It had been a few months since Sana was forced into the life of crime, triggered by the disappearance of her sister Taiga, who was once a member of prominent crews in both Seattle and New York. Taiga had escaped death once, but when the grim reaper came knocking at her door for the second time, she had to pack her bags and pretend as if she didn't exist in order to ensure her survival. She told no one about where she was heading and what her plans were -- in fact, she had made it a point to make sure no one figures out where she was... Taiga thought it would be safer for everyone that way.

However, Sana wasn't one to give up -- especially not after finding out that her sister was alive out there somewhere. She exchanged a perfectly mundane life in New York to work in organized crime in Chicago, hoping she can find people who knew Taiga or at least try to retrace her last steps before she ran away. She pursued lead after lead but kept running into dead ends -- it seemed like her sister truly didn't want to be found. The only thing she'd managed to figure out was that Taiga went to Egypt after running away, and most probably Norway right after that. She also found a clue that led her to believe that she was heading to Indonesia, Malta, and Turkey afterward -- these were places that Taiga had always wanted to go to, so Sana wasn't surprised she'd visit them while trying to throw people off her trail. She just needed to figure out where her sister's last destination was so she, too, can pack her bags and follow suit.

This was easier said than done though, as she'd been completely stumped the past month. No new leads have surfaced except for the fact that her sister was indeed in Norway and was staying with a friend, Mrs. Kristiansen. Sana contacted the mysterious woman, but it's been over six weeks and there was still no reply. Mrs. Kristiansen probably didn't want to get mixed up in all the drama -- which Sana understood, but now it felt like she was starting at square one again.

She'd been out drinking with a few friends when her assistant Pauly came bursting in the door, waving an envelope in his hand. "Sana! Sana! Mrs. Kristiansen -- she replied!" Sana quickly tore open the letter and read it aloud to her friends, who she knew would drop anything and everything just to help her out on this. "She said that Taiga was in Norway for a few weeks but seemed on edge, yada yada yada..." Sana eagerly skimmed the letter trying to look for the part when Mrs. Kristiansen says where Taiga was, when suddenly her face dropped. "Oh no... she said that when she drove Taiga to the airport... before she could even enter the doors, a few men approached her and led her to a van, most probably against her will. She said she tried following the van but they eventually shook her off."

With shaking hands, she dropped the letter and looked each of her friends in the eye. Silently, she pleaded to each one of them to help in the search for her sister. She knew it was a big ask, one which was about to be even bigger with the bomb she was about to drop -- after all, it was one thing to find a runaway but a completely different thing to rescue someone from the hands of some of the most dangerous people in the world. "She was taken by the Juderias Cartel. She's in Colombia."

Sana specifically turned to her friend Dawn_, who she knew had multiple ties and connections in Colombia. "Dawn, I know this is a big ask, but do you think you can help me track her down? I don't even know if she's still in Norway or if she was brought to Colombia already... maybe you can pull a few strings and get some information?" Sana wasn't one to ask for help, especially if the help entailed considerable risks for her friends, but she felt helpless -- she barely had any pull in these shores, much less overseas. "I'll owe you forever. What do you say?"

Dawn was feeling better but she didn’t rest very well the night before.  She was very concerned about what Sana had to talk to her about.  She would be arriving in about an hour to talk with her.  Dawn had some cold cuts and some fresh French bread.  She laid out the cold cuts on a tray with some lettuce and tomatoes so they could make a sandwich while they talked.

When Sana  sat down at the table they made themselves a sandwich and Sana explain the situation with her sister Taiga. 

Sana explained to Dawn that her sister had to pack her bags and pretend as if she didn't exist in order to ensure her survival. She told no one about where she was heading and what her plans were -- in fact, she had made it a point to make sure no one figures out where she was... that Taiga thought it would be safer for everyone that way.  She then told Dawn that she received a letter stating she was taken by the Juderias Cartel.  That she was in Colombia.

Dawn couldn’t believe her ears and what Sana was telling her.  Just the other day she was talking with Big Moe and he was telling her about an American woman was being held by the Juderias Cartel because she used two airplanes to fly over one of their coca plantations and spray a herbicides called glyphosate.

Oh my God, Dawn thought.  If that’s Sana’s sister there might be a lot of trouble.  The Juderias Cartel was some dirty sons of bitches and no one to really mess with.  Big Moe had a lot of problems with them but finally came to a common ground.

Dawn called Big Moe and told him what Sana had conveyed to her and the first thing he said was “Get the fuck out of here”.  He told Dawn that he didn’t want to discuss it any further on phone for them to plan to meet  with him.  But he would start trying to find out as much as he could.  

Dawn hung up with Big Moe and turned to Sana.

If this is your sister this doesn't look good.  Big Moe wants to meet with us.  If anything can be done to find her, he's the one that can do it.

Sana kept fussing and fiddling with her fingers as she drove to where big Big Moe was. She knew that the Juderias Cartel was trouble, but the gravity of the whole situation was only now dawning on her. Dawn_ was one of the strongest women she knew that had a killer poker face, but even she had a somewhat terrified look on her face when she hung up the phone with Big Moe. That alone was a huge red flag for Sana, big enough to make shivers run down her spine and make her antsy. 

"She's probably okay, right?" She asked herself nervously in an attempt to calm herself down. "I mean... she's Taiga. She's been through worse. Maybe." Sana kept her mouth shut for the rest of the ride and tried to think positively -- after all, trying to recall all the horror stories she heard about the cartel wasn't going to make things easier. The best she could do now is to mentally prepare herself for the battle that's inevitably about to come and make sure she wins it so that she could finally get her sister back. 

By the time she got to the cafe, both Dawn and Big Moe were already seated and engaged in a serious conversation. They weren't kidding when they gave him the nickname "Big Moe", he was easily twice her size... but when he turned to look at her, she saw an unmistakable glimmer of pity flash through his eyes. Clearly, he and Dawn had been talking and it wasn't looking good, but she steeled herself as she shook his hand, gave Dawn and hug and sat down. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Big Moe. Dawn has said so many good things about you, it's just a shame we're meeting under such terrible circumstances... What did you find out about where Taiga is... or may be?"

Dawn arrived at the Colombian Café in Chicago a little before Sana did.  When she arrived an walked into Big Moe’s office all he did was shake is head.  Shortly after Sana arrived and she introduced her to Big Moe.  When he stood up to shake her hand she was taken back a little as to how big he was.  Big Moe was about 6’4” and weight at least 240 lbs.  Dawn gave Sana a reassuring hug and they sat down to listen what Moe had found out.  Moe started:

I can’t one hundred percent say that this is your sister  Taiga, but from the description Dawn gave me it might be.  If so she’s a very gutsy bitch, he looked at Dawn and changed up a very gutsy woman she is.  The bitch, oh sorry woman destroyed over a million dollars in crop.  Can’t believe she went as far as to hired airplanes and sprayed his coca plantation with that shit.  Not only are they pissed but some don’t give a damn about her or what happens to her because  aerial spraying has been repeatedly condemned by human rights and environmental activists, because of its effect on human populations and local soil and water systems.

But I did find out they are holding her in Villavicencio, which is situated to the east of the Andes Mountains.  It’s going to be a little hard and cost a pretty penny to get the men to take us there and try to rescues her.  Plus Carlos Restrepo, the man she fucked over , has hired Marxist guerrilla groups to protect that area. 

He is on holiday and will be returning in about a week and she will be taken to his home in Medellín, a huge estate located in the Aburrá Valley,. Once she gets there she will be dead or wish she was.  I will be leaving tomorrow and try to get everything set up and will need you ladies and whoever else that will be joining us to be able to meet me in Bogota in three days.  You might have to have some deep pockets to take care of this Sana.  I will have to show some good money to even get close to getting her safely. 

I contacted my friend Gilberto Russo  and his wife Maria, Dawn you know them,  they said it would be their pleasure to house everyone in their Villa.  Dawn you know where it is right?  They live in  Cundinamarca, west of Bogota. Dawn shook her head she remembered.

I don’t know what the fuck happened to Nightrid but I still have access to the private plane and pilot. So you’ll can go to his hanger at the airport in Chicago he will fly you to Miami and then to the Techo International Airport in Bogota and I will pick you up there.  I hope you girls are up for this.

We assured Big Moe we would do anything to try and get her back safe and Sana told him that the money wasn’t a problem and she would do whatever it takes.

The next few days went by in a haze. Sana barely got anything done -- instead, she stayed at home with a glass of whiskey, wine or whatever spirit she could find in her hand, impatiently awaiting the day of their flight out. She was going crazy thinking of what could have possibly happened to her dear sister, and she'd basically thrown out thinking positively out the window at this point. She was out for blood, and whoever put a finger on her sister was going to regret they even laid their eyes on her.

As she saw Dawn_ in the Chicago Municipal Airport, she could see the worry in her friend's eyes... and Sana couldn't blame her. She must look awful at this point -- no sleep, disheveled hair, and crazed eyes. Still, she flashed her dear friend a warm smile and hugged her as soon as they saw each other. "Thank you for all the help, Dawn. You know I couldn't have done this without you." The pair chitchatted on the flight from Chicago to Miami, but their pleasantries were ruined by an extremely rude customs agent whose nametag read 'Dan'.

"Miss... Williams? Can I see some additional ID, please?" Dan asked Sana with a raised eyebrow. She had used fake passports time and time again in the past but only now was she being questioned like this. Not having the patience to deal with him right now, she looked him straight in the eye and tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently. "Do we have a problem here? Do you want a piece of me, huh?" Sana threw him threat after threat, even though he was easily twice her size.  She knew full well that Big Moe did a fantastic job in fabricating her passport as she inspected it herself, but there must be some new technology that this Dan was using that caught the anomaly. "We're going to have to take you in for questioning, Ma'am. This here is a fake passport."

Sana brought a hand to her chest and her face contorted with anger. "What the hell are you talking about, Dan?" Sana asked, her voice dripping with venom. "I've used that passport time and time again -- look, there are so many stamps in there!" Dan sneered at her and rolled his eyes impatiently. "Ma'am, we both know that the stamps are fabricated as well. Now will you come peacefully or will I have to call for backup?" Sana flashed Dawn a frazzled look as she's escorted off into a room alone and shoved into a cold steel chair. She was not in the proper mindset to be able to weasel her way out of this one... her mind was drawing a blank. If she missed that flight to Colombia and something happened to Taiga while she was here sitting in a stupid airport interrogation room, she'd have Dan's head on a stick. Dan sat in front of her as he threw the passport on the table. "Who made this? We're going to need a name."

Now, Sana was scared, but she was in no way a snitch. "I already told you -- it's real." Sana said through gritted teeth, which elicited a laugh from Dan. "Alright then, let me see... I believe it's a minimum of 5 years for forgery of an official document like this one, but let me check..." He turned away from Sana to get a book outside when the door burst open to reveal an even bigger man with a very unhappy look on his face. Well, this is it, Sana thought -- she was going to the slammer. "Dan, you fucking idiot," he said before clocking Dan and knocking him out before helping Sana to her feet and escorting her out back to where Dawn was. 

"Sorry for that, Miss Dawn, Miss Sana. We'll make sure nothing like this ever happens again... please send my regards to Big Moe." Sana watched the man walk away wordlessly before letting out a sigh and leaning on Dawn for support. "Close one. Thanks for having my back, I have a good feeling you've got something to do with the speedy response there..." The two then realized they were running late for their flight so they dashed across the airport and quickly boarded. Sana decided to sleep on the long flight over so she'd be at least in good condition when they met up with the people hosting the for the time being. Sleeping like a log, she woke up to the feeling of Dawn shaking her awake. "We're here, Sana." With a deep sigh, she steeled herself and put on a brave face -- they were in the lion's den now.

Three days later Dawn and Sana were packed and ready to go.  The met Harold the pilot and private plane at Hanger 11 at the Chicago airport.  He flew them to Miami waited from them to clear customs.  Of course they had to run into a rude customs agent that tried to give them a hard time.  Dawn contacted Ricardo a customs agent on Big Moe’s payroll and he handled everything.  Once they cleared customs they met Ricardo at the international terminal and he few them to Techo International Airport in Bogota where they had to go through customs there which went real smooth.

Big Moe and Gilberto were waiting for them outside arrivals. “Hola como estas” as Dawn hugged Gilberto. Then she introduced Gilberto to Sana.    Right away being his usual self Gilberto started flirting with Sana telling her what a beautiful woman she was and how he loved American women.  Dawn just laughed and finally Sana got the message he was only fooling around.  He knew Maria would kick his ass.

We took the long drive to of Cundinamarca, experiencing the sites through the city, not much had changed since the last time Dawn was there. They still had the beautiful cobblestone streets, also the poverty stricken communities in the valley and travel to the beautiful mountain tops.

Maria met us at the door hug and kissed everyone, introduces herself to Sana and told her welcome to her home.  She shows us to our rooms and had her butler bring our belongings to our room.  She told us freshen up that dinner would be ready in about an hour.

We sat down to  Maria's welcome to Colombia dinner of some fresh fruit, homemade soup, and a main dish with shrimp and rice.   Maria was a beautiful woman that sure knew how to cook the local dishes and everything was absolutely delicious

After dinner we sat on the porch and Maria made a pitcher of  Guaro.  Colombia's national spirit, distinct with its soft notes of anise layered over tropical fruit, and a perceivable sweetness.Big Moe explained what was going to take place the next morning and went over his expenses with Sana so far.

When Dawn heard the expenses were nearing close to over five thousand and could go over eight thousand before it was all over she told Sana not to worry if needed she would surely help her out.

The first thing Sana noticed as soon as they got out of Techo International in Colombia was the heat. The fact that Gilberto was flirting with her didn't even register in her head until Dawn_ pointed it out -- Sana was pretty dense about those things to begin with, and coupled with the fact that she was stressed about what could be happening to her sister right now, it didn't really make her the sharpest tool in the shed. Either way, she gratefully shook Gilberto's hand and gave Big Moe a hug even though she barely knew him. He had no idea how grateful she was that he was helping her out.

The drive to the villa was very reminiscent of scenes from back home in the Philippines. There were spots that seemed very developed, but majority of the country was untouched and poverty-stricken. She watched as hills morphed into plains and those plains morphed into cities -- the drive was long and quiet, but somehow it calmed Sana down. They were here now, and there was no backing out. She might as well enjoy herself before the dreaded day comes, right? Lively music played from the stereo during the latter part of the drive and Gilberto started chatting the two girls up, telling them folk stories about Colombia and its vibrant history. She didn't even notice it but Sana's face eventually started hurting from grinning and laughing so much -- which was a welcome change from the dreariness she found herself in the past few days. 

Her good mood got even better as soon as she saw the villa -- sprawling and gorgeous, as if it was pulled out of an architect's dream. Maria was equally as beautiful and immediately had a warm aura to her as soon as they shook hands. Sana and Dawn retreated to their respective rooms and changed clothes -- after all, they'd been sitting in the same clothes for the past day so it was only fitting they freshened up for tonight's dinner.

"So, how's life in America?" Was the first question Maria asked Sana, and a bunch of other small-talk questions followed suit. It was clear what they were trying to do -- they were trying to distract Sana from thinking of Taiga too much so that she wouldn't go insane... which Sana appreciated deeply. She needed all the talking, good food, and copious amounts of alcohol to keep her mind off of things, and it was working. Sana was slowly returning to her usual bubbly self -- maybe even bubblier because of all the alcohol she had ingested. The rest of the night was a blur, and the next thing she knew was that she was being carried to her bed by Big Moe after all the Guaro she had. "Mmm, guaro good... so good..." Sana mumbled as she was tucked in bed and proceeded to have a dreamless slumber.

She mumbled a bunch of different numbers as she drifted off... probably as a result of her money talk with Moe and Dawn. She'd probably be more stressed about the huge bill she'd raked up if only she wasn't completely wasted, but for tonight, she needed all the sleep she could get for their big day tomorrow.

The next morning we spoke up to the smell of some strong Colombian coffee and bacon frying.  Dawn and Sana had a shared bathroom so she knocked on the bathroom door to make sure the coast was cleared. She took and quick shower and got dressed.  Big Moe told us to wear some comfortable pants. Before she went downstairs she walked out on the balcony and viewed the city below and it was breathtaking.  She heard the shower going again and knew it was Sana getting ready. 

When Dawn walked downstairs to the dining table she wondered who all Maria was feeding.  Spread out on the table were Colombian Arepas,  Chorizo Breakfast Hash, Chicharrón made with beef or pork belly, bacon, scramble eggs and sweet fried plantains one of Dawn’s favorites.  When Sana walked in Dawn could see her eyes saying “Damn”.

When Big Moe saw that Sana had heels on he suggested real quickly that she changed her shoes and hoped she had some sneakers.

He told them in about an hour that they would be leaving.  They would meet some men right outside of Villavicencio.  Once there he told them that they he would need them to cover up in the truck until he told them it was safe.

They all sat down and enjoyed their breakfast then helped Maria clear the table and got ready to leave with Big Moe.

Sana groaned as she rolled out of bed -- she rarely had hangovers but then again, she rarely drank as much as she did last night. She recalled bits and pieces of a conversation with Big Moe about her financial situation but couldn't fully remember what went down -- she had to talk to him again to make sure she didn't say anything stupid. Either way, the businesses in Seattle and Detroit were doing pretty well so money shouldn't be an issue. She sat on the balcony for a while, listening to the birds chirp and leaves rustle outside before she heard the door on the other side of the bathroom shut -- Dawn must be done getting ready. She quickly hopped into the shower and afterwards put on some camo-printed pants and a wife-beater -- she felt like she was going tomb raiding or something. She already felt small around Big Moe so she decided to put on some heels so as to add some class to her otherwise rugged look and down the stairs she went, following the delicious smell and seeing the amazing feast that just made Sana's jaw drop. "Damn... this is something..."

"Hey Big Moe, can you refresh my memory about what we spoke about last night when I was guaro-drunk, I seem to have..." She was cut off by a glare from the man who pointed to her shoes. "Nope, that's not going to work, darling. I hope you have some sneakers with you because you will break an ankle or two if you wear that. And no talking math before breakfast. We can talk about your money matters again after all of this, comprende?"

Letting out a little yelp, she dashed back upstairs and looked for her beat up white sneakers. Once again bounding down the stairs, she sat down next to Dawn and got a closer glimpse of the food. "This is similar to some dishes we have in the Philippines... we were colonized by the Spanish for a long time too. Being here really feels like I'm at home. Thank you, Maria, Gilberto, Big Moe... of course, Dawn_." Sana said as she dug in and finished a delightful breakfast. She made sure to get a lot of carbs in her because it seemed like it was going to be an action-filled day based on Big Moe's instructions. After they cleaned up after themselves, Sana looked at Dawn with fear in her eyes -- even though they had an amazing night and breakfast, the nerves were starting to creep back in. Understandably so, since they were certainly about to walk into a bloodbath... Big Moe looked at the two girls and walked out the door. "Alright, let's go. No backing out now." 

It was a rough ride to Villavicencio and Big Moe drove like a manic. He really knew those streets with all its hills and curves.   Several times Dawn wanted to tell him to slow his ass down but she knew he knew what he was doing.  The men were waiting for us right outside Villavicencio just as Moe said.   Moe told us it was time for us to get in the back of the truck and cover up.   We could hear one of his friends’s telling Moe they didn’t see why he wanted to rescues that stupid bitch, which she had surely pissed the wrong people off.  But they knew exactly where she was and the money he was paying them was worth the risk.   He warned Moe to make sure we stayed covered. .  Dawn could see all types of weapons and machine guns in the rear of their vehicles.  One jeep rode in front of us and another truck followed behind us.  

It was hot as hell under the cover but Dawn and Sana stayed put.  All of a sudden we heard Moe say “Fuck, Fuck me”.  Then yelled back to us stay covered that there was guns right next to us and if they had to make sure they used them.   They had run into some Marxist guerrilla and if they saw American women all hell would break out.

Dawn and Sana heard them arguing with the guerrillas in Spanish and really didn’t catch all they were saying.  Dawn could see the guns Moe left for them and under the cover and asked Sana if she knew how to use them.  Sana gave Dawn a look like of course I do.  They could peak out of the cover sneaky enough not to be seen but could see a little of what was going on.

They saw Moe and the other guys get back into their vehicles and then all hell broke out when they came out firing.   Dawn saw three guerrillas approaching from the opposite side of Big Moe and told Sana we have to get them.  Both Dawn and Sana got their weapon and came from under the cover firing and took them out.  Moe again said “Fuck me” nice work girls you had my back.   When they were all dead Moe yelled to them “good work killers” and motioned for them to get back under the cover and they took off like a bat out of hell.  Good work right, Dawn and Sana could hardly breathe their hearts were pumping so fast when they sat back down under the cover.

They drove a little further and Moe stopped to let Sana and Dawn get in the front of the truck it was safe from the guerrillas now.  They came to a huge house and drove up a little road to the back of the house.  There with two of the other men Moe approached a guy and gave him what seemed to be a payoff?  Once the coast was cleared Moe motioned for them to join him and they followed the men down a long hallway to the cellar where the woman was being held captive.   The guy who was paid off kept tells them to be very quiet not to alert anyone else.

When they walked into the cellar they saw a woman lying on the bed and completely drugged.  They could tell the woman had been through a lot.   Moe quickly asked Sana if that was Taiga her sister.  Sana started crying and saying “No, no that’s not her.”  The guy that bought them he started saying shut her up.   Big Moe pulled Sana into his chest and gently covered her mouth telling her she had to calm down then said let’s get the fuck out of here.

Big Moe was relieved that it wasn’t her.   The guy they paid off didn’t realize that if it was Taiga the plan was to ambush him and take her if she was.

They drove a back road away from the house.  They knew they wouldn’t meet any more of those guerrilla guys so they rode in the front with Moe.   Sana just sobbed in Dawn’s arms.  She was saying stuff about how sorry she was she had us risk our lives. Dawn told her she wasn’t sorry it wasn’t her sister.  For if it was Taiga she knew it would be very hard to get her safe out of the country. She told Sana she had paid the men well to take the risk and they knew what they were doing.   

Taking deep breaths, Sana was barely keeping her breakfast down as Big Moe zipped through the backroads of Colombia, and it certainly didn't help that she was a wee bit still hungover from all the guaro last night. It felt like forever before they got to their destination, but as soon as they did, the group wasted no time in getting into position. While Dawn_ and Sana were nestled under the cover-up at the back of the truck, they could hear the men talking about how Taiga had really messed up this time -- how she ruined millions worth of products for no reason except to provoke the Juderias Cartel. As they detailed what her sister had supposedly done, Sana's eyes widened -- Taiga would never do that kind of thing... at least the Taiga that Sana knew. Say what you will about Taiga, but she was always reasonable and tried to stay away from unnecessary trouble, which was more than anyone can really say about Sana. Perhaps something had changed in the time that Taiga went missing to now... or maybe Sana never truly knew who her sister was. Either way, something felt off about how the men spoke about Taiga so Sana shut her eyes tight and tried tuning them out for the duration of the ride... right until her heart stopped when she heard Big Moe curse under his breath. "Fuck... fuck me."

Immediately, Sana's eyes snapped wide open and all her senses were on edge. She looked at Dawn who was lying perfectly still beside her, and her friend returned the look of alarm and concern -- shit was definitely going down. As Dawn asked her if she knew how to use the massive machine gun left for them, a look of uncertainty then flashed across her face... she had never really used a machine gun before, but she thought it shouldn't be too different, so she just told Dawn she did so her friend wouldn't worry about her. Sana decided to just figure it out on the way, cross the bridge when she got there and all that shit.

When the gunshots inevitably rung out through the air, Sana and Dawn knew what they had to do. Bounding up, Dawn hit one of the targets with ease but as Sana fired her own weapon, she felt herself lose balance and almost fall, catching herself right at the last moment. "Fuck, these things are insane," she mentioned as she fired again, this time anticipating the recoil and finally hitting one of the other targets as Dawn finished off the last one. Making sure the coast is clear and all the guerrillas were dead, Sana flashed Dawn an apologetic smile. "Okay, maybe I over-embellished when I said I knew how to use one of these..."

The rest of the trip was uneventful, but Sana's heart kept racing. This was it... after months and months of searching, she was finally going to see her sister again and hopefully rescue her. As they came to a screeching halt, she gave Dawn's hand a squeeze. "I hope she's alright." Dawn smiled at her in return before they crawled out of the truck and were given instructions to be extremely quiet.

The silence was overwhelming as they crept through the building -- it was so quiet that Sana wondered if Dawn and Big Moe can hear her heart pounding. As the woman in question came into view, Sana peered at her face with a thousand different emotions running through her... all of them to be replaced with disappointment as she realized it wasn't Taiga. "No... no... that's not her..." She felt herself going hysterical, like she had lost her sister all over again "That's not Taiga... that's not her..." she kept repeating over and over again as she looked at the stranger lying in the middle of the room. She didn't even care that Big Moe covered her mouth to shut her up -- she was numb now. It's a wonder her legs even worked as they left the dingy building and got back to the truck.

She was quiet for a few moments before she realized how much of a waste this whole trip had been for everyone involved. "I'm so fucking sorry for leading you guys on this wild goose hunt. I wasted all of our time..." Dawn and Big Moe were quick to comfort Sana, but she still felt herself spiraling into sadness. She should have known better... Sana was starting to zone out again when she heard Dawn say something that piqued her interest. "Wait... what did you just say? Emeralds?"

Dawn looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, there are a lot of emeralds in Colombia and I'm in the business of smuggling that... along with cocaine of course. So this whole trip isn't a complete waste..." Sana smiled a small smile in response. "Emeralds were Taiga's favorite gemstone. If you ever need any help smuggling them back..." Sana mentioned, taking it as a sign. Maybe Taiga wasn't here, but all Sana can really hope for now is that she's alright somewhere in a much better place than this one.

To calm Sana nerves Dawn changed the topic from Taiga to the old days when she smuggled the emeralds. She told Sana how she travelled the    eastern portion of the Andes, between the Boyacá and Cundinamarca departments, where most Colombian emeralds are mined. She then  told her the story she has heard about emeralds.

An ancient Colombian legend exists of two immortal human beings, a man and a woman—named Fura and Tena—created by the Muisca god Are in order to populate the earth. The only stipulation by Are was that these two human beings had to remain faithful to each other in order to retain their eternal youth. Fura, the woman, however, did not remain faithful. As a consequence, their immortality was taken away from them. Both soon aged rapidly, and they eventually died. Are later took pity on the unfortunate beings and turned them into two crags protected from storms and serpents and in whose depths Fura's tears became emeralds.

We pretended to be missionaries from America and befriended barequeros - emerald seekers who dig through debris  around the Muzo Valley, hoping that emeralds would arise from the dark soil to rescue them from extreme poverty.

They gave us any of the emeralds they found and we would pay them good money.  Then we eased them out of the country.

Talking about her emeralds adventures eased Sana mind and soon she was relaxed and almost back to normal.

When we arrived to a safe place again we stopped to say goodbye to Moe’s men.  They came to the truck and told Sana that they were sorry she didn’t find her sister but glad that the woman they thought she might have been turned out not to be her.  The told Moe as always it was a pleasure working with him as Moe pulled a envelope from under his seat and paid them a thousand dollars each.  A thousand American dollars was an enormous amount of money for them.  Sana thanked the men and told them she was alright and also glad the woman wasn’t her sister.

"And the lesson of the story is that cheaters suck and will end up dying," Sana said with a hearty laugh before turning to her friend with a smile. "In all seriousness though, I have no idea how you manage to do all of these side-hustles while still being a great friend... even though we ended up in another dead end. And don't think I don't know what you're doing... distracting me so I don't get sad..." Sana poked her friend in the side as the two exchanged more stories and jokes until Sana felt all better again. Big Moe even loosened up after a while and joined in on the banter as they neared the villa.

It had been a long and grueling day and the sun was almost completely up by the time the two girls got all the grime and sweat of the previous day off of them. Sana practically crawled to bed and fell asleep right as she hit the hay, plagued with nightmares of the woman she saw lying on the table...

Waking up in a cold sweat, she realized the sun was setting as she saw the dim horizon outside their window. Sana walked over to Dawn_'s room and gave it a light knock only to find it empty -- her friend must have already woken up before she did. As she walked down the stairs, she heard excited chatter filling the room and she already found herself forgetting about the bad dream as soon as Maria's smile came beaming at her. "Come, have dinner! We've got a big night planned for you two ladies..."

Confused, Sana sat down and grabbed a heaping spoonful of rice as she looked at the faces around the table. "Tonight...? Oh god, is it more guaro? I don't think I can take two nights in a row of passing out..."

"No... well, yes and no." Maria said with a giggle. "We're gonna show you how to party, Colombian style! Cocaine and guaro optional, of course..."

"But encouraged!" Gilberto said with a wink. Sana then laughed and nodded, once again happy for the distraction and the night of fun they'll inevitably have. "In that case, we better eat quick and get dressed then!" Sana said, digging in as she felt excitement building up in the room for the night to come. After that, she got dressed in the fanciest clothes she brought -- which isn't all that fancy to be quite honest -- and she waited for Dawn downstairs, chitchatting with Big Moe about the final expenses and such. In the middle of their conversation, Dawn came bounding down in an elegant dress that fit her like a glove. "Damn, Dawn. You really brought it tonight!" Sana said with a giggle. "Let's go!"

Wait Maria yelled out at Dawn and Sana I have something for you both.  She ran to her bedroom and came back with two gift boxes one for each of them and said now hurry up and get dressed.  Both open their boxes to beautiful sexy dresses.  When Dawn held up her PUEBLA FLORAL PRINT ROMPER it was perfect.   Maria told her now she could show those long legs of hers. It was a mini length dress with a sweetheart neckline, ruched bodice detail, puffed shoulders, and smocking at the sleeve opening.  Sana held up her Tigress color Roshay. Maria told her your shoulders have been asking for more attention.  It was also a mini length dress with a sweetheart neckline, loose sleeves and a center front knot.

 She then said that it’s time to put our troubles aside and go have some fun.  She told to go hurry and get changed she was taking us to her favorite spot.  Dawn knew where it was she had been there before and knew they were out for an enjoyable time.

When Sana and Dawn met in the hallway to go downstairs damn they looked good.

Moe sat in the front with Gilberto and Maria, Sana and Dawn rode in the back.  They drove up and parked on the side of the most popular Salsa Club in Bogota. When they walked into the club two men and a female were waiting for Big Moe.  Dawn realized it was two of the men who were with them on the venture. Moe introduced the two men to everyone they were brothers Emanuel and Emiliano.  Dawn and Sana were very happy to see them again under better circumstances. Moe introduced the female as Valeria.  Right away Dawn knew she was one of Moe’s women.

They all were seated at a table not far from the stage where the band was playing. They were arriving a little late and the party was already in full swing.  They ordered drinks and had only taken a few sips before they were all on the dance floor.  Emanuel would twirl Dawn and she would end up with Emiliano,  Emiliano would twirl Sana and she would end up the Emanuel.  Those two could really dance their asses off and everyone just had a wonderful time.  Big Moe was a big man but very light on his feet and could really dance.  Of course Mairia and Gilberto were the King and Queen of salsa. She saw Moe easing out the nightclub with his lady friend. 

When they arrived back to the villa Dawn saw a new light in Sana’s eyes.  Seemed like Sana had a new admirer Emanuel he came back to the Villa with us so she left them to talk.

The next  morning she found Sana and Emanuel in the bed next to her.  Dawn didn't go into any details but told Sana it was time to take in some sightseeing and mingled with the common folk while Big Moe took care of business with a shipment.  That evening, they had another very enjoyable dinner and evening with Maria and Gilberto then went to prepare for their trip home.

Was the last few days a rollercoaster of emotion? Yes. Did Sana end up finding what she set out to look for? No. But did Sana once again have too much to drink? You betcha. As the two girls went out to paint the town red with Big Moe, Sana found herself more than distracted -- in fact she was having a lot of fun. In the midst of all the commotion, she had lost count of how many drinks she'd had and all she knew was she was having a great time with Dawn_ and their posse. Now, Sana had never been a great dancer but at around her fourth or fifth shot, she decided to just go for it -- if she ended up making a complete fool of herself, none of the people around them would ever see her again anyway. The night went on until the wee hours of the morning and ended up being a blur, with Sana having no idea how they even got home or how she got to bed.

"Wake up, Sana! And... Emanuel..." Dawn said with a cheeky smile as Sana groaned, looking beside her to find a sleeping man snoring softly. "Did we... Did I...?" Dawn shrugged and pulled Sana by the hand to get her off her ass -- her friend was already dressed and looking fit to conquer the day whereas she still had last night's clothes on. "Alright, alright, let me shower off all my sins and I'll meet you downstairs!" Sana said with a laugh as she prepared for another fun day of seeing the sights around the city. Putting her tourist hat on, Sana didn't even think to ask where Big Moe was except once, in which she got a vague answer -- "he's out doing business, don't worry about it." By the time they got back to the villa, there were tons of coffee containers lying around the living room and Sana reached to open one before Big Moe swatted her hand away. "Don't open it. It will lose its.. aroma and freshness or some shit." Thinking Big Moe was oddly protective of his coffee, Sana decided to let it go and have an enjoyable last night with Maria and Gilberto before their flight the next day. 

True to fashion, Sana woke up late and they rushed to the airport, and at first Sana thought Big Moe and Dawn were just pissed off that she didn't wake up on time, but she had a feeling something was... off... when she felt how tense they were as they strolled through the airport. "Hey Dawn, is there something wrong? You're acting like you're smuggling drugs or something...." Sana noted jokingly, which caused Dawn and Big Moe to halt in their tracks before Dawn dragged Sana to the nearest ladies' room. "I'll tell you everything on the plane but for now... just be cool for Christ's sake. Alright?" Sana nodded quickly, a worried feeling rising up in her.

She held her breath as they dropped off their bags and cleared immigration, heart still pounding by the time they got on the plane. As they sat down and the wheels were moving, Sana turned to Dawn with wide eyes. Before she could even ask, Dawn put up a finger and started talking. "I know you have a lot of questions but... let's just say we're flying with 600 pounds of cocaine right now."

Sana didn't think it was possible but her eyes widened even more. "Oh shit... those coffee containers....?"

"Yup."

Dawn didn’t want Sana to be paranoid so she didn’t tell her right away that they were traveling with 600 pounds of cocaine.  The agents at the airport have the tendency to spot people who are nervous.  She wanted Sana to stay calm and not be worried.  Flying a private cargo plane made things a lot easier for Big Moe and the Colombia government people were very  happy of the fact that Dawn were purchasing so much coffee they really didn’t harass either of them. But you always had to be careful.  You never knew if there wasn’t a custom agent not on the payroll that would try and show his power.  When everything cleared customs, they boarded the plane for Miami she explained everything to Sana.

Again arriving in Miami they had to clear customs once again.  It was so funny; the same custom agent that tried to give Sana a hard time when we came over was there again.  This time he was so polite.  He told Sana welcome back and he was sorry for the misunderstanding they had on her departure.  Dawn her Sana tell him it was fine but he should mind his manners.  Dawn just laughed.

After clearing customs in Miami they boarded the plane again for the flight to Chicago.

Big Moe had his car waiting for us at the airport.  They unload the plane dividing the product to be shipped to New York.  The product that was to be shipped to Detroit Moe decided to leave in Chicago in hopes Dawn could secure some contacts in Philly and open a café there.

They arrived at the apartments and Big Moe helped them with their luggage.  Sana turn to him and gave him a big hug and thanked him for everything.  Moe told her he would still do anything needed to help her find her sister and if in the future she needed any help from him,  with anything,  he would be there for her.  Moe hugged Dawn and told her not to disappear.  She needed to go ahead and make the decision on Phily.  Dawn gave him the I will, I will look.

The bellhops came out to help them take their luggage inside.  Once inside Dawn asked Sana if she was alright and did her want some company to come stay with her in the apartment for a little while.  Sana told Dawn she was fine that both of them needed rest now and she was alright she would see her in the morning.