Gone Too Far (Devlin & Falco #2) - Debra Webb Page 0,88

. it felt like someone else. Someone from another life.

Those months had been another life . . . a lie.

Screams of agony. Pain like she’d never endured before roared through her body. She’d felt the baby moving . . . and then it was dead.

Cries . . . a baby’s cries echoed inside her.

Sadie flinched. Only her imagination. The baby had died. She’d seen the tiny body. Felt the cold flesh . . . the little chest that failed to rise and fall.

Maybe it was for the best. She was too broken to take care of a child. Hell, she couldn’t even take care of herself. And if the baby had lived, it probably would have ended up growing up in the cartel.

Her dead baby was buried on the compound somewhere. She would never know where. Maybe next to Eddie.

He was dead too. Though, like the rest of her memories, the parts about him during that time were fragmented and unclear.

Over the months and years there had been speculation that he was still there, in hiding at the compound.

Anything was possible, but deep in her gut she was certain he was dead. She should know. She was the one who had killed him.

At least he’d sure as hell looked dead.

Sadie squeezed her eyes shut and blocked the scattered voices and images from those missing months. No one could help piece the puzzle together. She was like Humpty Dumpty. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put her together again.

Asher had tried.

Asher.

He was the first person she had allowed so close since her infamous disappearing act. He’d made promises about finding the truth and stopping Carlos Osorio where it counted—through his backers. One night after they’d had sex he’d laughed and promised to bring her the old bastard’s head.

She’d tried to pretend he might even be able to do it. To win.

But she had known he wouldn’t.

She’d warned him that it was too dangerous. Then he would insist she had survived; why couldn’t he?

Maybe because deep inside she was made out of the same shit as the Osorios. Maybe that was why she’d fit in so well and ultimately survived.

Asher had been too good.

It didn’t actually matter who’d pulled the trigger that had put the bullet in his head; Sadie knew who had ordered his execution.

Carlos Osorio.

She might not be able to get to him, but there could be another way.

Was it possible this girl, this Alice Cortez, was Isabella? She had many of her facial features and her coloring. Sadie thought of the photos Devlin had shown her. It had taken every ounce of willpower she possessed to maintain her composure after seeing those pics. She’d had to get out of there before she went over the edge.

But she couldn’t be sure. Her mind played tricks on her far too often for her to be sure of anything from that part of her past.

What Sadie needed was to see this girl up close. To hear her speak . . . to see her move.

Then she would know for sure.

30

Noon

Cortez Residence

Eleventh Avenue South

From the passenger-side window of Jen’s car, Kerri stared at the Cortez home. She shouldn’t do this. It was bad enough to take the risk herself, but to ask someone else . . .

But she was desperate.

“I know that look,” Jen announced. She twisted in the seat to look directly at Kerri.

Kerri blinked. This was wrong. Just wrong. “Jen, I shouldn’t have come to you with this. I’m sorry.”

Jen reached across the console and took Kerri’s hand in hers. “Your daughter calls me Aunt Jen.” Her lips trembled. “The same way Amelia did.” A lone tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. “You and Diana—you’re all family to me. I would do anything to help you.”

Kerri rode out the hurt that hurtled through her, took a breath. “This is wrong. What I’m asking you to do. To impersonate a state official. If I could do it myself, I would. But these people know who I am, so I can’t. And if I weren’t scared to death for Tori, I would never ask you anyway.”

Jen squared her shoulders and lifted her chin defiantly. “I want to do it, Kerri. Had I known what to do to help, I would have done it without you asking. Please, let me help.” She shook her head. “Not for you or for me, but for Tori. I can’t lose anyone else I love.”

Kerri nodded. “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “We’ve