by Kelly Wood
Must’ve just popped out when the house settled, Guy thought. It’d happened before with other window screens. Screens were a luxury in Honduras. Most homes didn’t have any, let alone one on every window.
Guy left the screen alone, planning on replacing it later. He shut the window and secured the lock. Guy went to his room and dug out a pair of pants and a shirt for Juan to replace his wet clothing. He quickly changed himself into quick-dry pants and a t-shirt. He replaced his dress shoes with water shoes. These clothes would be much better for searching the jungle and surroundings while the shoes would give him better traction in the water. Guy knew he’d be getting wet before the day was out. They needed to get back quickly in order to search the caves. Guy handed off the fresh clothing before settling on the couch in the living area.
Guy fished his cell phone out of his pocket. No missed calls or texts required his attention. A quick check at the restaurant on his way to the cabin confirmed the hostel was running smoothly. No problems yet today to deal with. He informed the hiking guides to cancel any planned trips to the falls and to discourage any unplanned ones for the day.
What a mess today. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, but he needed to keep going. Gray was still missing and could cause quite a stir if they didn’t locate him soon. Jose had stayed behind at the waterfall to keep a lookout. If Gray were hiding out, he may make another appearance before they could return.
Guy dialed a number from memory. The man on the other end answered with a grunt. Guy skipped over any pleasantries.
“Any updates on my friends?” Guy asked.
“They rented a car and left the airport.”
“Headed where?” Guy asked.
“I didn’t ask them.”
Guy forced down the anger rising inside him.
“Does the car have GPS? Track it!” Guy hung up the phone and sighed. Juan emerged from the bathroom carrying his wet clothes. They continued to drip onto his floor. Guy stood up and tossed Juan a bag from the kitchen for the clothes. No words were needed, his face showed his displeasure, but Juan didn’t seem to care.
“I called el jefe,” Juan said. He tried to hold Guy’s glare but looked down.
“You did what?” Guy’s voice exploded out of him.
“Don’t put this on me. This is your fault, and el jefe isn’t pleased.” Juan stabbed the air with his finger as he spoke.
“We were handling it. Are handling it,” Guy said. He moved to within inches of Juan.
“You are handling nothing. That man is missing. He saw our faces. He saw the exchange. You are both dead when el jefe gets here with his men,” Juan gloated as he told Guy he was dead. With Guy out of the picture, Juan was one step closer to having more power. Guy could be replaced with one of Juan’s own men. A man he could trust and control.
Guy charged at Juan, tackling him. Juan flew back and broke the coffee table as he fell. Guy landed on him, punching his face. His nose crunched as it was broken. Blood spurted and then poured down Juan’s face. Juan ignored the pain and wrapped his hands around Guy’s neck. Guy reached up to break his hold. Juan took the opportunity to roll Guy under him. Juan used all his strength to squeeze the life out of the man he detested.
Guy fought for air but couldn’t get any into his lungs. He reached out with his hand and pulled the lamp cord. The lamp fell from the side table next to him. With his last bit of strength, he hit Juan over the head with the lamp. Juan fell to the side. The impact didn’t knock him out, but it dazed him. Juan’s grip lessened on Guy’s neck. Guy used the moment to leap free.
Guy gulped air, his lungs screaming for more. His voice was hoarse as he yelled at Juan.
“This is why you aren’t in charge.” Guy landed a swift kick to Juan’s side. Both men grunted on impact, one in pain and one in effort. “You can never handle anything on your own.” Another kick. “You run to uncle jefe. You are weak.” Another kick. “He would’ve eliminated you years ago if your mother hadn’t begged for your pathetic life.”
Guy squatted down next to Juan. He twisted his hand in Juan’s shirt and pulled him closer. “I watched her beg. She cried and pleaded on the floor like the trash she is.”
Guy’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pushed Juan back to the floor before he answered it. Guy walked to the kitchen for a towel to wipe the blood off his hands while he spoke.
“What?” Guy spat into the phone.
“I found them.”
Guy’s patience wore thin.
“And?”
“The car stopped moving about thirty minutes ago.”
“Get. To. The. Point.” Guy enunciated every word, anger radiating through them.
“They are at your hostel.”
Guy didn’t respond. He huffed into the phone. One hand tightened around the towel while the other tightened around his cell phone. The phone cracked under the pressure.
“There’s more. Two more Americans came through security here.”
“Frank Donato and Michael Thomas,” Guy guessed. Something bumped behind him sending Guy whirling around. He looked at the closet in the front room and his eyes narrowed. He slowly worked his way toward the door as he kept up his conversation.
“How’d you know?” Fear crept into the man’s voice as he worried about his usefulness. Everyone knew Guy eliminated those who couldn’t help him any longer.
“I’ve been waiting for them.” Guy hung up the phone and slipped it into his pants pocket. His fingers touched the knob of the old door when Juan moaned again. Guy turned his head to look at him. Juan moved and his elbow bumped against the floor. Guy released the breath he’d been holding along with the door knob. His nerves were frayed because of the Gray situation. Guy threw the towel on Juan’s chest.
“Clean yourself up. We need to get back to the falls.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Regan Harris
Closet in Guy Bianchi’s Living Room
Honduras
Ben clamped his hand over my mouth at my yelp. Luckily, the sound was covered by the coffee table smashing into pieces. His hand tightened even further as Guy continued to beat the man.
I focused on taking slow, steady breaths through my nose. I held onto Ben’s arm but didn’t try to pull his hand away. I knew I’d make noise at the fight I was watching. I caught glimpses of movement through the slats, bodies hitting one another. If I stood on my toes, I knew I’d see more from a better angle. I didn’t. I wanted to look away but I couldn’t. It was like watching a wreck in slow motion. Thuds sounded as Guy’s fists landed on the man’s face. His nose crunching as it broke had my mouth filling with bile. I swallowed it down so I didn’t give our location away by getting sick.
Guy’s rage scared me more than the cool, collected man at the theater. I feared for Gray’s life even more now. Gray could be on the receiving end if we didn’t find him soon.
What man was missing? Gray? And what did Guy mean by handling it? Handling what? Regan wondered.
Ben’s hand relaxed and released me when Guy finished his assault. I opened my mouth to get more air but kept my body rigid and still otherwise. Ben’s body was pressed up against me, still and hard as a statue. I kept my breathing quiet as I watched Guy, through the slats in the door, walk to the kitchen.
I let out a little yip when Guy said Frank and Michael’s names. Ben’s hand covered my mouth again. The movement startled me and I bumped into the wall. Guy turned and looked in our direction. My heart sped up with fear. My palms were slippery with sweat. I stopped breathing. I was going to die. I just knew it. I felt Ben’s body next to mine tense up and prepare to spring into action. His hand moved away from my mouth and his arm slowly came down until it was at his side. My eyes never left the scene playing out in front of me. I watched Guy slowly move closer to us through the slats in the door. I prayed he couldn’t see us in the dark closet as easily as I could see him.
About a foot from the door, Guy looked at the moaning man on the floor and his body relaxed. He forgot
about pursuing the closet for investigation. I exhaled, not even aware I was holding my breath. The man stood up, pressing the towel to his nose. Guy steadied him with his hand as he led them both from the cabin.
I reached for the door. I needed air. I needed out of the small space. I needed to run away from this coffin I was trapped in. The air inside the closet was hot and humid from our breath. The slats in the door didn’t provide any air flow or circulation. I needed out. Ben’s hand stopped me. He whispered in my ear.
“Give them time to walk away.”
I squeezed his arm in reply. I was too afraid to open my mouth to speak. I was afraid anything I tried to say would only come out as a yell.
I counted my heartbeats to occupy my mind and to help me forget about what I’d just seen. I stopped blinking. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the gruesome image of the man on the floor. I resolved to find Gray immediately, hoping he wasn’t hurt.
After what felt like an eternity but was actually only two hundred heartbeats, Ben opened the door for us to escape. I practically fell out of the closet in my haste to reach fresh air. I followed him like a zombie to the back room and through the window. Ben left it open behind him and stepped over the screen.
He held my hand as he walked me back to our cabin, still playing the couple out for a stroll. I replayed Guy’s conversation over and over again in my head. Guy mentioned a waterfall. But which one? There were two in the area that I knew of. One remote, requiring a hike up a mountain and through a coffee bean plantation. The other, Pulhapanzak Falls, a rather popular destination for tourists and locals alike.
But why would they have gone there? And who was the man with Guy? Obviously not a friend of his.
Thoughts and questions swirled through my head. We needed more information. I pulled on Ben’s hand and switched paths. I led him to the restaurant and information booth for local attractions. Ben kept watch while I rifled through the pamphlets. I grabbed one on Pulhapanzak and was about to turn and leave when Ben blocked my path. He put his arm around me and whisked me around the corner of the building.
Guy’s voice echoed out an open window to me. The restaurant was nothing more than a shack with outdoor seating. We had no place to hide and we couldn’t walk away because we’d be exposed. Ben pushed against the building and kissed me. I let him. The kiss blocked my face and his body blocked me.
“Call me if anyone from Cabin Three leaves.”
That’s our cabin! I gasped at the words, opening my mouth. Ben took full advantage and tried to deepen the kiss. I clamped my mouth shut and used all my strength not to push him off me.
“Yes, sir,” a woman’s voice drifted toward us. “When will you return? Some of the guests have been asking for you.”
“I don’t know. I’ll be at Pulhapanzak. It’s closed to guests today. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
My eyes flew open. I found myself looking into Ben’s eyes as he kissed me. We’d both heard.
Pulhapanzak.
Footsteps grew louder as Guy walked toward the door and then grew fainter as he turned away from us. Ben released me. We both receded into the tree line and out of sight.
“How are we going to get them out?” I was thinking out loud as much asking Ben.
“We don’t. Let’s just leave. We can come back for them later,” Ben said.
I gasped at the thought. I wasn’t leaving them. “Can you guarantee their safety? Can you guarantee we will be able to come back later for them? No.” I turned on my heel and headed toward the cabin. I wouldn’t walk away without Jax, Liam and Gracie. We’d just have to find a way. At this point, I’d leave Ben’s butt behind in a heartbeat, though.
“Wait!” Ben said.
“No. You can talk and walk.” I picked up my pace, breaking into a jog. I’d get my way if I could just get back to our cabin before Ben. No time for talking. I raced ahead, full-out running now. I could see our cabin. I’d almost made it to the door when Ben tackled me from behind. I hit the ground hard, but didn’t give up. I clawed myself forward with my hands while I kicked Ben away with my feet. I connected with his chest and the air whooshed out of his lungs.
Liam and Jax were sitting on a bed watching Gracie pace across the room when I fell through the door. Ben followed me in and started barking orders before the door was even closed, completely ignoring our tumble outside.
“Everyone, get your things. We’re leaving.” The four us stared at him but didn’t move. “Now.”
I hustled over to grab my bag off the floor. Jax and Liam scrambled off the bed. Gracie stood still, probably debating what to do. Most of the luggage was still in the car, so we were all ready to go within seconds. We’d brought in only a couple of pieces into the cabin to keep from looking suspicious. Not that it mattered anymore, Guy and the staff were onto us.
“Gracie, come on. We know where Gray is!” I said.
“We’re not going for Gray. We’re leaving. Did you not hear what Guy said?” Ben asked. “You insisted we come back here. Now, we all are in more danger. We can’t just go traipsing after that guy.”
“I heard ‘Pulhapanzak Falls’ and ‘the man is missing.’ The man is obviously Gray. He got away from them somehow and we” —I motioned with my hand to include all of us— “are going to the falls to find him.”
“Well, I also heard ‘el jefe’ and that means we are leaving. Now!” Anger flashed across Ben’s face. I stood nose to nose with him. I wouldn’t back down. We had a lead on Gray, and we were going to take it.
“El jefe?” Liam asked.
“Yes. El jefe. We’re leaving,” Ben said. He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the door. His fingers dug into the muscles. I wrenched my arm free. The skin burned where he’d been holding me.
“Regan, listen to him. Do you know who el jefe is?” Liam asked.
“No, and I don’t care. I’m going to the falls whether you go with me or not,” I said. I wasn’t going to get this close to Gray just to walk away.
“I have the car keys,” Ben pointed out.
“I’ll hitchhike, you arrogant butt. I can get myself there. Give me my gun and get out of my way.” I pushed past him and grabbed his bag. With the weapons bag in one hand and the pamphlet of the falls in the other, I was armed and ready. I was determined. The options for transportation flew through my head. I’d run down to the main road and grab the first thing that came along whether it was a tuck-tuck taxi, a chicken bus, or sitting in the back of a truck with locals. I’d ridden in them all before.
“Regan, just wait.” Liam’s voice was calm. His Irish lilt sounded musical even in the stressful situation. “I’m not saying we won’t go with you but we need a plan.”
“I’m not going. You’re not going. No one is going. Did you hear what I said? El jefe is coming!” Ben pointed at each of us as he yelled.
“Who is el jefe?” Gracie’s soft voice cut through our heated ones. Liam turned to her.
“He’s a drug lord. A vicious, will-kill-us-all drug lord. He’s almost as famous as Pablo Escobar. Only no one knows his real name or what his face looks like. He’s the most wanted man in the world,” Liam said.
“He’s coming here? Why?” Gracie asked. Fear raced through her eyes. Although, I didn’t think it was fear for Gray so much as for Guy.
Ben filled them all in on what we heard and saw. I watched their faces as Ben described the beating and the conversation between Guy and the other man. Shock and horror, even nausea, flashed across their faces. Bile rose in my throat again as I thought about the beating. Hearing Ben as he described it with brutal honesty, it still didn’t capture how terrifying it had been to witness.
“Regan,” Liam said the one word as a plea.
“I have to go look for him. I have to.” My shoulders slumped. What would I do if they forced me to leave with them? They’d have to drag me out kicking and screaming, but they could do it if they ganged up on me.
“I understand. I would travel to the ends of the ear
th if Jax were missing.” Liam raised one finger. “But we can’t just go running into the danger. We don’t know what to expect. All I’m asking is that we take a moment and make a plan.”
“This is ridiculous!” Ben said. “Our plan is to leave.”
I turned to Ben and stepped closer to him. I had Liam on my side, now I just needed him, too. I dropped his bag and laid my hands on his arms. I looked up at him until he submitted and tilted his head down to look at me.
“Please, Ben. I need your help.” I squeezed his arms. “I need you by my side. I’m going but I will be safer and we will have a better chance with you there, too. You know it’s true. Please. I need you.” My voice was almost a whisper as I pleaded for his help.
“This is insane. We could all get killed.” Ben’s eyes were locked on mine.
“I know that. And I’m sorry I’m asking that of you and Liam. I am.”
Ben shrugged me off and moved away from me. His back created an impenetrable wall. I picked up the bag and held my breath while he contemplated our situation, praying he would decide to help us. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Regan Harris
G and G Brewery and Hostel
Honduras
“I’LL GO.” I INHALED sharply. “But,” Ben held up his hand, stopping me from getting too excited, “I have conditions.”
“Okay.” I dropped the bag and clutched my hands to my chest. The pamphlet crinkled against me.
“We don’t have much time. Give me that.” Ben motioned for the paper in my hand. I quickly handed it over.
“What are your conditions?” Liam asked.
“I only take you and Regan.” Everyone gasped. Gracie stomped her foot in protest, but Ben ignored her and kept talking. “You two know how to use a gun and are comfortable with them. I can’t be distracted watching you two.” Ben moved his finger between Gracie and Jax.
Liam motioned for everyone to be quiet when the verbal protests started.
