No, there was more to this little luncheon than a platter of food. Of that she was sure. Sitting down on the sofa, Megan tried to ignore the rice, beans, fruit, cheese and tortillas teasing her nose with their aroma; so appetizing, they almost looked fake. There were also two flutes of champagne sitting at either end of the tray.
“What’s this all about?” Megan asked flatly.
“I’ve grown tired of eating alone in this godforsaken jungle. I thought it would be much nicer to dine with you.”
“Oh, I’m sure one of your merry bandits would love to have lunch with you.”
This prompted a huge smile from the general. “Women know so little about the military. I cannot eat with my men. That would make them equal to me, and no man in this camp is equal to me.”
“How modest of you.”
The general continued smiling at Megan as he sat down. “To enforce discipline, the ranks must fear you and your power. As soon as the men believe you are like them, you will no longer be able to control them.”
“Is that why officers have their own clubs and their own dining facilities?”
The general smiled even wider. “You are a very bright woman, Megan Osbourne.”
Megan stared at the food and felt a knot of anger begin to unravel. On one hand, she wanted desperately to keep her so-recently-earned self-respect, and on the other, she knew that, once again, she needed to do what she needed to do in order to survive.
“Don’t you see anything here you like?” the general asked with apparent concern.
“I do,” Megan quickly responded. “But, General—”
“Tito. Please, call me Tito.”
Megan sighed. “Tito, I appreciate all of this, really I do, but—”
“But you feel like you should be working with your friends.”
Megan nodded.
“I imagined you would say as much. There is a nobility about you that the others do not possess. Trust me, Megan, if they could take advantage of my kindness, not one of them would think of you. It is human nature to put ourselves first. In Colombia, we learn to take care of ourselves. Our bodies are the temples of Christ, so there is no shame looking out for it first.”
Megan looked into his coffee-brown eyes and tried not to laugh in his face. Christ? Temple? Shame? Was he serious? It was no wonder she’d turned her back on her grandmother’s Catholic religion all those years ago. The hypocrisy was simply overwhelming, the irony inescapable. “Tito, I’ve taken care of Number One all my life. Good care. That doesn’t mean that I have to turn my back on others.”
General Zahn raised one thick eyebrow. “Others? Are there others waiting for you, Megan? Is there a fortunate man waiting back home for your return?”
Megan leaned forward, picked up one of the tortillas, and bit into it. Well, this was certainly an interesting, if unexpected, question. If she was going to die in this forest, the very least she could do was be true to the one love of her life. When all was said and done, Megan could go down knowing who she was and what she stood for in life. Even the general’s quick change in temperament was not enough to keep Megan Osbourne from remaining true to herself. Squaring off, Megan stared deep into his eyes. “No, General, there is no man waiting for me at home.”
The general appeared surprised. “No?”
“No. But there is a woman.”
The smile dropped off his face like a rock into a pond. “A...woman?”
“I’m a lesbian.”
General Zahn looked like he had just been slapped with a wet fish. “A...lesbian? Surely, you joke.”
Megan shook her head. “No joke.”
A frown fixed itself on his face as he reached for a papaya slice. “You love other women, then?”
“No. I love one woman. And I’ll do what I have to, to return home to her.”
The frown receded from his face, replaced by a bemused grin. “I like a woman with passion.”
“That fire is a passion, a devotion I have only for Delta.”
General Zahn said nothing for a moment as he studied Megan’s features. “You are a jewel, Megan Osbourne. How is it the American male would let you go to another woman?”
It was now Megan’s turn to smile. One thing she’d learned about Latin American men, was that machismo was alive and thriving. “In the United States, men do not dictate where women go or what we do. I’m not a lesbian because I don’t like men. I’m a lesbian because I prefer women, and I love this woman because she is the best person I have ever met.”
General Zahn leaned back, taking one of the flutes of champagne with him. “Fascinating. You are even more interesting than I initially surmised.”
Megan took the last bite of her tortilla before picking up a piece of cheese. As she plucked it from the tray, she glanced around the room, her brain calculating coolly. The fax and computer would be impossible to get her hands on unless she could sneak in here at night. She reasoned there was probably a gun in the desk, but she knew getting into the drawers and out again would take more time than she had. As she reached for a slice of banana, a glint of metal caught her eye, and Megan focused on a long carving knife with a serrated edge. The way it was wedged between the plate and the tray, it was possible the general hadn’t seen it. Taking the banana slice, she looked up at the general and nodded. “I’ve led an interesting life.”
General Zahn moved closer and lightly touched Megan’s face. There was a tenderness in his touch that surprised her. How much would it take before that tenderness turned to rage? Megan wondered. And could she use that trait against him?
“You took a great chance in telling me the truth,” he said, lightly fingering her blonde hair. “I could have recoiled and found you disgusting. I could have spat upon you and had you killed. What made you honest?”
Megan shrugged. “You have been upfront with me, Tito. You laid out exactly what you want and how you want it. You are not a man easily fooled, nor do you want people to tell you what you want to hear. I suspect you have a great distaste for those who do.”
The general nodded slightly. “Go on.”
“I am not ashamed of being a lesbian, and I’d rather die saying the truth than live a lie.”
Lightly taking a strand of her hair between his fingers, the general said softly, “You are such a beautiful creature. Life is important to you, yes?”
“Absolutely. And if I thought I could kill you right now and get free, I would.”
The general looked amused. “You are not afraid of me then?”
Megan shook her head. “I stopped being afraid of men a long time ago.”
Sipping his champagne, the general continued toying with her hair. “I have never met a man or a woman who was not afraid of me. My name alone strikes fear into the hearts of both politicians and murderers. What makes you unafraid, Megan? What gives you this strength?”
Megan looked at her hands in her lap. “The women in my life right now have shown me a courage and strength that comes from so deep within, not even the prospect of death can weaken it.”
The general released Megan’s hair. Gazing into her eyes for protracted seconds, he slowly nodded. “You know that I cannot allow any of you to live.”
Megan sighed. “I’m aware of that.”
The general picked up a slice of a fruit Megan had never seen before and stared at it for a moment before locking eyes with hers again. “Suppose I could ensure your safety? Would you consider coming to Colombia?”
Megan didn’t need to see behind his eyes to know the real question being posed. He was offering her a choice between sexual slavery and death—neither of which appealed. She hadn’t made it this far just to die at the hands of some foreign wannabe dictator. But she had also spent enough time watching Delta and Connie work to have learned a thing or two about playing the odds. If he was willing to buy her time, she wasn’t going to look a gift jackass in the mouth.
Taking a bite of banana, Megan swallowed a large chunk and began choking. As she grabbed her thr
oat, the general slapped her on the back, but could not dislodge it. When Megan’s face began turning pink, Zahn stood her up, turned her around and performed the Heimlich maneuver. Megan gulped down air as the banana fell wetly to the floor.
“Are you all right?” the general asked when she sat back down.
Rubbing her throat, Megan steadied herself. “Thank you. I shouldn’t eat so fast. I’m sorry.”
“No, I am the sorry one. I should not have blurted out my proposal so soon. It must have been a shock to you.” Megan nodded.
“How are you feeling?”
“I could use a glass of water, if you have some.”
“Un momento.”
The moment he left the room, Megan quickly grabbed the knife and shoved it up the leg of her jeans, wedging it snugly in her hiking boot.
The general returned almost immediately, and handed her a glass of water before sitting back down. Megan knew he wanted sex; she knew the lesbian conversation had probably excited him, as it seemed to excite most men. If she was going to have sex with him, she would be caught with the knife, and would either have to use it on him or pray for his mercy. She also knew from many, many experiences that there was one thing men loved almost as much as sex. If she could get him talking about himself, she just might get out of the trailer alive.
“Are you sure you are feeling okay?” the general repeated.
Megan sipped the water and nodded. “Yes. But enough about me. My life story cannot be nearly as interesting as yours. Tell me about yourself.”
“We’ll go with you until the trail ends, but from there, you are on your own. I cannot put Bianca in danger,” Manny said sternly.
Delta nodded as she eyed the three Colombians leaving Rivas and heading back toward the jungle.
“Is there a phone I can use?” Delta asked, checking her watch.
Bianca pointed to the house next to the mercado. “They have the one with the best sound.”
Delta looked over at Manny with questioning eyes.
“Fine. I’ll get the horses. You and Bianca finish with supplies and I’ll meet you both back here in half an hour.”
Half an hour sounded like forever to Delta. “Thank you so much.”
Manny grinned, making a deep dimple appear on either side of the smile. “Do not thank me for involving you with the Colombians; you could be cursing me a few hours from now.” As Manny jogged away, Bianca took Delta by the arm and led her to the house next to the mercado.
When the owner came to the open door, he exchanged greetings with Bianca, who then rattled off a short monologue to him. Halfway through her speech, he motioned for them to come in and pointed toward the phone.
“Señior Monge says it is okay to use his phone. Go ahead.”
“Gracias,” Delta replied, picking up the phone. Pulling the car-rental agreement from her pocket, she found the number to the Gran Hotel and dialed. While she waited for the other end to ring, Delta handed the phone to Bianca.
“Bueno. El cuarto de señorita Rivera, por favor.” Handing the phone back to Delta, Bianca grinned.
“Hello?” Connie’s tense voice came through as soon as Delta put the phone to her ear.
“It’s me.”
“Where in the hell are you?”
“Didn’t you get my message? I came to the little town called Rivas. About two hours outside of San Jose. Did you have any luck at the embassy?”
“Nothing. Apparently this is the place to come if you want to escape. They were perplexed and not very helpful. You?”
“I turned Megan’s place upside down, but didn’t find anything useful, so I took a shot and came here. Rivas is at one of the openings of La Amistad Park. If that’s where Megan went, then that’s where we need to go.”
There was a pause on the other end. “You’re going to go into the rainforest, aren’t you?”
“Just to get a feel. I won’t do anything until you get here, but I think it’s a good idea for one of us to take a look at what we’re getting into.”
Connie’s loud sigh could be heard on the other end. “Good thinking. What do you want me to do?”
“Call Sal and Josh and get them down here. Tell them I’ll pay for it. You still have my charge card?”
“Already made the call.”
“Great. We’re going to need help if someone took Megan into the jungle.”
Connie sighed again into the phone. “It’s not that easy. You’re not in River Valley, Storm.”
“I know that. But my gut, Con. It’s ringing like a church bell. I at least owe it to myself to do a little investigating.”
Delta heard rustling on the end of the line, and imagined Connie’s frustrated face as she opened up a map on the bed and studied it. She released another loud sigh that told Delta she’d found what she was looking for. “Delta, that part of Costa Rica is huge. You’ll never find one person in there.”
“Well...that’s just it...” Delta hesitated.
“What? What aren’t you telling me?”
Delta looked over at Bianca and shrugged. “I’m not just looking for Megan. I’m looking for a bunch of Colombians, who I think may know where she is.”
“Whoa. You’ve lost me. Colombians? Could you start over?”
So Delta told her everything she had seen and heard while in Rivas, right up to the bottle of perfume.
“Perfume, huh?” Connie said after listening quietly to the whole tale. “So you’re going to go into the rainforest on a hunch, to follow some guys dressed in fatigues with a bottle of perfume?”
“I’ve acted quicker on less info, Con. Give me one good reason why guys wearing fatigues in the jungle would want to buy a bottle of perfume. If you can drum up a logical explanation in that Mensa head of yours, I’ll reconsider.”
More rustling. Connie had made the effort of folding up the map. “Logical? I’m afraid I’m all out of logic, Del. Who knows? Maybe they’re wooing the tribal women.”
“Is that your best guess?”
“Yeah. Pretty weak, huh? Guess that means you’re going.”
“Yup.”
“Okay. I’ll pick Sal and Josh up at the airport. You scout around the area and see what you can find out, but don’t get carried away. I need you to keep your head on straight.”
“Uh-huh. Pick them up and I’ll meet you in Rivas tomorrow at a little bar called Los Rancheros.” Moving the mouthpiece from her face, Delta asked Bianca if Señor Monge would be willing to take a call for her. When Bianca relayed Delta’s request, the man smiled and nodded. Returning her mouth to the phone, Delta said, “Rivas is the size of a dime, and the people are warm and welcoming. Have you rented a car?”
“A cute Suzuki Sidekick.”
“Good. If you get here and I’m not back, just ask around. Someone will know where we are.”
“We?”
Delta grinned over at Bianca, who straightened proudly. “Yeah. I met an amiga who has been very helpful. Bianca—” Delta looked at Bianca helplessly.
“Decoubertin,” Bianca answered.
“Bianca Decoubertin and her brother, Manny. They live at the end of the road here in Rivas.”
“Decoubertin? Delta, that’s a French name, not a Tico name.”
“Long story. Anyway, just drive until you come to the end of the gravel road.”
“Which road?”
“There’s only one.”
“Bianca, huh?” The tone of Connie’s voice gave her suspicions away.
Delta laughed. “She’s sixteen, and reminds me a lot of you.”
“Well...good then. I’m glad you’re not alone. Tomorrow or tomorrow night, then, in Rivas.”
“Right.” Delta pinched the bridge of her nose. She needed another Coke or she’d start to suffer a caffeine-withdrawal headache.
“How are you holding up?”
Delta sighed. “As long as I keep doing, I’m fine. If I have the chance to think...”
“Just don’t do anything rash, Delta. I don’t want to
have to come looking for you, too.”
“Ten-four, Chief. You be careful, yourself.” When Delta hung up, she smiled over at Bianca, who smiled broadly back. “My best friend,” Delta explained.
“She must be, if she came all the way down here with you.”
Delta and Bianca walked outside, continuing to discuss the possible dangers they’d face in the jungle, until Manny rode up with two saddled horses in tow. “I still cannot believe I agreed to do this,” he said, lowering himself off the small horse. “Have you ever ridden one?”
“Sure,” Delta said, thinking briefly about the rodeos she went to with her dad. “Cake.”
Manny looked to his sister for clarification. Bianca laughed. “She means, no problem.”
When the three had mounted and were ready to go, Delta took one last look at the tiny town of Rivas, and hoped like hell she would make it back tomorrow.
By the time they came to the end of the trail, some three miles into the rainforest, the horses were drenched with sweat, and Delta understood the term “saddle sore.” Few words had been spoken between the three as they plodded through the forest. Even if she wanted to chat, Delta had no adequate words to describe the surprise and delight she experienced as iguanas lumbered lazily across their path, parrots swooshed noisily onto treetops, and leaf-cutter ants drew long green mobile lines across the forest floor. As the horses clip-clopped along, Delta never knew when some creature would hop, crawl, slither or fly across the overgrown trail.
Manny proved to be an exceptional guide, well-versed in the flora and fauna of this incredibly diverse land. And it was more than just diverse, it was tranquil. The birds and bugs harmonized like a well-rehearsed orchestra playing a symphonic tune to ease the soul. Delta had never heard anything like it—it was simply mesmerizing. Though her heart was weighed down with thoughts of Megan in trouble, and the splendor of the jungle still captivated her. Oddly enough, it also seemed to captivate her young companions. Manny and Bianca were as delighted as she was when they happened upon raccoon-like creatures playing together like two kittens, chasing each other up and down the trees and diving on each other’s tails, until they realized the horses were almost on top of them. Then, with a speed which belied their looks, they scampered off into the bushes.
Delta Force Page 7