The Mayan Priest

by Guillou, Sue

  ‘Now, hurry, Sean. The helicopter is waiting.’

  Georgio smiled and saluted as he left the building.

  ***

  Morale within the little group was so low that Richard felt depression seep over him like an uninvited visitor. They were beginning to succumb to the ravages of dehydration and starvation, and the once buoyant conversations had dwindled to little more than an empty shell of relevance.

  Richard looked at his wife and felt a tremor of fear. She had become pale and lethargic. Her usual optimistic and vibrant nature had receded to little more than a shell of its former self. He knew that she had begun contemplating death.

  He also feared that they were going to perish undiscovered, clearly caught in something that had far greater repercussions than their insignificant lives. And where was Gillian? It was so unlike her to abandon her friends without an attempt at rescue. He knew she would pull out whatever stop necessary to save them, only making her absence more distressing. If she had deserted them, it would only be if she had been physically stopped. Richard shuddered involuntarily as he dared contemplate her death.

  For the first time, tears had begun to well and he chastised himself for his weakness. Men did not cry, but the overwhelming sense of inadequacy made him feel like a failure. His friends would die, his wife would shrivel up before his eyes, and to make the situation worse, the sounds of heavy-duty machinery had increased to an extent that the ground vibrated and dirt had begun to fall around their bodies. At first Richard had been excited. He envisaged a rescue and the joyful looks on their faces as they escaped this tomb, but it soon became clear that they were not here for them. The digging continued incessantly around the clock and the terrible reality dawned on him.

  The words ‘treasure hunter, pirates, plagiarism’ crossed his mind and the recollection of the glorious paintings he had seen in the lift told him why. There were undiscovered riches here and that’s what they wanted.

  Richard gazed into the eyes of his companions and saw dejection slowly begin to override hope.

  He knew that they did not have long.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  Without thinking, Gillian grabbed Adam’s hand for support as they rattled and bumped their way to the Tikal site in a Jeep made for work instead of luxury. It was their plan to drive as far as possible without causing suspicion and walk the remainder of the way in a small group consisting of Georgio, Adam, Tom and two armed guards. They had contemplated calling the army which would have negated the risk to their lives, but Georgio feared this would cause Arun to retreat into hiding, causing them to lose the possibility of cracking open the drug ring and further endangering Dale’s life. As a group they had determined it was better to wait until the President had deployed his own task force and sent a contingency to Tikal.

  ‘We’re here,’ announced Georgio as he clambered eagerly from the car and waited for the rest of the group to join him. Gillian watched his expression, noting his obvious eagerness with interest. She knew him well enough to understand that his enthusiasm was a representation of how desperately he sought retribution. He wanted nothing more than seeing such a lecherous criminal in jail where he belonged.

  ‘Okay, my plan is simple. We’re here to observe and act only if the opportunity arises. Ideally, I would like to release Dale’s men who may be able to assist us in saving our friends.’

  Gillian grimaced which Adam took as a look of sadness at the mention of her father’s name and squeezed her hand in encouragement. She held on tight, enjoying the compassion that he offered. She did not need to explain to him that the inevitable was closing in on them. That it was only a matter of time before they found out if their friends had lived or died.

  Stepping into single file, they battered their way through the ancient trees, untouched and witness to many generations of Mayans. Gillian often wondered what these trees had seen in the past and found herself contemplating the many tales they could tell. Her inattention caused her to miss the usual marker, the pyramids, so she had to rely on her knowledge to point them in the right direction. Her unfailing guidance was assisted by the distinctive sounds of the machinery and they reached the edge of the treeline unimpeded.

  Using a low line of undergrowth as cover to view Arun’s progression, the little group sank to their knees and watched.

  ‘Oh, hell. Their numbers have doubled!’ cursed Georgio.

  Gillian squirmed. She was uneasy and noted that her friends shared the same tense posture. The increase in men at the site clearly meant that Arun was close to a discovery of importance and this did not bode well for them.

  ‘We’ve no chance of even getting close to that place,’ confirmed Adam as Gillian nudged him gently and was about the say something when the trees were abruptly parted.

  She was yanked to her feet by her long hair. Gillian screamed in fear and pain as Adam jumped to her rescue, only to find himself surrounded by five very ugly and fearfully imposing men twice his size and bulk.

  Gillian felt her hair being ripped from the scalp and a large set of arms wrapped around her waist and across her neck. An extreme mix of adrenaline, terror and agony circulated rapidly through her veins, causing confusion in her mind. She longed to fight, to kill these bastards, but there was one small problem called restraint. The possibility of escape was nil considering Georgio, Tom and their two armed companions were equally bound and contained.

  Gillian could not see Adam. Her heart beat at such a rapid pace that she felt nauseous. Where was he? In her confusion she had not seen what happened, but Adam’s absence allowed her to consider the possibility that he remained undiscovered.

  God … she hoped so. His freedom gave her hope.

  ‘You look nervous,’ sniggered her captor as he ran his hand slowly and deliberately across her chin, down her neck and into her top. He eagerly squeezed and manipulated her left breast until Gillian gasped at the unexpected intrusion.

  Georgio looked furious.

  ‘Rail! Let her be. Samuel asked for them to be delivered to him untouched.’

  The man reluctantly complied, ensuring he wrenched her arms behind her with such force that the tendons ached.

  Gillian screamed. The man kissed her open mouth in retribution before yanking her in line and marching them out onto the lush, treeless ground and towards the distant marquee that Samuel had assembled for his private use.

  They felt like monkeys in a zoo, glared and laughed at by the workers as their captors revelled in the glory that came with detaining intruders.sd

  Gillian felt embarrassed and humiliated, none more so than when she was presented to Samuel. She had failed to outwit him and he was to have the last laugh.

  Samuel chortled loudly. ‘Well, now, what do we have here? I thought you’d kicked the bucket back in the jungle, but your resilience continues to surprise me. It’s such a shame that I’ll have to hand you over to Arun. I could’ve had fun with you.’

  Gillian spat at him. ‘You’re fuckin’ kidding if you think I’m going without a fight. There is no way my father will let you win.’

  Samuel grinned with a maliciousness that was chilling ‘I think it’s too late for your father.’

  Gillian’s heart sank as Samuel shoved her unceremoniously to her knees and forced her into a submissive position.

  She was terrified and almost beyond rationale. Her heart was suffering from severe palpitations and she was trembling. Every second that passed seemed like a lifetime until she could bear it no longer.

  She looked up, fully expecting to receive the extent of his fury at her disobedience, but instead she was met by a set of deeply confused flashing eyes.

  Gillian did not know how to respond. This was most unexpected. Samuel was Arun’s instrument, incapable of feeling, compassion or sympathy, yet she swore that he was suffering some sort of emotional battle.

  The glazed expression, unmoving face, twitching facial muscles confirmed a man who was suddenly uncertain what his next move was going to be. He
was confused and out of sorts. His intention had been to hurt her, to punish her, but for some inexplicable reason, he had changed his mind and Gillian failed to understand why.

  Perhaps he was human after all, but she did not think this was the reason.

  Gillian moved to stand, checking his expression for any hostility but receiving none. Instead he reached out to touch her in a move that was extremely disconcerting. His face had morphed into a person opposite to the Samuel she had grown to fear, and for a brief moment, she experienced an uncomfortable sensation of déjà vu.

  Her mind raced, searching and delving into the untouched depths of her psyche as she attempted to make sense of the strange sensation of familiarity that had washed over her. Her deliberation was not helped by Samuel who was studying her in a manner of intimacy unlike anything she had previous experienced. On the outset she would have been concerned, but his guise was not sexual. It was of someone in the throes of recognising a dear friend that they had not seen for years. Gillian could not comprehend how that could be. She did not know Samuel … or did she?

  The seed of doubt was sown and for the briefest of moments, her mind forced a memory to the fore. Her heart skipped a beat at the distant recollection of a boy who held her hand at night and tucked her into bed when their mother did not return of an evening.

  Gillian was frightened. Her body began to shake and she felt the blood drain from her face.

  She knew without a doubt that the memory was real. That it was something she had experienced as a young child but forgotten, suppressed, due to trauma.

  Who was this man and how could she have memories of him? What did he have to do with her past and why did his expression of tenderness cause her so much fear?

  Gillian‘s mind forced her to confront further memories, bringing forth a flash of uncomfortable sensations that horrified her to the very core. A revelation began to form that threatened her entire existence to the extent that she could not cope.

  Her body suddenly did the only thing that it could to provide relief. It went into survival mode and she collapsed unconscious onto the floor.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  Fear coursed through Adam’s veins as he watched Gillian lie unmoving on the floor. This was ridiculous. All he wanted was to go to her, but he was restrained by Arun’s guards. Anger built involuntarily until he could no longer contain himself and he did the unthinkable. He broke loose, but even more surprising was Samuel’s lack of response. Samuel did nothing to recapture Adam, waiting patiently for him to discover if Gillian had a steady heartbeat.

  It was so out of character that Adam was momentarily stunned. He nodded at Samuel with the stirrings of acceptance. He almost considered the word ‘respect’, but that was way too strong a compliment. It would take something spectacular for him to use the word ‘respect’ and ‘Samuel’ in the same sentence.

  Adam exhaled in relief as he felt Gillian’s blood surge beneath his fingers. It was a wonderful feeling and he smiled. A collective sigh was evident from Georgio, Tom and their companions and even Samuel looked almost happy. He felt at ease until a sudden and unexpected change enveloped the room.

  At first Adam did not sense it. He was too caught up in Gillian’s wellbeing to feel the sudden change that bristled throughout the area, and it was not until Tom nudged him that he looked up. Standing at the door looking like a murderous bulldog was an ugly, fat old man. Whilst he looked slow and incapacitated, his piercing blue eyes were alert and angry. He was anything but stupid and Adam instinctively understood that he was extremely dangerous.

  Samuel’s reaction to the man was of immediate subservience and instantly Adam understood that the repulsive beast was Arun Keane, the vicious bastard behind this whole thing. He studied the man intently, taking note of the large, hanging jowls, drooping forehead and rolls of fat around his girth. His hair was thin and grey and he smelt of trapped sweat in areas that could not be washed. It made him sick and he found himself scowling involuntarily.

  If Adam had his way, he would shoot this man and watch him deflate like a balloon, taking pleasure in his demise.

  Adam checked himself emotionally. The strength of his reaction to this man worried him. He had considered himself a gentle person, kind and considerate, yet here he was quite prepared to remove this leech from the planet. He understood that this man had killed many people using his drug syndicate and this angered him, but that was not what caused his current concern. Samuel’s recognition of Gillian automatically connected her in some way to Arun … but how? Perhaps she had known him when she was very young but neither Gillian nor Dale had ever mentioned it. This was an intriguing and worrying piece of the puzzle.

  Without considering his actions, Adam turned and checked Gillian. She was beginning to open her eyes and he was exhilarated, yelping in joy before suffering a blow to the back of his head.

  He was flung onto his back.

  It all happened so quickly that he barely realised that he had cut his head and was lying on his back at Tom’s feet. Fury welled within him and the headache that threatened to assert itself rapidly took a back foot as Adam moved to sit up. He fully intended to tell that fat bully what he thought of him, but Tom’s feet kept him firmly pinned to the floor.

  Adam’s immediate reaction was to yell and scream. How dare Tom hold him down, How dare he restrain him, how dare Arun hit him! He looked up at Tom for an answer only to receive a stony face of silence.

  Something was wrong. Tom looked scared yet determined, as if he had set his mind on something of great importance. What was Adam missing?

  He turned just enough to see Arun standing over Gillian with a gun pointed to her head … and he understood. Any unprecedented movement would cause both his and Gillian’s death.

  He dared not move a finger and listened intently to the angry conversation that quickly took place between Samuel and Arun.

  ‘Is this woman distracting you from your work?’ His voice was condescending and demeaning.

  ‘No, Sir.’

  ‘I think you’re lying to me. In fact, I know you’re lying to me. You have that expression of weakness on your face that I have tried so hard to get rid of. You have allowed yourself to become involved with this woman and if my ageing eyes have not failed me, I recognise her as the woman you told me you had erased. For some reason, you have lied to me.’

  ‘I did not know that she was alive,’ Samuel replied, his voice edged in fear.

  Arun chuckled, his voice malicious and righteous. ‘Then what is she doing in this tent? I know that she has her friends with her, but I cannot see a missed call on my phone. You did not even try to alert me to her existence despite knowing that she might be valuable in opening the door you have uncovered. It leaves me to wonder exactly what you were hiding. Why you found it necessary to conceal her existence from me.’

  ‘I … I was not hiding anything from you.’

  Arun turned to his guards.

  ‘Did my son have time to tell me that she was alive?’

  They all nodded.

  Arun whacked his son across his arms and chest with his walking cane before withdrawing a sharp stingray blade from a container around his waist.

  He ordered Samuel to drop his pants and insert the spine straight through the side of his penis.

  Samuel complied robotically and without contemplation. His representation of puppetry made Adam ill. It was so sickening to see a grown man, clearly suffering from years of mental and physical abuse, do as he was told. A normal person would suffer embarrassment, anger, disgust, but Samuel showed no response. It was a reaction as automatic and unthinking as brushing your teeth or going to the toilet. He simply obeyed.

  An uneasy silence overwhelmed the room as Samuel completed his punishment and burnt the blood-ridden cloth as a gesture to the gods. Adam did not know where to look. Staring at Samuel’s penis seemed rude and uncouth, but the alternative option was less pleasant.

  Arun was grinning at his son’s obedience like a
Cheshire cat, indulging in the moment of supreme control with joy and absolute satisfaction. It made him insanely angry at this man’s smugness, almost to the extent that he was about to break free of Tom’s foot and strangle him with his own hands. Unfortunately Georgio reacted first and uncontrollable bedlam broke out. Arun’s guards raced to protect him, shots rang unchecked throughout the room, penetrating the thin walls, and Georgio was thrown roughly onto his side. They were outnumbered three to one and did not stand a chance, finding the furore over in less than five seconds with guns pointed to each of their heads.

  Adam looked around just in time to see Gillian and Samuel forcibly yanked out of the room with Arun gloating just behind.

  He stopped shortly before leaving. ‘Throw them in with the other captives. We’ll keep them alive for a while longer.’

  To say they were stunned was an understatement. It was over before it had begun and they marched like slaves on a chain to a pit in the ground. A ladder was quickly lowered and they were forced down one by one, joining Georgio’s captured comrades.

  He greeted the captives with affection, but Adam felt out of sorts. The space was claustrophobic, the men dirty, hungry and thirsty and the minimal fabric roofing did little to ease the sunburn and dehydration.

  Adam felt disheartened as he sank onto the dirt floor. There was no way he could help Gillian now.

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  Gillian found that she was forced into a cavalcade of men and positioned directly behind Samuel. She stared at his back in contemplation, wondering exactly what her life meant. Only a couple of weeks ago she had been so sure of her future. It had been mapped out, plotted down to the last minute detail … but not now. It was like a derailed locomotive that was running on sheer propulsion with no avenue of return. The man she was supposed to have loved was now taking a back foot to the concerns for her dear friends Richard, Julia and Mitchell. Were they still alive? She hoped so, but a nagging feeling of fear brought doubt to her mind.