by David Nees
“Can you stand?”
“Give me a few moments, por favor. He handed the jar back to Dan.
“What is your name?” the stranger asked.
“Rodrigo.”
“Okay Rodrigo, my name is Steve,” Dan said using his alias.
“Señor Steve, I have been wandering in circles. I don’t know the way out. Do you know which way to go?” Rodrigo used a formal“usted”. Play up to the gringo. He would deal with him when the desert was behind them. If the man was foolish enough to go back to those who wanted him dead, well, that was on him.
“Raven and Coyote will lead us to my truck. There are more supplies there. And then we can follow the truck tracks.”
“Your truck has a flat tire. We can’t use it and we can’t walk all the way back.”
“There is a spare tire. I could not get it out or change it. With your help we will do it and drive out of the desert. We will go as soon as you can walk.”
Rodrigo took a deep breath. He could feel strength returning to his body from the herb drink. “Okay, then, vámonos,” he said.
Dan held out his hand and helped yank him upright. When he was standing, Dan reached out and took the pistol out of Rodrigo’s holster.
“I’ll carry this for now,” he said.
He turned to the bird. The raven leapt into the air and flew off. The coyote trotted after the bird and Dan and Rodrigo followed.
That same afternoon, Carlos showed up at Miranda’s house. When he banged on the door she came out to meet him rather than let him in the house.
“Rodrigo and the others have not come back from chasing the gringo into the desert. Hector thinks they are lost. I’m afraid the desert or the gringo has claimed them.”
Miranda stifled a cry. She did not want to seem weak. She distrusted Carlos. She had noticed how he ogled her and guessed the worst about his intentions.
“With Rodrigo gone, you will need someone to protect you. I can take care of you and Solana. I can keep you safe and make sure you have what you need.”
“We will be okay on our own. You don’t need to do anything for us.”
Carlos shook his head. “I know what the others think. You’re attractive. They will take you. I can prevent that from happening.”
“I can take care of myself…and Solana.”
Carlos reached out to her and stroked her hair at the side of her face. “It is for your own good. You are so pretty. I don’t want to see anything happen to you or your daughter. I will watch over you.” He smiled and turned to go. “I’ll stop by every day to check on you,” he called out over his shoulder.
Miranda shuddered.
Chapter 29
___________________________________
W hen are you going to send my men to the border?” Tariq asked Hector. They were standing in the dusty courtyard outside of the warehouse building. It was late afternoon.
“In a couple more days. Be patient. I have to let things quiet down here. A convoy now leaving the city would attract the federals and they have to be seen as doing something.”
“Why? What happened to cause all this attention?”
“It’s cartel business, not yours. I will get your men over the border when I am ready.”
“I want to talk to Jorge. Where is he?”
“You ask too many questions. I am in charge of this operation. Señor Mendoza is not available for you to talk to.”
Tariq sensed something was amiss. “Is something wrong? I need to know. We have an agreement to supply you with drugs.” Tariq stepped up close to Hector. “But if you are out of control, perhaps we can’t do business with you.”
Hector resisted the urge to step back and protect his space. He wants to intimidate, but he is out of his element. I hold the leverage here. “Do not threaten me. You are on my territory. If you wish to see your homeland you will do as I say. You are well paid for the drugs and we know how to deal with what is going on. It is our business, not yours. Without your drugs, this smuggling operation is nothing to me, so be glad I’m completing my end of the bargain. Don’t tempt me to end it.” Hector stared back at the terrorist. In the end he knew Tariq had no card to play and had to accede to his authority.
“Two days? Will you commit to that?” Tariq asked.
“I will give you twenty-four hour notice. That is what I will commit to. In the meantime you stay in the compound. My men will bring you any supplies you need.” Hector didn’t wait for an answer but turned to go, dismissing Tariq with his back.
The strange procession proceeded through the day for three hours: the two men led by a coyote and a raven. When Rodrigo began to stumble, Dan called a halt. They sat down in the shade of some rocks. Dan parceled out some water for the coyote and raven as Rodrigo watched in fascination.
“These are wild animals yet they act tame around you. What is going on?”
Dan smiled. “You have questions? Believe me I had questions and still do.”
“So?”
“Do you know of a shaman, one who lives in this desert? His name is Tlayolotl.”
Rodrigo stared at Dan. “I have heard of him. But he is a myth, not real. How do you know of him?”
“He is real. I have met him. He saved my life. The raven and coyote are his companions.”
“It is said he is a wild man. One who is dangerous, one who can take your life with a curse or spell.”
“He is wild and I believe he can take a life if he chooses, but he saved mine.” Dan pointed a finger at Rodrigo, “And he found you and directed me to save your life.”
“Why would he do that? What are we to him?”
“I will tell you as we go. I have a mission and you are to help me complete it.”
Rodrigo didn’t respond. He did not think he would help this man. In fact he thought he might kill him and win the approval of Hector, especially since Ramón had failed and was dead. But he would wait until they were out of the grip of the desert.
“You are not interested in the mission?” Dan asked.
“You will tell me when you are ready,” Rodrigo replied.
As the sun waned in the sky, the odd procession started out again. This time the coyote was not with them. He turned back north. The two men were left with the raven to guide them. It was close to dawn when they reached Dan’s abandoned pickup truck.
Rodrigo sighed, plopped to the ground, and leaned back against the truck. “I need to rest. I’m worn out.”
Dan sat down next to him. “We’ll rest for now. As soon as it’s light, we need to work on the spare and get the truck running again.” He took out some dried meat and set it out for the raven along with a cup of water. The bird hopped over and took a look at the offering. Then it looked up at both men before it gobbled down the meat and drank the water.
“Damn. That bird looks tame,” Rodrigo said.
“Only for Tlayolotl.”
“You really met him?”
“I found you, didn’t I?” Dan used the same line that Tlayolotl used on him. It was hard to argue with the evidence.
“What is he like?”
“Take a look at the bird. What is odd about it?”
Rodrigo looked at the raven as it drank the water. Finally the bird looked back, first with one eye cocked towards him, then the other. “He’s got one red eye and one black eye. Don’t ravens have black eyes?”
“They do. Tlayolotl also has one red and one black eye. There’s a connection between them.”
Rodrigo looked at Dan for a long moment. “I don’t believe that!”
“I saw that…and more.” Dan proceeded to recount his encounters with the raven, the coyote and, finally, Tlayolotl himself.
Rodrigo stared as Dan told his tale. When he was done, he said, “I don’t believe you. And why would you tell me about the shooting and then killing the men who came for you? They are my gang brothers.”
“Are they really? You know better than that. They would sell you out if told to do so. They have no loyalty.
You know that.”
Rodrigo paused. “It is a hard story to believe.”
“And yet I found you and saved your life.”
“What do you want for that?”
“Your help. I still have a task to do.”
“More killing?”
“The men in the warehouse.”
“How do you know about them?”
“Tlayolotl told me after we visited Chihuahua City. He told me I have to kill them.”
“You visited Chihuahua? How?”
“We went on the raven. He flew us there and back. That is when we saw you dying in the desert. That is how Raven could lead me back to you.”
Rodrigo put his hands to his head. “I can’t believe all this. And I can’t help you. Helping you will get me killed.”
Dan gripped Rodrigo’s shoulder hard. Rodrigo stared at him. “You owe me your life, so you will do what I ask.”
Rodrigo shook his head.
“If you don’t, you can be sure Tlayolotl will pluck your life from you. He has that power.”
The raven leapt into the air screaming and flew at Rodrigo who immediately ducked. The bird swooped up and turned in the air, perching on a nearby rock. It stared at the man.
“I would not trifle with a shaman of his power. He can harness the wild animals, he can transport himself long distances, and he can see what is happening from far away. You cannot hide from him.”
Rodrigo’s eyes grew large but he did not speak.
“The shaman made it clear. I owe him my life, two times. And now you owe me your life. Or to be more correct, you owe Tlayolotl your life because he found you and led me to you. He also made it clear that he could and would snatch back a life he saved if the person didn’t do what he wanted them to do.”
Rodrigo slumped. “Then I am a dead man. If I help you, the cartel will kill me in a horrible way. I’ve seen it. If I don’t, the shaman will kill me—”
“And damn your soul. Which is worse?”
Rodrigo just shook his head as he stared at the ground.
Dan stood up. The sky had begun to grow lighter. “Let’s get this tire changed. We need to get moving.”
They walked to the rear of the truck and looked underneath.
“It’s bolted into the carrier. There is no wrench to unbolt it. We’ll have to hammer it out.”
Rodrigo looked. “There’s a tool kit somewhere. Did you look under the front seats?”
Dan swore and got up to look. He came back a moment later with a leather pouch. Inside was a set of hand wrenches and a pair of pliers. “Damn. I could have fixed it myself.”
Rodrigo unbolted the carrier and pulled out the spare tire. “There’s no jack,” he said.
Dan thought a moment. “We’ll block the axle with rocks and dig out from under the wheel until we have enough clearance to put on the spare.”
“That’s a lot of work.”
“You have a better idea? Walk maybe? It’s the only way to do this.” He grabbed a shovel and went forward.
Two hours later, they had dug a depression deep enough to change the tire. When they were done the two men sat down in the shade of the truck. It was early afternoon. There were extra supplies in the truck, water and food that Dan hadn’t been able to pack and take with him. There were also the additional weapons that he had left behind.
Dan noticed Rodrigo eying the weapons as they rummaged for some water before sitting down.
“I wouldn’t get any clever ideas. First, I’m a trained killer and you will find it hard to best me. Second, do you think Tlayolotl will let you get out of the desert alive if you kill me? What I promised you will happen. Remember how he helped defeat the four men sent to kill me at the rendezvous. You should not mess with the shaman.”
Chapter 30
___________________________________
A n hour later they were ready to drive off. The raven flew to the passenger window. Rodrigo leaned away from the bird. It was large and could easily pluck out an eye. The bird perched there and stared at Rodrigo.
“He’s letting you know he’s watching you. He’s warning you to do what I tell you and save your soul. Listen to him.”
The bird nodded its head, let out a loud squawk and flew up into the sky. Rodrigo cringed away from the sound. Then the bird was a black shadow on the harsh sky, circling higher and higher. Finally it started gliding north, banking and turning to find the thermals to gain more lift. Both men watched in silence as the raven shrank into a black dot and was lost from view.
“We have the truck now. Let’s go”, Dan said. He maneuvered the pickup out of the hole and turned it around. He put the extra weapons into a bag and dropped them in the bed of the truck. No sense in tempting fate. “Where are the trucks you used to follow me? We can siphon gas from them.”
“We must have passed one during the night while we were walking. It rolled off the road and burned. I was the only one to escape alive. The other truck is stuck in quicksand. It is up ahead.”
Dan grunted. “I know the place. I almost got stuck there myself.”
“It was too heavy to get out so we had to leave many weapons behind. There is extra fuel as well.”
Dan drove in silence. He didn’t rush; no one was chasing them and he wanted to protect the tires.
“We need to drive at least part way through the night. We’re three days out from the quicksand and two more days from getting back to paved roads. We need to cut that time down.”
Dan turned to Rodrigo. “Do you believe me about Tlayolotl?”
“Sí,” Rodrigo answered after a moment.
“Do you believe that he can get to you if you don’t help me?”
Rodrigo hesitated. “I think so. But helping you will get me killed for sure.”
Dan took a breath. Patience. He had been over this with Rodrigo once, but it seemed he still needed convincing.
“Not helping me will get you killed as well. Tlayolotl said he could not only kill you but cause your spirit to wander forever without rest. Do you believe that?”
Rodrigo shook his head. “I don’t know what to believe.”
“You need to believe what I just told you. I experienced his power. He found me, saved me, healed me, and he found you. I believe he is a wild man, one connected to the spirit world, and I believe he can do what he said.”
“But the cartel—”
“What if I can save you from them?”
Rodrigo looked over at Dan with new interest. “How can you do that?”
“I have connections. I can get you into the US, with a new identity. The cartel won’t be able to reach you.”
“I have a sister and niece. I need to protect them as well.”
Dan smiled at Rodrigo. “In for a dime, in for a dollar.”
“You can do this? For sure?”
“I have the power to do it.” Dan wasn’t sure if that was true but he needed Rodrigo to believe him, enough to cooperate and trust him. To cover the miles they would have to drive day and night which meant sharing the driving.
“Okay. I will help.”
“Save your soul…and your family. Good decision.”
Dan stopped the pickup. “You drive. I’m going to sleep and then I’ll drive all night. We should have enough gas with what’s in the back to make it back to the truck.”
Near the end of the second day, after driving all day and night, they came to the armored pickup that was stuck in the quick sand.
“Let’s get what we need while there’s still daylight. We need to keep moving,” Dan said.
They pulled the full jerry cans from the back of the armored truck, and tied them in the bed of the pickup. When they were done, Dan took some empty cans and a hose from their supply. He siphoned the gas from the tank of the stranded truck. He filled two cans and shouted for Rodrigo to bring a third. When they were done, they had a full tank of gas and enough in the cans to refill the pickup’s tank twice.
“This will take care of us all the way to
Chihuahua City,” Dan said. He was pleased. Things were now going well and they would soon be out of the desert and on paved roads.
“When we get on the roads, we have to be careful of the policía.”
“I’m expecting you can talk your way through them.”
Rodrigo looked at Dan. “How do I do that?”
“Pretend you’re taking me in. Who did you say was in charge now?”
“Hector Ortega.”
“Use his name. The police will recognize it.”
There was no extra water or food to take with them. They would have to do with what they carried and it would have to get them to Chihuahua City. He went through the weapons that were left behind. The heavy machine gun was of no use. Dan had pondered the rocket launcher, going over in his mind how he could use the weapon; what situation might call for it. He was comfortable with his M4 and his sniper rifle. He had suppressors for both the M4 and his 9mm pistol. His work was going to be stealthy in nature rather than frontal assaults or open gun battles. In the end he decided to leave the rocket launcher behind. It was too crude a weapon. He would rely on his sniper instincts and do his work in a more subtle fashion.
They drove off leaving the heavy armored truck stuck in the sand. Someone will find it decades from now and wonder what the hell it was doing out here in the desert. Dan smiled at the thought that would give archeologists something to ponder. He settled back down to grab some rest before he had to drive.
When night fell, Dan awoke and drove through the dark and into the dawn. He was exhausted when he finally stopped and handed off the driving to Rodrigo.
“We should get to pavement today. When we do, you wake me. We have to agree on how we’ll play things out if the police stop us.”
“Should I call Hector?”
“No. I want to deal with the terrorists before you contact Hector.”
“And what will I tell Hector?”