Betrayed

by Sam Morton

  "Where in God's name did you find this left wing group of–"

  "They're not liberals, Senator. They're on your side," Steele said.

  "Could've fooled me." Stevens poked his finger in Steele's shoulder. "You make sure this speech gets pulled off. I'll make sure the wetbacks stay on their side of the Rio Grande." He stormed out of the room.

  And you better make sure you win this election or we're both screwed, Steele thought.

  Chapter 32

  Carranza, Mexico

  Veronica hated Austin's plan. She'd said as much. It might get them all killed. She'd said that, too. But what choice did they have? They would camp by the river for the next few days. Rico told his mother and father the closest version of the truth he could. He and Austin had tired of the video arcade and wanted to do some real "boy stuff"–fishing, hiking rafting. And he would have his cell phone handy. He stopped his story there.

  Veronica flat out lied to her mom, saying that her friend, Carmen, invited her to spend a couple days with her. Her mom was used to her independent streak. She was also used to Veronica's unstoppable passion to help people. Sometimes it was best not to ask, so she simply told her daughter to be careful.

  In reality, Veronica would use the extra tent Rico had packed and share a base site with the boys along the river at a place called Olecia, named for the massive, ancient olive trees that grew only in that small patch. Many believed that olives grown in the United States came from seeds Spanish settlers brought to California, but these trees were so old, they no longer bore fruit. They simply rose high into the canopy and provided welcome shade for the garden spot by the river where the three would make camp.

  Austin's plan was uncomplicated. He, Veronica, and Rico would go to the last places most of the missing people had been seen and simply ask around. Nearly all of them had either been people attempting to cross the border or the "coyotes," as the people guiding them were called. Veronica had heard that Pietro Sanchez, the farmer who owned the land where the Cave of the Wind meandered its way underground and the last place she knew her Uncle Viktor to be, had gone missing, too. They would begin there.

  Rico's hand raised and arced back down, nailing in the last of the tent stakes. Austin busied himself building a fire pit of cantaloupe-sized quartz rocks. Veronica strode out of the underbrush, unseen and unheard until she wanted the boys to know she was there. Austin saw her and gave a start. He wondered, as silently as she moved, whether she might have Mayan blood somewhere in her veins. She seemed to belong in this jungle like the animals that roamed its floor or the birds that winged through its giant canopy.

  "Just sneak up on somebody, why don't ya?" he said.

  "I've learned its best to stay invisible until you choose to be otherwise," she said.

  Austin clapped the dirt from his hands and Rico walked over, sweating. They gathered around the cold fire pit. "I'm glad you said that." He nodded over to the three black backpacks leaning against a tree. "I know it's hot as all get out, but Rico and I brought some black jeans and black long sleeve T-shirts so we can move around tonight without being seen."

  "We also got some camo paint for our faces and hands," Rico added wiping his brow with his hand.

  Veronica picked up one of the packs and fingered through its contents–a flashlight, water bottle, binoculars, buck knife, firecrackers. She pulled the fireworks out and dangled them. She looked over one shoulder. "What are these for?"

  Austin looked up from his tent where he'd been unrolling his sleeping bag. He could tell by the way she held them in her fingers she thought they were a stupid idea. "It's to create a diversion in case we need one."

  "A diversion?"

  "Yeah, you know. If we get in a tight spot, we light those, toss them a few yards away, and then we run like crazy," Austin said.

  She dropped them back in the bag and smiled a little bit. "Whatever, Rambo," she said in her soft Spanish lilt.

  Nightfall came two hours later, shrouding their campsite and the surrounding jungle in darkness. The three clad in all black, and black face paint, moved along the riverbank hoping the rush of water covered the sound of their footsteps. As they approached Sanchez's property, they slowed their steps and Veronica, leading the way, turned and placed her finger over her lips to make sure the boys knew to be extra silent.

  The danger of what they were doing suddenly hit Austin like a brick wall. The pack on his back somehow felt heavier and his feet moved as though he trudged through peanut butter, but he knew he had to do it for the people who were missing and for Veronica.

  She chose to lead them to the caves through the corn fields. The stalks, many over six feet tall now, were high enough to provide cover as long as they moved slowly and didn't knock the plants about. They could lie flat if anyone got close, and the rows of corn were so uniform that they could crawl or roll undetected to a completely different part of the field because from above, it all looked the same. Finding them would be like looking for a needle in a needle stack.

  Veronica moved like a cat, occasionally risking a glance to ensure they were in the right row to deliver them as close to the mouth of the cave as possible. When they reached the end of the cornfield nearest the cave opening about thirty yards of open grass away, she stopped and the three of them gathered close. "We need to get there." She pointed.

  Austin whispered, "I say we all low crawl together, one behind the other, but very slowly. Any fast movements might draw attention."

  "Why not go one at a time?" Rico asked. "Isn't it better to risk just one rather than the whole group?"

  "Which one of us would you sacrifice first, Rico?" Veronica hissed.

  Rico's eyes narrowed and he jutted out his jaw. "Look, I wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for Uncle Viktor! The rest of these people knew the risk when they decided to cross. For that matter, so did Uncle Viktor, but he's family." His voiced rose louder than he wanted.

  Both Austin and Veronica hunkered down lower and at the same time said, "Shh!"

  "No," Austin added. "We either all go together or call it off. The Three Musketeers, right?"

  Rico's head slumped and he gave his head a barely noticeable nod. "Let's go," he said quietly.

  They made their way on elbows and bellies to the mouth of the cave, stopping every minute or so to scout out sounds. Veronica led the way into the entrance where all three stopped to retrieve their flashlights. When they switched them on, Austin and Rico were brushing their hands on their sleeves.

  "What's all this sticky crap all over me?" Austin said, furiously rubbing is palms on his pants.

  "It is the sap of the jatropha plant," Veronica said.

  "The what?"

  "The jatropha," she said. "The Indian shamans here use it to stop wounds from bleeding." She shrugged as if everybody should know this.

  The trio then shone their flashlight beams around the cave. Austin marveled at the labyrinth of tunnels and fissures that split off in every direction. He saw the shrines and burned candles spread out on the shelf near the entrance and he noticed the veins of color that ran through the walls–every color from ink black to deep reds to soft terra cotta brown–all representing the different minerals in the cave. He walked to the entrance of one of the tunnels and aimed his beam into the pitch black. Stalactites having the same fluid markings of color he saw on the wall hung from the ceiling. His light ended in darkness where the tunnel burrowed further into the earth.

  Veronica walked up behind him. "Don't venture in too far or we'll never find you." Her voice was even. She wasn't joking around.

  "Hey look over here." They both turned to see Rico pointing his flashlight at the shelf with the ceremonial objects. "I doubt we'll find anything useful here. Look at how all these candles are melted all the way down to the rock." He reached over and felt around, brushing his hand over the shelf. "They're all cold, and everything up here seems pretty old; nothing recent."

  "Yes, that is unusual," Veronica said. "Normally there are fresh candl
es flickering. I knew something was different when we came in. I just couldn't think of what it was until you said that, Rico. You're right. No one has been through here in a while." She pursed her lips and balanced her chin on the flat bottom of her flashlight handle, thinking.

  "Do you know anyone around the property? Maybe neighbors, we could ask for information?" Austin said.

  "A few, but we have to be careful. We could arouse suspicion."

  "Maybe we could go back out to the field and do a little recon. See whoever and whatever we can see." Austin moved his eyes between his friends.

  "Recon?" Veronica asked, baffled at the Americanism.

  "Reconocimiento. Observe." Rico explained.

  "All right, but we'll have to be very, very careful. We'll have to stick together."

  Both boys agreed. They made their way to the cave entrance. Veronica dropped to the ground first and Rico followed. Austin was about to kneel down when he heard a voice outside the cave.

  "Alto!" Halt, the voice said.

  From the shadows, Austin saw Veronica and Rico get up, their arms raised, and a rifle pointing at them.

  Chapter 33

  Rancho Sam Juanita

  Near Carranza, Mexico

  Austin stood in the blackness near the cave entrance. He could see Rico's hands still raised and he heard Veronica's conversation with the soldier, but they both spoke in Spanish and he couldn't understand them. From the soldier's rapid-fire questions, he knew the guy was trying to figure out who they were and why they were on the property. Just then he heard Veronica's voice change from defiance to friendly recognition.

  "Soy Veronica," were two words he picked out among the many she spoke. "I am Veronica." Austin knew that much Spanish at least. He saw Rico slowly lower his hands to his sides.

  The soldier's voice changed, too. You didn't have to speak Spanish to figure out what he was interested in. He mingled low moans among his words and nodded his head slowly. He couldn't see the guy's eyes, but from the position of his head, he obviously was staring at Veronica's chest.

  The soldier relaxed some, but still held his rifle half aloft, even pointing it at Rico, apparently asking who he was.

  Veronica spoke again and Austin picked out the words, "Primo Rico," which he had heard several times during his time there. It basically meant, "This is my cousin, Rico." At that the guard relaxed completely and switched back to his seductive, suggestive voice.

  Despite the heat and the humidity, Austin felt chilled and unsure. A trickle of cold sweat rolled from his neck down to the small of his back. He stood as still as he could, slowing his breath and trying to silence the thudding of his nervous heart.

  It was obvious from the conversation that the guard knew Veronica, and that he wanted to know her even better. But was that a sign he should step out from the shadows of the cave? Would that make things worse? He looked toward Rico as Veronica and the soldier as they continued their conversation, but Rico stood flat and still, his face expressionless. His body language gave Austin no clear signal as to what to do. He looked around the cornfield they had crept through and out of. The broad leaves of the stalks moved in rhythm with whatever slight wind that blew. Austin saw no sign of other guards, no movements or workers, no houses, or lights. He remained still and hidden.

  Just then, the conversation stopped. The soldier moved toward Veronica, his rifle now dropped completely down by his side and hanging off his shoulder only by its strap. He wrapped his arms around her in a smothering embrace. He lowered his head and kissed the girl hard on the lips. Austin saw his head turn and his mouth open. Veronica braced and winced, momentarily keeping her lips in a straight, tight, closed line. But the soldier let out a low, lusty moan that rattled from deep in his body, so she opened hers, too.

  Austin could see it was an unwelcome gesture. Something in him roused, whether it was an honest desperation to protect his friend or some primal masculine jealousy, he didn't know and he didn't care. Silently, he stepped from the mouth of the cave, the soldier's back to him. Above his head he raised his flashlight, a four-cell titanium Mag light like the cops at home used. It packed a skull crushing wallop when you had to use it as a weapon.

  He reached the top of his swing and was almost ready to bring the metal crashing down, when Veronica opened her eyes. She widened them in panic and put up one finger behind the soldier's back. She waggled it at Austin signaling him to stop. I don't need saving. Ever. She had told him that already. Obviously the girl had a plan. He stepped back into the black crevice of the cave and waited.

  Chapter 34

  Outside the Café El Dorado

  Carranza, Mexico

  After the trio left the Cave of the Wind and Sanchez's property, they regrouped at their campsite in the garden. Austin thought about stopping Rico and Veronica along the way to get an explanation of what the soldier said, and by what miracle, they had not been taken into custody, but he wasn't sure which Veronica he would face–the border-crossing strategist or Mount Veronica, the volcano. With the camo paint still covering her face, he couldn't gauge the situation properly. Their return to camp was markedly different than their exit–no low crawling or whispering to each other. They merely trudged forward, leaves sweeping past their thighs and twigs snapping underfoot.

  When they got back, Austin was pleasantly surprised by the "nice" Veronica who slowly turned and began explaining. "Okay, I used to go to high school with that guy. He's three years older than me and he's always leered at me in the halls. Once he came into the gym when we were playing basketball and just stood there and stared at me. He makes me want to puke!"

  Austin felt a range of emotions all at once. He was glad she didn't like the guy, but still the bile of jealousy rose in his throat. "Why did you kiss him, then?"

  Her mouth fell open in disbelief. "I didn't kiss him! He kissed me." She shook her head in revulsion. "Besides, it was the only way I could keep him from arresting us."

  Austin looked confused. Rico picked up the explanation. "The guy's got the hots for Veronica, so he agreed to let us go, but only on the condition that she meets him after his shift ends at midnight." He nodded at his cousin. "She's going to try to get any information he has and he thinks he's going to get drunk and lucky."

  Veronica smiled. Yeah, the girl definitely had a plan.

  The three huddled in the dark alley that split the Café El Dorado and an auto parts store that had closed for the day. They spoke in hushed tones.

  "Okay, remember, "Veronica said staring at Austin and widening her eyes, "wait here." She pointed to the ground. "However long it takes, don't panic. I can take care of myself. He might spill his guts in thirty minutes or it may take two hours."

  With that, she stood and walked into the brightly lit café. She chose a festive red and yellow booth and slid in across the bench seat. It was one o'clock in the morning. As she stared at the menu, a shadow settled over her. Her "date," Gerard Espinoza, approached the table. He had changed into a pair of khaki pants and a white shirt. He ran his fingers along the wisp of mustache that grew in black sprouts over his upper lip.

  A waitress edged up to the table and asked for their drink order. Espinoza ordered a beer.

  "I'll have water, por favor," she said, setting her menu aside.

  "No beer for you?" Espinoza asked in a lusty voice.

  "Now, Gerard, what would my parents say if I came home with beer on my breath?" The waitress waited, her pen poised above her order book.

  "Who says you're going to spend the night in your bed tonight?"

  She raised her eyebrows and smiled. She could play this game, too. "Bring us a pitcher of cerveza," she said to the waitress, keeping her eyes and suggestive smile locked on the man who sat across the table.

  For nearly a half-hour, Espinoza slammed his beers one after the other. He had consumed nearly half the pitcher while he and Veronica made small talk. She hated the sour, fermented taste of beer, so she pretended to sip hers, tilting the glass to her lips, ho
lding it there, and lowering it again.

  Espinoza gulped his fourth drink, swallowing half a glass in one slurp. He belched and patted his chest with his fist. He winked at Veronica as if he were proud of himself.

  She reached across the table and grasped his hands. "So, Gerard. You are in the army now?"

  "Yes," he said belching again, softer this time. "I am a sergeant in the army of Generalissimo Omaga."

  Veronica hoped the man didn't notice her reaction. She felt herself physically recoil. She knew General Omaga as one of the rogue generals, men who had influence, power, wealth, and a vicious streak that made sport out of murder. She suddenly felt cold and fearful for her Uncle Viktor. She took a deep breath and returned to her mission.

  "A sergeant for General Omaga. You must have a very important job," she said tilting her head.

  Espinoza leaned in. He had drunk so much so fast that it was already having an effect. Veronica could smell the beer on his breath and his head bobbled a tiny bit. He was beginning to slur his words.

  He placed a finger over his lips. "Shhhh. We are keeping people from crossing over the border. It is a very important job. I have captured a few myself." He leaned back and poured another beer, emptying the pitcher and holding it up to get his waitress's attention. "Mas cerveza, por favor," he yelled.

  "My," Veronica said while rubbing her hands up and down Espinoza's shirt sleeve. "Impressive. What do you do with these people after you've caught them?"

  He drank and set his mug on the table. "Me, I take them to a truck. Where the truck takes them is not my concern. The more I catch the more money I earn." He leaned in again just inches from Veronica's face. "But next Saturday, I have a special assignment to escort General Omaga to the old coal mines to meet the gringo who pays us so much money to guard a line in the river." He let out a throaty laugh