Betrayed

by Sam Morton

  Chapter 40

  Omaga stepped forward, his fury blazing like a fully engaged fire. He backhanded Austin who flew up against the painted cinder block wall with a thump. He tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. Veronica yelled his name and tried to go to him, but Viktor held her back.

  "Generalissimo, please. He is just a boy." The voice belonged to Pietro Sanchez. He held his hands out in silent supplication trying to end the assault before it went any further. Omaga shoved him aside.

  "A very dangerous boy," Omaga yelled, "who has decided to play a man's game on my field." He pointed his forefinger at his chest, his anger making him shake visibly. "My field, you stinking little punk." He kicked Austin hard in the ribs.

  Austin bent double, but tried to stand.

  "Stop it! Stop it!" Veronica broke free from her uncle and jumped onto Omaga's back. She dug her fingernails in the soft flesh of his cheeks, but she'd been aiming for his eyes. Two guards ran forward, but before they reached her, Omaga had flung her off as he would swat a mosquito. She sprawled onto the dingy tile floor.

  Just then, Omaga stopped. An evil grin sprouted across his lips. From his horizontal position on the floor, Austin could almost see the gears turning in the general's head. The man reached down and grabbed Veronica by her hair. She reached up with both hands and tried to pull the general's arm away. She screamed and struggled, but the man was just too strong.

  Despite the pain, Austin got to his feet. Viktor stepped toward the general as did all the men, except one–Jorge Tutura, the man who had tried to pry Viktor's escape plan from him. The men closed the circle around Omaga only to be met with guards pointing their rifles at them.

  The general lifted Veronica off her feet by her hair. "You call your friend, gringo, or I will throw this girl to my men like I would throw a piece of meat to hungry dogs. And they will do unspeakable things to her."

  "Let her go or I'll kill you," Austin yelled, but he knew the odds were stacked against him, and he hadn't the slightest clue how to rescue Veronica.

  Tutura yanked Viktor by his arm nearly spinning him around. "Order the boy to comply! He is putting us all in danger."

  Viktor exploded. "Not all of us, traitor." He raised his elbow and smashed Tutura in the nose spraying a fine mist of blood over the man's face. Tutura fell to his knees. Everyone's attention turned to the fight Viktor had started.

  Austin took advantage and limped behind Omaga. Using the wall to push off like a swimmer, he dove toward the general's head. He bounced off the giant of a man, but caused enough distraction for Veronica to break free. She spun on her heels to face Omaga and buried her knee in his crotch. The man gasped, and though Austin didn't think it possible, his face grew even redder. Austin grabbed Veronica by the hand and they began to stumble, rather than run, away from the man. Men yelled, children screamed, and chairs began to fly. Omaga's officers barked orders at their men, and they in turn barked orders to the prisoners. It was chaos.

  As Austin and Veronica struggled to get away, an explosion blew the cafeteria doors in. The force of the blast knocked almost everyone down and changed the pressure of the air so that Austin's eardrums hurt. The noise that reached them sounded muffled. He looked toward the smoke billowing in. Soldiers clad in black from head to toe and carrying automatic weapons flowed through the opening like a dam bursting. They were shouting commands, but Austin's ears had still not adjusted enough to hear what they said.

  The Mexican guards dropped their weapons. One tried to run, but a soldier intercepted him and cracked the butt of his rifle across the man's forehead. He dropped like a bowling pin.

  Austin looked toward the door again and then at Veronica. They both smiled. The cavalry had arrived. Striding in behind the soldiers, also clad in black were Konstantine, Lyndsey the ICE agent, and finally Rico sporting an ear-to-ear grin and a pair of dark sunglasses.

  Austin, still unable to hear, sensed something was going wrong before he saw it. His scalp tingled as if even it sensed looming danger. Then he saw Lyndsey, Konstantine, and Rico stop in their tracks. Austin saw the grin fall from Rico's lips. All of them, as if on cue, raised their hands and began shouting at Austin and Veronica rising from the floor. Austin turned too late. Omaga had already drawn his pistol and fired.

  Veronica fell to the floor. Her gasp was the only thing Austin heard clearly.

  Chapter 41

  Viktor ran over to his niece, scooping her in is arms. Her blood smeared his hands, mingling with the blood he'd extracted from pounding on Tutura. Austin turned just in time to see Omaga slipping out the delivery door to the cafeteria. He bounded up like a runner out of the blocks. He was out the same door before it finished swinging shut. All around the schoolyard he could see low profile black helicopters with no running lights and no markings. The rotors on each turned slowly.

  The general may have been a big man, but that only made him slow. Austin turned on the after burners. He caught up with Omaga about twenty-five yards from the school. He dove and caught the general with his shoulder behind the man's left knee. Both his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Austin scrambled to get on top of him. Omaga pushed him off, rolling to his knees to face his young adversary. The general still had his pistol in his hand, and now he pointed it at Austin's head. The man stood, keeping his aim steady. Both of them breathed heavily. He could see the rage in the general's eyes.

  Just as Austin wondered whether or not the man was going to shoot him, the general's head snapped backward and blood spurted from his face. A rock the size of a balled fist fell at his feet and the man slipped down onto his knees, his entire frame swaying. Austin spun and saw Rico's body twisted in a perfect pitcher's follow through. Before Austin could move, from out of nowhere, four soldiers dressed in black fatigues pounced on the general. One threw a black bag over his face and secured it with rope. The others bound the man's hands and feet, trussing him up like a hog. All four dragged Omaga moaning in protest toward one of the waiting helicopters.

  Rico helped his friend to his feet. They stood for a moment just looking at each other.

  "Veronica," Austin yelled, his eyes wide. "How is she?"

  "It looks like she just has a flesh wound, but it's bleeding a lot," Rico said.

  Austin jerked his head in one direction and then another. Then he spied what he was looking for, a low-lying patch of jatropha. He bounded into the middle of the patch and began pulling at the leaves with both hands. Rico joined him and then they both ran back toward the school.

  When they got back into the cafeteria, the American soldiers had many of the prisoners in a line. Other soldiers were busy handcuffing the guards. One had Gerard up against the cinder block wall, his face flattened against the brick, frisking him. Viktor still cradled Veronica in his arms. Her face was pale and blood dripped freely from her shoulder making soft splats on the tile floor. Lyndsey knelt close urging her to sip from a cup of water. Pietro Sanchez and Konstantine looked on.

  Austin knelt by Veronica's side. He held the jatropha leaved in his hands. "Here. Try these." He began gently slipping the leaves into the arm of her blouse.

  Sanchez said something Austin didn't understand, but evidently it was a note of approval from the way everyone nodded. The bleeding slowed as a medic, distinct from the other soldiers only by the red cross stitched onto his collar, arrived with a first aid kit. The medic cut through the arm of her blouse with a pair of scissors revealing the wound. He took note of the leaves and their effect. He pursed his lips and nodded.

  As the medic applied his bandages and inserted an IV line, Veronica held Austin's hand with her good arm. She rolled her head to the side to see his face. "Hey," she said, her voice weak and raspy. "I think you saved my life tonight…twice."

  Austin blushed. "I thought you were the girl who didn't need saving. Ever," he said, smiling.

  She squeezed his hand. "Tonight I did."

  Chapter 42

  Leland Federal Building

  Houston, Texas


  Rico, Austin, and Veronica, with her arm in a stylish black sling, sat on one side of a polished mahogany conference table. Veronica's mother, Armando and Carla, and William and Karen sat in plush chairs that lined the wall. All the parents had been briefed; all the teens lectured, threatened, cajoled, and hugged by their parents. William had given Konstantine an earful for placing his son in such a dangerous situation. At the same time, he couldn't hide his pride in his son, the decisiveness of his actions, and the honor with which he performed them.

  Carla and Armando also beamed over Rico and the hard choices he'd been forced to make. Veronica's mother took it all in stride as if she always knew her daughter had it in her and resigned herself to the fact that whatever "it" was was going to come out, no matter what the risk.

  News headlines across the nation blared: "Chief of staff for the Senate Majority Leader arrested in immigration scandal." Political observers agreed that Stevens' re-election bid was toast, even though he had no evident knowledge of Steele's dealings.

  Konstantine sat across the table from the teens. "It looks like all the loose ends are getting tied up," he said. "Very few people know of your involvement, and we will keep it that way."

  "What about Omaga and his guards?" Austin asked.

  "Anyone ever say you ask too many questions, young Mr. Pierce?" He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "But you deserve answer, at least what answer I'm at liberty to tell." He looked directly at Veronica. "Rest assured General Omaga will never be seen in Mexico again. He has been flown out of the country for, how you say, extensive interrogation."

  Austin didn't quite know what to make of Konstantine's indifferent tone or shrug or even the term "extensive interrogation," but he shivered at the thought. Then he recalled with anger what Omaga had done to Veronica and to him and figured the man deserved whatever he got.

  "As for his men," the Ukrainian continued, "many of them had no choice but to follow this man. Still we cannot excuse their actions and we cannot trust the Mexican authorities to deal with them effectively. So," he sighed and then continued in a matter-of-fact one, "it appears that these men were apprehended two days ago in Houston with a van loaded with cocaine. They will have somewhere between three-to-five years each to keep their cellmates entertained with their stories of being kidnapped by the CIA and flown out of Mexico on black ops helicopters. I suppose that's what happens to your mind when you use your own products." Konstantine laughed at his joke and shook his head in mock disbelief.

  Next, the man pulled out a folded piece of notebook paper, the one Austin had given him at the McDonald's in Eagle Pass. He flattened it against the table with the heel of his hand. Several bullet pointed questions in Austin's handwriting appeared on the page.

  Has the Rio Grande ever shifted?

  If so, has it shifted north so that the town of Carranza would have ever been in the U.S.?

  Since the Larnas family has owned their land continuously for generations, if the above two answers are yes, could Rico and his family be considered U.S citizens?

  Konstantine read the questions aloud, then said, "I have researched these issues for you with several top ranking officials. According to the U.S Geological Survey and the Department of the Interior, yes, the Rio Grande shifted sometime after 1852. Before that time, Carranza was a U.S possession. Interestingly enough, Mr. Steele is trying to use a similar argument to say FBI has no jurisdiction to charge him because he accepted Omaga's money in Mexico."

  Austin smiled, but Konstantine's face grew grim.

  "According to the immigration officials and the State Department, and the U.S Attorney General, because the Larnas family has not continuously claimed their American citizenship, they cannot be considered Americans."

  Austin's shoulder's sagged. He felt like a balloon that suddenly lost all its air.

  Rico reached up and patted his friend. "You tried. Don't worry. Everything happens for a reason."

  "I hate to disagree with you, Mr. Alvarez, but sometimes you have to make things take place or they do not. I happen to play golf with the President of the United States. I informed him of the length of our investigation and your actions which helped us close it. President is a terrible golfer, by the way. Did you know this?"

  Austin closed his eyes and shook his head. His Ukrainian friend could sometimes be infuriating. But Konstantine seemed to know and enjoy this.

  "Anyway, I digress," the agent said as he pulled up a large manila envelope from beside his chair.

  The teens' eyes grew wide and they leaned in collectively toward the table as Konstantine upended the container. Its contents spilling out onto the table consisted of U.S passports and citizenship documents. "One each for everyone here in the room…except, of course, for the Pierces."

  Austin was speechless. He looked across the table with thankful eyes at his Ukrainian friend while Rico and Veronica examined their new passports. Austin turned to Rico and said. "Well, that does it buddy. Are you ready to come home?"

  As the people filed out of the conference room, Konstantine gently grasped Austin's arm. "You proved yourself to be quite a man in Mexico, young Mr. Pierce. If we need your help again, may we count on it?"

  "Would that be the CIA, the FBI, ICE, or the NSA?" he asked breaking into a smile.

  "Yes," the Ukrainian said.

  "Call me. We'll see what we can work out."

  Konstantine nodded, shook his hand, and patted him on the shoulder.

  Epilogue

  Columbia, South Carolina

  The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies wafted through the Pierce household. Through the plate glass window, Austin could see the lake, the breeze whipping up ripples across its surface. He was lost in thought, his mind back in Mexico and his adventure there. Had two months really passed already?

  "Austin," his mother's voice called. "Come on in the dining room, sweetie. It's time for you two to start algebra."

  He launched himself off the couch and flew toward his dining/classroom. He pushed the swinging door open with the palm of his hand and saw his friend and new classmate already sitting at the table. Veronica!

  Rico was in Mexico, and there he would remain.

  After Konstantine had produced the passports at the meeting in Houston, Rico's face had blanched and he'd looked toward the floor. Austin had noticed. "What's wrong?" he'd asked.

  "Austin, I don't quite know what to say, but," he sighed so heavily that he almost seemed to use up all the air in the room, "I'm not coming home."

  Austin felt the bombshell drop. His stomach twisted. "What do you mean?"

  "I mean I'm staying in Mexico. There's a lot I can do there. I feel needed."

  "But I need you. That's why we went through what we did, right? To get you back home. That's what we fought for."

  "No," Rico said. "We fought for people like Uncle Viktor and for all those people Omaga terrorized and kidnapped. We fought for freedom, man. And I have to tell you, it felt good. I learned a lot about myself and what I'm capable of. I can't walk away from that now. People need me."

  Austin felt his cheeks redden. His eyes welled up even now, but he willed himself not to cry. He and Rico had IM'ed every day, several times a day. In a way, they were closer now than ever. Their adventure in Carranza had sealed their bond, and it would never be broken.

  Along with Uncle Viktor and Pietro Sanchez, Rico helped open an immigration aid agency. He spent his after school hours there helping people understand and fill out the forms they needed to legally come into the United States. With his newfound clout with the President of the United States through Konstantine, he could also troubleshoot problems with applications and forms often with a single phone call. And with his new citizenship, he could come see Austin any time he wished.

  Austin stood staring at Veronica across the room. His heart jumped up in his throat like it did the first time he saw her–like it did every time he saw her. She made him feel a lot of ways, but mostly calm–calm and confiden
t that he could do anything, even change the world.

  With Rico and Uncle Viktor running the aid center, Veronica's family urged her to do what she had helped so many others do–cross over. She resisted at first, wanting to carry on what her father had started, what he had died for.

  "Think about the opportunity, mija. We can go to the States and get you the education you deserve, and with an education, you can do anything you wish," her mother told her. For the first time in a long time, Veronica listened.

  When Austin came into the dining room, she patted the chair beside her.

  "Yes, come on in, sweetie, and show me how you figure out the value of x," Veronica said in a playful, sugary voice. Austin walked behind her chair and leaned over her, placing his wrists over her shoulders. "If I do, do I get a kiss?"

  Veronica's face turned red. "Stop it, Austin," she whispered, pushing his hands away. "Not with your mother in the next room."

  "Mom," he said.

  "Yes dear," she called from the kitchen.

  Yes, dear, Veronica mouthed silently. Austin felt like a stuffed, toy mouse with Veronica playing the part of the cat.

  "She's doing it again!"

  "You two play nice, now. I'm the teacher, not the referee," Karen said.

  Austin smiled. "Mom, I think it's time we show Veronica how to make a potato gun."