Page 116 of Sin With Me

“Be careful,” he said toher.

“You too.” Her voice was filled with concern, and now I worried for her as well. I worried for Kate and my brother. It had been a while since I’d prayed, but I said a quick plea, asking God to keep them safe. I’d never worked with Lola before, but if she worked for Cross Enterprises, then I knew she had skills. Still, these were Cortez men we were talking about.

“We got this.” She gave us one last thumbs up before we disappeared inside the dark chapel. If it hadn’t been for the moonlit night, we wouldn’t have seen anything.

I hurried toward the four boards over the staircase. “Help me with these. Hurry.”

“Gotit.”

We set the boards aside, walked down a few steps, and replaced them from underneath, sealing off the entrance

“You said you’ve been here before?” Brook asked.

“Yeah. The small burial vault belongs to Mike. Kate’s grandparents are resting in the larger ones behind his.” I pointed to thewall.

“With fifty million dollars?”

“I think so. To be honest with you, I’m not sure if there’s anything left ofit.”

“Because the bodies would have decomposed.”

“Exactly. Now, there are six people altogether. If Father John, Kate, and Anna are with them, that leaves three of them to take out. I’m sure one will stay outside so be ready for two more. Brook, I don’t want Kate hurt. I don’t want any of themhurt”

“Neither doI.”

“Good.”

We set up our trap and hid behind the large stone compartments. We could hear their footsteps drawing nearer. It took another ten minutes before I heard Kate’s voice.

“The money’s downstairs in the crypt.”

“Hope, don’t! How do you know? I’ve never told anyone,” came the voice of an older woman that must have been Kate’s mother. Whatever magic Lola had done outside, it worked. They were heading downstairs.

“Out of the way,” a deeper voice bellowed. I heard a loud cry of pain, and my heart felt like it had been stabbed a thousand times at once. Kate was hurt. Wanting to charge upstairs, I grasped the edge of the stone and clenched my jaw tight.

Patience.

“You said you’d let Kate and John go,” Anna pleaded.

“I haven’t seen a dime yet. Until I do, nobody leaves.”

The boards came off, and little bit more moonlight filteredin.

“Go!” Cortez ordered. I wasn’t sure which one, but I would have bet on either Mateo or Mike who’d come downstairs.

From behind the corner, I saw a pair of feet take the first few steps down, and then with support, someone hopped down on one leg. That’s when I realized it wasKate.

“Stay still.” I heard my brother’s voice in the earpiece. I needed to hear his caution more than the next breath. “We need them all here to make sure they’resafe.”

I watched as along with Father John, they descended. Mateo Cortez followed with a machine gun resting at the side of his leg, and I knew that if we didn’t neutralize him first, we weredead.

Kate could barely support her weight.

Jesus Christ!

How was she even alive? She looked physically broken. It was dark here, but I could still see that a lot of damage had been done to herbody.

Mike had better pray for a bullet to his head, because if I got to him and he wasn’t already dead, he’d want tobe.

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