by Kathy Macias
“Please,” she begged, her voice cracking. “Please, help me.”
She recognized Hernando’s laughter as he bent down to whisper in her ear. “Why should I help you, señora? After what you did to me, you are lucky you are still alive.”
She sobbed, trying to reach into her memory for the promise she believed God had given her—something about plans for her, good plans. Where were those good plans? And where was God? Why didn’t He help her?
“Por favor,” she begged again. “Just some water. Please.”
The blow to the side of her head was so strong that the fact she’d been hit scarcely had time to register before everything went black.
RAMON AND FRANK covered the distance between Chamula and San Cristobal in record time, and they had gone alone, despite Carolyn’s protests.
“It’s too dangerous,” she’d insisted. “Even if you find the Blazer, what will you do then? You can’t just go knock on the door and ask for Julia. At least if I’m with you, I can stay in the Jeep and be ready to help you escape if you need to get away in a hurry.”
Ramon knew she was right, but he also knew Frank would never agree to it. He also knew Julia was running out of time, and they were her only hope. He had even offered to go alone, leaving Frank at home with Carolyn. “You two can pray while I’m gone,” he’d insisted. “God will direct me, and He will help me. I know it.”
But Frank had refused the offer. “No. I can’t let you go alone, my friend. I must go with you. But I agree that God will direct us and help us.”
When Carolyn began to protest yet again, he lifted his hand to stop her. “I understand how you feel, sweetheart, but I have to go with him. We can’t let him go alone, and there is no way we’re taking you with us.”
“But surely you can find others to go with you,” she argued. “Why must it be just the two of you?”
Frank put his hands on her shoulders and gazed down into her eyes. “We have no time to gather others, to explain what we’re doing. Ramon is right. Julia is running out of time. But I promise you this. If we get there and locate her and it looks like we can’t do anything on our own, we’ll at least try to see if the San Cristobal authorities will help us. All right?”
Carolyn hesitated, but at last she nodded, though tears spilled onto her cheeks.
After the three of them prayed together, the men jumped into the Jeep and headed down the road toward San Cristobal, kicking up dust in their wake. And now they had arrived. Frank slowed the vehicle.
“Where to now?”
Ramon, sitting in the passenger seat, looked around. He spotted a small grocery store that looked as if it had been around for a very long time. “Let me run in there and ask. Maybe they’ll know where the street is.”
He was back within minutes. “They couldn’t give me exact directions, but they knew the area of town. It’s not far from here.” He pointed straight ahead. “That way.”
Frank nodded and hit the gas again. Ramon took a deep breath and continued praying, as he’d been doing since they’d driven out of the gates of La Paz.
CHAPTER 30
SHE FELT AS IF SHE WERE UNDER WATER, struggling to find her way to the surface so she could breathe again. But the darkness lured her to stay below, to let her last bit of air go so she could float away, far from the pain that engulfed her.
Then she heard the voices. Men—and something else. A dog barking. Where was she? What was going on?
And then, in a terrifying instant, it all came back to her. She wasn’t waking up from a nightmare as she’d hoped; she was living it.
The voice she’d come to recognize as belonging to Hernando ordered, “Let the dog out. But keep an eye on him. Call him back when he’s through doing his business.”
Julia groaned. The pounding in her head was unbearable, but the pressure on her bladder was nearly as bad.
“Are you all right, señora?” The question mocked her as she felt his breath near her ear. “Is there something I can do for you?”
As much as she hated asking, she had no choice. “Bathroom,” she whispered. “Please.”
Hernando chuckled. “Why, of course, preciosa. I will be happy to help you.”
She despised the way the man ran his hands over her body as he untied her and lifted her to her feet, but she was too dizzy to stand on her own so she allowed herself to lean on him as she shuffled, still blindfolded, to the bucket a few steps away. She wished he would at least have the decency to turn away until she was finished, but she knew he wouldn’t.
“Are you ready to return to your chair, señora?”
The sarcasm dripped from his words, but she ignored it, answering only with a nod.
“What was that, cara?” He leaned closer. “I did not hear you.”
Choking back a sob, she whispered, “Yes . . . please.”
Hernando laughed again and nearly shoved her back to the chair. He was about to tie her to it when she heard the door open.
“The other two are going to town to get some supplies. Bruno jumped in the Blazer when the door was open, so he’s going with them.”
Hernando grunted an acknowledgment before the other man continued.
“I’m going to the house to fix a burrito. Do you want one?”
“Sí. And bring one for the señora.” He paused. “No, bring her half a burrito. She is still being punished for what she did to me.”
Julia flinched as he grabbed her hair and yanked her head backward. “You will learn to treat me right, señora, do you understand?”
She heard the door close and knew she was alone with her captor. She tried to nod, but he held her head back so fiercely that she could not.
“It won’t be long until you are mine to do with as I please,” he crooned, his face nearly touching hers. “If your family doesn’t come through with a lot more money, we have other options.”
Her memory flitted to the conversation she’d overheard about curanderos and human sacrifice. Surely that wasn’t a serious possibility!
“And whatever happens to you in the end, I will have you for myself first. Do not forget that, señora.”
He nearly spit out the final word as he released his grip on her hair. With it she felt her last shred of hope slip away, even as she felt his lips against her ear yet again. “Since we are alone for a few minutes, maybe I will show you just a little of what you can look forward to, cara.”
ONCE FRANK AND RAMON found the street it took only a moment to spot the white Blazer. Excitement leapt in Ramon’s heart, though he hadn’t a clue what to do next.
Pulling to a spot where they could keep an eye on the house and vehicle without being seen themselves, they watched and prayed. Within moments they spotted a man and a dog emerging from the backyard. Frank and Ramon eased down in the seat until they could scarcely peer over the dash.
“What do you think?” Ramon asked.
“I don’t know. I just wish we knew how many are in there. If he’s the only one, we might have a chance.”
Ramon didn’t like the looks of the dog, but he thought Frank might be right. Before he could answer, two more men came out of the house and went to the Blazer.
“Now we know he isn’t the only one,” Ramon said.
Frank nodded as they continued to watch. The men had no sooner opened the vehicle’s door than the dog hopped inside. Soon the two men and the dog were headed down the road, leaving the man they’d originally seen behind.
“We still don’t know how many others are in there,” Ramon said, “but at least those two are gone—and the dog too. What do you think?”
When they saw the man walk inside the house, Frank answered. “We’ve been praying for the right opportunity, and we know others are praying too. I think it’s now or never, amigo.”
Their eyes met, and Ramon nodded. He knew Señora Barnes was back at the compound praying. They had also alerted Julia’s parents to the latest developments, and they, too, were praying. Frank was right. It was now or never.
He closed his eyes. “Cover us, Father. Go ahead of us, Lord.” He opened his eyes. “Let’s go.”
They climbed out of the Jeep and approached the house. All was quiet. From the corner of his eye, Ramon spotted a shed in the back. Before he could point it out to Frank, a scream pierced the air, and he knew they had located Julia.
JULIA’S HEAD THROBBED, and she knew she was completely at Hernando’s mercy, despite the fact that he had not yet retied her. She even thought she had given up all hope—until he began to grope her. Instinctively she screamed and raised her hands to rip off her blindfold. She knew she might die before this struggle was over, but she wasn’t going to do so without a fight.
The minute the blindfold was gone, she felt blinded by the sudden light. Closing her eyes until they could adjust, she clawed at Hernando’s face, even as he grabbed her arms and tried to pull them away. In that instant she heard the door smash open and a familiar voice cry out, “Let her go!”
Ramon? Her heart raced. Surely she was imagining things. There was no way Ramon could have found her. But as Hernando’s grip lessened for a moment and she reopened her eyes, she was stunned to see that Ramon was indeed standing in the doorway.
Hernando quickly regained his composure. “Who are you?” he demanded, a sneer on his face. “And why should I let this woman go? She belongs to me.”
Ramon shook his head. “She belongs to God,” he said, stunning Julia with the confidence she heard in his voice. But even as a tiny spark of hope leapt in her heart, she saw someone come up behind Ramon, and she knew it was another one of her captors.
“Look out!” she screamed. “Behind you, Padre!”
Ramon spun around and ducked just as the man leveled a gun at his chest and fired. The bullet missed him by inches, sailing straight into Hernando’s side instead. Before the man could fire again, Julia saw a heavy object swing through the air and hit him full force on the side of the head. The gunman dropped to the ground.
Hernando, on the floor holding his side and bellowing in pain, looked from Ramon to Julia and back again, disbelief mingling with agony on his face. Julia stepped around him and headed straight into Ramon’s open arms.
“Oh, thank God,” she cried. “Thank God! How in the world did you find me? I thought surely I would die in this awful place.”
Through her tears, as Ramon stroked her hair and held her close, she saw Frank Barnes standing in the doorway, a stunned look on his face and a large piece of wood in his hand. She realized then what had happened to the shooter. A sense of relief washed over her, and she felt her knees buckle. She could hardly believe it. She was going to get out of here alive.
CHAPTER 31
WE NEED TO GO,” Frank said, even as Julia leaned on Ramon. “Someone will have heard that shot and reported it. And those other guys and their dog could come back any time.”
Ramon loosened his grip on Julia and looked back at Frank. “You’re right. Let’s get her out of here. Even if the policia do bother to show up, they don’t like foreigners much.”
In moments Julia was propped up in the backseat of the old Jeep, a blanket wrapped around her as they hurried back to La Paz. “How . . . how did you find me?” she asked at last, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
Ramon told her the story of Itzel and her abuela, and Julia smiled, leaning her head back against the seat. Dear Itzel! She had seen her after all. And she’d had the courage to tell her abuela. That the dear old woman had then come to the compound to share the girl’s story with the others was nothing short of a miracle.
A miracle. How many miracles must have come together for this to happen? Not only had she peered out the window of her captor’s Blazer at the exact moment they were passing by Itzel, but the girl had seen her and reported it, and her grandmother had taken it to the next step. Still, that didn’t explain how Ramon and Frank had found the place where she was being held.
She opened her mouth to ask, but Frank beat her to it. “Apparently it was your kidnappers’ greed that brought us the rest of the way. Seems they thought they weren’t going to get enough money from your family, so they decided to offer you to the local curanderos as a human sacrifice in hopes of getting a little more. Plus it solved their problem of getting rid of your . . . your body.” His voice dropped at the end, and Julia knew he felt bad about what he’d said, but the fact that she would have died before this ordeal ended came as no surprise to her.
Ramon picked up the conversation then. “Most of the curanderos in the area don’t take part in such things, but it is rumored that there are still a couple here and there who do. When the kidnappers put the word out on the street about what they were looking for, it got back to some of the curanderas in Chamula, who passed the information on to Itzel’s grandmother. They even told her the name of the street where you were being held, since the kidnappers had left that contact information for the curanderas.”
Julia watched from the backseat as he shrugged his shoulders. “All we had to do was find a house on that street with an old white Blazer.”
“Good thing those guys hadn’t left before we got there so we could see them driving away,” Frank noted.
Ramon nodded. “And a very good thing that they left with their dog. Four men and a pit bull would be a lot for the two of us to go up against, no?”
Frank chuckled. “That’s for sure. But not too much for God. After all, we could never have taken out the two guys who were still there without God’s help.”
Julia watched and listened to the exchange between the two men, as she became more and more aware of God’s obvious intervention in her rescue.
I know the plans I have for you . . .
The words of the almost forgotten promise came drifting back, and she closed her eyes, exhausted but near tears at the realization that God truly did love and care for her.
IN A MATTER OF DAYS Julia was feeling strong and safe once again, and she looked forward to resuming classes with the children.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take more time off?” Carolyn asked her as she visited with her one morning. “We would certainly understand. Besides, it will be Christmas soon, and we usually suspend classes for a couple of weeks then. You could just wait and start after that.”
Julia shook her head as she poured tea for the two of them and then sat down at her tiny table to join her guest. “No. I want to get back to work as soon as I can. I can’t wait to see the children again—especially Itzel.”
Carolyn smiled. “I can imagine. They’ve all missed you, though we didn’t go into detail with them about what happened. Some may know, simply because word spreads in these little communities. But few of them are willing to talk to the authorities from San Cristobal, so even if they come to Chamula looking for answers, I doubt anyone will tell them anything.”
Julia sipped her tea and set the cup down. “Are you sure we shouldn’t talk to them ourselves? I mean, won’t they want to know what happened?”
Carolyn’s dark eyes grew sad. “I asked Frank about that, and he said if it would do any good, we should. But word is already out on the street that the police have ignored the shooting and will allow the gang to settle things in their own way.” She paused and laid a hand on Julia’s. “That may mean they’ll kill one or more of your captors, whoever they feel is responsible for letting you get away. But we also know from your parents that the gang got the initial payment of twenty thousand dollars, so that might explain the rumor that they’ve all moved out of the San Cristobal house and on to another area.” She patted Julia’s hand. “It isn’t the same as at home, you know. No one will be prosecuted for any of this.”
Julia nodded. It had been hard to accept, but she had come to understand that it’s simply the way things were here, where strangers were not welcome and people held tightly to the old ways. She was the one invading their space, and she was the one who had to adjust her thinking accordingly.
She sighed. “I know you’re right. And I
know I need to let it go. But . . .” She hesitated before she asked, “Do you think they’ll come after me again? They . . . they know I’m from the compound.”
Carolyn squeezed Julia’s hand. “I wish I could assure you that would never happen, and chances are good that it won’t. They’ll simply move on to someone else. But, Julia, there are no guarantees here—or anywhere, for that matter. We live in a dangerous world, a broken world, but we serve a mighty God. You know that now, don’t you?”
Julia nodded again. She knew it as she’d never known it before. And though a lingering fear teased her in the night, she was learning to get past it as she renewed her prayer life and began once again to read her Bible.
She sighed. “My family wants me to come home. They don’t want me to stay and finish my teaching commitment.”
Carolyn lifted her eyebrows. “And what do you want to do?”
Julia hesitated. “I’m torn,” she admitted. “I miss my kids and my parents. I thought about them almost constantly after I was kidnapped. And I understand why they want me to come home. To be honest, they never wanted me to come here in the first place. They were worried about my safety, and now look what’s happened. The fact that I escaped doesn’t make them feel much better.”
“Maybe you should at least go home for a visit,” Carolyn suggested.
“I’ve considered that. I even thought about going home for Christmas, especially since school will be out then anyway.” She shook her head. “I just haven’t decided yet.”