Gradually, the dense trees began to spread out little by little and then a clearing opened up to reveal a village, populated with huts similar to the ones in the rebel camp.
Gabe felt eyes watching him and steeled himself for an ambush. “Here, hold Alexis.”
Cassidy took the still-sleeping child and Gabe shifted the machete for easier access and then felt for his gun in the belt at his back. “They know we’re here. I just hope they ask questions before they start shooting or tossing spears.” Rushing water gurgled from the river to his left; a dog barked and the squeal of a pig came from one of the huts. “All right. Follow my lead.”
Hands in plain sight to present a nonthreatening appearance, Gabe stepped into the clearing. Their arrival stirred the interest of several children who eyed them curiously then scattered in various directions.
A dark-skinned man, lean and strong-looking, emerged from the hut at the far end of the village. Gabe felt Cassidy start at the sight of the spear in the native’s left hand. He placed a firm hand on the small of her back to propel her forward.
Silent dark eyes watched their approach. The native eyed the child in Cassidy’s arms then held up his spear. Gabe immediately stopped. Cassidy followed suit.
“Why do you enter our village?”
Gabe blinked at the perfect English and responded in kind. “We need to find the missionaries Jorge and Selena Manuez.”
The dark eyes never changed, but the spear shifted higher. “And your purpose with them is?”
Before Gabe could answer, Cassidy offered, “This is Gabriel, I’m Cassidy and this is Alexis. The Manuezes were friends of Alexis’s parents.”
“Alexis?”
The woman’s breathy question turned all four heads in her direction.
Cassidy stared at the pretty, heavyset woman bearing down on them. She huddled Alexis closer and readied herself to run.
“Is that Alexis?” Panting gasps escaped as she held out dark brown arms in the child’s direction. Full brown lips pulled into a beaming smile.
Alexis, awake and frowning at the woman, wrapped her arms around Cassidy’s neck, shook her head and said, “No, stay, my Cass-ty.”
Immediately the arms dropped, but the smile remained and the woman’s dark eyes locked with Cassidy’s. “Cassidy? Kara and Jacob’s friend.”
Cassidy knew immediately who this was. “Selena.”
The chubby sun-browned round face creased into a smile, showing every wrinkle this kind woman had earned over her lifetime, which Cassidy judged to be around sixty years.
Selena turned toward the native who had originally greeted them when they entered the village and shooed him gently away. Cassidy thought she saw humor in the old eyes before he turned to leave, but couldn’t be sure. She turned back to the smiling woman.
“Selena, I’m so glad to meet you. This is Gabe and yes, this is Alexis.”
The smile disappeared and tears pooled for a moment before Selena blinked them away. “Kara, oh, I do miss her. Well,” she sniffed, “come, come. Our hut is this way. I saw the little blond girl and knew who this must be.”
Cassidy hefted Alexis higher and wearily offered Gabe a smile. “Well, we made it.”
He brushed the hair from her eyes. “Yeah, now we’ve got to make that plane.”
Cassidy nodded and started after the bustling woman, whose bright red, brown and yellow muumuu swayed with her every step. “I can’t wait to get home and get everything finalized. And I’m dying to brush my teeth.”
She stepped into the darkness of the hut and noticed it was much nicer than the one she’d been held captive in. This one actually had a small bathroom attached. A curtain down the middle separated the sleeping quarters from the living.
Selena waved them in. “Jorge, we have company.”
Jorge emerged from behind the curtain, a short stocky man whose smile matched his wife’s. Dark brown eyes twinkled with curiosity. Selena said, “Jorge, meet Kara and Jacob’s friend, Cassidy. You remember we witnessed the new will they made out naming Cassidy as guardian if something happened to them? And this is Gabe.”
The men shook hands and Jorge offered Alexis a smile.
“Good to meet you,” Gabe offered. “Unfortunately, we probably bring trouble with us. We just need a jeep or some kind of transportation then we’ll be out of here. Or your lives may be in danger for helping us.”
Jorge frowned. “Oh? Well, danger’s never stopped us before.”
Selena stepped forward and told Cassidy, “Feel free to use the bathroom. There are washcloths and extra toothbrushes on the shelf behind the sink. There is plenty of soap and water, so you can wash your hair if you like.”
Cassidy smiled at Selena and said, “Thank you.” She looked at Gabe. “What do you think? Do we have time?”
He shook his head. “Just for the basics. No time to linger.”
Jorge spoke up. “Selena, pack some food for our friends and I will see if I can find a jeep. They must get going.”
Selena headed for the kitchen. While she loaded down a small sack, Cassidy asked, “Do you know where I can find some diapers?”
Selena laughed. “We have many children in the village, I will find some for you.” She handed Cassidy the packed food and hurried out the door, promising to be right back.
Jorge came back as Selena left. “No jeep. We have one in the village and it’s not working.” He stepped into the kitchen and said, “Sit for a moment. Eat something while you can. Let’s think.” He placed fruit and bread on the small table and after everyone was seated said a short blessing.
“Our Father in heaven, we ask Your blessing on this food and these young ones on the run for their lives. Place Your protection around them. Confuse their enemies. Give our new friends safe passage home. In Your precious son’s name, Amen.”
“Amen,” Cassidy whispered.
Gabe shifted on his seat, the beautiful simplicity of the prayer grabbing his heart. Was God listening? He shrugged off the thought, promising himself that he would deal with it later. Gabe held on to the soggy child while Cassidy finished her food, every once in a while feeding a bite to Alexis, who gobbled it down with delight.
He couldn’t help stealing a glance at Cassidy every now and then. He realized he admired her. Her maternal feelings for the child were clearly displayed on her face, in her actions, and his chest ached at the thought of someone doing her harm. “You may have your hands full trying to feed this one. She’s got a healthy appetite,” Gabe teased.
Cassidy’s green gaze rose to lock with his and he had to work to ignore the false feeling of family. The door to the hut banged open and Gabe jumped, his hand reaching automatically for the weapon at his back, his other arm curved around the child. Selena hurried in and shut the door. She held pins and burp cloths that would function as diapers for Alexis. Cassidy took the items, but Gabe saw the worry stamped on the missionary’s leathery features. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
“There are men on the way. They are powerful men with many guns. Our village does not have a way to defend itself against such machines. You must hide. Jorge, show them where they must go—and tell them about the motorcycle.”
Jorge jumped up and ordered, “Selena, get rid of the dishes.” Then to the others, “You three follow me.”
Selena hurried to comply while the others followed Jorge behind the room’s dividing curtain. The old man’s knees popped as he knelt and reached under the bed and pulled out a box, then two more. Finally, he pulled out a piece of wood that was square and about three feet by three feet. It matched the floor’s grooves and lines perfectly.
Jorge grunted and hurried to explain. “Due to all the violence in this area, Selena and I knew we may need a way out. It’s a tunnel about fifteen feet deep, but once you get down there, it is only about four feet tall. You will have to crouch. It is approximately one mile long. It will lead you to the river. Once there, you will have to climb up some log steps and push hard on the piece of wood co
vering the exit. It will be difficult because of the growth, but if you push hard enough, it will move. Look for a motorcycle. It’s hidden near the exit.”
Gabe sucked in a breath. Fifteen feet deep. Great. He kept his thoughts to himself and said, “Don’t fight them. Tell them what they want to know. They’ll kill you if you don’t.”
“The Lord will be with us.”
Gabe narrowed his eyes and secretly thought that Kara and Jacob probably thought the same thing. Then he turned his gaze on Cassidy. She stood trembling but holding it together.
A gunshot echoed from somewhere outside the small hut. Jorge paled and Cassidy jumped. Jorge pushed them toward the floor. “Hurry, go, go. I must cover the hole back up.”
Gabe took Alexis from Cassidy’s arms and motioned for her to crawl under the bed and down into the hole. She hesitated, terror written all over her.
Men yelling. Gunshots. The explosion. Then the gun in his ear. Gabe blinked against the harsh flashes and shoved the memories aside. He couldn’t fail again.
Cassidy finally scrambled under the bed and then Gabe heard her call in a shaky voice, “Okay, send Alexis down.”
Gabe quickly passed the child down to Cassidy.
Cassidy held her breath and caught Alexis as Gabe eased her down into the darkness. Gabe’s pack and the bag containing the food landed on the mud floor near her feet. She stepped back, hugging the little girl close as she waited for Gabe to follow.
Coarse shouts and loud banging sounded from somewhere above. “Abra a porta!”
The rapid-fire Portuguese sizzled Cassidy’s nerves. Open the door, he’d shouted. Rafael. She’d know that guttural, harsh voice anywhere. She swallowed back the nausea. Now wasn’t the time for panic.
Gabe dropped beside her and grabbed up his pack to slide it over his shoulder. Wood scraped against wood as Jorge slid the door back into place, darkness enveloping Cassidy so quickly she gasped.
Thuds and stomps above told Cassidy that the men were searching. Had Jorge been able to move fast enough to slide the boxes back under the bed?
“No one is here!”
The scream punctured the floor, the sound so heartrending, Cassidy took an unconscious step back toward the opening. Gabe dragged her back, pulling her close, his warm breath whispering against her ear, “We can’t go back.”
“But we can’t just leave them, they’ll kill them.” The desire to get Alexis to safety warred with the desperate need to help the two people who had risked so much for her.
“Jorge will handle it. Go before they find us.”
Cassidy shivered in the dankness, the reality of their situation lodging in her throat and stealing her breath. Fifteen feet underground. Mud, dirt, decay. All they lacked was the coffin. She gave a violent shudder.
Alexis whimpered and Cassidy patted her back, knowing she’d risk anything for this little girl. “Okay. Let’s go.”
She put one foot in front of the other, following the sound of Gabe moving ahead until she heard a thud, then a grunt. “Gabe, you okay?”
She ran into his back, smashing her nose against hard muscles. “Ouch.”
“Hold on, this is where the tunnel narrows. I just found out the hard way. I have a lighter here somewhere.”
Alexis gave another mewling whimper, “Mama? Want Mama.”
Cassidy fought tears and struggled to breathe in the suffocating darkness. “I know, baby, I know.”
A light flickered on and Cassidy gave a strangled shriek. Damp mud walls were alive with roaches as big as her thumb. “I think I was better off not knowing what was down here. Turn the light off, Gabe. Please!” She felt the hysteria building and swallowed to contain it.
“Here, give me Alexis.” Gabe let the light flicker out and took the child. Cassidy grabbed his belt in a death grip. She crouched to follow as best she could, and while Gabe whispered assurances to Alexis, Cassidy took them to heart.
“Please, Jesus, get us out of here.” Cassidy didn’t even realize she’d started praying aloud until she heard her voice echo off the walls.
“That’s it, just keep praying. Do what you have to do to keep calm. We’re going to be fine. I have to turn the light back on, so get ready.”
Cassidy tensed, but kept walking. She heard the scrape of the lighter that once again lit up the underground. Cassidy struggled to focus on his voice and not her current location. Gabe spoke. “Okay, there’s a turn up ahead, just a slight curve to the right.”
Cassidy felt light-headed, short of breath. And her back was killing her from walking in the stooped position. Alexis began to wail. Cassidy panted, trying desperately to take even breaths even while feeling the panic rise to overwhelm her. Her heartbeat threatened to explode from her chest. Dizziness made her stumble and she felt the moisture of a cold sweat break across her neck. Harsh voices echoed down the tunnel to send more shivers of fear dancing across her nerves.
“I hear them. How much farther, Gabe?” she whispered.
“Not much, I don’t think.”
The light flickered and died. Gabe rasped it again as they made their way around the curve. Cassidy kept a tight rein on her nerves, but was starting to lose the battle. Alexis started crying and Cassidy ached to hold her and reassure her. She whispered, “It’s all right, baby.”
“That’s it, Cass. You can do this,” he encouraged.
She didn’t agree, but decided to keep up the prayers and do her best to ignore her surroundings.
NINE
“Gabe, stop. I can’t breathe. I’m sorry. Just stop for a minute.” Cassidy’s hitched whisper brought him back around to face her. Gabe shifted Alexis. Her cries had faded to whimpers. He had to let the lighter flicker out.
Panicked gasps whistled from Cassidy’s lips and Gabe ground his back teeth. He vowed to make those responsible pay for doing this to her. He grabbed her hand and pulled. He said, “Keep it together for Alexis, Cass. They’re coming. We need to hurry.”
“Alexis, right. Okay. I can do this, I can.”
“Go. Too dark. Mama? Don’t like,” Alexis whined.
Gabe flicked on his lighter again and listened to her harsh breathing. He was relieved she seemed able to keep her terror under control. Panic attacks were no fun at all. He could relate. Gabe let the light go out and they marched together in the dark, in the awkwardly stooped position for the next fifteen or so minutes, keeping just ahead of the noises behind them. He stopped and reached for the lighter again. “We should be almost at the end. Let me take a look.”
The small flame revealed the end of the tunnel. The log steps were directly in front of him. Steep, but manageable.
“Thank God,” he whispered under his breath.
Alexis squirmed in his arms, anxious to get down. He passed her to Cassidy and said, “I think we’re only about five minutes ahead of them. I don’t hear anything. Let me go up and get the top open, then I’ll come back and help you two up. Can you handle it for about a minute?”
“Of course.” She was being a good sport.
Gabe paused and listened again. Still nothing. They were probably listening for them. He had to hurry. Without any further hesitation, he scaled the steps and reached up to feel the hard piece of wood covering their exit. With a grunt, he shoved, but nothing happened.
Straining, he shoved again. Nothing.
“Gabe?”
“Yeah?”
“I hear them again. They’re getting really close!”
Adrenaline surged and he realized that saving Cassidy and Alexis was out of his hands. He begged, “God, if You’re listening, I could really use some help here. Please.”
“Gabe!” Panic surged in her voice. “They’re getting closer. I can see a flashlight. I’m coming up.”
Gabe took a deep breath and shoved with everything in him, praying at the same time. The wood moved, popped up and shifted to the right. Dirt and debris rained down on him and fresh air surged over him. Sweat ran off him in rivulets.
“Thank You, God
.” Maybe God did listen after all.
By this time, Cassidy was right behind him, the strain of climbing with Alexis in one arm and pulling herself up with the other evident on her already drawn features. The steps were spaced diagonally enough that it was possible to climb this way, just difficult.
Gabe grabbed Alexis and pushed her through the opening off to the side. She whined and started crying. Gabe hauled himself out and set her on the ground beside him. He quickly turned back to the hole to help Cassidy.
“Gabe! They’re right behind me!”
Gabe could hear the clatter and pounding feet below him. Cassidy’s hands stretched through the opening, and Gabe grabbed both wrists and pulled to haul her up. She jerked against his hands.
“He’s got my foot!” she screamed. “Pull!”
He felt her kick; her wrists slipped. No! Please, don’t let me lose her, God. Gabe looked down through the opening to see a bearded, leering face contorted into an evil grin. A rough hand held Cassidy’s booted foot; the other hand swung a snub-nosed pistol up to center on Gabe’s heart. Cassidy twisted, one wrist slipped from his grip. Terrified, he grabbed for it, but she flailed her arm wildly, and the rebel below her clamped hard on the foot he still held. At least Cassidy’s flailing threw the man’s aim off. The bullet went over his head.
Gabe was determined not to let go of Cassidy’s wrist—even if it meant dislocating her shoulder. Then, as though in slow motion, Gabe watched Cassidy bring her other booted foot around and smash it into the man’s chin. A harsh scream echoed up from the tunnel as the rebel dropped down the steps to land on the hard-packed earth below. Gabe gave one last desperate pull and Cassidy popped through the opening, panting; mud and sweat covered her face. She scrambled away from the hole and Gabe moved fast.
He shoved the wood back into place and looked for something heavy to place on top of it. He urged Cassidy, “Shove all the dirt you can on top.”
She quickly complied and Gabe noticed a fallen tree to his right. The trunk was thick, about six feet in diameter, and it definitely looked heavy. He just hoped he could move it. Straddling the log, he reached down and wrapped his arms around the base.
Lethal Deception Page 6
