Native Tongue

by Shannon Greenland

  Putting my laptop down, I stepped up behind him and wrapped my arms tight around him. He tried to pull away, and I squeezed him harder.

  Parrot inhaled a choppy breath. “Oh, God.” Another choppy breath and then a quiet sob. The painful sound broke my heart.

  Laying my cheek on his shoulder, I held on tight, while his body shook with sadness. I wondered if this was the first time he’d ever had a good cry.

  Minutes passed, and I continued holding him.

  He took some deep breaths, trying to get control of his emotions.

  Finally, he sniffed. “Do you remember the day we all first met?” he mumbled into his hands.

  I nodded against his shoulder, not wanting to let him go yet.

  Parrot pulled away, and I reluctantly released him. With his back to me, he used his T-shirt to wipe his face. A few seconds passed as he gained more control. “I said I was taken in by the police for flying in a restricted airspace.” He turned around and looked me right in the eyes. “I lied.”

  My heart paused a beat. “What do you mean you lied?”

  He studied my face, as if trying to figure out exactly how much he could or would say to me.

  I reached out and gripped his hand and looked him deep in the eyes. “Listen to me. Nothing you tell me will change who you are. Be truthful. Don’t worry. None of us have had a past worth bragging about.”

  Parrot dropped his gaze to our clasped hands and quietly contemplated them. “I used to work for Talon,” he said a few seconds later. “I interpreted deals for him. Slave trade. Mostly young girls.” His voice broke.

  I put my hand over my mouth.

  He brought his pain-filled eyes up to meet mine. “It’s not something I’m proud of. I was so ashamed. I never wanted any of you guys to know.”

  I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles. “It’s okay.”

  Parrot sniffed and used his free hand to wipe his eyes. “Talon told me he knew where my mother was. And if I worked for him for six months, he’d reunite me with her.”

  “Oh, Parrot.” I would do anything, too, to bring back my parents, if only for a few special moments with them.

  “I didn’t know it was slave trade. I never knew what the ‘cargo’ was.”

  I saw regret in his face, along with a hint of disgust at what he’d been involved in.

  He looked up into my eyes. “I need you to believe that.”

  “I do.” Closing the small space between us, I gave him a hug. “You know I do.” I stepped away. “Do you have any news about your mom?” I asked, hopeful.

  Parrot shook his head, his eyes welling up again. “No.”

  “Why isn’t Talon in jail?”

  “Because I refused to testify. Talon’s the only one who knows where my mom is. When she’s found, I’ll testify and put him away.”

  “Why not just go ahead and testify?”

  Adamantly, he shook his head. “No. I won’t do anything until she’s found. I’m not going to take any chances. TL knows that.” Parrot grasped my upper arm. “Promise me you’ll be careful and stay away from Talon.” He gave my arm a little shake. “Promise.”

  The conviction in his voice gave me a chill. “I promise.”

  Nodding, he stepped away.

  “What did he say to you back there at the hut?”

  “That my mom would be so proud.”

  “Oh, no.”

  Parrot sighed. “I know. He knows who I am. Why else would he say that?”

  I nodded my agreement. “We have to tell Jonathan.”

  Together we turned, and at the exact same second caught sight of Talon standing behind a tree watching us. Parrot and I froze as we stared back.

  Talon made no expression, made no attempt to hide. He headed off diagonal to us, disappearing farther into the jungle.

  We watched him go until we couldn’t see him anymore.

  “Do you think he heard us?”

  Parrot closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “He may have.”

  “Where do you think he’s going?” I asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  Cautiously, we made our way back toward the village as darkness settled in around us. It was no wonder Parrot didn’t want to come on this mission. His specialty, his gift, had been abused and used against him. And now here he had to face the same man who’d maltreated his talents. The man who knew where his mother was.

  “Thanks for being honest and talking with me,” I said.

  Parrot smiled a little in response.

  As we exited the jungle, Jonathan came right toward us. “Where have you been? I don’t want you two going off alone. With the new intel, I’m not taking any chances.”

  “Yes, sir,” we answered.

  “Parrot needed some time to think, and I followed him,” I explained. “But as we were heading back, we saw Talon. He must have followed us into the jungle.”

  “What happened?” Jonathan asked.

  “Nothing,” Parrot answered. “He watched us silently and then headed off in the opposite direction. We left immediately and were coming to tell you when you met us.”

  “Where’d he go?” Jonathan asked.

  We shrugged.

  Jonathan nodded. “Okay, I’ll get Guillermo on that. He knows this jungle better than anyone. What did Talon say to you back at the hut?”

  Parrot pressed his fingers to his temples. “That my mother would be so proud.”

  Jonathan furrowed his brow. “Not good. It’s a little too coincidental. You both need to be on alert. Be very careful. If Talon does know it’s Parrot, there’s no telling what he may do.” Jonathan turned to me. “You must keep an eye on your laptop at all times. And it’s set with the highest security settings, correct?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  With a nod, Jonathan glanced up at the watchtower. “You still have to send Chapling the scan, but I don’t want you going up there. That’s too far up without safety gear. We’ll find a signal somewhere else.”

  Behind Jonathan, something moved, and I peeked around him to see the Huworo chief striding toward us across the clearing. Two men walked with him, staying one step behind. With stern faces, bald heads, and yellow painted chests, they carried spears in front of them.

  “Um, Jonathan,” I said, and he turned around.

  The Huworo chief came to a stop right in front of us. He nodded first to me, then Parrot, and then to Jonathan. “Ruf Lepre olb Qerif Okupazol Ojjazolu . . .” he spoke in his language.

  “The North and South American Alliance,” Parrot translated, “has decided the vase will be more secure under the watchful eyes of my trained guards.”

  Jonathan didn’t respond for a second. “I assure you, I am highly skilled in the job you have hired me for.”

  Parrot translated.

  The Huworo chief repeated himself, motioning for the guards to take the pouch and the vase from Jonathan.

  Jonathan held up his hands to let the guards know he would cooperate and then slipped the pouch over his head and gave it to the Huworo chief.

  The chief nodded, turned, and headed back across the clearing.

  I looked at Jonathan and knew without him saying one single word that he was really PO’ed. “What’s going on?”

  Jonathan shook his head. “Don’t know. But I don’t like it at all.”

  “Couldn’t you do anything?” Parrot asked as we walked back to the village.

  “No. The alliance hired us. If they want someone else to guard the vase, I’ve got nothing to say about it.” He strode off. “I’m going to find out why they’ve taken it back and where they’re going to keep the vase.”

  I took a breath. “Something’s not right.”

  We entered the village, and Parrot nodded toward the ceremonial hut, where Jaaci stood in the entryway, waving us over. “Dinnertime,” Parrot said. “Let’s go.”

  “Great. Wonder what’s on the menu tonight? Roasted armadillo? Sautéed rat? Grilled bobcat?” Feeling a bit whiny about the whole food is
sue, I followed Parrot across the village.

  Someone had lit the outside torches, casting the area in a campsite glow. We stepped into the ceremonial hut, and I immediately noticed that Talon’s stool was empty, as well as that of a chief who occupied the seat two down from him and the Huworo chief. Parrot and Jonathan noticed, too.

  The guys went their way, and with dread I took my spot beside Jaaci along the back wall. I sighed, feeling like this had been one of the longest days of my life. Actually, yesterday had been long, too.

  Quietly, I sat watching women bring food in and set it on the big round table in the middle. I eyed the platters, trying to make out the food. Unlike the monkey stew, tonight’s dinner had no smell.

  Like before, everyone took their spots according to gender and age. The Huworo chief entered just in time to do the chanting prayer with his family. Then the women began leaving our area to serve their families. I tried to see what they served and made out something green and something else white. I waited for my turn, and following Jaaci, I went up to the center table.

  A variety of vegetables had been spread across huge serving platters. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw them. Something short and gray filled the serving bowls. I watched as Jaaci scooped the objects out and onto small plates.

  It was probably bad manners, but I picked up one of the objects and inspected the ridged stubbiness of it.

  What the . . . ? I blinked.

  A grub?

  The next morning I woke up starving because, hello, I didn’t eat the grubs, and vegetables hold your stomach off for only so long. I did the morning bath ritual with the other single women. Breakfast consisted of fruit and fish, thank God, something I recognized.

  I put my cloth bug pouch around my neck, got my laptop, and found Quirk outside the big ceremonial hut. Together we made our way through the jungle toward the cave. As we walked, I filled him in on what had happened the night before with Talon and the Huworo chief taking the vase.

  When we got to the swinging bridge, my phone beeped, alerting me I had a signal.

  “You go on ahead,” I told Quirk. “My phone gets a signal here, so my laptop would, too. And I need to send something back to home base.”

  “Sure. Be careful, though. You really shouldn’t be out here alone.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  With a nod, he continued on and I sat down beneath a tree. I powered up my computer and scanned the drawing of the mysterious woman. Although the sketch was in two pieces—thanks to my klutziness—I still managed to get a decent scan. I hooked up my foldable satellite dish and keyed in the scrambler code.

  HI! Chapling typed.

  I smiled. HI! SENDING U A PIC. I watched as my computer transferred the file to Chapling back at the ranch.

  WOW! SHES HOT! he typed.

  I laughed. CAN U FIGURE OUT WHO SHE IS?

  I’LL GIVE IT A WHIIIRRRL. PEACE OUT.

  I laughed again. PEACE OUT.

  I logged off and closed my laptop, eager to get to the cave and Quirk. He was right, I really shouldn’t be here alone.

  “I could make good money off you.”

  I jerked my head up and froze, and my heart picked up its pace. “T-Talon,” I stuttered, and then immediately realized I’d just shown my fear.

  An evil smile crept into his face. “You know my name. I’m honored.”

  I swallowed and concentrated on slowing down my heartbeat, on not showing fear.

  Dressed in a traditional breechcloth with no shirt, he folded his arms over his thick chest. Even though he stood five feet seven, his stance made him seem an intimidating seven feet tall. He leveled his dark eyes on me, and they reminded me of all the other bad guys I’d faced—soulless, evil, lacking a conscience. They made my skin crawl.

  I swallowed again and focused on forming a complete sentence. “What are you doing here?”

  “It is to your benefit that you translate those cave drawings to my benefit.”

  I glanced across the swinging bridge to where Quirk had gone, but didn’t see him. I brought my gaze back to Talon’s. Putting my laptop aside, I stood. At least then I would be taller than him.

  Talon’s face didn’t change expression. “It is to your benefit that you translate these drawings to my benefit,” he repeated.

  “Are you threatening me?” I tried to come across calm, but even I detected the uneasiness in my voice.

  He took a step toward me, and I lost my small sense of confidence. “Your distance keep.” I shook my head. “I mean, keep your distance.”

  Talon’s lip curled up with my show of nervousness. He took another step closer, knowing full well he had the advantage. “Do you value your friends’ lives? Do you value your life?”

  Swallowing, I nodded, wishing Quirk or Guillermo or Jonathan or someone would appear out of the jungle.

  Talon took another step toward me. “Then you will falsify your findings. I want the vase.”

  I didn’t answer. I didn’t trust myself to speak.

  He took another step, and I gave in and moved back, coming up against the tree. One more step for him and he stood mere inches from me. I looked down into his face trying so hard not to show my fear.

  Talon ran his creepy gaze down my body and back up. “Yes, I could make some money off you.”

  My body began to tremble. “M-m-move away.”

  He leaned forward. “Good money.”

  I turned my face away, shaking so hard my entire body vibrated. Way back in the recesses of my mind, I knew I could overpower him. I’d been trained to. But I also knew that at this point overcoming my fear was pretty much hopeless.

  Talon touched his finger to my windpipe. “You will do as I’ve asked.” He applied pressure, and I coughed. “Women are useless. And smart women, even more.” He applied slightly more pressure, and I gagged.

  He could do anything to me right now, and no one would know. The realization hit me hard at the exact second he stepped back.

  I kept my face turned away, and in my peripheral vision I saw him disappear back into the jungle.

  With shaky relief that I was still alive, my body slumped at the base of the tree. I sat for a few minutes, taking deep breaths, fighting tears, getting my heart back in rhythm, going over everything that had just happened, and how I’d reacted so weakly.

  All my training, all the confidence I’d gained during my time with the Specialists—gone in a moment. I hated myself.

  I heard a rustle of leaves, and my heart jumped. Guillermo stepped from the jungle, and I let out a breath.

  He held up his hands. “It’s okay. It’s just me. I saw everything that happened. I’ve been following Talon since last night.”

  Relief and then anger sparked in me. “Why didn’t you help me?” God, I’d been so scared.