me. 82

“ Fine, I gave you the chance to be friendly, Miss McAden. You turned down that chance. I hope you don’t regret that,” he said, his eyes flashing.83

“ I will never regret anything I do and don’t in your case,” I said through clenched teeth. Heidi squeezed my hand, as if it were a signal to stop.84

Hector was getting angry and I really was starting to regret what I said. He took a step forward and I cringed at the little distance between us already. He held the gun up and my whole body turned to ice. So many faces flashed in my memory and Heidi’s grip on my arm tightened. He sighed, frustrated and impatient. “ No, it’s too soon. Get up, now! Go downstairs.” He motioned out the door with his gun.85

Heidi and I got up and started to make our way downstairs, every footstep sound liking my heart beat, not knowing if these would be the last one’s. I felt like Beethoven, with death knocking at the door. We didn’t say a word; actually, I’m pretty sure we didn’t even breathe. We walked into the living room, not sure exactly where he wanted us to go. We didn’t have to wait long to find out. He came down after us, keeping his eye on us the entire time. I was afraid, pure fear burned in my veins, and I could not stop any of this from happening. 86

“ Sit down!” he barked.87

We both slowly perched on the edge of the couch. I loved that couch. It sounds silly, but in that one moment I was taking the time to notice everything because I was so petrified that it would be the last time I ever looked at them. I wanted to appreciate everything that I had overlooked before.  88

“ Please,” I said. “ Leave Heidi alone. Leave her, my parents, Sean and Ryan out of this please.”89

Hector looked at me amused. “ I’m not sparing any lives here, Tara. This is not your primetime crime show on CBS. I’m a real criminal here.”90

“ I know!” I said. “ I know! But they didn’t do anything! I put your brother in jail okay? I did!” My body was hot from my anger, frustrated and utter terror. 91

He didn’t answered, just glanced at his watch a few times. I heard a car pull up front. My heart leaped. A rescuer please? I pleaded, in vain to an empty listener. “ Oh they’re here,” Hector said. He glanced at me. “ Don’t get excited, Tara. They’re not here to help you.”92

“ Where is Ryan?” I asked, angry.93

“ Who?”94

“ Ryan!” I cried. “ The boy who tried to save me, who was outside in the car…where is he?”95

Again, he failed to answer but the look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. It explained the lack of Ryan’s presence and it explained the loud bangs that we had heard earlier.96

Little did I know that things were going to get worse, much worse. 97

There was knock on the door that sent both Heidi and me into the air. I turned to look at her and found she was looking at me, confusion painted all over her tear-stained face. Hector crossed the room and opened the door. 98

My body filled with a pain I never thought possible until that moment. I meant to scream but it came out strangled because now, officially, I was in trouble. He looked the same as he did the last day of the trial and even the same as he did when I first met him at the resort. “ Pedro,” I managed to whisper. “What…how?”99

Heidi’s mouth dropped and her hand flew to her open mouth. “ Oh god,” she said.100

Pedro crossed, limping slightly, the room, smelling of the same cheap cologne I remember smelling with he had his arms wrapped around me, the gun pressed to my head. I shuddered at the memory. He stepped in front of me and stared down at me, as if checking to see if I changed at all. “ Well, Tara, we meet again,” he said, after a long pause. I didn’t answer.101

“ Come on, Pedro. Can we please just get it over with?” Hector said, standing off the side.102

“ No,” Pedro said firmly to him. “ It cannot be that simple. This girl put me in prison for 25 years…she is not going to just die quickly.”103

Torture, I should have known. I knew I was going to die, but did it have to be torture? “ Torture?” I asked, innocently.104

He turned to me, his eyebrow raised. I couldn’t help but notice that he needed to pluck badly, or even better, wax. “ Are they here, Hector?”105

Hector nodded. “ Yeah,” he said in a bored tone. 106

“ Bring them out then.”107

Hector sighed and went into the spare bedroom. He was gone for no more than five minutes and when he returned, he came with my parents.108

“Katy,” my mom said, trying hard, so hard not to cry.109

“ Mom,” I replied, standing up without even thinking. Hector and Pedro both looked at me but I did not sit back down. 110

“ Are you okay, Katy?” my dad asked.111

“ I’m fine, Dad, I swear,” I said, crying, relieved to know they were still alive, for now. 112

“ Shut up, all of you!” Pedro demanded. “ And what’s with all this Katy nonsense…her name is Tara!”113

None of us said a word. We were all too afraid to open our mouths. 114

“ Leave my parents out of this,” I hissed. “ Why do you have to involve everyone else?”115

“ It’s called torture, Tara,” Pedro explained as if I were five instead of eighteen. “ It’s just more fun that way.”116

“ Oh yeah,” I replied bitterly. “ I’m having loads of fun!”117

Everyone looked at me with wide eyes, surprised at my courage to talk back to the brothers. I didn’t care anymore. I was going to die and I might as well go while putting up a fight.118

“Katy, stop,” Heidi whispered in my ear. 119

I turned and looked at her. “ I’m sorry, Heidi. I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this,” I said softly.120

“ Nah,” she said, shaking her head, trying to ignore the looks we were getting from Pedro and Hector. “ I got myself mixed up in this.”121

I managed a small smile, despite the situation, and then turned back to the two men. I took a deep breath, trying to be brave and trying to ignore the guns each one was holding. “ Let my parents go,” I said again.122

Pedro just stared at me, amazed at my wits. I had changed since the last time I saw him, in both good and bad ways. I was more afraid of guns then I was before but I had gained a new level of courage. “ And then what? I still have you, your little friend and your boyfriend.”123

My insides lurched at the mention of Sean. “ Where is he? Sean…what did you do with Sean?” I asked.124

“ You don’t have to worry about him right now,” Hector said.125

“ Is this really worth it?” I demanded. “ Is it? Killing people that have nothing to do with it? I’m the one you want, not them.”126

“ He has nothing to do with it?” Pedro said, taking a step forward. He lifted up his pant leg and revealed a round scar from when Sean shot him. I flinched at the sight of it. “ I think he has a big part in this, Tara.”  127

I curled my hands into helpless fists. I couldn’t fight them even with all the anger boiling inside of me. “ What did you do with him?” I repeated.128

Pedro paused to look at me. “ Do you want to see him?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just beckoned to Hector. Hector went back to the spare bedroom and this time came out with Sean.129

For a second I just stared at Sean with him staring back. Everyone in the room went silent as they sensed the feelings passing back and forth between us. I took a deep breath, but it came out in little gasps. 130

I turned back to Pedro. “ God why is this taking so long? It doesn’t make sense…just kill me and get it over with,” I said, placing my hands on my hips, my whole body shaking. I couldn’t believe how brave I was, talking back to them.131

“ You want to be killed?” Pedro asked. He raised the gun. “ Fine.”132

“ No!” Sean cried. Heidi stood up and wrapped her arms around me. “Leave her alone.”133

“ Leave her alone?” Hector barked. “ How can he leave her alone when she sent him to prison for 25 years with no crime committed?”134

“ No crime committed?” I cried. “ You’re joking right? You honestly think he did nothing? How about drug dealing, rape, attempted murder, robbery…and now kidnapping?”135

“ You act like that is a lot, Tara,” Pedro laughed. “ Hector has done far more than that. He just didn’t get sent to jail by little brats like you.” 136

I shook my head. “ Wait, let me guess, after this you’re going after Patricia.”137

Pedro inspected his gun. “ That’s the plan.”138

“ That’s the plan,” I repeated. I didn’t know what else to say. He was crazy, driven mad by the mere seven months he had spent in prison. He still had over 24 years before he would be released. I hoped that he would go back and for longer, much longer. “ I hope you go to hell.”139

“ I’d be delighted,” was the only reply. 140

Heidi’s grip on me tightened. She had sat there quietly the entire time; the only noise coming from her was the sniffles from her crying. I squeezed her hand reassuring, to let her know that I was here. 141

“Katy,” Sean said. I looked up and over at him. He tried to say something but it wouldn’t come out. I bit my lip hard, trying hard not to cry again. I was strong; I would not cry.142

Pedro glanced between us, clearly disgusted by the two of us. He took a few steps closer to me so that he was standing right in front of me. He lifted his hand to my cheek and started to stroke it. I sucked in my breath and resisted the urge to pull away. 143

“ Get your hands off of her,” Sean said. 144

Pedro ignored him and pulled me closer. 145

“ Please, don’t,” I said. “ Don’t, please.” It was the classic plea, or so I had read somewhere. Most people begged before they died. He took me in his arms. I could see Sean, looking frustrated, angry but helpless. 146

“ Leave her alone,” Sean demanded. He waited to see if Pedro would respond. He didn’t. Instead, he got closer, our lips practically touching. I felt a few tears escape, wishing I could be anywhere but here.147

My parents both took steps forward as if to save me, but Hector raised his gun at them and they stopped. Mom’s cheeks were flooded with tears and my dad’s fists were clenched. Heidi stepped away, pushed out of the way by Pedro’s strength. She watched, horrified as Pedro started to kiss me. His lips were thin and chapped and I tried as hard as I could to not kiss him back. All of a sudden Pedro was yanked off of me and thrown to the ground. I looked at Sean, in shock but relieved at the same time. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him.148

“ I told you to leave her alone,” Sean said to Pedro. 149

Pedro got up and looked at Sean in utter shock. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. He motioned to Hector. “ We’re going to leave you all alone for a little bit…you all need to rethink this whole thing out,” he said, glaring at Sean. “ Especially you.” Hector and Pedro stomped out of the room, leaving us all alone. 150

My parents rushed to my side, holding me close and crying at the same time. I could tell they wanted to be strong for me, but they were also afraid. Heidi collapsed on the couch, exhausted. My hand was tightly gripped in Sean’s as if he would never let go.151

“ I’m so scared,” I admitted to them. “ I want to get out of here.”152

“ We’ll get you out of here,” Dad promised. “ We will.”153

“ No,” I replied. They looked at me in shock. “ You guys are going to get out of here. I just said I wanted to; that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. They want me, not any of you. You guys need to go.”154

“Katy, you’re crazy,” Sean said. “ I’m not going anywhere without you. I’ve stuck with you this long and I’ll stick with you forever.” 155

My mom cupped my chin in her hand. “ We are not leaving, Katy. Not without you.”156

I wiped the tears forming in my eyes. “ Fine, stay,” I said angrily, hiding the relief I felt.157

Sean seemed ready to cry. I could see him trying to suck it in. He was always so strong, even in situations like this. In all the time that I knew him, I had never seen him cry. 158

“ Sean? What’s wrong?” I asked, wiping away his tears.159

“ I hated to see him with you,” he replied. “ I hated seeing that disgusting piece of work all over my Katy, with me unable to help.”160

“ But you did help,” I insisted. “ You pulled him off, Sean. You couldn’t do anything more than that.”161

“ I could have prevented you from being in this situation,” he said.162

I put my hand to his cheek. “ No you couldn’t. It was bound to happen. I was just counting down the days.” I glanced outside the window and saw Ryan’s car. “ What happened to Ryan? Or do I want to know?”163

Sean followed my eyes to his car. “ When we came, Ryan got out of the car, automatically recognizing Hector and the idiot tried to stop Hector, said all this nonsense. Something about a promise he made to you about me.” He looked back down at me.164

“ I told him to call the cops so they would come and find you,” I said. “ I don’t know why I even tried to escape.” 165

“ It was a good thing that you tried, even if it wasn’t that successful.” He continued in a whisper that was only meant for me to hear. “ I’m going to get you out of here, Katy.”166

I nodded, swallowing hard. “ So, what happened after that?”167

Sean paused a moment before continuing. “ Hector made him get back in the car and I thought it was going to be okay. Ryan got in and Hector told him to leave. But, he, Ryan, just kept blabbering and Hector…Hector shot him. Twice. He’s gone by now, Katy.” 168

I grabbed his arm to keep from crumbling. “ Oh my god…” I heard Heidi gasp behind me. I turned around and looked at her. “Heidi, what’s wrong?”169

She couldn’t answer at first. She opened and closed her mouth a few times resulting in dead air. She reached into her pocket and pulled out my cell phone. My eyes widened at the sight of it. “Katy …we can call for help,” she whispered. 170

“ What if they come back in?” Mom asked, glimpsing back, over her shoulder. 171

“ Here, I’ll dial, put in my pocket and they can hear what is going on,” Sean said.172

I nodded. “ Sounds good,” I agreed. I took the phone from Heidi. “ But let me do it. It would just work out better if I had it, especially if we’re caught.” Sean bit his lip, as if debating whether to protest but didn’t in the end. I dialed 9-1-1 and stuck the phone in my pocket.  As soon as I did this, Pedro and Hector walked by into the room. “ Can you let us go?” I asked as soon as I thought I might be connected.173

They both looked at me as if I were crazy. “ You sure did a lot of thinking now, did you, Tara?”174

“ Yes I did do some thinking,” I replied, “ and I’m thinking that you will let me, my parents, Sean and Heidi go.”  175

“ We’ve already been over this, Tara. It’s not going to happen.” 176

I took a deep breath. “ So you’re just going to kill us? Kill us and move on to Patricia?”177

“ As a matter of a fact, yes, I am,” Pedro growled. 178

I looked at Sean, who nodded slightly for support. “ How did you get out of prison anyway, Pedro?”179

“ Easy. I just broke out,” he boasted. “ Sandoval’s do it all the time.” I felt my heart start beating at a normal rate again. He admitted whom he was and that he had broken out of prison. If that weren’t enough information for the police, then what would be?  180

“ Wow, you guys are such a talented family,” I said, slowly. Now all we had to do is wait and distract the two men from killing us. 181

It wasn’t working. They had to know something was up. Pedro raised his eyebrow and Hector took a step closer to me, examining me like there was something wrong with me. I chewed on my tongue nervously. Sean’s hand was on my back for support. 182

“ Get away from her,” Hector said to Sean, my parents and Heidi. None of them made a move to get away from me. “ Now!” Heidi reluctantly sat back on the couch, only a few feet away from me. My parents waited again, but then went back to where they had been standing before. Sean remained by my side. “ Do you not understand me, boy? Get away from her!” He raised his gun and before anyone of us could stop him, fired a shot. It came speeding at us, almost as if slow motion to me. I stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Sean pushed me out of the way as the bullet hit him in the leg. 183

“ Sean!” I shrieked, reaching out to him as he started to fall over. He was grabbing his leg in pain, crying freely now. I turned to Hector. “ You bastard…how could you?” I stood up, ready to attack him. Heidi grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “ I hate you,” I said bitterly, trying to pull away. “ I hate you!” 184

Hector turned his aim to me, but just as he went to pull the trigger the police stormed in, tackling both him and Pedro to the ground. It was a flurry of confusion and action as they arrested the two men.  Several rushed over to Sean and started to examine him. They immediately called for an ambulance. One of them took a look around. He was dressed differently than the others and I realized he was probably a detective and not just a regular officer. “ Are the rest of you okay?” he asked. “ My name is Detective O’Brien.”185

My parents nodded and Heidi managed to squeak out a yes. “ Yes, I’m fine,” I answered. “ What about Sean?” 186

Another officer was putting pressure on Sean’s wound. “ An ambulance is on the way,” was all he said in reply.187

“ That doesn’t tell me if he’s going to be okay or not,” I said, finally letting the tears fall.  “ Is he okay?”188

The officer looked up at me. “ Yeah, he’ll be okay,” he said. “ But you have to be strong okay?”189

I looked down at Sean, who was in a great deal of pain. I grabbed Joanna’s hand. I had to be strong, just one more time. She came and knelt next to me. 190

Detective O’Brien started asking me a bunch of questions, getting the full story out. I told him everything quickly, too busy concentrating on Sean.191

“ So what’s your real name Katy?” he asked.192

“ Tara McAden,” I answered. My real name; it sounded so different. For the past seven months, Megan Harris had been my real name. “ I was one of the girls who testified against Pedro Sandoval in Vermont.” 193

“ Yes, I know,” he answered. I looked up at him in surprise. “ When I heard that Pedro had broken out of prison and came here, I figured that one of the girls must have been residing here. Then we got your phone call to the police and it all came together. All we had to do after that was call the Witness Protection Program.”194

“ Oh,” was all I could say in response.195

The ambulance came blaring up the street, with its lights flashing.  I could see the neighbors, with their pajamas on, peeking out their windows and doors. The medics ran in and started to examine Sean and take him away. I started to follow him out until I saw a crowd of police and medics standing around Ryan’s car. The full realization that he was gone and there was nothing I could do about now was starting to hit me full force. I turned around and was surprised to find Heidi standing behind, following. Her eyes, too, were fixated on Ryan’s car. 196

“ Heidi,” I said slowly. She turned and looked up at me, her big, round brown eyes full of sorrow. “ Go with Sean.”197

Her eyebrows furrowed at my request and she stepped backwards, surprised. “ Why?”198

I glanced back at Ryan’s car. “ There are a few things I have to do here.”199

She followed my gaze. “ Katy, don’t do it. Don’t leave me. I can’t go alone.”200

I grabbed her hand aggressively. “ Yes, you can, Heidi. I know you can. Besides, you have to. You have to get in that ambulance and hold Sean’s hand and get him through this for me okay?”201

She nodded, sniffling already. “ Okay. Okay, I’ll do.” She looked from me to Ryan and back. “ Just be careful and…don’t look if you don’t want to.” She squeezed my hand and ran to climb in the ambulance that the medics had put Sean in.      202

“ Tara, you can’t do…” Detective O’Brien started to say.203

“ Yes I can,” I said firmly, starting to make my way over to Ryan’s car.204

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to face him.205

I glared at him. “ What are you doing?” I demanded.206

“ Tara, we have to get you to a safe place…”207

“ God, I know that!” I yelled at him. “ But maybe, just maybe, other things are a little more important right now! My friend is lying in his car, dead, the love of my life is on the way to the hospital, shot in the leg, quite possibly dead, and you’re worried about me?”208

“ Look, Tara,” the detective said, in a much softer, gentler voice than before,” there’s nothing you can do now. He’s dead. I’m sorry, but it just happened like that. It would be better if you didn’t see it.”209

I continued on making way across the lawn to the car. “ I think I have a right to see this.”  Before I was able to get any closer to the car, a police officer stepped in front of me.210

“ I’m sorry, miss, but this is a crime scene. It’s off limits,” he said, holding his hand out to stop me. His uniform reminded me of Sean and I couldn’t help but tear up. Sean was not like this, indifferent and uncaring.211

“ Please…” I said, trying to get a peek behind him.212

“ Just let her,” Detective O’Brien told the officer, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. His gaze moved to meet my own. “ Go ahead and look if you want Tara, but really I do think that you’d be better off just leaving right now.”213

His words were a distant echo in my mind and they had given me very good advice, but I had chosen to ignore it. I pushed past the officer and headed toward the driver’s side door. I took one look at Ryan, blood spilling out of his two wounds, one in his shoulder and the other right above his right hip, and was absolutely revolted. It was an absolute grotesque image, and for a moment, I couldn’t pull myself away. I finally turned around and threw up in the gutter. 214

Detective O’Brien came over and handed me his handkerchief. I took it and wiped my mouth. I couldn’t work up the energy to move. “ Oh my god,” I said. “ Oh my god…”215

“ Let’s get you out of here,” he said. He motioned to one of the officers. “ Take her to the hospital. Her boyfriend and friend are there. She’ll want to be with them.” 216

The officer nodded in response and took me gently by the arm. He led me to one of the squad cars and helped me get in. I took one last look at Ryan’s car, took a deep breath and held on as the officer sped to the hospital.217