Eddie smiled and extended a hand. “Would you like to dance?”
“Boyfriend?”
He bit his bottom lip in paused embarrassment. “Sorry I had to tell the guy something so no one would hit on you.”
She took his hand when the music started and followed his lead to the slow love song. “You don’t want anyone hitting on me?”
“Not anyone here, that’s for sure.”
“Not anyone here. So if we were somewhere else, then it would be okay for someone to hit on me?” He noted her sly grin and wasn’t sure how to respond. Of course he didn’t want anyone else hitting on her, but he couldn’t very well tell her that either.
“Dance with me.” He grabbed her hand and spun her around to avoid the question. He was suddenly thankful that she couldn’t read his thoughts. The last thing he wanted was for her to know just how much he enjoyed holding her in his arms.
*****
Sleep was hard to come by, that night. When his thoughts weren't dwelling on Grace, he thought about Sarah, and when he finally managed to get her out of his mind, he couldn’t stop thinking about his impending meeting with the Federales. From the intermittent sounds of cheap, crinkly sheets and squeaky springs, he guessed that both girls were tossing and turning all night as well, their thoughts no doubt disturbed by their uncertain futures.
They showered and dressed before the sun was up, and after a quick breakfast in the restaurant, they followed the directions provided by the waitress and located the nearest police station. Eddie didn’t stop. Instead, he drove around the corner and up a few blocks.
He parked along a side street and then turned to the girls. “All right, Grace. You have the directions to get back to the compound?”
“Yep. They’re in my purse.”
“Okay. I’m going to get out and walk back to the police station. As soon as I leave, I want you to get out of here. Get back to the woods and hide before I get there with the police.”
Liliana frowned. “But what if the police don’t believe you?”
“If they believe that Americans have been kidnapped to smuggle drugs across the border, they’ll be interested. They won’t take a rumor like that lightly.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay close by?” Grace asked. “I hate to leave you without a car.”
“I’ll be fine. I don’t want to take a chance that they might see you. They might ask too many questions. We don’t want to have to explain what you’re doing here. Once we reach the compound, I’ll sneak away and come find you."
Grace frowned, and he placed a reassuring hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you soon.”
“You’re right. I’m sure everything will work out. You’d better get going.”
They got out of the car, and Eddie hugged each girl in turn. He was aware of the fact that he hugged Grace slightly longer than he did Liliana and hoped that she hadn’t noticed as well. Then, with a final goodbye, the girls climbed into the car, and he watched them drive down the street until they were out of sight.
*****
When Eddie entered the police station, the officer at the front desk greeted him in Spanish. “Good morning. How may I help you?”
Eddie glanced toward the old man and two young women who sat in black plastic chairs, in the lobby and then replied in Spanish, “I need to speak with someone in charge. I’d rather not discuss it out here.”
“I need to know what the matter is concerning before I disturb the chief. He will not be happy with me if it is only a trivial matter, you understand.”
Eddie leaned in close over the desk and whispered, “Fine. You may tell him that I have knowledge of kidnapped Americans and a drug cartel.”
The clerk’s eyes grew wide. “I’ll be right back.” He rose from his chair and quickly departed into a back room.
A few moments later, he returned and motioned for Eddie to follow. “Please, the chief would like to speak with you.” He ushered Eddie into the back room and closed the door.
The chief leaned back in a large, plush, leather chair; his feet were propped on his desk while he smoked a cigar. “Please, have a seat.” He motioned to a chair on the opposite side of his desk.
Eddie accepted the invitation and hoped that his nerves weren’t obvious.
“Now then, my assistant tells me that you have information we might be interested in. Please, tell me what you know and how you came about this knowledge.”
“I work on a farm near the mountains,” Eddie began. “Sometimes no one goes up the road, and the past few days we have seen a lot of traffic coming and going. Many expensive cars, you know? My friend said that his cousin was working for them. His cousin told him that they were going to use Americans to run drugs across the border.
“We were curious, you see, so yesterday we followed them to see where they were going. They have a hideout up there. We saw them take some teenagers out of a car. They looked to be Americans, and their hands were tied behind their backs. Then we overheard the men say that they were going to make their move later today.”
“Thank you for this information. If you will give me the directions, I will look into the matter.”
“I don’t think I’d be able to. Their hideout was so well concealed. I think I’d have to actually show you where it is.”
“Hmm…just a moment.” The chief picked up his phone. From what Eddie could gather from the one-sided conversation, on his end, arrangements were made for the Federales to gather and meet in an hour. Then he hung up the phone and turned to Eddie.
“It is not custom for us to bring a civilian on a raid. It could be dangerous, but it seems that we have no other choice. Please know that you place yourself at risk by coming with us.”
“I understand. It’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means helping those kids.” When the chief raised an eyebrow in question, Eddie wondered if he had sounded too eager. He decided he should try to seem more like a poor, farm worker who was looking for self-gain. “Will there be a reward in it for me, if I lead you to them?”
“Ah, let’s just take one step at a time. I must go now to speak with my men. You may wait in the lobby.”
*****
Eddie rode with the chief down the now familiar dirt road. They were followed by three vehicles, each filled with well-armed Federales dressed in their black and blue fatigues.
Liliana and Grace would be concealed in the woods near the compound. They would have a clear view of the road, so that once the vehicles were spotted, Liliana could let Tyler know that they were on their way.
As they neared the compound, the chief’s phone rang.
“U.S. Government?” he asked. “Are you sure?” He was silent for a moment while he listened and then said, “I understand, yes, but if they are running drugs…Yes, sir. We will stop.”
When the chief steered the truck to the side of the mountain road, Eddie glanced in the rear view mirror to see the black vehicles pull in behind. Eddie’s pulse began to race. Had they decided to halt the operation?
“We’re stopping?”
“Yes. It looks like there might be a slight problem. I need to go speak with my men for just a moment.”
The chief stepped out of the truck and strode to stand beside the black vehicle parked behind them. He leaned into the driver’s side window and talked for a good five minutes. Eddie strummed his fingers nervously on the dash. He wished he could hear what the men were saying and wondered what the final result would be. Would they continue on or turn back to town?
A few raindrops hit the windshield. Then the skies opened, and it began to downpour. The windows were soon blurred with water, and he could no longer see the men.
A minute later, the chief hopped into the truck and hurriedly closed the door. Without a word, he put the truck into motion and continued down the road, toward the compound.
Eddie couldn’t hide his curiosity. “Are we still going to the hideout?”
The chief glanced at him. “Yes. It app
ears that the hideout doesn’t belong to a drug cartel after all. But if there are reports of kidnapped Americans, we have a duty to check it out and ask questions later.”
Eddie relaxed slightly. At least for the moment, the plan still held.
The heavy rain continued to pelt the truck and the wilderness around them. Eddie directed them to stop about a quarter mile from the entrance. They would continue the rest of the way on foot so that their arrival would remain covert for as long as possible.
He planned to lead them as far as the bottom of the hill; from there they would be able to find the rock entrance Tyler had described. As soon as their attention was drawn off of him, he would escape to the trees and hike back to find the girls.
Once outside and on foot, it wasn’t long before he was drenched from the cold rain. He continued on beside the chief. The Federales fell in behind and around them, their guns armed and ready. Then he looked up the hill and saw the rock formation he was looking for.
“The entrance is just up there behind that big rock on the left,” Eddie said.
The chief motioned for the troops to fall into position. Some stayed back and hid behind trees while others zigzagged their way up the hill. Just as he had hoped, his presence was quickly forgotten.
By now, the surveillance cameras would have picked up movement from the intruders, and the guards would be alarmed and on high alert. He hoped that Tyler and Toby were ready.
CHAPTER 21: RESCUE
Anxious with anticipation for the events of the day to come and in shock that he had seen his father, sleep eluded Tyler. He lay on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, but in his mind’s eye, he saw the man he had long ago assumed was gone forever. He closed his eyes, and their conversation played back in his head.
“Dad? Is that you?” he had called out to the man who had just stepped out of another office, down the hall. He hadn’t seen him since he was four, but the image of his father was still freshly engraved in his memory. Tall, fit, and muscular, with thick brown hair, he and his brother were the spitting image of their father.
“It is him,” Toby had whispered.
Rebecka leaned in to join their huddle. “Your father is here? What is he doing here?”
Their father turned toward them. “Boys? It is you! Hurry!” He beckoned them forward. “Come down here before anyone sees you.” They dashed down the hall and stopped when they reached him. He opened the door and ushered them into the office. “Come on, we can talk inside.”
Rebecka followed, and they stood, gathered close, while their father locked the door. Then he turned to them. “I have missed you more than words could ever say.” He stepped forward, pulled them into a group hug, and then stood back and looked at each, in turn. “My boys. Look at you two. You’re practically adults. I can’t believe you’re really here. I didn’t know that I would ever see you again.”
“You can’t believe we’re here?” Tyler asked, incredulously. “What are you doing here?”
Before he could reply, Toby answered for him. “He’s one of them.”
Tyler turned to his brother. “What? He’s IIA? He can’t be.” Then he turned to his father. “Is it true? Are you really with them?”
“It’s complicated. Not everything is always as it seems.”
“But, you are with them?”
“I am, but please, give me a chance to explain, before you judge.”
With a note of disdain, Toby asked, “Did you know that they’ve been keeping me here?”
“I just found out. That’s why I’m here.”
“So, you didn’t help to plan my capture?”
“God no! That’s why I left you boys in the first place. I knew that if I stayed with you, the agency would pick you up in no time. I didn’t want you to grow up under a microscope and get dragged into all of this.”
Tyler frowned. “You knew that we were…different?”
Their father nodded. “Yes. I knew from the time you were babies. Please, have a seat and allow me to explain.”
Two sofas faced each other with a coffee table in between. Tyler, Toby, and Rebecka sat on one, facing the door; their father sat on the other.
“I know that you must have a thousand questions. I’ll try my best to answer them. To start with, I left you with your grandmother after your mother passed away because I knew she would take good care of you. I got hired on with the agency when you were babies. As time went on, I was required to travel more often. My job was to look after trackers, keep tabs on them, and follow up on potential students that they located.
“Once I knew, without a doubt, that your gifts far exceeded the guidelines of the IIA, I knew I had to leave you, for good. If I had kept you in my life, they would have snagged you up, and I wouldn’t have been able to stop them.
“When I found out that you were placed into the foster system, I wanted to come and get you, but I knew that you were better off without me. I thought that, by leaving you, I was keeping you safe, but obviously I was wrong.
“I hope that one day you can find a way to forgive me and understand. I did what I thought was best for you at the time.”
Tyler looked at his brother and silently asked, What do you think?
He’s telling the truth, Toby thought. Everything he said is true. Then he looked at their father. “So you found out that they captured me. What are you doing here though? Did you think that they would just let me go if you showed up?”
“I hadn’t thought it through. I know you’re much too valuable to them to just let you go, but I had to see you. I thought I might be able to at least convince them to release you to my care. But, Tyler, I never expected to find you here. I had heard that they were looking for you, but I hadn’t heard that they found you.”
“They didn’t exactly find me. I found them.”
“You came here on your own?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t about to leave Toby here by himself.”
Tyler wondered if he should tell their father about their rescue plan, but before he could, Toby thought, Wait, don’t tell him. He sounds honest, and I can’t see him doing us wrong, but he still works for them. I don’t entirely trust him. We’re so close. We can’t risk blowing our plan, now.
But, what if the police get here tomorrow and arrest him? We’ve just found our father. If he ends up in jail, who knows the next time we’ll see him? Shouldn’t we at least warn him?
Not yet. Let me sleep on it and see if I can get a vision of what’s going to happen. There will still be time in the morning if we decide to warn him.
I hope you’re right.
I think Toby’s right, Rebecka thought. It’s not just our freedom that’s at stake. We have to consider everyone else who is held captive here, as well. We need to do what’s best for everyone involved.
Agreed, Tyler thought. You’re both right.
“Well, I’m glad that I have you both here,” their father said. “We’ll talk to Henry tomorrow and try to figure something out. In the meantime, may I ask what the three of you are doing out of your rooms? What are you up to? And how did you get out? I’m surprised security hasn’t picked you up by now.”
Tyler glanced at Toby and Rebecka and smiled. “We were just out exploring.”
“Somehow I suspect there’s more to your story, but I won’t ask. You need to get back to your rooms before anyone discovers that you’re gone. I can escort you downstairs.”
“No,” Tyler quickly cut in, “that won’t be necessary. We wouldn’t want you to get in trouble, in case anyone sees you with us. We managed to get out of our rooms without being seen. We can get back in.” The last thing he wanted was for their father to discover that they had an access card. That would require questions they weren’t prepared to answer.
“Okay then…If you’re sure.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Toby said. “Where will you go? You’ll be here in the morning?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right here. I’m not going to leave you.”
> They stood and followed their father to the door. He hugged them again, and they quickly made their way back to their rooms. Uncertain how long the guard would be asleep, they didn’t want their night time escapade to be discovered. Within a few hours, if all went as planned, the Mexican police would find them, and they didn’t want their plan to be hampered in any way.
Now, as Tyler lay in bed, he pondered their new dilemma. Should they take the risk and forewarn their father or allow him to be arrested? Rebecka had been right; it wasn’t just their freedom at stake. There were other residents at the compound who might want the opportunity to return home as well.
You still awake? Toby silently asked, from his room.
Yeah. I can’t stop thinking about him. All these years, I thought that he had just left, that he didn’t care about us.
I know. I keep asking myself why I couldn’t see the truth about him.
Probably because you didn’t try. We both just accepted the fact that he was gone. We were so young when he left. I don’t think it ever occurred to either of us to find out where he was. Tyler’s thoughts were silent for a moment, and then he asked, What do you think we should do? Should we tell him?
I want to. I want to believe that we can trust him. I’ll sleep on it and see if I can come up with an answer. Try to get some rest. It’s going to be a long day.
*****
“How’s the ankle?” Jesse asked in the morning.
“Feels a hundred percent better,” Tyler replied. He stood slowly, rotated his ankle a couple of times for good show, and then said, “Must have just been a temporary strain.”
“Well, that’s good. Glad to hear it. Henry wants to see you and your brother, first thing this morning. I told him that I’d bring you guys up to his office.”
“He wants to see us both?” This was good news. With Toby by his side, they could visit their father before they saw Henry. He immediately began to communicate with Toby to form a plan.
“You ready?” Jesse asked.
“Sure. Lead the way.”
They followed Henry’s second-in-command down the hall, and by the time they reached the security room, the plan was in place.
The Federales just passed by on the road, Liliana thought. They should reach the compound soon.
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