by Kelly Wood
Contact lenses!
“Those men could help your business. They are the heads of the two largest mob families in the Southwest United States. They also own two of the largest casinos in Las Vegas,” I explained.
I had him. More money and more power were always great motivators. El jefe released me. I stayed in place, my bound hands still between us. His right hand moved to his chin as he absorbed what I told him.
“Continue.”
“With their help, you could double, or even triple your business. Vegas is a den of sin. Drugs, sex, alcohol. It’s a gold mine in your business. And you’d have an inside track.”
“Is this true?” El jefe asked Guy. The tone in his voice left no room for Guy to lie or evade.
“Yes, it’s true,” Guy admitted.
El jefe turned back to me. “And what do you have to do with this? Who are you?”
“I’m his daughter-in-law.” I pointed to Michael. “I just came here to find my husband so we could go on our honeymoon.”
Michael nodded when el jefe turned to look at him. I should’ve kept my mouth shut while I was ahead. I should’ve let the rest play out while thoughts of greed and fortune floated through his head. The tension was already dissipating as Michael and Frank’s value soared. El jefe wouldn’t have hurt his chances to form a new partnership by killing Michael’s daughter-in-law.
But I didn’t. I opened my mouth and kept going, euphoric on the thought that I may actually live.
“And the woman I’m with is Guy—Garcia’s—long-lost wife. How romantic is that?” I jabbered on, not realizing that Gracie was gone. The mood switched instantly as all heads swiveled in Gracie’s direction. El jefe pulled a gun and pointed it at Guy.
I expected Gracie to cry out, and when she didn’t, I looked over my shoulder. The car was in the exact same spot. The dead man lying beside it. But no Gracie. And no guard.
“Where is she? Who else is with you? Who else is here?” El jefe shouted the questions. His arm extended, the gun focused on Guy.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Regan Harris
Pulhapanzak Fall Parking Lot
Honduras
I watched in horror as el jefe raised his gun and pointed it at Guy’s chest. I needed him. I needed him alive. Gray was still lost to us. Guy could help us find him. He had the resources available to him at his hostel and the local knowledge needed to gather a search party. Gracie was right. Guy had value to me.
Guy was known here. The locals would help him before they would help me. I reacted without thinking. I pushed myself forward and knocked el jefe to the side with my shoulder. I ran in Guy’s direction to shield him, screaming as I went. I pulled my arms up and back down, whipping them against my stomach. I used all my strength to break the zip tie. It flew off me as the adrenaline flowed through me.
“Nooo!” I screamed.
Time slowed down around me. Someone screamed behind me. Gracie’s voice echoed around me. Guy turned toward me, looking over my shoulder. His face softened as he must’ve spotted Gracie. He reached out his hand as if to touch her one last time.
El jefe turned to look at me. His gun still pointed at Guy. Anger boiled off him at the interruption to his plans.
I pushed my legs harder than they’d every been pushed before. I pumped my arms trying to gain more speed. I had to make it. My only thought was to tackle him. My plan ended there. I just knew I couldn’t watch Guy die.
I was almost to him when the shot rang out.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Gray Thomas
Woods around Pulhapanzak Falls
Honduras
“Regan!” Gray shouted her name as he bolted upright. She was in danger. He could feel it in his bones. The fear of something happening to her fueled him. He pushed aside the aches and pains of the fever and stood up. He swayed from the movement. Using his hands to steady himself, he wandered toward the shouts.
Gray tried to run toward the sound but fell from the effort. He pulled himself back up again and again and kept moving. Regan’s voice screamed through the forest, spurring Gray on.
Gray used the pain to focus his mind and push back the fevered hallucinations. Another voice screamed after Regan. Gray continued to follow the sound, praying with each step to get there in time.
In time for what, he didn’t know. He just knew he had to save her. He had to get to her. It was his fault she was even in Honduras. It was stupid of him to leave her clues when he couldn’t guarantee his own safety, let alone hers.
Gray continued to beat himself up mentally as he stumbled on. Gray cleared the tree line as the last shot rang out.
Chapter Forty
Ben Jackson
Woods surrounding Pulhapanzak Falls Parking Lot
Honduras
Stop talking, Ben thought. But it was too late. Attention had been drawn to the fact that Gracie was no longer held hostage.
Ben watched in horror as Regan ran toward Guy, sending her straight into the line of fire as el jefe straightened himself back up. Her hours spent running came in handy as she sprinted toward her target. Ben knew what she was doing. She thought she needed Guy. She thought he was the ticket to finding Gray.
Ben hated himself up for leaving Gray behind. If only he had helped Gray, all of them would be long gone by now. They’d be back on Ben’s plane and headed for home.
But Ben hadn’t made the right decision. His life was a string of bad choices. All choices made to benefit him and him only. He’d never put anyone else’s happiness or security above his own.
For the first time, Ben regretted it as he watched Regan running toward danger. Maybe she thought she was invincible. Or maybe, just maybe, she loved Gray so much that her own safety didn’t matter.
Ben watched the scene unfold like a movie. Regan yelling. Gracie screaming. Guy reaching for Gracie when he saw her emerge from the woods.
And worst of all. El jefe changing his target. The gun moved from pointing at Guy’s chest to Regan’s back.
For the first time in his life, Ben made a decision to help someone else. He eyed his target and sighted his gun on el jefe himself. Ben knew it would mean his own death. He knew he wouldn’t just get to walk away after killing the leader of the world’s largest drug cartel. Eventually, he’d be found and executed.
That was okay with him. As long as he could save Regan before dying himself.
Ben didn’t hesitate as he pulled the trigger.
Chapter Forty-One
Regan Harris
Pulhapanzak Falls Parking Lot
Honduras
I threw my arms out and prepared to tackle Guy. I was in a full sprint, my body never having moved so quickly before. Adrenaline pushed all of my pain aside. I prepared for the brunt of the impact as I lunged. I expected the air to be knocked out of me. I expected it to hurt all over as my body made contact. I channeled every football player I could think of as I went for the tackle.
I lunged.
Pain seared my left shoulder. The sound of the gunshot hitting my ears a second later. I didn’t connect the two. I completed my tackle but only because it was too late to change course. I cried out as our bodies hit and tumbled to the ground.
Gunfire exploded around me. Shouts and screams surrounded me. My vision blurred. My mind blocked out everything going on. I could hear my own heartbeat as it slowed. I felt the warmth as the blood ran down my body.
Chapter Forty-Two
Ben Jackson
Pulhapanzak Falls Parking Lot
Honduras
Ben pulled the trigger. El jefe dropped to the ground. Ben watched, making sure his aim was true before taking cover.
Frank dove to the ground and covered his head with his hands, the only protection he had in the open space. Michael took two steps and then leaped into the air. He landed on Regan and used his body as a shield for hers. Guy was pinned down under the weight of both of them.
Ben dropped back down to the ground as el jefe’s men tur
ned to fire in their direction. Liam and Jax fired next to him. The shots, at close range, made his ears ring.
Ben watched a body fall, he assumed Liam’s shot was true to its target while Jax’s missed. One guard provided cover fire while the other dragged el jefe to the nearest vehicle. Ben ran from the woods and opened fire. He pulled the trigger over and over again while the car sped away. Even after the magazine was empty, he pulled the trigger to nothing but clicks coming from the gun.
Movement brought Ben out of his daze. He watched as Gray stumbled out of the woods and toward Regan. Tears ran down his face at her still form on the ground. He scrambled forward as if he couldn’t reach her fast enough. His energy sapped, he fell to the ground. Gray tried to push himself up but fell back again.
Ben ran forward to help pull him up. Another pair of hands pulled Gray from the other side.
Gracie. Gracie and Ben took Gray’s weight and moved him to Regan, his feet dragging on the ground between them.
Gray fell to his knees beside Regan. Her left side was covered in blood.
Please God, Ben prayed, summing it all up in those two words.
Michael moved out of the way as Gray ripped open Regan’s shirt to find the bullet wound. The bullet entered the fleshy part of her shoulder. Ben breathed a sigh of relief as Gray pulled her off Guy and up to look at her back. Michael helped bear the weight since Gray was so weak. He touched Gray’s arms, as if to confirm he was really there, but Gray never noticed him. Gray only had eyes for Regan.
Guy scrambled up and out of the way. He pulled out a cell phone and called for help. The words barely registered in Ben’s mind. Gracie stood next to him, holding his arm. Ben thought she was afraid to let go of him. Like he would disappear again if she broke the physical connection.
Ben relaxed at the sight of Regan’s back. A through and through.
Regan’s eyes fluttered open and Ben’s heart almost stopped in relief. Gray laughed, the tension and stress needing a relief.
Regan reached her hand up and patted Gray’s cheek. Gray held her hand against his cheek. Love passed between them as their eyes locked on each other.
“You’re not looking so good, babe,” Regan said.
“I’m not feeling so hot,” Gray replied.
“You feel like fire, Gray.” Worry clouded her face at the realization he was burning up.
“You always have to have the last word.” Gray smiled at Regan. “You found me,” he said.
“Looks like you actually found me.” Regan smiled and then groaned.
“Help’s on the way,” Guy said.
Ben watched the two, clearly in love and happy just to be together. Ben took a small step back and then another, fading into the woods. Liam and Jax stood hugging, comforting one another as Ben walked by. Neither noticed as he left.
Ben retrieved his bag from the stolen vehicle, taking a moment to wipe down the inside for any fingerprints. He took one last look back toward the parking area before turning and leaving.
Chapter Forty-Three
Regan Harris
Magari Private Jet
Somewhere over Mexico
I took a moment to straighten Gray’s blanket, the task made more difficult with only one hand. My other was secure in a sling until it healed.
I’d been lucky. We’d been lucky. My bullet wound was actually pretty minor compared to what could’ve happened. Gray’s infection was under control, and, after a few weeks of rest, his full strength would return.
Michael and Frank sat across the aisle from us. Gray and I spent more than a week being interrogated by local and national police about the experience. Other than Liam and Jax, the others had left us hung out to dry.
I still felt anger at Michael and Frank for deserting the parking lot that day. Along with Gracie and Guy, they’d left us there to await help. Because of their business choices in the US, they couldn’t risk being held and interrogated.
Although, Michael did hire the best lawyers in Honduras to help us navigate the legal system. Thanks to his money, we’d been held in a hotel rather than in the local jail until the facts could be sorted out. The American Embassy stepped in and granted Gray a temporary passport. We’d been allowed to leave the country, for which I was eternally grateful. We’d probably want to think twice before visiting again, though.
The anger still simmered. Because of their actions thirty years ago, Gray, Passion and I all almost lost our lives. It irked me even now to share the plane with them, but it was for Gray’s sake, not mine. It would’ve been awful on Gray to try and fly commercially. It would take a lot of time and prayer to forgive them, but I promised myself I would. Eventually. Maybe.
Liam and Jax were released before us. Liam’s career as a policeman helped clear the way for him. While Jax never did anything seriously wrong since her shot had missed her target.
I’d thought everyone would’ve been more receptive to the fact that we’d uncovered a drug ring and helped stall out its operation.
I was wrong.
We were treated as criminals, and the whole experience was almost scarier than trying to find Gray in the first place. For a moment, I thought I was bound to spend my life in a foreign prison.
I shivered at the thought.
G and G Brewery and Hostel was raided. Drugs were found in boxes in Guy’s extra bedroom. They were hiding in plain sight as what Ben and I thought was just old junk. Neither he nor Gracie had been seen since. We never did find out if and how they got out of the country. Guy’s plane was still at the airport when we departed.
Ben was also missing. I’d tried calling his cell phone numerous times to say thank you, but the number was disconnected. I Googled his office number and tried it but was told he was out of the office and would return my call. I didn’t believe that for a second. And, so far, he hadn’t called me back.
Ben was officially gone. I wished him well. He saved the day by committing horrible acts and taking lives. I prayed for his soul. It couldn’t have been easy for him.
“Regan,” Michael interrupted my thoughts. “We didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I hope you know that we are truly sorry.”
It was the thousandth time he’d apologized. I still didn’t want to hear it. I’d held my tongue for the others, but I could feel it bubbling up and out of me now. If I didn’t let it out on them, I’d end up pacing the aisle and ripping my hair out.
“Was it worth it?” I asked.
“What?” Michael asked, confused.
“Whatever you were trying to accomplish by sending Guy away. From what I can see, no. Your relationship with Frank is strained. Your relationship with Gray is probably over. Ours is. So, I ask again, was it worth it?”
Michael took a deep breath, preparing to counter me but thought better of it. His mouth snapped closed. “No,” he finally said.
“Think about that next time you hold a man’s life in your hands,” I said quietly.
“I never thought this would be the outcome all those years ago. I thought I was making the better choice by just not killing him then,” Michael said.
Michael’s frankness took me by surprise. “You replaced one bad decision with another! Murder or exile? None of us are safe now. If el jefe, whoever he is, didn’t die, he will find us and kill us. Guy could come back for us. Our lives are worse off because of one bad decision thirty years ago.”
I’d tried to tell the authorities my theory on el jefe. His English was spoken without an accent although he tried to fake it at times. He wore colored contacts and had a fake tan. I didn’t believe for a minute he was Colombian or Honduran. I thought he was actually Caucasian and blending into society with different disguises. It was why no one knew exactly what he looked like.
In my opinion, it was the perfect disguise. No one had ever lived to identify him before us, but I didn’t think that even mattered. With small changes to his looks, he would be able blend in anywhere as an American Expatriate. With a few other subtle changes, he could pass fo
r Greek or Italian or Mediterranean. El jefe’s face was probably seen hundreds of times a day. Just no one realized who they were actually seeing.
Gray reached out and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back, taking comfort in the small touch. I kept my mouth shut the rest of the flight home. I had more to say but now wasn’t the time. I concentrated on Gray and his getting well.
Epilogue
Regan Harris
Las Vegas, Nevada
“Let’s just get away. Get away and do something good.” Gray flopped back against a stack of pillows.
“Like what?” I asked. I rolled over to face him in bed. We were back in our room at the Magari Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, recuperating after our whirlwind trip to Honduras. Gray was still weak from being stabbed weeks ago but was on the mend. Panic bubbled up in my every time I thought of how close I came to losing him only days after our wedding.
“Let’s go volunteer somewhere. Help someone who really needs it. I need to be surrounded by... something better. Something good.”
I understood his itch. Our lives had taken a twisted turn lately. We needed something positive in our lives. Something that wasn’t surrounded by death and fear.
“Are you up for a trip? You’re still recovering,” I pointed out. I ran my finger along the scar on his abdomen. The stitches had been removed but an angry red line still marred his perfect body. One day I hoped to be able to look at it without fear coursing through my blood.
“I’ll mend quicker if I could get out of this room.” Gray waved his hand to indicate our cell. We’d been trapped in here while he rested. Personally, I was sick of watching movies and seeing the tacky hotel room décor. I wanted to take him to my parents’ house, but at the time he’d been too weak from an infection for another plane ride.
