“Then you really are going?”
Megan nodded as she pressed her finger to her lips. “You bet. And the key to what I need is somewhere in the general’s trailer.”
Siobhan stepped gingerly into the water. “You will come back for us?”
Megan joined her, placing her screen in the water and scooping up a pound or two of heavy silt from the bottom of the stream. “Siobhan, you have my word. If I get free and reach help, I’ll be back for you all.”
Siobhan pushed the hair out of her eyes with a wet hand and stared up at Megan intently. “Promise?”
Megan looked down into Siobhan’s pale blue eyes and nodded. If this was the weight of the world that Delta chose to carry on her shoulders, Megan was just beginning to feel its enormous burden. She was also beginning to understand why Delta could never say no.
“Yes, Siobhan, I promise.”
Delta didn’t have very much experience with men being overtly attracted to her, but she didn’t need to be hit over the head to recognize that Manny Decoubertin had fallen into her emerald eyes and couldn’t get out. From the moment Bianca introduced them, Manny couldn’t stop staring at Delta. Even now, as she wrapped up her story about their arrival in Costa Rica, Manny was intensely gazing into Delta’s eyes.
“So, we need to know where Augustine was going in his search for poachers,” Delta finished, wondering whether Manny had heard anything she’d said.
Manny stood about two and a half inches shorter than Delta, which, by Costa Rican standards, was still pretty tall. Whenever she spoke, he narrowed his already intense eyes toward her, clearly giving her one hundred percent of his attention. When she finished her entire tale, Manny asked his first question.
“And you believe your friend was with Augustine?”
Delta nodded. “Sure of it. Megan would never just traipse off without telling anyone else. That’s not like her at all.”
“Perhaps she and Augustine—”
Delta held her hand up to silence him. “Not a chance. She’s...spoken for back home. Contrary to popular belief, not all American women are loose.” Delta glanced down at Bianca, who gave her a small grin. “Besides, disappearing isn’t her style. Look, I don’t want to be rude, but if you can help me, great. If not, I really need to be on my way.”
Manny glanced over at Bianca, who nodded to him. “But I swore to Augustine I would not tell,” Manny explained. “A man is only as good as his word.”
Bianca slid her tiny hand into his and squeezed it. “He could be in trouble for all you know.”
Manny shook his head. “Augustine knows the jungle better than anyone.”
“Still...”
Manny returned his gaze to Delta, who nodded. “Bianca’s right, Manny. Augustine could very well be in some kind of trouble.”
“If he is, how could one woman help him? Augustine is a strong man, but you—”
Delta’s left eyebrow rose in its characteristic question mark. “What I am, Señor Decoubertin, is a cop in the United States; a highly trained professional capable of taking care of herself and those around me. You might be surprised at what this one woman can do.”
Manny grinned patronizingly. “My sister says the same things, but we are not in the United States or Canada. If Augustine needs help, he will not need it from a woman.”
Delta and Bianca exchanged a roll of the eyes. Men, it seemed, were the same simple-minded sexists with a genuine lack of understanding females no matter what country they came from.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, Delta turned back to Manny. “Listen, I don’t have time to sit here and debate your macho-man views on women. If you can’t or won’t help me, fine, but I’m going after them with or without your help.” With that, Delta turned on her heel to begin her walk back toward town.
“Now look where your machismo has gotten you, Manuel! Go after her. She won’t last an hour in the forest by herself,” Bianca said.
As Delta started across the gravel road, she felt Manny approach her from behind. She slowed intentionally, and Manny reached out to touch her shoulder. In a move so swift it would have done Connie proud, Delta grabbed his hand, stepped back into him, and yanked him over her shoulder. He landed on the ground with a thud. Planting her foot squarely on his chest, Delta regripped his hand so that she now held him in a painful thumb lock. The whole move took less than three seconds.
“Shit!” he cursed, grimacing under the pain from the thumb lock.
“Point number one, Mr. Manny, you weren’t listening when I said ‘highly trained.’ Point number two, I may not last an hour alone in the rainforest, but I can kick the ass of anyone stupid enough to get in my way. And point number three, this ‘woman’ is going into that fucking forest one way another, so lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way!”
Delta glared into his face, expecting some sort of macho response. Instead, she was surprised to see him grinning up at her.
“All right, all right. I’ll help you. But you must promise me one thing.”
Delta did not release his thumb. “That depends.”
Manny forced a grin through the pain. “Teach me how you do that.”
Helping him up, Delta looked hard into his dark eyes. If he hadn’t developed a crush on her before, he sure had one now. Delta knitted her eyebrows together and looked over at Bianca, who shrugged.
“You asked for that, Manny,” Bianca said.
Manny brushed his butt off and nodded. “I would like to buy you a drink. Maybe we could start over.”
Nodding, Delta motioned for him to show the way. “One beer. Then I have to go.”
After ordering two Imperial beers and one Coke, Manny pulled a stool next to Delta’s and smiled. Yep, it was a crush all right, and Delta resigned herself to looking into puppy-dog eyes that gulped her in like a diver taking in air.
Removing her sunglasses, Delta began first. “Okay, Manny, you start. What do you know about Augustine’s little excursions?”
Manny cast a reluctant look over at his little sister, who nodded for him to go ahead. With some trepidation, he began. “Augustine mentioned the girl to me.”
Delta winced. “She’s a woman, and I know they were going after poachers. That’s no secret. Just fill in the blanks for me.”
“And then what? You think maybe you can grab a machete and go looking for them?” Manny asked.
When the scruffy-looking bartender handed her an Imperial, Delta gently pushed it back to him and smiled. “Coke, por favor.” Even after playing softball in one-hundred-and-five degree heat in Redding, California, Delta had never acquired a taste for beer. “I’m not one of those people who sits around waiting for someone else to solve my problems, Manny.”
“You’ll have your share of problems if you try to do this alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have a friend. And as soon as she gets here, I’m going into that jungle. So, why don’t you tell me what might make this journey a little easier.”
Manny studied Delta for a moment. “You believe they could be in danger?”
Delta nodded. “Don’t you? We’re talking poachers. Surely you know more about them than I do? Don’t you think they’re dangerous?”
“The stories...” Manny started, but something stopped him from finishing his sentence.
“Manny, like many Ticos, thinks the poaching stories are exaggerations.” Bianca blew a stray strand of hair away from her face.
“I don’t know much about poachers or preservation, or scarlet parrots, for that matter,” Delta responded. “What I do know is the person who means the most to me in world is out there somewhere, and I don’t have time for bullshit answers.”
“If Manny won’t help, I will,” Bianca offered, tossing a peanut to Kiki, who had been playing under their rickety stools. “Kiki and I could be a lot of help.”
“Hermana, the rain forest is no place for the inexperienced, whether they’re girls or boys.” Waving one hand in the air, Manny brought his beer bottle to his mou
th with the other.
“I’m not as inexperienced as you think, Manuel. Kiki and I have been more places than you realize. She’s an expert, you know.”
Manny looked at his little sister with a mixture of admiration and angst. “The part of the jungle we’re talking about isn’t a place where even Kiki would be safe.”
“Then go with us,” Delta stated flatly.
Manny cut a look over to Delta. “Us? You would take a child into the jungle? That shows how very little you know.”
“I am not a child, Manuel, and you know it. Besides, I’m smarter than you and would probably be just as much help.” Bianca crossed her arms in defiance.
Manny shook his head. “You would give mama the shakes.”
“Mama knows I am capable, Manuel. She gives me the credit I deserve.”
“You aren’t capable, sister, you are bored and want an adventure.”
“So?”
Delta held her hands up for them to stop. “Time out. Manny’s right, Bianca. It would be wrong for me to put you in danger. If Manny won’t go, neither will you.”
“But—” Bianca began.
“But nothing.” Smiling warmly, Delta laid her hand on Bianca’s shoulder. There was so much more to this young woman than she’d imagined. And if Delta had the time, she’d find out just what lurked behind this woman-child, who, indeed, appeared every bit as bright as her older brother.
“Back home, I go up against the unknown every day of my life. I run down dark alleys after people who would love to see me dead. I’ve been trapped in burning buildings, not knowing whether or not I would ever get out alive. Handling the unknown is what I get paid to do. It’s my job. It takes a great deal to scare me,” Delta said, looking out the window and watching the children play with Kiki.
Bianca glared at Manny. “No wonder Augustine goes without you. You are a coward.”
Before Manny could respond, three dirty, sweat-drenched men entered the bar. They spoke a brisk Spanish in low, husky voices—unlike the free-flowing, melodious Spanish Delta had heard since she’d arrived. This Spanish sounded somehow different. Perhaps a regional dialect, Delta mused.
As the three men hoisted their legs over the barstools, Delta carefully watched Manny’s outward appearance change as he, too, eyed the strange men. Something about them clearly raised Manny’s hackles. Without a word, he slid off the stool, reached for Bianca’s hand and slowly walked towards the door with her. Delta hopped off her stool and followed them outside.
“What was that all about?” Delta asked, putting her sunglasses back on.
Manny took Delta’s arm and pulled her across the street. “Shh. They’re Colombians. Drug smugglers.”
Delta started to turn around, but Manny placed his arm around her shoulder and continued walking down the street.
“Are you sure?” Delta whispered. “What are they doing here? They looked like—”
“Quiet,” Manny said under his breath. “They first came to town ten days ago for supplies. They speak to no one, and no one speaks to them.”
“Then how do you kn—”
“We are not stupid.”
Bianca shook her head. “They come to town about every three days.”
“So, this is their third trip?” Delta asked, feeling a familiar tension inside her gut. “Tell me everything they’ve done so far.”
Manny continued walking away from the bar with his arm around Delta. “They come in, sit at the bar for a few hours, drink guaro, and then go collect their supplies.”
“Then where do they go?”
“Back to the forest. La Amistad’s rainforest crosses over into Panama. We figure they have found another way to transport the drugs through Central America to Mexico.”
Delta’s eyes narrowed. “We?”
“My friends, of course. This is a small town. Everyone knows what everyone else is thinking. We think they’ve found a place to cool off while the authorities look for them. What better place than a rainforest?”
“So, these men come and go as they please?” Delta fully faced Manny. There was something else he wasn’t telling her. Was this the reason he didn’t want to go into the rain forest? Was he afraid they might have to deal with men who, probably, had already killed? Or was there something else?
Manny laughed. “Being simple doesn’t mean being foolish, Delta. We want no trouble with these men, so we leave them be. Don’t make more of it than that.”
Suddenly, a flash of energy jolted Delta’s system. A piece of the puzzle she hadn’t even considered fell into place. “Where do they go to pick up their supplies?”
“The market,” Manny answered.
“Take me there.”
Bianca looked up at Manny, who shook his head. “It would not be wise to get in their way.”
“I just want to see what they’re picking up, that’s all. Besides, I need a few items of my own before we go.”
Manny shook his head again. “Muy loca.”
“I’ll take you,” Bianca said, taking Delta’s hand. “I’m not afraid of those Colombians.”
“It has nothing to do with fear,” Manny said defensively. “It just isn’t wise to bother those kind of men.”
“I won’t bother anyone, Manny. Come on.” Letting Bianca pull her to the store, Delta looked over her shoulder and found Manny hurrying after them.
“At least let me help you get the supplies you’ll need,” Manny said as he caught up to them. He said something to Bianca in Spanish, but she did not respond.
Delta nodded. “I’d appreciate that, thanks.”
Less than a minute later, Delta was standing in a small mercado store. It took about thirty seconds to browse since there was only one choice of anything. As she watched Manny and Bianca argue over the wisdom of getting crackers, Delta saw the three Colombians enter the store and look at the packages on the floor while jabbering quickly and intensely to each other. One of the men, apparently disgusted with the other two, grabbed insect repellent, matches, and rubbing alcohol before reaching for one bottle that caught Delta’s eye and sent a red flag to her brain. She visibly shuddered. Drug smugglers in the rainforest would certainly need bug spray and matches, but that one bottle told Delta everything she needed to know.
On its side, next to the bottle of rubbing alcohol, lay a small bottle of perfume.
It was lunch time when they were finally relieved of their burdens. It had been a particularly good morning in the river portion of the cavern, with many nuggets plucked from both sides and from the silt at the bottom. Megan and Siobhan had a neat little pile of gold waiting to be picked up by the soldier in charge of collections.
When the soldier started down into the cave carrying sandwiches, he smiled at the mound of gold glittering in the flickering light from the torches. Tossing Siobhan a sandwich, he squatted on his haunches for a better look.
“It has been a good day, no?”
“Where’s Megan’s food?” Siobhan asked.
Without turning from the gold, the soldier ignored Siobhan. “The general wishes to see her.”
Megan gingerly picked her way over to the bank. “Now?”
Looking up from the pile, the soldier stared lasciviously at her rear end and grinned. Several of his teeth were missing. “Sí. Pronto.”
As they walked out of the cavern, Megan squinted from the harsh glare of the noon sun. After working all day in the cavern’s near-dark, she found the sun especially unforgiving. “What does he want?”
The guard chuckled. “What he want always?”
Megan sneered at him. “How about good conversation? Oh, I forgot, you and your pals are incapable of intelligent thought.”
The soldier whirled around and raised his hand to hit her, but Megan held her ground defiantly. “General Zahn might not appreciate you beating on me, Pedro,” she said calmly.
The soldier slowly lowered his hand as he snarled in Megan’s face. “Puta. Me llamo, Hector.” This was followed by a rapid series of curse
s uttered in Spanish, none of which Megan could, or wanted to, understand.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, until they stood in front of the general’s door. As Megan reached for the knob, the soldier grabbed her arm and squeezed it hard. “When he is done with you, señorita, you are mine.”
Suddenly the door swung open, and General Zahn loomed large in the doorway. “Basta ya!” Zahn yelled. Hector immediately came to attention. In the blink of an eye, Zahn pulled his revolver from his holster and jammed it into Hector’s neck. “Estúpido! Puerco!” were the only words Megan could make out, as Zahn lashed out at Hector in a verbal barrage. Stupid pig. If Megan hadn’t been so afraid of Zahn’s flashpoint temper, she might have added her own insults to Zahn’s litany.
When Zahn finished, he lowered the gun and abruptly ordered Hector out. “Lárgate!” he shouted.
Hector opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it and scurried away, his swift movements surprising for such a brute.
As he turned to Megan, the frown lines on the general’s face were replaced by a charming grin. It was frightening how quickly this man’s moods changed. “I am sorry if Hector was...shall we say, rude.”
Megan strode past the general into the little trailer and shrugged. “What should I expect from kidnappers? Hospitality?” To her surprise, she saw a large tray of food set out on the coffee table.
“We’re not all barbarians, Megan. As you can see, hospitality is what I had in mind.” Closing the door behind him, the general looked genuinely pleased to see Megan. “Please, have a seat.”
Megan glanced over at the elaborately prepared tray that could have come straight from a caterer. What was this? Was he treating her to lunch? Was this his idea of a date? Or was he just thanking her for a blowjob well done? Suddenly, Delta’s words resounded loudly in her mind. Never underestimate your opponent.
That adage had kept Delta alive more times than Megan dared count. She had never really understood what Delta meant, until now. The enemy was so close, had such power, that Megan realized the importance of never underestimating him.
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