The Right to Love - Part 15
Title: The Right to Love
Spoilers: Takes place after ep 101 (8x09) after Pepa and Silvia have become engaged. This is a sequel to my previous PepSi fanfic, In Love’s Defense. My fic follows LHDP up to ep 101 but departs from the show at that point - ep 104 never has and never will exist in this version of Pepa and Silvia’s world.
Rating: NC-17 for profanity/graphic language and violence.
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia
Summary: As Pepa and Silvia deal with the aftermath of their encounter with El Gordo, a new case comes forward that challenges their rights as well as their lives.
A/N/Disclaimer: The characters of LHDP aren’t mine. Dammit, another four plus month gap with RL stuff getting in the way of writing! I’m still bound and determined to finish this sucker, even if only for my own amusement. Don’t worry, happy times for the girls will still be coming, just not yet! Pepa has to kick more ass first! A note: GEO stands for Grupos Especiales de Operaciones - the National Police SWAT team.
[ Part 1] [ Part 2] [ Part 3] [ Part 4] [ Part 5] [ Part 6] [ Part 7] [ Part 8] [ Part 9] [ Part 10] [ Part 11] [ Part 12] [ Part 13] [ Part 14]
A warm hand on her back jolted Pepa out of a sound sleep. Her neck protested as her head jerked up, painfully tensing the muscles that extended down her spine. Disoriented, she blinked her eyes to clear her vision, to be greeted by the same unnerving sight of her wife’s still form.
“Dios! How long was I asleep?” Pepa swallowed past a dry throat as she glanced at the screen displaying Silvia’s vitals. “Did I miss anything?”
“Easy, hija.” Don Lorenzo rubbed the tall woman’s back in soothing circles. “You’ve only been out for a half an hour.”
Dr. Gonzalez nodded reassuringly at Pepa from across the bed. “Not to worry, Pepa. I wouldn’t have treated Silvia without you here, if at all possible.”
“Gracias.” Pepa slowly stood from her chair, seeing the syringe the physician held in his right hand. “Is that antidote the real thing? Is it going to work?”
“The lab analyzed it, and we’ve determined it’s safe to give Silvia, so we’re going to take a calculated risk here.”
“A risk?” Pepa’s heart dropped as she squeezed Silvia’s hand protectively.
“Pepa, every procedure comes with a degree of risk.” Dr. Gonzalez informed her, his azure eyes regarding her gravely. “This was a specifically engineered poison that attacked Silvia and this is a specifically engineered antidote. But we don’t know how it will affect her. It could take a few minutes or days, or -”
“Or it might now work at all.” The agent finished, her heart rate now thudding furiously.
Pepa grasped the hand she held, lowering her head to kiss each knuckle, before threading her fingers through Silvia’s fiery tresses. With infinite tenderness, she kissed each delicate eyelid, moving to warm the downy cheek with her breath. She pressed her lips against her wife’s ear, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Vamos, pelirroja. You need to open your eyes so you can walk down the aisle. So I can be waiting for you at the end. I want to put that ring on your finger and make you the happiest woman in the world.”
Pepa inhaled deeply, summoning her emotional reserves as she straightened up, meeting Dr. Gonzalez’s gaze. “Vale. Do it.”
With practiced precision, the physician uncovered the syringe and inserted the needle into the injection cap in Silvia’s IV tubing. Pepa swallowed nervously as she watched the liquid disappear from the syringe into her wife’s body. She continued to chafe the hand she held, desperately hoping to see her partner’s gorgeous deep brown eyes, or even for a twitch of a hand or an eyelid. The seconds seemed to tick by interminably and still nothing happened. No beeping alarms, fitful convulsions or gasps for air. Nothing.
The brunette’s expression gradually fell, her mouth turned down into a severe frown, as the minutes ticked by without any change.
“So what does this mean if the antidote doesn’t work right away?”
Dr. Gonzalez took a penlight and carefully thumbed Silvia’s eyelids open one by one, shining the small beam into her pupils. He unwound the stethoscope from around his neck, intently listening to his patient’s lungs and heart.
“Well, Silvia’s had no immediate, adverse reactions, so that’s a good thing.” Dr. Gonzalez studied the monitors with a knowledgeable eye before stepping to Pepa’s side. “It means that we keep a very close eye on her vitals for any changes. I’m going to order more tests.”
Pepa let out a frustrated sigh. “So this wasn’t all for nothing, right?”
“Claro que no, Pepa.” The doctor replied in his usual calm and understanding manner. “Silvia’s body has been through extreme trauma, shutting down and reviving again, even without the complications of being poisoned. But her EEG shows that she has significant brain activity, and that’s a very good sign. Just give the antidote time to get in her bloodstream to work and her body time to heal. ”
“Vale. I just -” Pepa’s voice cracked, her constantly fluctuating emotions making her feel small and insignificant. “I just had this insane hope that she’d wake up right away. That I could save her and that she’d be fine.”
“Lo siento.” The agent abruptly let go of her wife’s hand, turning her back and stepping out of the room. “I know I’m not supposed to lose hope. I don’t want Silvia to sense any of my fear, because I don’t want to get in the way of her getting better, but…” She sniffed through her tears, swiping at her runny nose with her sleeve. “It’s hard.”
Don Lorenzo firmly took the brunette’s shoulders from behind, his rough tone softened with compassion. “Pepa, cariño, do you think there has to be a script for this? That you can’t allow yourself to feel what you do? That’s nonsense!”
“Your father-in-law is right.” The lines around Dr. Gonzalez’s eyes crinkled as he smiled encouragingly. “I’ve seen spouses go through this for years. But the ones who make it through in one piece have a support system in place. When they can’t feel any hope, their family finds it for them. And you can include me in that group - give me a call any time you need to.”
Pepa’s head throbbed uncomfortably the aftereffects of crying, but she gave a shaky smile to the two men, reaching back to take Don Lorenzo’s hand. “Thank you for being my family.”
The commissioner turned the tall woman in his arms to enfold her in a warm hug. “Anytime, hija. I can still thump some sense into you if needed!”
The brunette choked a laugh off at the comment, as Don Lorenzo pressed a fatherly kiss on her forehead. The mood was interrupted as she felt his cell phone vibrate urgently.
“Qué pasa?” Pepa asked.
Don Lorenzo unclipped his cell phone from his belt, checking the caller ID. “It’s Montoya. Hopefully he’s got those warrants.” He walked down the hall before answering in a quiet, urgent tone.
Dr. Gonzalez watched uneasily as Pepa’s face shifted, becoming mercilessly cold and still. Her body stiffened as her hands curled into tight fists, her jaw set in an angry line.
“Pepa…” The physician hesitated, remembering the fierce defense she had put up for her wife when Trujillo had threatened to arrest her. “Whatever you’re thinking of, just -” He sighed resignedly, knowing any dissuading words would fall on deaf ears. “Just be careful.”
The agent blinked and registered the doctor, as if seeing him for the first time. “Esteban, please take care of my wife.” Her voice was so soft, he had to strain to hear her request.
She glanced down the hallway to where Don Lorenzo was listening intently to his second-in-command.
“I have to finish what I started.”
___
Paco, Montoya, Rita and Salgado hunched in the small space of the surveillance van that was already crammed with monitors, microphones and other surveillance equipment. They had donned Kevlar vests and had managed to squeeze in a few more weapons and tactical gear, making the area increasingly claustrophobic.
“We’ve got the warrants in place.” Salgado informed the agents. “CNP officers and GEO teams are going to simultaneously arrest as many people as possible on Blackman’s list, tonight.”
“But they’re being stretched thin.” Paco wiped the moisture off his face. He was starting to sweat, despite the cold stormy conditions that still raged outside. “When’s our god dam GEO team getting here? I want to get this bastard as soon as possible!”
“ETA, ten minutes. We’re coordinating with all the teams to hit all the locations at once.” Montoya glanced at his watch. “Ours will pull up here and radio us when they’re in position and have all the exits covered.”
“Are we’re sure Lozano’s still in his office?” Paco’s voice was tinged with impatience. “For Pepa’s and Silvia’s sake, I am not letting him get away!”
“Paco, he wasn’t at home.” Salgado tried to reassure her partner. “There are alerts on all the members of Soldados de la Fortuna. We would know if Lozano had tried to flee via an airport or other transport, whether private and public.”
“Wait, wait!” Rita exclaimed as she fiddled with a few dials at a console where she was listening through a set of headphones. “I think I just picked up Senator Lozano’s cell phone transmission.”
Quickly, she removed the headphones and flicked a few switches as a gravely, familiar voice piped through the surveillance van’s speakers.
“…Trujillo!” Lozano’s voice roared. “This is the last message I’ll leave you, dammit! I’ll meet you at the rendezvous. If you don’t have that Miranda bitch with you…I’ll make sure you’ll take the fall for this, not me!”
“Mierda!” Salgado’s eyes went round with surprise. “Lozano’s been waiting for Trujillo to deliver Pepa to him! He doesn’t know he’s been arrested.”
“Bien. The more he’s in the dark, the better.” Paco already had pulled his revolver out of the holster. He balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to move. “Vamos! Let’s get that bastard before he leaves the building!”
Everyone jumped as the back door to the van opened unexpectedly. As protocol dictated, their location was well concealed in an unlit corner of the parking lot, well away from surveillance cameras and prying eyes.
“Pepa!” Paco’s eyes widened as he saw his sister, revealed in a brief flash of lighting. She was soaked to the bone, but seemed not to notice as the raindrops pinged off her dusky skin and dark cloth of her uniform. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Without answering, the brunette grasped a Kevlar vest and swiftly strapped it on, fastening the Velcro strips snugly against her sides. She adjusted her shoulder holster, making sure that her Walther P22 was still readily accessible.
“Montoya called Don Lorenzo for an update and the comisario told me where to find you.” Pepa’s gaze flitted to Salgado and the folded paper resting near her hand on the console.
“That’s the warrant?” The agent’s long fingers snatched it before Salgado could open her mouth to protest. She briefly perused it before tucking it safely in her vest. “I told Lozano I’d serve it to him. I want the pleasure of doing it personally.”
Montoya shook his head trying to deter his friend, who he was certain, was going into dangerous territory. “Pepa, you should be with Silvia. I emphasized to Don Lorenzo that we’ve got everything well in hand. We’ve confirmed that Lozano’s in his office. The GEOs will be here in a few minutes and we’ll take care of this.”
“Hermana, Montoya’s right. You shouldn’t be here -”
Any further protests died in Paco’s throat as Pepa glanced up, her features twisted with a fierce rage that bordered on madness - an unforgiving, cruel look in her normally warm, coffee-colored eyes that made the elder Miranda flinch in reflex. He could taste the promise of violence as Pepa reached back into the van and grasped a Heckler & Koch MP5 - a submachine gun that he knew his sister was very capable of wielding with precise and deadly force.
“No one goes after that fucker but me!” Pepa growled in a low, deadly tone.
“Pepa, don’t!” Paco was cut off as his sister slammed the door in his face, as he reached out to grab her arm. His ears faintly registered several successive pops and retreating bootsteps above the noise of the storm. Furiously, he jiggled the handle of the door, to no avail.
“Joder!” The agent went red-faced with effort as the panic rose in his chest. “She must have somehow jammed the locks! We’re trapped in here!”
“Dios! She’s crazy!” Montoya jiggled the door and window locks, finding them unresponsive. He threw a shoulder against the driver’s side door, groaning as it refused to yield. He knew that trying to shoot their way out in the tiny, enclosed space would be a last resort, not to mention foolhardy and dangerous. “She’s going to get herself killed!”
“Or something even worse.” Paco answered, voicing everyone’s deepest fear. Unwilling to give up, he slammed his boot into the door, willing it to open. Praying that his sister wouldn’t become an unrecognizable, inhuman force in order to get her revenge.
___
Pepa ignored the icy trickle of rainwater sliding down her temple as her boots noiselessly made deep, soggy imprints in a plush maroon carpet, as she made her way down the hallway to Lozano’s office. The only lights that shone in the foyer were from muted streetlamps outside the building window. But it was enough for Pepa to make out the brass handle of the heavy oak door, behind which was the ultimate target that had brought about so much suffering to her and her wife.
Taking the MP5 in a tighter grip, Pepa tucked the stock securely against her shoulder, as she reached out with her left hand to push the door open. Her jaw tightened in anger as Senator Lozano’s large silhouette was revealed to her. His back was turned as he hastily slapped his laptop shut and stuffed it in a black leather overnight bag. He froze in mid-motion as the sound of Pepa cocking her weapon echoed through the office.
“Agent Miranda.” Lozano’s voice broke the silence, his tone smoothly arrogant. “It’s rather rude to burst into my office for a second time without an appointment.”
His broad shoulders heaved as he exhaled deeply through his nose. “I should have expected you’d show up sooner or later.”
Ignoring the comment, Pepa stepped behind the Senator, prodding his shoulder with the muzzle of the machine gun.
“Turn around.”
“And how do I know you won’t shoot me? After all, there’s so little honor among CNP agents. There were so many that just needed a little cash incentive to look the other way.” Pepa could hear the smile in Lozano’s voice as he mocked her.
“I said turn the fuck around!!” Pepa yelled, her face flush with the rage she felt coursing through her veins. “And keep your hands where I can see them!”
“Very well.”
Pepa trembled as Lozano turned to face her. He slowly extended his hands upward, his wide grin evident through his thick salt-and-pepper beard. She wanted nothing more but to smash that self-satisfied look off his face with her bare hands. She swallowed thickly, visibly trying to wrestle in her composure.
“Senator Vicente Lozano, you are under arrest for ordering the assassination of Senator Ramon Duarte, bribery of CNP, IA agents, elected officials -” Pepa paused, her nostrils flaring. “…and the attempted murder of Inspectora Silvia Castro Miranda.” Pepa extracted the warrant from underneath her vest and threw the paper in his direction. “As promised, I do have all my paperwork in order this time.”
The Senator merely blinked as the paper flew in his face. “Vale. So as they say in the movies, are you going to take me downtown?”
“No. I want you to answer a question for me.” Pepa’s voice wavered with emotion as the vision of Silvia’s pale, unresponsive form appeared in her mind’s eye. “Por qué? Why did you hurt her?!”
Lozano’s arrogant smile slowly faded as his flat, grey eyes became intense with a terrifying, earnest madness.
“Because…abominations like Duarte, that so-called wife that’s masquerading as your whore, and sick beings like yourself…you don’t deserve to exist! I am commanding the hand of God that will eradicate your filth from this earth!”
Pepa ground her teeth together until she swore they’d crack, clamping down on a guttural cry that stuck in her throat. The gun began to shake in her hands as she managed to retain her grip through the slick sweat that coated her palms.
“Go ahead, Agent Miranda! Shoot me! And then you’ll be the one charged with murder.” Lozano goaded, his grin returning as the maniacal light continued to dance in his eyes. “Or arrest me. It doesn’t matter what you do, or what evidence you think you have against me. With my connections, I’ll be out within a week!”
Stepping forward, Pepa swiftly reversed the MP5 in her hands, ramming the stock of the weapon into Lozano’s gut. She smiled coldly as he collapsed, dropping to his knees with a groan, the wind flying out of his lungs in an explosive gush.
“No one talks about my Silvia like that, least of all a pig like you!” The agent spat a wad of spittle on the bent head as she reached in the back of her belt for her handcuffs.
A meaty hand shot out, grasping at her ankle in an iron grip. Pepa’s perspective skewed crazily as she found herself falling. She lost her grasp on the machine gun as it skittered away. She could sense Lozano move with surprising speed as he sprung up and tackled her.
Stupid, stupid! I got too close! The Senator’s large hand held her head in place, her cheek mashed against the carpet, as she inhaled its musty smell. Scrabbling frantically, Pepa tried to roll her left side with her holstered sidearm away from her captor, her brain screaming one thought. Don’t let him get the gun!
Lozano regained his breath, coughing and laughing at the same time, as he used his knees to pin the agent’s arms at her side. He reached for the slender neck, using all his strength to squeeze the tender skin he could feel pulsing under his grasp.
“You little cunt! Don’t worry, I don’t need a gun.” The politician continued to wheeze with exertion, but his voice remained dangerously smooth, the enjoyment evident in his tone. “Killing a creature such as yourself - that deserves to be savored!”
Pepa’s hands clawed at the thick wrists, trying to pry off the fingers that encircled her throat. The Senator’s superior weight had pinned her torso down. Her ears began to buzz as her chest hitched, craving the oxygen that was quickly diminishing. The strange, repulsive sound of her own gasps echoed in her head - a thick, harsh pant that rapidly increased as she continued to struggle uselessly.
“That’s it!” Lozano hissed as the agent’s arms slackened and fell to her sides. Her eyelids fluttered erratically as she started to lose consciousness. “You can join that little pelirroja bitch of yours in hell!”
Pepa! The brunette jerked as her wife’s voice resounded in her head. Te quiero. Siempre. Don’t let hate destroy what we have. What we’ll always have.
An animalistic growl left Pepa’s lips, which built into a fierce yell of denial, as her fists clenched tightly. She swiftly raised her arms, boxing Lozano soundly on both sides of his head. As he loosened his grip, the agent sat up, using her body’s momentum to headbutt the Senator. Even if the motion was excruciating, it was well worth the effort, as Pepa felt his nose give way with a sickening crack.
The politician shrieked, his hands flying up to cradle his freely bleeding appendage. Pepa twisted her body, wriggling out from under Lozano’s weight, coughing harshly. She blinked, trying to ignore her throbbing throat, which felt like she’d swallowed a pack of razor blades.
As Pepa stood up on wobbly legs, her fingers shook as she unbuttoned the clasp to free her gun from the holster. Before she could pull her weapon, Lozano grabbed again from behind. The two combatants fought in a tangled mess of limbs as they struggled across the room. The agent closed her eyes just before Lozano slammed her head into a mirror, splintering the glass into jagged shards. Crying out in agony, Pepa used her pain to give fuel to her shaking muscles, as she forcefully jabbed an elbow into the body behind her. She heard a ragged gasp as she felt the arms around her drop away, as she slipped out of the Senator’s grasp.
Reversing their positions, she took a fistful of Lozano’s hair and returned the favor, slamming his forehead so hard into the remains of the mirror that it shattered. She repeated the motion again and again, until the Senator collapsed at her feet, his face a pulpy mass of open gashes and free-flowing blood.
“You bastard!” Pepa blinked rapidly, feeling a sticky combination of sweat and blood slowly ooze down her temple. She stomped viciously on Lozano’s hand as he tried to crawl away, feeling the bones easily crunch and give way. His scream echoed in her ears as she shifted her weight, grinding the stray glass fragments ground into his palm.
“Vamos, you fat fuck!” Hauling the large body to its feet, the agent clutched the politician by the lapels of his now ruined suit, bringing him level with her gaze.
“As much as I’d love to put a bullet between your eyes, I am going to bring you in! Because Silvia and I do everything to defend the rights and freedoms of the Spanish people. And justice says that you’ll be locked away for the rest of your life, so help you God! Because if you ever get out…” Pepa paused, mercilessly grasping the pudgy chin, forcing Lozano to face her blazing eyes. “I’ll be there, at every step, at every fucking turn, making sure that justice is done for what you did to my wife!”
The agent glanced down as her attention was distracted by a rank, pungent odor, as she felt the Senator shudder in her grasp. An embarrassingly dark stain marred his trousers as the trail of wetness seeped down his leg.
Pepa’s lips twisted into an angry, almost amused, grimace. “Pathetic!” she snarled.
Suddenly unable to stand being near the man she considered to be more hateful than the vile epithets he spouted, the agent flung the Senator’s body away from her own. She turned towards the door, disregarding the thump and muffled groan as he landed on the carpet. Pepa’s shoulders sagged as she inhaled raggedly. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be here anymore.
With a resounding crash and a splintering of wood, the heavy oak doors were practically torn off the hinges, as four GEOs in full assault gear stormed into the room. They paused at the sight of Pepa’s raised hands and vest marked ‘POLICIA’, which clearly identified her as no threat. They refocused the barrels of their rifles as one to the slumped form on the floor and made their way over to the Senator.
“Pepa!”
The brunette wearily shifted her gaze to Paco, who followed right on the heels of the GEO agents, his gun also drawn. She could see her brother’s eyes widen in shock and rapidly moisten with tears as he took in her newly bloodied and battered form. She felt a brief pang of remorse shoot through her as she realized how much she had put him through. He’d probably been expecting to find her lifeless body after the stunt she’d pulled by locking him in the van and going after Lozano on her own.
“Hermano.” She rasped painfully. “It’s finally over. Lozano’s in custody and will be going away for the rest of his life.”
“Sí, sí. Dios!” Paco tearfully opened his arms as his sister collapsed into them, utterly exhausted. He supported her weight as she shook against him, using his free hand to tenderly stroke the dark head against his shoulder.
“You’re okay, you’re okay.” He crooned softly, feeling her tears dampen the skin on his neck. “I’ll take care of you now.”
“Augh!” The Senator cried as he was pulled none too gently to his feet by a burly GEO agent. “I’ll have you in chains for this police brutality! I’ll make sure you’re the newest bitch on the cell block!”
The siblings turned to observe the Senator as he continued to spout obscenities and insults as the agent reached for his handcuffs. Their eyes followed Lozano’s motions as he attempted to twist away from his captor, reaching with his uninjured hand for the Glock that was strapped on the agent’s belt. Pulling the gun free from the nylon sheath and aiming it with a sure, purposeful inevitability at Pepa’s head…
…only to be greeted by returning fire as Pepa and Paco had already simultaneously raised and fired their weapons, two rounds impacting in perfect unison in Senator Vicente Lozano’s chest.
Pepa stepped forward, brushing aside the GEOs who had belatedly raised their rifles, her eyes coldly taking in the Senator, who had fallen spread-eagled on his back. His body twitched in shock as he gurgled helplessly on the blood already filling his throat.
“You once said you’d pray for me, Senator. Well, here’s my prayer -” Pepa paused, as she loomed over the face of the man that had tormented her. “That you spend the rest of eternity rotting in hell!”
The whites of Lozano’s eyes widened with shock and fury, as Pepa knew that he’d registered her ominous last rites. She had already turned his back on him, the blood expunging from his lips in a last, thready wheeze as he died.
The Walther P22 dropped to the carpet with a dull thump as Pepa felt her gun leave her nerveless fingers. Again, she felt Paco’s arms enfold her slim shoulders, her ears barely hearing his murmured reassurances.
“Hermana, it’s all right. We had no choice. Lozano was threatening us. It was a good shot, vale?” Paco worriedly smoothed his sister’s tangled bangs from her forehead, growing more unnerved by the second as he saw the blank, lifeless look in the eyes opposite his. “Pepa? Cariño?”
“There’s no such thing as a good shot.” The agent groaned in a hollow whisper. “Lozano’s dead, but I don’t feel any better. Silvia’s still in a coma. She could still die -”
Pepa was unaware that her body was now shuddering uncontrollably. The buzzing in her head grew in volume, strident and piercing, as her vision became fuzzy and bright at the same time. Disoriented, she managed to make out Paco yelling out orders, tinged with panic. Montoya and Rita’s voices joined the fray, mingling with the clamor that hammered her skull.
Snatches of words. Shock. Hyperventilation. A blanket covering her exposed skin. A plastic mask being fitted over her face. Feeling herself held against the familiarity of Paco’s form. Bright, blinding pain. Muscles seizing. A cruel fist reaching into her gut and ripping out her insides. Curling into a fetal position. Vomiting violently, the tears and mucus running down her face to mix in with the fetid pool on the carpet.
Darkness mercifully came, as her mind whispered a prayer. Mi Silvia…
Spoilers: Takes place after ep 101 (8x09) after Pepa and Silvia have become engaged. This is a sequel to my previous PepSi fanfic, In Love’s Defense. My fic follows LHDP up to ep 101 but departs from the show at that point - ep 104 never has and never will exist in this version of Pepa and Silvia’s world.
Rating: NC-17 for profanity/graphic language and violence.
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia
Summary: As Pepa and Silvia deal with the aftermath of their encounter with El Gordo, a new case comes forward that challenges their rights as well as their lives.
A/N/Disclaimer: The characters of LHDP aren’t mine. Dammit, another four plus month gap with RL stuff getting in the way of writing! I’m still bound and determined to finish this sucker, even if only for my own amusement. Don’t worry, happy times for the girls will still be coming, just not yet! Pepa has to kick more ass first! A note: GEO stands for Grupos Especiales de Operaciones - the National Police SWAT team.
[ Part 1] [ Part 2] [ Part 3] [ Part 4] [ Part 5] [ Part 6] [ Part 7] [ Part 8] [ Part 9] [ Part 10] [ Part 11] [ Part 12] [ Part 13] [ Part 14]
A warm hand on her back jolted Pepa out of a sound sleep. Her neck protested as her head jerked up, painfully tensing the muscles that extended down her spine. Disoriented, she blinked her eyes to clear her vision, to be greeted by the same unnerving sight of her wife’s still form.
“Dios! How long was I asleep?” Pepa swallowed past a dry throat as she glanced at the screen displaying Silvia’s vitals. “Did I miss anything?”
“Easy, hija.” Don Lorenzo rubbed the tall woman’s back in soothing circles. “You’ve only been out for a half an hour.”
Dr. Gonzalez nodded reassuringly at Pepa from across the bed. “Not to worry, Pepa. I wouldn’t have treated Silvia without you here, if at all possible.”
“Gracias.” Pepa slowly stood from her chair, seeing the syringe the physician held in his right hand. “Is that antidote the real thing? Is it going to work?”
“The lab analyzed it, and we’ve determined it’s safe to give Silvia, so we’re going to take a calculated risk here.”
“A risk?” Pepa’s heart dropped as she squeezed Silvia’s hand protectively.
“Pepa, every procedure comes with a degree of risk.” Dr. Gonzalez informed her, his azure eyes regarding her gravely. “This was a specifically engineered poison that attacked Silvia and this is a specifically engineered antidote. But we don’t know how it will affect her. It could take a few minutes or days, or -”
“Or it might now work at all.” The agent finished, her heart rate now thudding furiously.
Pepa grasped the hand she held, lowering her head to kiss each knuckle, before threading her fingers through Silvia’s fiery tresses. With infinite tenderness, she kissed each delicate eyelid, moving to warm the downy cheek with her breath. She pressed her lips against her wife’s ear, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Vamos, pelirroja. You need to open your eyes so you can walk down the aisle. So I can be waiting for you at the end. I want to put that ring on your finger and make you the happiest woman in the world.”
Pepa inhaled deeply, summoning her emotional reserves as she straightened up, meeting Dr. Gonzalez’s gaze. “Vale. Do it.”
With practiced precision, the physician uncovered the syringe and inserted the needle into the injection cap in Silvia’s IV tubing. Pepa swallowed nervously as she watched the liquid disappear from the syringe into her wife’s body. She continued to chafe the hand she held, desperately hoping to see her partner’s gorgeous deep brown eyes, or even for a twitch of a hand or an eyelid. The seconds seemed to tick by interminably and still nothing happened. No beeping alarms, fitful convulsions or gasps for air. Nothing.
The brunette’s expression gradually fell, her mouth turned down into a severe frown, as the minutes ticked by without any change.
“So what does this mean if the antidote doesn’t work right away?”
Dr. Gonzalez took a penlight and carefully thumbed Silvia’s eyelids open one by one, shining the small beam into her pupils. He unwound the stethoscope from around his neck, intently listening to his patient’s lungs and heart.
“Well, Silvia’s had no immediate, adverse reactions, so that’s a good thing.” Dr. Gonzalez studied the monitors with a knowledgeable eye before stepping to Pepa’s side. “It means that we keep a very close eye on her vitals for any changes. I’m going to order more tests.”
Pepa let out a frustrated sigh. “So this wasn’t all for nothing, right?”
“Claro que no, Pepa.” The doctor replied in his usual calm and understanding manner. “Silvia’s body has been through extreme trauma, shutting down and reviving again, even without the complications of being poisoned. But her EEG shows that she has significant brain activity, and that’s a very good sign. Just give the antidote time to get in her bloodstream to work and her body time to heal. ”
“Vale. I just -” Pepa’s voice cracked, her constantly fluctuating emotions making her feel small and insignificant. “I just had this insane hope that she’d wake up right away. That I could save her and that she’d be fine.”
“Lo siento.” The agent abruptly let go of her wife’s hand, turning her back and stepping out of the room. “I know I’m not supposed to lose hope. I don’t want Silvia to sense any of my fear, because I don’t want to get in the way of her getting better, but…” She sniffed through her tears, swiping at her runny nose with her sleeve. “It’s hard.”
Don Lorenzo firmly took the brunette’s shoulders from behind, his rough tone softened with compassion. “Pepa, cariño, do you think there has to be a script for this? That you can’t allow yourself to feel what you do? That’s nonsense!”
“Your father-in-law is right.” The lines around Dr. Gonzalez’s eyes crinkled as he smiled encouragingly. “I’ve seen spouses go through this for years. But the ones who make it through in one piece have a support system in place. When they can’t feel any hope, their family finds it for them. And you can include me in that group - give me a call any time you need to.”
Pepa’s head throbbed uncomfortably the aftereffects of crying, but she gave a shaky smile to the two men, reaching back to take Don Lorenzo’s hand. “Thank you for being my family.”
The commissioner turned the tall woman in his arms to enfold her in a warm hug. “Anytime, hija. I can still thump some sense into you if needed!”
The brunette choked a laugh off at the comment, as Don Lorenzo pressed a fatherly kiss on her forehead. The mood was interrupted as she felt his cell phone vibrate urgently.
“Qué pasa?” Pepa asked.
Don Lorenzo unclipped his cell phone from his belt, checking the caller ID. “It’s Montoya. Hopefully he’s got those warrants.” He walked down the hall before answering in a quiet, urgent tone.
Dr. Gonzalez watched uneasily as Pepa’s face shifted, becoming mercilessly cold and still. Her body stiffened as her hands curled into tight fists, her jaw set in an angry line.
“Pepa…” The physician hesitated, remembering the fierce defense she had put up for her wife when Trujillo had threatened to arrest her. “Whatever you’re thinking of, just -” He sighed resignedly, knowing any dissuading words would fall on deaf ears. “Just be careful.”
The agent blinked and registered the doctor, as if seeing him for the first time. “Esteban, please take care of my wife.” Her voice was so soft, he had to strain to hear her request.
She glanced down the hallway to where Don Lorenzo was listening intently to his second-in-command.
“I have to finish what I started.”
___
Paco, Montoya, Rita and Salgado hunched in the small space of the surveillance van that was already crammed with monitors, microphones and other surveillance equipment. They had donned Kevlar vests and had managed to squeeze in a few more weapons and tactical gear, making the area increasingly claustrophobic.
“We’ve got the warrants in place.” Salgado informed the agents. “CNP officers and GEO teams are going to simultaneously arrest as many people as possible on Blackman’s list, tonight.”
“But they’re being stretched thin.” Paco wiped the moisture off his face. He was starting to sweat, despite the cold stormy conditions that still raged outside. “When’s our god dam GEO team getting here? I want to get this bastard as soon as possible!”
“ETA, ten minutes. We’re coordinating with all the teams to hit all the locations at once.” Montoya glanced at his watch. “Ours will pull up here and radio us when they’re in position and have all the exits covered.”
“Are we’re sure Lozano’s still in his office?” Paco’s voice was tinged with impatience. “For Pepa’s and Silvia’s sake, I am not letting him get away!”
“Paco, he wasn’t at home.” Salgado tried to reassure her partner. “There are alerts on all the members of Soldados de la Fortuna. We would know if Lozano had tried to flee via an airport or other transport, whether private and public.”
“Wait, wait!” Rita exclaimed as she fiddled with a few dials at a console where she was listening through a set of headphones. “I think I just picked up Senator Lozano’s cell phone transmission.”
Quickly, she removed the headphones and flicked a few switches as a gravely, familiar voice piped through the surveillance van’s speakers.
“…Trujillo!” Lozano’s voice roared. “This is the last message I’ll leave you, dammit! I’ll meet you at the rendezvous. If you don’t have that Miranda bitch with you…I’ll make sure you’ll take the fall for this, not me!”
“Mierda!” Salgado’s eyes went round with surprise. “Lozano’s been waiting for Trujillo to deliver Pepa to him! He doesn’t know he’s been arrested.”
“Bien. The more he’s in the dark, the better.” Paco already had pulled his revolver out of the holster. He balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to move. “Vamos! Let’s get that bastard before he leaves the building!”
Everyone jumped as the back door to the van opened unexpectedly. As protocol dictated, their location was well concealed in an unlit corner of the parking lot, well away from surveillance cameras and prying eyes.
“Pepa!” Paco’s eyes widened as he saw his sister, revealed in a brief flash of lighting. She was soaked to the bone, but seemed not to notice as the raindrops pinged off her dusky skin and dark cloth of her uniform. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Without answering, the brunette grasped a Kevlar vest and swiftly strapped it on, fastening the Velcro strips snugly against her sides. She adjusted her shoulder holster, making sure that her Walther P22 was still readily accessible.
“Montoya called Don Lorenzo for an update and the comisario told me where to find you.” Pepa’s gaze flitted to Salgado and the folded paper resting near her hand on the console.
“That’s the warrant?” The agent’s long fingers snatched it before Salgado could open her mouth to protest. She briefly perused it before tucking it safely in her vest. “I told Lozano I’d serve it to him. I want the pleasure of doing it personally.”
Montoya shook his head trying to deter his friend, who he was certain, was going into dangerous territory. “Pepa, you should be with Silvia. I emphasized to Don Lorenzo that we’ve got everything well in hand. We’ve confirmed that Lozano’s in his office. The GEOs will be here in a few minutes and we’ll take care of this.”
“Hermana, Montoya’s right. You shouldn’t be here -”
Any further protests died in Paco’s throat as Pepa glanced up, her features twisted with a fierce rage that bordered on madness - an unforgiving, cruel look in her normally warm, coffee-colored eyes that made the elder Miranda flinch in reflex. He could taste the promise of violence as Pepa reached back into the van and grasped a Heckler & Koch MP5 - a submachine gun that he knew his sister was very capable of wielding with precise and deadly force.
“No one goes after that fucker but me!” Pepa growled in a low, deadly tone.
“Pepa, don’t!” Paco was cut off as his sister slammed the door in his face, as he reached out to grab her arm. His ears faintly registered several successive pops and retreating bootsteps above the noise of the storm. Furiously, he jiggled the handle of the door, to no avail.
“Joder!” The agent went red-faced with effort as the panic rose in his chest. “She must have somehow jammed the locks! We’re trapped in here!”
“Dios! She’s crazy!” Montoya jiggled the door and window locks, finding them unresponsive. He threw a shoulder against the driver’s side door, groaning as it refused to yield. He knew that trying to shoot their way out in the tiny, enclosed space would be a last resort, not to mention foolhardy and dangerous. “She’s going to get herself killed!”
“Or something even worse.” Paco answered, voicing everyone’s deepest fear. Unwilling to give up, he slammed his boot into the door, willing it to open. Praying that his sister wouldn’t become an unrecognizable, inhuman force in order to get her revenge.
___
Pepa ignored the icy trickle of rainwater sliding down her temple as her boots noiselessly made deep, soggy imprints in a plush maroon carpet, as she made her way down the hallway to Lozano’s office. The only lights that shone in the foyer were from muted streetlamps outside the building window. But it was enough for Pepa to make out the brass handle of the heavy oak door, behind which was the ultimate target that had brought about so much suffering to her and her wife.
Taking the MP5 in a tighter grip, Pepa tucked the stock securely against her shoulder, as she reached out with her left hand to push the door open. Her jaw tightened in anger as Senator Lozano’s large silhouette was revealed to her. His back was turned as he hastily slapped his laptop shut and stuffed it in a black leather overnight bag. He froze in mid-motion as the sound of Pepa cocking her weapon echoed through the office.
“Agent Miranda.” Lozano’s voice broke the silence, his tone smoothly arrogant. “It’s rather rude to burst into my office for a second time without an appointment.”
His broad shoulders heaved as he exhaled deeply through his nose. “I should have expected you’d show up sooner or later.”
Ignoring the comment, Pepa stepped behind the Senator, prodding his shoulder with the muzzle of the machine gun.
“Turn around.”
“And how do I know you won’t shoot me? After all, there’s so little honor among CNP agents. There were so many that just needed a little cash incentive to look the other way.” Pepa could hear the smile in Lozano’s voice as he mocked her.
“I said turn the fuck around!!” Pepa yelled, her face flush with the rage she felt coursing through her veins. “And keep your hands where I can see them!”
“Very well.”
Pepa trembled as Lozano turned to face her. He slowly extended his hands upward, his wide grin evident through his thick salt-and-pepper beard. She wanted nothing more but to smash that self-satisfied look off his face with her bare hands. She swallowed thickly, visibly trying to wrestle in her composure.
“Senator Vicente Lozano, you are under arrest for ordering the assassination of Senator Ramon Duarte, bribery of CNP, IA agents, elected officials -” Pepa paused, her nostrils flaring. “…and the attempted murder of Inspectora Silvia Castro Miranda.” Pepa extracted the warrant from underneath her vest and threw the paper in his direction. “As promised, I do have all my paperwork in order this time.”
The Senator merely blinked as the paper flew in his face. “Vale. So as they say in the movies, are you going to take me downtown?”
“No. I want you to answer a question for me.” Pepa’s voice wavered with emotion as the vision of Silvia’s pale, unresponsive form appeared in her mind’s eye. “Por qué? Why did you hurt her?!”
Lozano’s arrogant smile slowly faded as his flat, grey eyes became intense with a terrifying, earnest madness.
“Because…abominations like Duarte, that so-called wife that’s masquerading as your whore, and sick beings like yourself…you don’t deserve to exist! I am commanding the hand of God that will eradicate your filth from this earth!”
Pepa ground her teeth together until she swore they’d crack, clamping down on a guttural cry that stuck in her throat. The gun began to shake in her hands as she managed to retain her grip through the slick sweat that coated her palms.
“Go ahead, Agent Miranda! Shoot me! And then you’ll be the one charged with murder.” Lozano goaded, his grin returning as the maniacal light continued to dance in his eyes. “Or arrest me. It doesn’t matter what you do, or what evidence you think you have against me. With my connections, I’ll be out within a week!”
Stepping forward, Pepa swiftly reversed the MP5 in her hands, ramming the stock of the weapon into Lozano’s gut. She smiled coldly as he collapsed, dropping to his knees with a groan, the wind flying out of his lungs in an explosive gush.
“No one talks about my Silvia like that, least of all a pig like you!” The agent spat a wad of spittle on the bent head as she reached in the back of her belt for her handcuffs.
A meaty hand shot out, grasping at her ankle in an iron grip. Pepa’s perspective skewed crazily as she found herself falling. She lost her grasp on the machine gun as it skittered away. She could sense Lozano move with surprising speed as he sprung up and tackled her.
Stupid, stupid! I got too close! The Senator’s large hand held her head in place, her cheek mashed against the carpet, as she inhaled its musty smell. Scrabbling frantically, Pepa tried to roll her left side with her holstered sidearm away from her captor, her brain screaming one thought. Don’t let him get the gun!
Lozano regained his breath, coughing and laughing at the same time, as he used his knees to pin the agent’s arms at her side. He reached for the slender neck, using all his strength to squeeze the tender skin he could feel pulsing under his grasp.
“You little cunt! Don’t worry, I don’t need a gun.” The politician continued to wheeze with exertion, but his voice remained dangerously smooth, the enjoyment evident in his tone. “Killing a creature such as yourself - that deserves to be savored!”
Pepa’s hands clawed at the thick wrists, trying to pry off the fingers that encircled her throat. The Senator’s superior weight had pinned her torso down. Her ears began to buzz as her chest hitched, craving the oxygen that was quickly diminishing. The strange, repulsive sound of her own gasps echoed in her head - a thick, harsh pant that rapidly increased as she continued to struggle uselessly.
“That’s it!” Lozano hissed as the agent’s arms slackened and fell to her sides. Her eyelids fluttered erratically as she started to lose consciousness. “You can join that little pelirroja bitch of yours in hell!”
Pepa! The brunette jerked as her wife’s voice resounded in her head. Te quiero. Siempre. Don’t let hate destroy what we have. What we’ll always have.
An animalistic growl left Pepa’s lips, which built into a fierce yell of denial, as her fists clenched tightly. She swiftly raised her arms, boxing Lozano soundly on both sides of his head. As he loosened his grip, the agent sat up, using her body’s momentum to headbutt the Senator. Even if the motion was excruciating, it was well worth the effort, as Pepa felt his nose give way with a sickening crack.
The politician shrieked, his hands flying up to cradle his freely bleeding appendage. Pepa twisted her body, wriggling out from under Lozano’s weight, coughing harshly. She blinked, trying to ignore her throbbing throat, which felt like she’d swallowed a pack of razor blades.
As Pepa stood up on wobbly legs, her fingers shook as she unbuttoned the clasp to free her gun from the holster. Before she could pull her weapon, Lozano grabbed again from behind. The two combatants fought in a tangled mess of limbs as they struggled across the room. The agent closed her eyes just before Lozano slammed her head into a mirror, splintering the glass into jagged shards. Crying out in agony, Pepa used her pain to give fuel to her shaking muscles, as she forcefully jabbed an elbow into the body behind her. She heard a ragged gasp as she felt the arms around her drop away, as she slipped out of the Senator’s grasp.
Reversing their positions, she took a fistful of Lozano’s hair and returned the favor, slamming his forehead so hard into the remains of the mirror that it shattered. She repeated the motion again and again, until the Senator collapsed at her feet, his face a pulpy mass of open gashes and free-flowing blood.
“You bastard!” Pepa blinked rapidly, feeling a sticky combination of sweat and blood slowly ooze down her temple. She stomped viciously on Lozano’s hand as he tried to crawl away, feeling the bones easily crunch and give way. His scream echoed in her ears as she shifted her weight, grinding the stray glass fragments ground into his palm.
“Vamos, you fat fuck!” Hauling the large body to its feet, the agent clutched the politician by the lapels of his now ruined suit, bringing him level with her gaze.
“As much as I’d love to put a bullet between your eyes, I am going to bring you in! Because Silvia and I do everything to defend the rights and freedoms of the Spanish people. And justice says that you’ll be locked away for the rest of your life, so help you God! Because if you ever get out…” Pepa paused, mercilessly grasping the pudgy chin, forcing Lozano to face her blazing eyes. “I’ll be there, at every step, at every fucking turn, making sure that justice is done for what you did to my wife!”
The agent glanced down as her attention was distracted by a rank, pungent odor, as she felt the Senator shudder in her grasp. An embarrassingly dark stain marred his trousers as the trail of wetness seeped down his leg.
Pepa’s lips twisted into an angry, almost amused, grimace. “Pathetic!” she snarled.
Suddenly unable to stand being near the man she considered to be more hateful than the vile epithets he spouted, the agent flung the Senator’s body away from her own. She turned towards the door, disregarding the thump and muffled groan as he landed on the carpet. Pepa’s shoulders sagged as she inhaled raggedly. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be here anymore.
With a resounding crash and a splintering of wood, the heavy oak doors were practically torn off the hinges, as four GEOs in full assault gear stormed into the room. They paused at the sight of Pepa’s raised hands and vest marked ‘POLICIA’, which clearly identified her as no threat. They refocused the barrels of their rifles as one to the slumped form on the floor and made their way over to the Senator.
“Pepa!”
The brunette wearily shifted her gaze to Paco, who followed right on the heels of the GEO agents, his gun also drawn. She could see her brother’s eyes widen in shock and rapidly moisten with tears as he took in her newly bloodied and battered form. She felt a brief pang of remorse shoot through her as she realized how much she had put him through. He’d probably been expecting to find her lifeless body after the stunt she’d pulled by locking him in the van and going after Lozano on her own.
“Hermano.” She rasped painfully. “It’s finally over. Lozano’s in custody and will be going away for the rest of his life.”
“Sí, sí. Dios!” Paco tearfully opened his arms as his sister collapsed into them, utterly exhausted. He supported her weight as she shook against him, using his free hand to tenderly stroke the dark head against his shoulder.
“You’re okay, you’re okay.” He crooned softly, feeling her tears dampen the skin on his neck. “I’ll take care of you now.”
“Augh!” The Senator cried as he was pulled none too gently to his feet by a burly GEO agent. “I’ll have you in chains for this police brutality! I’ll make sure you’re the newest bitch on the cell block!”
The siblings turned to observe the Senator as he continued to spout obscenities and insults as the agent reached for his handcuffs. Their eyes followed Lozano’s motions as he attempted to twist away from his captor, reaching with his uninjured hand for the Glock that was strapped on the agent’s belt. Pulling the gun free from the nylon sheath and aiming it with a sure, purposeful inevitability at Pepa’s head…
…only to be greeted by returning fire as Pepa and Paco had already simultaneously raised and fired their weapons, two rounds impacting in perfect unison in Senator Vicente Lozano’s chest.
Pepa stepped forward, brushing aside the GEOs who had belatedly raised their rifles, her eyes coldly taking in the Senator, who had fallen spread-eagled on his back. His body twitched in shock as he gurgled helplessly on the blood already filling his throat.
“You once said you’d pray for me, Senator. Well, here’s my prayer -” Pepa paused, as she loomed over the face of the man that had tormented her. “That you spend the rest of eternity rotting in hell!”
The whites of Lozano’s eyes widened with shock and fury, as Pepa knew that he’d registered her ominous last rites. She had already turned his back on him, the blood expunging from his lips in a last, thready wheeze as he died.
The Walther P22 dropped to the carpet with a dull thump as Pepa felt her gun leave her nerveless fingers. Again, she felt Paco’s arms enfold her slim shoulders, her ears barely hearing his murmured reassurances.
“Hermana, it’s all right. We had no choice. Lozano was threatening us. It was a good shot, vale?” Paco worriedly smoothed his sister’s tangled bangs from her forehead, growing more unnerved by the second as he saw the blank, lifeless look in the eyes opposite his. “Pepa? Cariño?”
“There’s no such thing as a good shot.” The agent groaned in a hollow whisper. “Lozano’s dead, but I don’t feel any better. Silvia’s still in a coma. She could still die -”
Pepa was unaware that her body was now shuddering uncontrollably. The buzzing in her head grew in volume, strident and piercing, as her vision became fuzzy and bright at the same time. Disoriented, she managed to make out Paco yelling out orders, tinged with panic. Montoya and Rita’s voices joined the fray, mingling with the clamor that hammered her skull.
Snatches of words. Shock. Hyperventilation. A blanket covering her exposed skin. A plastic mask being fitted over her face. Feeling herself held against the familiarity of Paco’s form. Bright, blinding pain. Muscles seizing. A cruel fist reaching into her gut and ripping out her insides. Curling into a fetal position. Vomiting violently, the tears and mucus running down her face to mix in with the fetid pool on the carpet.
Darkness mercifully came, as her mind whispered a prayer. Mi Silvia…