by Kelly Wood
“What else?” Liam asked.
“You do everything I say. Ev-er-y-thing.” Ben looked at me for this condition. “I won’t take you if I think you’ll go off half-cocked.”
I wanted to jump up and agree to anything Ben said, but I made myself absorb his demands first. To really understand and agree to them. I was fine with Jax and Gracie staying behind. Jax knew how to shoot but she wasn’t really comfortable with guns like I was. Not that I planned on shooting anyone. I wasn’t out for revenge or blood. But I would defend myself if necessary.
I didn’t know if Gracie even knew how to fire a gun, but it didn’t matter. Ben was right in leaving her behind. Her only focus right now was her husband and getting him back. She could—and would—put all of our safety in jeopardy to get to him.
I nodded my head ‘yes’ and stuck out my hand to shake on it. “I accept your conditions,” I said the words formally. I wanted Ben to know I meant it.
Ben eyed me before putting his hand in mine. “Agreed.”
“Regan, you promised!” Gracie said. Her fists were balled at her sides.
“I promised to bring you with us to Honduras. And I did.” I felt sorry for her. We were essentially in the same boat. Both our husbands were lost to us at the moment. But I wouldn’t risk her safety, or mine, bringing her to the falls. Gracie glared at me, hurt and anger evident in her eyes.
“What’s next?” I asked Ben.
Ben unfolded the information pamphlet on Pulhapanzak. A map was printed on the inside cover. The falls were only ten minutes by car. Ben studied it and then used his finger as a pointer for Liam and me.
“You’ve been here before, right?” Ben asked.
“Yes. It’s basically a park with benches and picnic tables. A pavilion. And then the lookout deck for the waterfall. It’s all surrounded by woods.”
“Good. We’ll get as close as we can and then leave the car on the side of the road. We’ll finish on foot and enter through the woods,” Ben said. “Our goal is to find Gray and to do it without anyone seeing us. That’s it.”
“That’s not much of a plan,” I said.
“It’s all we have for now,” Ben said. Liam nodded his understanding.
“And then what? After we find Gray?” I asked.
“We head straight back to the airport and get out of here,” Ben said.
I looked at Gracie and the tears in her eyes. She longed for Guy. The Guy she knew thirty years before. I thought her love for him was clouding her judgement. The man we’d seen over the last few days was not someone I would want in my life.
But it wasn’t my choice. My family didn’t stop me from marrying Gray even though his father was a mob boss and a bad man. They knew Gray was different. They let me make my own decisions. We should let Gracie make hers. Even if I thought she should run away as fast as she could.
I ignored the little voice inside calling me a hypocrite since everyone in my family was trying to block Passion from Frank.
“We can’t leave Gracie and Jax here then. It’s too unpredictable. If we need to make a fast getaway, we’d have to come back here to get them first. They have to go with us,” I said.
“They could stay in the car and wait,” Liam suggested.
Ben warred within himself as he debated the options but he had to know we couldn’t leave Jax and Gracie behind. They would end up trapped here if things went haywire at the falls.
“Fine. But you have to stay in the car. The whole time.” Ben emphasized the last words.
“We will,” Gracie said. I thought she had agreed a little too quickly to actually mean it, but I didn’t voice my concerns. I needed to get to Gray and didn’t want to waste any more time arguing.
“We still have one problem,” I said. The tension in the room, already at a high, spiked up even further.
“We heard Guy ask to be notified if we left this cabin. We’re being watched,” I said, filling in the gap for the others.
“Crap.” Liam’s one-word reply summed up our situation. “I did some recon while you were gone. The gate stops just past the tree line. About twenty feet in.”
“Good thinking. Looks like we’ll be going through another window, then,” Ben said. “Grab your stuff.”
Ben grabbed his bag from me and unzipped it. He pulled up the bottom flap. The clothes inside shifted as he pulled out handguns and extra magazines for Liam and me. Ben tossed something to Jax. She deftly caught it and held it up for inspection. Pepper spray.
“It’s better than nothing,” Jax said and slipped it into her jeans pocket. The top of the spray stuck out of her tight jeans. She still wore her plunging neckline from earlier. I didn’t point it out since we didn’t have time for her to change.
“What about me?” Gracie asked.
“How about a Taser? Just in case.” Ben winked at her and handed it to her. A chill ran up my spine at the thought of her turning it on one of us.
Now armed and ready to go, Ben poked his head out the window to check for anybody nearby. Liam held Ben’s bag along with his. The rest of us clutched our bags and waited for the okay. Ben crawled through first. Liam handed down the bags and then Jax. I waited behind Gracie.
My heartbeat sped up in anticipation of leaving. Of moving even closer to Gray. I prayed we would find him in time. I prayed we would find him at all. Guy didn’t say anything about Gray being hurt, only that he was missing. We at least had a starting point, even if it was about to be overrun by a drug cartel. I’d run into hell itself to find him.
Ben caught me around the waist as Liam lowered me to the ground. All of us crouched down and followed his lead, trying to be as quiet as possible. Our car was parked at the main gate. We stayed off the trails and used the forest for cover as we rounded the compound. Since it was still early, only a few people could be seen emerging from their cabins and heading to the restaurant. I breathed a sigh of relief.
It was short-lived, though. As we neared the front, two security guards stood at the exit talking. One pointed to our car and then back into the compound toward our cabin.
My heart sank. Guy would know we were coming.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Regan Harris
G and G Brewery and Hostel
Honduras
“We’re trapped,” I whispered, pointing out the obvious.
“We could take our chances and just leave?” Jax suggested.
“But then Guy will know we are coming,” I said. “It’ll be more dangerous.”
“Then what do you suggest? We don’t have a lot of options.” Jax’s tone was sharp with me. I didn’t comment on it. All of us were feeling the stress of the situation. My knees were feeling the stress as well from being crouched down as we debated.
“Best-case, we get out of here without them knowing,” Ben said.
“Obviously.” My tone matched Jax’s. Ben gave me a sharp look but I didn’t apologize.
I looked at Jax and then Liam, hoping someone would come up with an idea. Jax adjusted her shirt, pulling the deep plunge of the neckline closer together.
“It worked before,” I said as I stared at Jax’s cleavage.
Everyone followed my line of sight. Jax crossed her arms as we stared at her chest.
“I don’t like it,” Liam said.
“But it did work before,” I countered.
“What worked?” Gracie asked, her voice thin as her patience ebbed.
“Sending Jax in as a distraction. If she could ask them for directions and get them talking and move them away from the gate, we could sneak out,” I said.
“What about me? I’d be here. Alone,” Jax said.
“There’s got to be something else,” Liam said. “They’d notice our car was gone anyway and would call Guy.”
Liam and Jax pointed out the two flaws in my plan. I shifted my weight to ease the strain on my knees. Adults weren’t built for squatting.
“Let’s steal a car,” Gracie said.
“That’s illegal,�
� I said.
“Now you have morals? You brought a gun into a foreign country. We’re about to challenge a drug lord. Stealing a car is a small blip on the radar,” Gracie pointed out.
“In for a penny, in for a pound,” Liam said. “Let’s do it. Which one?”
“Can anyone here even hotwire a car?” I asked. It was a skill I’d always wanted to learn.
“That one. The red one.” Ben ignored my question and pointed out a small hatchback parked across the lot closest to the exit. I took his eagerness for a yes. “The trees will hide us until we get to it.”
“It’ll be a tight fit,” Liam said.
“Easiest one here to hotwire.”
Ben didn’t wait for us to agree. He turned and moved toward his target. The rest of us followed. I watched the guards as we moved. They were relaxed and kept talking to each other, unaware they weren’t alone.
Ben put his hand up, and all of us stopped moving. The guards stood facing our direction. We waited. Waited for something to have them turn away.
God must’ve been on our side today. Someone called out from inside the complex. Both guards turned in their direction. The five of us moved quickly toward the car. Ben tried the driver’s side door handle and the door swung open, unlocked. Gracie, Jax and I pushed ourselves into the backseat. The small car was cramped with so many of us in it. We sat hip to hip with our bags in our laps.
Liam and Ben’s knees pushed into the dashboard but there wasn’t any room for the seats to be pushed back. Both hunched their shoulders down to give their heads more room. We were imitating a clown car, not an ounce of space left inside.
Ben fumbled around under the steering column, somehow managing to find room to work. The car tried to turn over twice before catching. The engine roared to life. I looked over my shoulder. The guards weren’t paying us any attention.
Ben put the car in first gear and roared off, quickly shifting to second. I gave him directions when we hit the main road. Ben pushed the old car as fast as it would go. The rest of us willed it to move faster. Trees blurred past as we sped down the two-lane highway. I pointed out the next turn.
“The parking lot is about two miles up.”
Ben drove the remaining distance. He parked the car on the side of the road about five hundred yards from the lot entrance. Everyone scrambled out leaving our bags on the seats.
“I’ll leave the car running. Honk three times if something is wrong. We’ll come back. If anyone stops and offers help, tell them you are just waiting to meet a friend.”
Jax and Gracie nodded. I hugged them both and then followed Ben into the woods. Liam brought up the rear. We took a winding path since there wasn’t a clearly marked trail. The humidity was rising with the sun. Mosquitos played kamikaze with us, diving straight for any exposed skin. I gave up on swatting the bugs away after a few minutes. There were just too many of them.
The trees started to thin as we neared the park. Ben motioned for us to crouch down and hide. Ben, Liam and I all laid on our stomachs, watching through the leaves in the brush. Guy stood with two men. One was the man from the cabin earlier today. Even from a distance I could see his swollen, red nose. His eyes were already starting to blacken. Guy flexed the fingers on his right hand, probably sore from the fight earlier.
A commotion at the entrance had us all turn to look. A Jeep roared into the lot, spraying up gravel as it skidded to a stop. Two men jumped out, both holding guns and pointing them at Guy. Neither Guy nor his friends had time to react. Their hands rested on the butts of their guns but they remained holstered.
“We’re screwed.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Gray Thomas
Caves behind Pulhapanzak Falls
Honduras
Gray groaned. His head was pounding and his body aching. Shivers rocked his body. He dreamt of lying on a beach with Regan. The hot sun beating down on his body, warming him. Warming him too much. Water lapped at his face and body. The cool wetness brought comfort to his burning skin. He yearned for more. He wanted to dunk himself under but before relief came another chill would shake him to the bone again. He couldn’t find escape anywhere.
Gray opened his eyes. Jagged walls of the cave stared back at him. He groaned again as the memories came flooding back. It wasn’t the sun warming his skin. A fever was coursing through him. Every cell hurt. Every breath took effort. Strength he didn’t have to waste.
Gray didn’t know how much time had passed. It could’ve been days or hours. His stomach rumbled with hunger and his mouth was bone-dry. He needed water at a bare minimum. Gray’s gut told him he couldn’t have been out very long at all, though. A guide would’ve stumbled across him leading a tour of the cave at some point. Most likely, Guy had somehow diverted all tourist attention from the park until Gray could be found.
Gray tried to pull himself into a sitting position but pain wracked his body. He screamed from the sudden onslaught as he laid back down. One hand covered his wound while the other rested on his forehead. His hand gingerly touched the wound. The wet bandage was still in place. He peeled it back and lifted his head to look at it.
Shouldn’t have done that, he thought.
Pus and blood oozed from the opening. Gray knew an infection had been setting in before taking the plunge into the river. Now, who knew what bacteria and germs were flowing through his body. It was something fierce and fast acting, though. His body was already fighting back with a fever. A really high fever if the heat coming off him told him anything.
Gray reached over his head and felt around for his bag. He needed to refuel and to clean the wound. The shelf was barely wide enough to hold him. He had no space to work in in this position. He had to sit up. He had to find the strength.
Gray steeled himself against the pain. He grunted and clenched his teeth as he pulled himself up and over. A white-hot poker of pain stabbed his side with each movement but he forced himself to continue. His legs dropped over the side and into the water, feeling instant relief as the cool water touched them. He sighed.
After taking a moment to rest, he pulled the gauze completely away. He balled it up and set it next to him. Using a small bottle of alcohol from his med kit, he cleaned the wound. Gray bit down on his finger to keep from screaming, leaving tooth impressions in the skin while his other hand poured the antiseptic over the infected area. The pus and blood washed away. Gray squeezed the wound to get even more out. Nausea rolled through his stomach at the sight. He’d need medical attention and antibiotics very soon. But first, he had to get out of this prison, and it would take all his strength and concentration.
Gray breathed through his mouth until the burning stopped. Once it did, he poured more alcohol over it. The pain wasn’t nearly as bad this time. He applied a generous covering of ointment, hoping it would provide a layer of protection, and fresh gauze.
Gray nibbled on a soggy protein bar and sipped water. It helped him to focus even more. He gave himself a pep talk. Walking out of the falls was easier and less strenuous than walking into them. The water was at your back, not rushing into your face and blinding you. If he needed to, he’d be able to let the river do the work while he floated down it for awhile to rest.
There was always a danger of water moccasins and other predators, but Gray would go with the flow, so to speak. He’d swim to the edge when he could. Hopefully near a town.
Regan passed through Gray’s mind. He didn’t know where she was, or who she was with. If she was safe or in danger. The last clue he’d left her would send her straight to Guy’s hostel. From there, it was anybody’s guess where she would’ve gone.
Floating down the river wasn’t an option. The river moved away from G and G Brewery and Hostel. Gray needed to move toward it. He’d have to find the strength to climb out of the falls and up the side of the cliff. He could keep cover through the woods as he headed for town. Once there, he could hitchhike to the hostel.
With a plan, Gray set it in motion. In a fevered blur, he
packed up his bag, including his trash, hoping he got everything. He heaved it onto his back. He grunted from the pain of even the small movement. His mind was distracted with the effort needed. He wanted to leave his backpack behind, but he would need the first aid kit, water and protein bars. He had no money and no way of obtaining any. A rough laugh escaped him at the irony of being ridiculously wealthy and dirt poor all at the same time.
With one final deep breath, he plunged out of the cave and into the crashing water, praying he had enough strength to make it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Regan Harris
Jungle surrounding Pulhapzak Falls
Honduras
“We’re screwed,” Liam said.
“Maybe not. That’s Frank and Michael,” I said. I pointed them out of the grouping for Ben’s benefit. Liam and Ben strained their eyes to see better. It looked like Michael was speaking but his words didn’t reach us.
“Who are the other two?” Liam asked.
“Both Guy’s men. One we saw at the cabin. I assume the unknown man is the one who was left behind to watch for Gray,” Ben said.
“So, Michael and Frank are outnumbered,” I said.
“They’re not exactly our friends,” Liam pointed out.
Ben didn’t ask who Frank and Michael were, making me assume that he was already well-informed on the family dynamic.
“If they start shooting at each other, we could end up hit. These leaves aren’t going to offer a lot of protection. We need cover. What else is around here?” Ben asked, looking over his shoulder for anything that could be of use. “We should at least retreat behind some of the larger trees until this plays out and we see who’s left standing.”
We whispered back and forth as I wracked my brain for anything I knew about the area. The forest behind us extended all the way to town. The open area in front of us contained nowhere to hide. The place truly hidden here was—
I jerked my head toward Ben as the thought hit me.
