Marked in Mexico

by Kim McMahill

  “He was almost here when we found him,” the sergeant said. “He’s apparently a very tough man to kill.”

  “So I’ve been told.” Jessica took his hand and led him toward the waiting Black Hawk.

  Megan rushed out to greet them and hugged Jack. Again he had to struggle to keep his emotions under control, never imagining how much this stunning young college girl could mean to him. He had underestimated her, but she had proven herself a tough, caring, survivor and he would always love her for her strength and courage.

  Megan finally released him and shoved a bottle of water into his grasp. Jack drank it all in one gulp and crawled into the waiting helicopter, still clutching Jessica’s hand.

  Chapter Thirty

  They rode in the helicopter with the pilot and four Army Rangers. The sergeant radioed their status to someone, but he never asked them about anything that had transpired in the jungle. He made sure they were comfortable and safe, but didn’t press for details.

  Jessica stared out the window. She had no idea where they were, but all that mattered was they were finally safe. Gazing down at the jungle, she was no longer surprised the Rangers hadn’t spotted them. All she could see below was an endless sea of green. From above, it seemed peaceful, but when she thought about what had happened below the canopy, she shuddered. Below the trees, death had chased them from every direction, yet somehow they had survived.

  She scooted closer to Jack and squeezed his hand, yet he didn’t seem to notice. She didn’t want to embarrass him in front of the Rangers, but she needed to be near him and holding onto him gave her strength. Jessica watched Jack, but didn’t say anything. His eyes remained focused on the scene outside the window, his expression pained and distant. She feared being in the helicopter was forcing him to relieve his tragic past all over again. Her grip on his hand tightened, but he still gave no indication that he sensed her presence. She didn’t attempt to interrupt his thoughts, but hoped he could feel her support and understanding in her touch.

  The helicopter landed at a small remote airstrip. Several unmarked vehicles with dark, tinted windows were parked nearby and five men stood in front of them with hands folded respectfully.

  They disembarked the helicopter and Megan and Jessica thanked the Rangers when they were far enough away from the rotors to be heard. The two women received polite nods of recognition from the men. Each Ranger shook Jack’s hand and spoke to him with awed reverence. Even the sergeant seemed especially respectful in Jack’s presence.

  The soldiers returned to the helicopter, leaving them at the mercy of a new group of strangers. Jessica hated to see the Rangers go. She felt safe with them for the first time in a very long time. As the helicopter lifted off, she couldn’t help but feel vulnerable and anxious once again.

  Jessica, Jack and Megan approached the waiting group. Jessica eyed the men standing in front of the vehicles. Fear mixed with relief, making her stomach churn. One man wore a local police uniform and the other four had dark suits, dark sunglasses, a discreet wire running from their ear to somewhere inside their suit jackets and all were meticulously well groomed. They all bore expressions signifying they were serious and professional.

  Jessica wasn’t thrilled to see the police officer, since so far they hadn’t had the best of luck with local law enforcement, but the others were a familiar sight that brought tears to her eyes. She had no doubt the four men in suits were well-armed, extremely well-trained and had been hand-picked by someone her father trusted, which pushed all her apprehension out of her head.

  “Miss Hughes, we can’t tell you how relieved we are that you’re safe. Your father has been beside himself. We’ve had agents scouring every village in half a dozen Mexican states searching for any word of your whereabouts. Thankfully a tip finally paid off.”

  Jessica eyed the man who had stepped forward and was doing all the talking. She decided he must be the agent in charge, so she placed her focus on him. She asked him for his identification and felt a little foolish, but her trust in authority had been badly shaken. She doubted the Rangers would have turned them over to anyone they weren’t sure of, but she had no intention of taking any risks.

  “Obviously not every village was scoured, but nonetheless, I’m sure no one is more relieved than we are to have been found.” She handed the man back his credentials.

  “We’ve decided it would be best if we escorted you back to Cancún, since family and friends are waiting there, and it’s an easier place to ensure the safety of the Senator.”

  Jessica’s enthusiasm waned as she listened to the Secret Service Agent explain what was to happen. Everything immediately had to be evaluated for political correctness. The Mexican Government had insisted their officer take a statement, but it was only going to happen in the presence of the agents and she knew if they didn’t approve of anything that had happened the official report would be changed.

  She was ushered to one of the vehicles with an agent at each arm and Jack and Megan followed close behind. Neither agent spoke to either of her friends directly, making Jessica feel very alone, as if Jack and Megan were no longer with her on this hellish journey.

  For the first couple of hours in the vehicle Jessica told their story. By the time she reached the part where they were taken off the truck headed for Villahermosa by the four officers and a group of men in black military uniforms, she simplified what had happened from there on out. She left out the shootings of the officers and the discharge of the grenades.

  Jessica could feel Jack tense next to her, but she knew he had no intention of offering anything unless directly asked. She watched Megan drop her head, avoiding all eye contact with the Secret Service Agent and the local officer.

  “I know you will take care of everything from here on out and that gives me so much comfort.” Jessica looked directly into the eyes of the agent. “I believe that’s all for now and we need to rest.” Her eyes shifted slightly to the police officer.

  The action did not go unnoticed by the agent. He ordered the driver to pull over and shuttle the officer to the other vehicle so the Senator’s daughter could rest. When they were back on the road, he looked at Jessica and nodded.

  Jessica told him about the four officers who had been shot and the explosions of the grenades. The agent’s face remained expressionless.

  “We each had a grenade, so that if we got separated we could protect ourselves. I pulled the pin on mine,” Megan stated.

  “So did I,” Jessica added.

  Jack looked up to speak, but the agent held up a hand to silence him.

  “So what you two ladies are telling me is that, even though you were with a highly trained former U.S. Army Ranger, it was you who detonated the grenades.” A smile crept over the agent’s lips.

  Jessica nodded, but was too stunned to speak. She had seldom seen any of the agents who worked these details smile, and the one in the car had been no exception until now.

  “I know what you’re trying to do, but it’s not necessary. It was wise though that you didn’t share this information with the local police officer. Your friend here has nothing to worry about.” The agent nodded in Jack’s direction.

  “Won’t the local authorities be upset about the downed officers?” Jessica asked.

  “They want this situation to go away. It’s bad for tourism and bad for political relations. Those men were either impersonating cops to get the truck to stop or they were dirty. Either way, they’re clearly involved with the Garza-Carillo Organization trying to negotiate the release of their leader, Alejandro Garza. They’re a small, but successful drug trafficking operation. The U.S. government provides a considerable amount of funding annually to fight the border drug-wars. The Mexican government is not going to risk losing that funding. Even if you were an average tourist, this would still go away. With your father’s influence, I can guarantee you there will be no negative consequences for anything any of you did in order to survive.”

  Jessica was relieved. Jack hadn�
��t wanted to do what he’d been forced to do, but he had done what was necessary to save all their lives. There was no way she could ever repay him, but she definitely wouldn’t allow him to take a fall for anything. She knew it was her identity that had kept the pursuit so intense and had backed them into a corner so tight they had to take drastic measures in order to live.

  “This should never be spoken of again, nonetheless.” The agent looked from Megan to Jessica to Jack. “If for some reason the situation is brought to light, we’ll handle it. I’m sure you know how that works.”

  They all nodded understanding and watched the agent relax back into the seat facing them. A slow smile crept back over his lips.

  “I think we’re done here. Would you like to add anything before we close the subject for good?” the agent asked Jack.

  “Apparently you’d be wise to get these two on the company softball team.” Jack squeezed Jessica’s arm.

  The agent shook his head and laughed. He had heard positive things about the Senator’s daughter and now he believed every word. She had grit and was loyal. It was moments like this that made his job worthwhile.

  Every few hours, they would pull over to the side of the road and switch drivers and then continue on. Nothing else was mentioned about what had transpired after the abduction and Jessica knew it was over and would soon be buried. She glanced at each of her friends and was so thankful they had survived, but the sadness over Ashley and Gilbert’s deaths made the moment bittersweet.

  Megan, as usual, slept like a baby. Jessica couldn’t clear her mind enough to sleep as she thought about her father, Phillip, the case she had been working on and losing Jack. She reached over and squeezed his hand. He laced his fingers through hers and he leaned over and whispered into her ear.

  “Is that it?”

  Jessica nodded. “They’ll take my story and spin it for the right angle and field the media. You and Megan will probably be coached on what to say and given a contact to handle anything that comes at you, but usually these things die down pretty quick unless news is slow or unless my father’s campaign staff decides they need to keep the story in the forefront to detract from any unfavorable issues.”

  “I don’t need coaching or any big shot contact. I’m not talking to any reporters. I’m very capable of keeping a secret, which I’m sure those suits already know.”

  Jessica had momentarily forgotten about Jack’s past, but figured the agent knew everything there was to know about him. She hoped it would get Jack off the hook and they would let him be and let him deal with this latest tragedy in a long string of many that had plagued his life.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  By the time they reached Cancún, another day had begun. When they pulled up in front of the hotel Jessica saw Dave, Zach, Amber and Randy waiting, hopeful expressions on their faces. She spotted a tearful man with two young tall blonde women, who she assumed were Megan’s father and sisters. She scanned the crowd, but saw no sign of her own father. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised.

  The vehicles came to a stop and were immediately surrounded by the familiar crowd. As they emerged from the vehicle, Megan took off running and threw her arms around her father. The two blondes joined in and the family became an impenetrable ring of joyous sobs.

  Jessica braced herself as Amber rushed toward her and hugged her so tight that she wasn’t sure she could breathe. Dave and Zach lifted Jack off his feet as they each hugged him and then proceeded to slap him on the back and punch him on the arm. When Amber released her, she was passed from Randy to Dave to Zach. Amber reached for Jack and took his hands and kissed his cheek.

  “Your friends promised me you would bring her back safely,” she said as tears streaked down her face.

  “It took teamwork to stay alive and thank goodness she’s tougher than she looks,” he said. “Remind me to tell you about the cast iron pot sometime.”

  Amber stepped back and eyed Jessica’s bandages suspiciously. “Actually she looks pretty tough to me right now and smells even tougher.”

  “Where’s my father?” Jessica cut in.

  “He couldn’t make it until later this evening. He had a press conference that should be over by now to announce your rescue and then he and Phillip are flying down to escort you home.”

  “What do you mean he couldn’t make it?”

  “You know how these things go. It’s been a media circus ever since you were abducted and his campaign staff has been in overdrive drumming up sympathy. Your father’s approval rating has jumped thirty percent with his constituents since the story hit.”

  Jessica wanted to cry. Yes, she knew how it went, but she thought this time it might be different. She wished for once that her personal life could be separate from her father’s professional ambitions. Despite her disappointment at not having her father waiting, she was at least thankful she didn’t have to face Phillip yet. She wasn’t sure what she would say to him, but the charade was over. She would no longer pretend to care about him or give him or her father any illusions they might have a future together.

  As Jack watched Jessica bite back the tears, all he could think about was taking a swing at this Phillip guy. He couldn’t imagine any man in his right mind who wouldn’t have come after her or at least camped out in Mexico until she was safe and he didn’t have a very positive image of the great senator at the moment either.

  Jessica was thankful when Megan interrupted with her family in tow. She introduced her father and two sisters. All three hugged Jessica and Jack and thanked them for bringing Megan back to them.

  “She’s a real fighter. Make sure she gets to a doctor as soon as possible. I believe she had malaria and she received a three-day treatment of chloroquine, but she needs to be checked out. There are drugs they can give her to flush out any stubborn parasites,” Jack stated.

  “He risked his life to get me the medicine.” Megan’s eyes began to fill with tears again and she grabbed a hold of Jack.

  When she quit crying and released Jack, she hugged Jessica and cried some more.

  “We’re leaving right away. Dad’s already got the tickets. I hate to leave you, but I can’t wait to get out of here. I can promise you when we land in the United States, I’m going to get down on my hands and knees and kiss the runway.”

  As Jack exchanged phone numbers and addresses with Megan’s father, Jessica pulled her to the side.

  “Where’s your devoted stepmother?”

  “When I went missing, she apparently couldn’t contain her joy and Dad gave her the boot.”

  “I love justice. Take care of yourself and keep in touch.”

  “You know I will. We’re bound for life and I love you like a sister.” Megan hugged her one last time and walked out of her life.

  “Let’s get these two cleaned up. They deserve a lot of margaritas and I’m sure they’ll have some amazing stories to tell.” Amber grabbed Jessica’s hand, dragging her toward the lobby of the hotel.

  Jessica’s mind was still trying to come to grips with the fact that her father wasn’t in the group waiting for them. She had prepared herself for the possibility of him doing exactly as he had, but it still hurt and she was so numb emotionally that she didn’t resist as Amber pulled her away from the crowd and Jack.

  Jack didn’t want to let her go, but couldn’t think of anything to say to stop her. He wanted to call out or run after her, but was trapped in the enthusiastic embrace of his two best friends. They were anxious to hear all about the adventures, but he couldn’t pull his mind from Jessica. As he watched her walk away, he was overwhelmed by the need to keep her by his side, where he had become increasingly accustomed to her being and where he knew she would be safe.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  After a long hot shower, Jessica felt human again. She looked in the mirror as she struggled to work all the rats out of her hair and knew it would be a long time until all the physical scars healed. Some of the images in her mind would never go away. She thought about Jack
and everything he had been through in his life. He had managed to go on, so she was sure she would too.

  She dug through her suitcases that Amber had kept for her in her absence. By the time she was dressed in one of her own flowery tops and her favorite shorts, she felt her spirits brighten. She had survived the jungle and she would soon be returning to an uncertain future, but one she was determined to control.

  The two best friends walked down to the cantina arm-in-arm. Jessica scanned the crowd and spotted the four men at a table in the corner. She and Amber took the seats between Jack and Randy, instantly handed drinks.

  Jessica took a long luxurious sip of the icy margarita as she stared at Randy. A wide grin spread across her lips. Randy had always studied hard, worked even harder and seldom enjoyed any reckless fun. He had always been such a stuffed shirt, but he seemed different. She couldn’t resist the urge to ask.

  “So what happened, Randy? I’ve never known you to sit around in a muscle shirt and surfer shorts drinking margaritas when you could be buying and selling stocks.”

  He laughed and toasted his glass to Dave and Zach.

  “Apparently they’re buddies now.” Amber rolled her eyes.

  “You reminded me of what’s important and you know I love you like a sister,” he said to Jessica. “When Amber called and told me what happened, I was on the next plane down here. I knew she wouldn’t leave Mexico without you and I couldn’t let her go through this alone. And when I arrived and saw these two comforting her, I was sure glad I high-tailed it down here.”

  “And we’re sure thankful you got here as quick as you did,” Zach added. “I’m not certain how many more wedding plans I could politely listen to without stuffing your fiancé into a closet.”