Page 139 of Stains of Desire
Gustave unlocks a safe, pulls out a phone, and turns it on. "When Millie's video came across, I knew Santiago had ripped her away from Penelope." He swipes at the screen and hands me the phone.
I hold my breath. A gorgeous little girl with red hair, freckles, and green eyes appears. She looks just like Penelope. There's a woman with her in the snow. She has a Spanish accent and keeps telling her she's her mummy, but Millie keeps crying for Penelope.
Chills run down my spine. "Penelope keeps having night terrors about Millie in the snow. She describes this exact scene."
Gustave nods, and his eyes darken. "My wife had them about our daughter, too...when she was kidnapped."
"Your daughter...is she okay now? I never asked."
He smiles. "Yes. She's doing great."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Thanks." He clears his throat. "When William got the video, I got him high and took his phone. I made a copy of this video and returned his phone to him later. He never knew it was missing."
"Where do you think Millie is?"
"Santiago has a slew of mountain homes in Colombia and Venezuela. Those are the only places in the area that would get snow."
"You don't believe he took her away from South America?"
Gustave shakes his head. "No. The woman in the video sounded familiar to me. I couldn't place her voice. One night I realized who she sounded like."
"Who?"
"Have you ever heard of Valeria Sánchez?"
"The movie star?"
"Yes. Her father was Alejandro Gómez. Santiago is her half-brother and killed him to gain power."
"How do you know this?"
"I just do. But that woman in the video, her voice sounds like Valeria. Santiago has several sisters. One of them, Karina, hasn't been seen for the same time frame Penelope has been missing. And Karina wanted kids but couldn't have them."
My gut twists. "You think Santiago's sister is watching Millie and trying to turn her into her child?"
Gustave walks to the bar in the corner of the room and pours three fingers of Scotch. "Yes. Do you want one?"
"No."
I'm keeping a clear head until I get my woman and Millie back.
Gustave takes a sip. "Santiago would have wanted Millie close, to use as a weapon against Penelope at any time. His mountain homes in Colombia aren't far from his compound. The Venezuelan ones are a bit farther, but I wouldn't rule them out." He goes back to the safe and pulls out an envelope. "Here is a list of his places my intel has tracked down. The ones with the most snow, I've highlighted."
I pull the list out. Three dozen places are on the list. Six are highlighted—four in Venezuela and two in Colombia.
"I need equipment. And weapons. I had to leave my Glock and other things in Nicaragua."
He nods. "I can get all of it for you. I'm due back in Mexico in three days. We can leave in two and stop in Venezuela. I have business there, so it wouldn't look suspicious."
"Are they tracking you?"
His eyes drill into mine. "They track everyone. Eyes are everywhere. You have to cover your ass at all times."
"Can you arrange it so we leave tomorrow?"
"No. Tomorrow we set Louis Couture up. If we don't, we lose our opportunity."
