Page 28 of Sin With Me

She gave me a questioning look and her eyes fell sad as she replied, “Yes, of course.”

I didn’t want to leave all the work for her, but given everything that had happened and the feelings I was having a difficult time dealing with, I had no choice. I had to stay away from her, for both our sakes. It wasn’t until last evening, when I saw her chatting up my brother, that I realized the degree of my infatuation with this woman. It was uncontrollable. It was dangerous.

“Take care, Kate.”

“Take care, Father Cameron.”

She waved as I stepped out of her room. Even our greetings and goodbyes had become informal. Our friendship had grown informal aswell.

Kate showed up to the first mass that Sunday. She sat in the back row of the church, her head lowered for most of the hour, large bumblebee sunglasses shading her eyes. I didn’t see her again afterward and didn’t look for her, either.

When I went back to my room that evening, my brother was there, waiting for me the way we’d agreed. I poured myself a scotch on the rocks and refilled my brother’s glass.

“What’s the news? Should I get the fuck out of this townnow?”

“Don’t pack your bags just yet. I was here last night when I called you, but got… sidetracked.”

Was he seriously saying what I thought he was saying?

“You came here for a woman, didn’tyou?”

“Not just any woman, Cam. She’s… she’s been driving me nuts since the moment I camehere.”

“Wait, what?”

“Kate has a ghost.”

“Shit.”

“Someone hired her to protectKate.”

“Protect Kate? Fromwho?”

“I’m assuming Cortez. Who else is there? I need you to find Kate’s connection to the cartel. Maybe she’ll have some information about the money.”

“All right.”

I didn’t like doing this. I didn’t like the sound of Kate being under another watchful eye, no matter whose it was. I didn’t like the fact that Kate could be in trouble and not even knowit.

“So, why are you here? You could have told me this over the phone.”

“Cortez is on the move. Nothing alarming yet, so don’t panic, but he’s trying to get to the girl as fast as weare.”

“That’s a good thing. If he finds her, we’ll be in the clear.”

“I wouldn’t trust Cortez that far. He placed a bounty on her head. Ten million. Add to that rumors about the Cortez brothers possibly hiding fifty million, and something’s not addingup.”

Ten million for the same girl we were lookingfor?

“That’s a lot of money.” This meant that she was worth more alive than dead, and since Mateo and Pablo Cortez didn’t care about anyone outside their family, it meant that he was looking for information from the girl. He wanted to find the woman who was at the root of my troubles as much as I did – butwhy?

“You think that bitch knows where the money is?” I asked.

“Possibly.”

How was it that someone could hide it so well? Who was she, and why was she so stupid as to cross that family?

“Shit!” I pulled my fingers through my hair. “And you really think this money’s intown?”

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