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Isabella chose a few things for herself while I dug through the men’s clothing and found a dark T-shirt. I pulled it on immediately. After spending the last few days bare-chested, having a shirt on again felt damn near civilized.

I found a button-down that looked large enough to fit without threatening the seams and added it to the clothes I’d take with me.

José opened another door at the rear of the building.

“The rectory is through here. We don’t have a resident priest right now, so the apartment is empty.”

The little apartment had a kitchenette with a small table, a modest living room, a bedroom with one bed and a narrow wardrobe, and a bathroom with an actual shower.

Sweet Jesus.

José crossed to the table and set down a cellphone and a small key.

“These belong to the church. Keep them tonight, and before you leave, put them back on the table.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded toward the exterior door. “The key is for this door. You can lock it from the inside, and I’ll secure the front of the church before I leave. No one will disturb you. If you need anything, I’ll be across the street.”

Then he left us alone.

I picked up the phone.

Time to let my brothers know I was still alive.

I put the phone on speaker and dialed the secure number Nik had drilled into all of us.

He answered on the second ring.

“Who’s this?”

“Nice to hear your voice too.”

The line went silent.

Then Nik said, “Lachlan?”

The relieved surprise in his voice lasted less than a second before control snapped back into place.

“Aye. I’m alive. I’m out of Delgado’s fucking compound, and we’re somewhere safe for the night.”

Keys clicked rapidly on his end.

“You’re at a chapel on the lower slopes of San Vicente.”

I glanced at the phone. “Of course you already know that.”

“Capilla Nuestra Señora del Refugio. You’re on a church-owned phone. I’m pulling the surrounding roads now.” More typing. “Stay where you are. I’ll send a team.”

“Whoa. Slow down.”

The keyboard stopped.

“I just spent two days in El Salvador looking for you, and after that feed cut out, I wasn’t sure if you were still alive.”

“And I appreciate the enthusiasm, but rolling foreign security through these hills is exactly how we turn this into an international incident and lead Marcela’s men straight to the people helping us.”

“We can send a small team.”