by P. Macias
Christian quickly gives them a hug. He then kneels and starts to get them free. He cuts the plastic strap that holds the chain at their ankles.
Que la chengada (what the hell), these animals are dead, thinks Christian, furiously. He inspects the deep red welts on their delicate skin. I’m going to kill each animal on this damn compound.
Christian stands and attempts to smile to encourage them. He whispers in their ears that Gabriel is outside to help them go down.
I have to do something about their bare feet. He shakes his head furiously. I don’t see their shoes and knowing them, they had on high heels.
That will not help them get down, ponders Christian, grinning. Si, they’re so feminine and delicate. I will wrap their feet.
He quickly takes off the sheet on the bed and tears it up in strips. He indicates for them to sit on the bed.
Quickly and efficiently, he wraps up their feet with the strips of sheet, protecting them a little from the rough ground.
Paty looks at her primo softly wrap her feet up with the sheet and smiles. He’s the greatest, thinks Paty.
Bella is proud that her hermano is so sweet. He thinks of everything, thinks Bella, smiling at him with gratitude.
Jessy smiles and thanks him with soft words. He’s just great, thinks Jessy, extremely feliz that he’s there.
Christian stands, smiles, making hand signals indicating that one at a time, they will go down and to be quiet until all are out of the room.
Paty, Bella and Jessy nod in understanding. They walk to the window and onto the balcony, looking down.
There is nothing to hold on to. There’re lots of trees close to the balcony. Gabriel is waiting for them on the tree across from the balcony.
I will go first, thinks Bella, jumping onto the tree. I know that I can do this. I always loved climbing trees with my hermanos when I was small.
Bella jumps onto the tree and Gabriel helps her. Bella crawls down the tree, making room for Paty and Jessy.
Yeah, my prima did it I and can do it, thinks Paty. Okay, I can do this. I never really liked climbing trees like Bella did, but I know I can do this. Paty crosses herself with her right hand before taking the jump. Okay one, two and tres. Here I go. Oh, yeah, si, I made it, thinks Paty, crawling down the tree to make room for Jessy.
She holds onto Gabriel’s strong arms as she lands a little wobbly, but grinning with relief.
Damn, that was scary and I need to control my nerves, thinks Paty with relief. Paty smiles at Gabriel and follows his direction, going down the tree near Bella.
Gabriel smiles and instructs her to go further down the tree next to Bella. Okay, now I need to help Jessy. She really looks terrified, ponders Gabriel, turning to gaze at her.
I’m scared, thinks Jessy, watching Gabriel signal for her to jump.
I know that Bella and Paty made it. I saw them jump and it looks easy. Oh, dios mio, the ground appears really far away, muses Jessy. This is scary. What if I hurt my bebe? Yes, they are all waiting for me to jump. I’m wasting time. I need to get back to Jose Enrique.
Paty and Bella start to signal for her to jump.
Christian leans close and whispers. “You can do it,” says Christian, watching Gabriel get ready to catch her.
Jessy looks at Gabriel’s smile and hears Christian. Yes, I can do this for my bebe and Jose Enrique. I have to get back to the casa, thinks Jessy.
Jessy crosses herself with her right hand asking dios to help her. She jumps, landing on the branch, feeling Gabriel hold her.
Jessy opens her eyes, smiling with relief. Si, I made it and now I can go home. These wrappings that Chris did feel comfortable, ponders Jessy.
Christian jumps on the other tree, going quickly and quietly down. I need to be down on the ground to help them get down, thinks Christian.
He walks over to the tree that the mujers are on. Okay, they’re coming down. I will catch them, thinks Christian, monitoring their progress.
Slowly and quietly Bella crawls down, grinning. Si, I always loved climbing trees. This is fun, thinks Bella.
Paty follows a little more slowly and cautiously. She’s trying not to think of what she’s doing. Si, finally I’m almost there. I need to jump. Okay, my primo, Christian is ready to catch me in his arms. Damn, my primo is strong, thinks Paty.
Okay, now it is my turn, ponders Jessy, anxiously. Here I go, but I’m going down slowly. I’m so glad that Gabriel is behind me and can help. Hmmm, I’m almost down. I’m getting onto the last branch. This is not too bad, but it is scary. Okay I need to sit down on this branch and balance.
Christian is signaling for me to jump. I know that Gabriel is right behind me waiting. I need to do this quickly without thought. I know Christian will catch me.
Damn, it’s still a little too high. Okay dios mio, please help me. Here I go, thinks Jessy, as she throws herself down. Damn, Chris is strong and he caught me like if I didn’t weight a lot.
I need to thank him. “Gracias,” whispers Jessy.
Christian nods, looking over at Gabriel.
Chapter Forty-Three
Gabriel speaks into the mic in his ski mask to advise SOTO Officer Ford that they have the girls. “Goods extracted and secured,” says Gabriel, looking around waiting for the orders.
“Request permission to infiltrate and exterminate,” requests Christian, looking at Gabriel with a raised eyebrow.
I’m going in, regardless, thinks Christian, looking at Gabriel.
“Permission granted,” replies Officer Ford. Officer Ford looks at the other men and nods in agreement. “McKay and Lewis,” says Officer Ford.
“I want in,” asks Corona, looking at Christian shake his head in disagreement, looking at las mujers. “Need escort for goods.”
“Negative,” replies Officer Ford, walking over to the area where De La Cruz and Corona are, east of the villa, taking out another two drug soldiers on the way.
I see that Corona has the ladies behind the trees. Damn, they are real beauties. I believe that they’re even more beautiful in person, thinks Officer Ford, nodding a greeting to the young ladies. Geeze, look at their beautiful smiles. Damn, I would have loved to have met them before under different circumstances. I see that Corona is anxious to go with De La Cruz.
Gabriel is anxiously watching Christian sprint across the terrain to enter the villa.
Shit! “Lewis to assist me with goods,” orders Officer Ford into the mic. “Corona, permission granted.”
Gabriel takes deep breaths. He runs right after Christian. Yes, I have to help Christian kill these bastardos.
“Lewis, lets go! Guard our backs,” says Officer Ford, heading towards the boat leading the group.
Lewis is the last one in the group, covering their backs.
The SEALS hear the alarm go off and know that the drug lord’s soldiers will be on them.
Now the heat is on. The drug cartel lord is now aware that the mujers are gone. The drug soldiers are now in fighting mode.
There is a lot of yelling and gunfire going on making Bella, Paty, and Jessy extremely nervous as they try to keep up with the officer.
The group almost makes it to the beach. They could see the ocean and hear the waves crashing against the rocks.
The group is intersected by eight drug soldiers.
“Run to the boat!” yells Officer Ford, as he and Lewis engage with the drug soldiers.
Okay, I need to run thinks Bella, running towards the beach. Oh, dios mio! She runs as fast as she can. I’m going to die. She looks back. Oh, no, there is an hombre chasing me.
Bella trips over a branch and stumbles down onto the beach, scraping her knees.
Oh, dios, help me! He’s going to catch me. Bella yells at the top of her lungs, from fear.
The drug soldier picks her up, striking her hard in the face. Bella cries out and her head whips back from the force.
The drug soldier strikes her again, splitting her lower lip. Her lip starts to bleed. Her blood trav
els down her chin.
The huge drug soldier throws Bella over his shoulder, walking back to the villa. Si, el Mextli is going to be real happy with me, thinks the drug soldier.
“Help me, please, help me, Greg!” yells Bella, sobbing hysterically for her esposo. I’m so afraid and it hurts. Crying and in pain, she begins to hit the bastardo’s back with her fists, yelling for help.
Jessy sees the hombres and starts to tremble. Oh, dios mio, please help us. I need to run. I will make it to the boat, thinks Jessy, sprinting.
I’m not looking back, I have to make it. My bebe, dios mio, help us. I have to run faster. Okay, I’m on the beach. Where is the boat? I don’t see it, ponders Jessy, hysterically. I don’t see the boat. I have to stay calm. I need to know that Bella and Paty are okay.
Jessy turns to look back, to see if she sees them coming. Oh, dios mio, I don’t see them. I can’t stop shaking. This is so scary.
I need to locate the boat. Should I walk into the sea? It is so dark and cold.
I can’t cry, thinks Jessy, wiping her tears. Where is the boat? The moonlight is not strong enough for me see anything out in the dark ocean. I’m going in further into the ocean. Dios mio, please help me find the boat.
Oh, I can see the boat. I see the dark outline of the boat. There are two small inflatable boats waiting for us. Si, I need to hurry and get in one of those boats. I need to get on the boat. Frantically, she wades into the sea.
Si, I need to climb up onto this boat. I have to pull myself up. Huh, someone is helping me up. It is an hombre. Is he a SEAL? I pray that he is a SEAL, thinks Jessy, looking up into the hombre’s face. I made it. Hmmm, is he another SEAL?
The SEAL assists Jessy to sit on the boat bench. He bends down and gives her a towel.
“Thank you,” whispers Jessy, taking the towel from his manos.
Where are Paty and Bella? Is that Bella yelling? She needs help? This SEAL can help, thinks Jessy, turning to him. He is shaking his head no. Damn, what can I do? Somebody has to help her. Bella is punching the drug soldier with her fists. I don’t think that she is strong enough to make that bastardo release her. Geeze, with illumination of the moonlight, it makes it easy to see. I can see the beach real clearly.
I need to keep up with Jessy, thinks Paty, running behind her.
Shit, two gun shots hit me. This is real painful. Damn, I’m falling. I need help! “Help me! Help me!” yells Paty, with pain. “I’m shot,” Paty starts to stand, trying to walk closer to the shore.
Paty hears Bella screaming for help. I need to help my prima, thinks Paty, wildly running towards Bella as fast as she can.
I need something to hit that bastardo, thinks Paty, as she picks up a branch from the ground.
Yeah, I’ll hit the bastardo as hard as I can on the head. He better put my prima down, muses Paty, with rage. She runs towards where Bella is attempting to hit the drug soldier’s head.
Paty is high on adrenaline and doesn’t feel the pain of the two gun shots in her right thigh. She’s full of fear and rage.
“Help me!” yells Bella. I need to make him put me down before he takes me back to la casa, thinks Bella, horrified.
I’m going to hit his hard head. Bella flings all the punches that she can.
Paty manages to runs as fast as she can to catch up to Bella. She takes a swing hitting the hombre in his groin, causing him to go down onto his knees, and yelling out in excruciating pain, letting go of Bella.
Bella quickly struggles out of his arms and picks up a rock to hit the bastardo on the head with all of her strength.
Yes, I’m real close to the bastardo now, thinks Paty. I need to hit him again. This bastardo is dead.
Paty takes another swing, but before she can make the swing, she’s stopped.
Another drug soldier came up to Paty and grabs her arms. He tugs the branch from her hands. He swings it across the beach. The drug soldier laughs and holds her real tight.
“No!” yells Paty, in agonizing pain. She is terrified and tries to make the bastardo to let her go.
Bella turns as Paty yells. She sees the bastardo that has Paty in his arms, starting to walk away.
No way in hell will I allow this bastardo to take my prima, thinks Bella. This one is going down and Paty needs me.
Bella picks up the branch that the drug soldier had thrown.
Yes, I’m killing this one. With rage, Bella runs after the hombre that’s walking away with Paty.
Bella takes a swing, hitting the drug soldier hard in the knees, cracking the knee caps. The impact and damage causes the drug soldier to fold. His grip becomes loose and Paty quickly moves out of his arms.
Yes, thinks Bella, swinging at his head with all her strength and knocking him out. The hombre falls forward onto his face with a load, excruciating scream.
Paty and Bella turn to look at each other, smiling. Si, we make a great tag team, and all of the play fighting with our hermanos helped.
Bella then sees that Paty is bleeding. “Prima, your leg,” says Bella, as Paty faints from the pain and from losing so much blood.
Bella quickly inspects Paty’s leg. Oh, dios mio, Paty has two gun wounds and they’re bleeding like crazy.
I need to do something. I need help to get her to the boat. I will have to drag her, because I’m not risking leaving her on the beach to get help, deliberates Bella.
Bella wraps her arms under Paty’s arms and starts to pull her slowly. Hmm, my prima is dead weight because I know that she doesn’t weigh that much.
Bella starts to get real tired and sits down to take a deep breath before continuing to pull Paty again.
After a few moments Bella decides to try again, she feels a hand on her shoulder causing her to yell out in fear.
“Okay, it’s okay,” says Officer Ford, starting to pick up Paty to carry her to the waiting boat.
Bella realizes that it’s the SEAL officer and breaths out in relief. Gracias, dios mio, thinks Bella, getting up to follow him into the ocean.
Hmmm, I wonder where Jessy is at. Bella turns to look back. “We need to get Jessy,” says Bella, putting a hand on Officer Ford’s arm.
“Jessy is on the boat,” responds Officer Ford, without looking at her. He continues into the water.
How does he know that, wonders Bella, looking into the ocean and not seeing anything? Damn, I need to trust him because he knows what he’s doing.
Okay, I’m staying close to him because I don’t want to be left behind. I need to get back to Greg, thinks Bella, feeling an enormous anguishing heartache.
Officer Ford wades into the water a few more feet and hands Paty over to the SEAL. The SEAL quickly takes Paty down the boat to inspect her injuries.
He then turns and picks Bella up putting her into the inflatable boat. Si, I can see Jessy and she looks okay, thinks Bella, with relief.
The SEAL grabs his medical bag and starts to extract the bullets from Paty’s thigh.
It’s a good thing that it didn’t go in real deep, thinks the SEAL, extracting the bullet. There is another wound, but I see that the bullet went through and out her thigh. This is good. He starts to clean the wounds and applies pressure as it starts to bleed again. Then he dabs a bit of antiseptic ointment on the wounds.
I need to put some butterfly closures until we get to the medical department on the ship, thinks the SEAL. He applies some antiseptic ointment over butterfly enclosures. Then the SEAL dresses the wounds. This should be good until she gets stitches.
Bella sees as the SEAL extracts the bullet. Oh, dios mio, thinks Bella, queasy. She feels sick and leans over to the side of the boat to vomit.
This is too much. I’m tired and scared, thinks Bella, turning to look at Jessy. Jessy hands her a bottle of water.
Jessy doesn’t look well, thinks Bella. She moves closer to her. “You’re okay?” asks Bella, concerned with how pale she looks.
“Si,” replies Jessy, looking out into the ocean.
Hmmm, she looks to be in sho
ck. What do I do about it! I don’t know, ponders Bella, taking a drink of water.
Officer Ford turns to the SEAL, putting on his ski mask. “Take them to the ship and come back,” orders Officer Ford into the mic getting off the boat.
I need to get to the SEALS and get them out of this hell hole. Who knows how many are on the compound, thinks Officer Ford, splashing into the water.
Chapter Forty-Four
El Mextli yells out in frustration. “Que en la chengada is happening! Jamie!” yells el Mextli at the top of his lungs. He walks to the door in his officina.
Jamie is walking down the hall when he hears the gun shots. He starts to turn to go and investigate when he hears el Mextli call him.
Damn, what does he want now, thinks Jamie, turning around to go and see what el Mextli wants.
“Si?” says Jamie, walking towards el Mextli’s officina. Hmmm, he’s standing at the door and he looks furious. Damn!
“Que pasa!” demands el Mextli. He gets out his gun, runs into the hallway and expects for some answers.
“I was going to see when you yelled,” replies Jamie, turning to go to investigate when el Zorro runs down the stairs and heads straight to el Mextli.
“Mextli, las mujers are not in the room!” yells el Zorro, turning to look at Jamie “Where did you hide them?”
“Que!” yells out el Mextli, going out of the officina and down the hall, running up the stairs to the third floor. He looks at the guards and starts to yell.
“Imbeciles!” roars el Mextli. He goes into the room investigate. Where are these Viejas? contemplates el Mextli. H strides to the window to look outside. They must have escaped from here, but how? He turns and walks out the room.
“Jamie, I want you to wake all of the hombres and look for the viejas! When you find them, bring them to la officina!” yells el Mextli, going to the officina to take a shot of tequila.
This is inconceivable. My plan is going down the drain. Estos imbeciles are inept. I’m going to hurt estas viejas after they make the call to their familia.
I will not have any mercy. I’m the lord here in Baja California and will also be the lord in California, thinks El Mextli, taking a drink of Tequila.