Taylor’s eyes were fixed on a point over Delta’s shoulder, and as Delta turned to see what she was looking at, Taylor muttered, “I sure as hell hope help is somewhere nearby.”
When Delta turned around, she found herself immediately staring down the barrel of a rifle. “Oh, shit.”
“Oh shit,” Gina cursed when she and Logan helped everyone into the boat. “Where are they?” she demanded, grabbing Megan by the shoulders and staring into her eyes. “Be straight with me, Megan. All Sal would tell me is that we’re in trouble. Are they dead?”
Without warning, Megan’s eyes filled with tears, and she quickly updated Gina about the explosion and Connie’s decision to go back after Delta and Taylor.
When Megan finished, Gina took both of Megan’s hands in hers and inhaled slowly, attempting some semblance of composure for Megan, for herself, and for the baby within her. “So, Connie went back?”
Megan nodded. “I’m sorry, Gina, but no one could stop her.”
“Nor should you have.” Gina’s eyes filled as she smiled warmly at her friend. “If Connie believes Delta is still alive, then we must believe also.”
Megan looked down and shook her head. She was running out of faith and hope. “I believed when Delta fell into the water, but this…”
Gina shook her head. “You believed because of what you saw. You saw Delta plunge into the water, therefore you believed she could be alive.”
“But—.”
Gina shook her head and held her hand up, signaling for Megan to stop. “No, hear me out. You saw the cavern beginning to collapse, and you believe Delta and Taylor could never have survived it.”
Megan nodded.
“For Connie, seeing isn’t believing. It’s always been about how she feels, and Connie’s feelings have seldom been wrong. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counted on her feelings to do what was best for us. Her spirit guide is a very intelligent source of direction for her. She trusts it. So do I.”
Megan looked down into Gina’s brown eyes, wondering how this woman could stand here so poised when their lovers could be dead, lost forever to them. She’d always know of the deep bond between Delta and Connie but hadn’t ever given much thought to how two women so different could be so connected. It wasn’t until Megan met Tamar and spent time with the Bribri that she’d given any thought to the spiritual component of life. As a prostitute, only the physical was important. The corporeal world had been her bread and butter, her flesh her greatest attribute. When she met Delta, Megan finally allowed herself the chance to know emotional fulfillment as well. She learned what love felt like, and how to give it as well as receive it. Even then, Megan held no spiritual beliefs. She didn’t care if there was a higher power or Supreme Being. All that mattered was learning how to love, how to live a completely new life, and how to accept the many changes Delta Stevens had brought about.
And now, another layer of life was unfolding for her, giving her a little more hope that maybe Delta still lived.
“As it stands, Meg, there are people who could use our help, and that’s what we need to be doing now, not worrying about our partners.”
“So, what now?” Megan asked, as Sal and Logan appeared from the cabin of the small fishing boat.
Gina turned and introduced Logan to Megan and the others. “This is the other man in Sal’s life.”
Logan, short and stocky with a thick head of black hair and a fu manchu mustache extended in his hairy hand. “Heard a lot about you ladies. Josh promised this would add some adventure to my life. He wasn’t kidding.”
Megan took his hand and grinned. “Your boat?”
Logan nodded. “Sorta. And I’d like to keep it in one piece, so we better get moving.”
Megan’s heart raced. “Moving? We can’t go anywhere yet. Not without the others.”
Logan shook his head. “Darlin’, if we stay here and catch a bullet in the engine, we’re all going down. We have to get these people some help, and we gotta give ourselves some distance from them guns.”
Megan turned to Sal, who nodded before handing Megan a pair of binoculars. When Megan looked through them, she saw Josh and Carducci pinned behind some rocks. Raising the binoculars slightly, she could see about a dozen muzzle flashes coming from the fringes of the forest, as the Colombians made their way closer to the two men on the beach.
“Oh my God,” Megan muttered, lowering the binoculars. “They’ll be killed.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Gina asked Logan.
Logan shook his head. “Nope. Nothin’ we can do from here. We’ve already radioed for help. There ought to be so many government agencies crashin’ this party, we’ll feel crowded in this damn sea.”
A familiar beating sound could be heard in the distance.
“There’s nothing more we can do, but plenty the Panamanians can do.” Lowering the binoculars, Logan grinned. “When we called the Costa Rican cavalry, we told them Nicaraguan drug runners were attacking a group of American and German tourists. Both groups bring lot of tourist dough, so we thought that, if the government felt their cash cow was being milked dry by Nicos or Colombians, they’d hurry their little selves right up. And look. Here they come now.”
Over the crest of the mountain, two helicopters flew just above the canopy of the forest. Megan watched through the binoculars as the Colombians retreated back into the forest. “But what about Josh and Carducci? Costa Ricans think they’re Nicaraguans?”
Logan shook his head. “Just watch, Josh. He knows what to do.”
As Megan focused on the two men, she watched in silent amazement as Josh covered Carducci with sand before burrowing in it himself.
“Josh is one helluva soldier,” Logan said, with pride.
Suddenly, the radio jumped to life, and Logan picked up the mic and rattled something in Spanish. “I told the authorities we’re the tour group who called and will be headed into port shortly.”
“Did they say if they saw the Colombians?” Gina asked.
Logan shook his head. “It’s just a recon for now. They aren’t likely to share military info with a bunch of tourists. The only problem is we have to get this baby to port before either the Panamanians or the Costa Ricans send someone after us. Trust me, we don’t want to spend a single second in a Latin American jail. We have a hell of a lot of explaining to do as it is.”
Megan turned to Gina and searched her face for some sign of reassurance. Surely they weren’t thinking of leaving the five of them out there.
“Gene?”
Gina sighed and looked at Logan. “What about the others?”
Logan’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t used to dealing with so many emotions during a battle. In Nam, decisions had to be practical. “We’ll have to come back.”
Megan shook her head. “That’s not acceptable.”
“Neither is being detained. I’m sorry, Megan, but there’s no other way.”
Everyone fell silent as the realization of what they must do began sinking in. Logan looked from Megan to Gina and back again. It didn’t appear as if practical was going to win out.
“Wait a minute,” Sal said as she peered into the open ocean with her binoculars. “I think I see the answer to our prayers.”
“Start saying your prayers, bitch.”
Delta gulped loudly. She’d felt this way only once before in her life, and the same gripping fear seized her heart as she looked at the barrel pointing not twelve inches from her face. It appeared, for all intents and purposes, that the game was over.
“What a nice surprise,” the soldier said in perfect English, not moving the rifle from Delta’s face. “Look what we found, Carlos. The puta responsible for fucking up the general’s operation.”
From behind the first soldier came Carlos, also pointing a rifle at them. The odds were nearly impossible now, so Delta turned from the rifle and took Taylor’s hands. “I am so sorry.”
Taylor grinned, her pasty color now less apparent. “What? You’re
not gonna kick his ass? I’m disappointed in you, love.”
Delta’s eyes grew wide. Maybe the fever made Taylor incapable of comprehending their hopeless situation.
“Um, Taylor…”
Taylor waved her off with the flick of a wrist. “You know, for being the black belt champ of your department, you sure don’t act like a champion.” Taylor looked disgusted.
Delta cocked her head in confusion. “I’m not—”
“The only way this guy can beat you is with that rifle. We already kicked their sorry asses once. Guess he’s gotta make sure you don’t do it again. Oh, I’m impressed, big macho man.”
Looking in Taylor’s eyes, Delta realized she was trying to buy time. Raising up, Delta turned to face the guard and started laughing. “Go ahead, Paco, shoot us, so you can go home and pretend to be a hero.” Delta watched as the soldier barely lowered the rifle.
“Cowardly cocksucker,” Taylor grumbled, pushing herself against the tree until she was standing on her good leg. Sweat dripped down both sides of her face. “Afraid she’ll take you, asshole?” Taylor’s words were spit out like staples from a gun.
“You’re a stupid bitch,” the soldier growled, handing Carlos his rifle. Carlos barely managed to keep his gun trained on Delta as he placed the other rifle over his shoulder.
“Yeah?” Delta mocked, crossing her arms. “Well, this ‘stupid bitch’ is gonna kick your sorry ass so hard, you’ll look like a hunchback when I’m through with you.”
With that, the soldier lunged for Delta, who sidestepped his wildly errant punch, and rammed his left shoulder into a tree, forcing a loud grunt from him.
“Get him, Del,” Taylor cheered, smiling and waving to Carlos, who kept his rifle on Delta.
The angry bull wheeled around, rage painted on his face.
“Come on, burro breath. I’m just getting warmed up, you pansy-ass piece of shit.” Delta knew about using rage against an opponent. Connie had taught her well, but at what point would Carlos take her out because she was winning? And how long could they go before her opponent decided he was through being embarrassed?
“You’re going to hurt, bitch,” he said, pushing his sleeves up. Glaring angrily at Delta, he swung his right fist, missing but connecting with his left on her shoulder. With a quick motion, Delta swept his legs out from under him, and he landed on his back with a thud. Delta decided to make her move. With her back to Carlos, she did a spin move she’d only seen Connie do in exhibitions. Straightening up, whirling her left leg like a rotor, she kicked the rifle to the side before landing squarely in front of a shocked Carlos.
Grabbing the rifle in her left hand, Delta and Carlos wrestled with it, until Delta headbutted him with the top of her forehead, hitting him squarely on the bridge of his nose. Hearing the crunch of cartilage against bone, Delta waited to feel the other soldier’s grasp on her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Taylor throw her body on the other soldier and claw at his face. As tough as Taylor was, she was no match for the Colombian, who roughly shoved her off him and pulled his boot knife, thrusting immediately toward her chest.
It never arrived.
Before he could bring the knife down, a screaming Connie Rivera came out of nowhere and double-kicked the soldier, both feet landing on his chest. She hit him so hard, she dislocated his left shoulders. The knife fell harmlessly to the ground, and his arm flopped helplessly to his side.
Returning her attention to Carlos, Delta smashed the heel of her hand deep into his bleeding nose, causing him to release the rifle. A second punch to his Adam’s apple and Carlos crumpled to the ground.
Delta flipped the rifle off the ground with her foot, catching it in the air and blowing Carlos’ head off before he knew what hit him. The soldier with the dislocated shoulder reached for the knife with his good hand, and Connie delivered a blow with her heel that snapped his collarbone with a resounding crack.
Whirling, Delta aimed at the grimacing Colombian, who was growling as he rose to his feet, both arms dangling from unusable shoulders.
“You fucking bitches,” he grunted through clenched teeth. He stood unsteadily on his legs and swayed back and forth, looking very much like one of the capuchin monkeys.
Delta tightened her finger on the trigger, but Connie held her hand up. “Don’t.”
Lowering the rifle, Delta looked questioningly at her best friend.
“This pig deserves a more painful death, Storm. One where he has time to think about what they’ve done here.” Connie’s face was taut and unemotional as she spun once and shattered his left kneecap, making him crumple to the forest floor as he screamed from the pain.
“Goddamn it, fucking bitch.”
Connie stood in front of him, her hands jammed on her hips. “I’m getting really tired of your foul mouth, you scumbag.” Leaning over him, she grabbed his ear. “You’re gonna be worm food in a day or so, you asshole. Until then, I want you to remember that you were bested by three women.” Releasing his ear, Connie took two steps away and winked at Delta.
“Cunt,” he said. The word hung in the air like Los Angeles smog.
Connie stopped walking. “He didn’t say the c-word, did he?”
Taylor and Delta nodded. In the blink of an eye, Connie did the backwards spin kick, connecting with a precise blow to the hinge of his jaw. This crunch was the loudest of them all, and the soldier screamed at his face hit the leaves. When he rolled over, his jaw hung limply. His eyes burned with hatred, and face frozen in a grimace of pain.
Looking down at the suffering man, Connie felt Delta slip her hand into Connie’s.
“We hate that word,” Connie said quietly, watching as he passed out. The sounds of the rainforest replaced those of the battlefield as Connie spoke. “You finally believe, don’t you?”
Delta nodded. “It was the earth, wasn’t it? You’ve been waiting for me to understand the lessons from my journey.”
Connie nodded, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “You’re slow to catch on, Storm, but thank the spirits you finally figured it out.” Connie threw her arms around Delta and hugged her tightly. “I knew you made it. You always do.”
Squeezing Connie tightly, Delta lifted her off the ground. “Damn, it’s good to see you!” Lowering Connie back to the soft jungle floor, Delta smiled warmly. “I knew you’d come. I knew you knew we were alive.”
Grinned back, Connie’s eyes filled with tears. “You really think I’d let you have all the fun?”
Delta laughed, “Of course not.”
“Besides, finding another best friend this late in the game isn’t really on my agenda.”
“Glad to hear it.”
A groan caused them both to turn. Taylor pushed herself onto her elbows, sweat streaming down her pain-etched face. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Connie,” Taylor said, her eyes lingering on the battered body of the broken soldier. “I’m glad we’re on the same team. You guys play for keeps.”
As Connie and Delta moved over to help Taylor, they froze as a helicopter flew over.
“Ours or theirs?” Delta asked Connie.
“Can’t tell.”
Taylor wiped the sweat off the side of her face and breathed heavily. “Does anyone here have a plan?”
Connie nodded. “Yep. As a matter of fact, I do.”
“And?”
As Connie knelt beside Taylor, Connie looked up at Delta and grinned. “To stay alive, Taylor.”
“That’s it? That’s your answer?”
Connie shrugged. “For now, it’s the best I can do.”
Pointing toward the horizon, Sal handed Megan the binoculars. “There’s our answer.”
Taking the binoculars, Megan scanned the ocean until her eyes settled on what appeared to be another old fishing boat. “That?”
Logan, who was also peering through binoculars grinned and nodded. “I can hear what you’re thinking, Salamander.”
Gina, who didn’t have binoculars, demanded, “What? What?”
As Megan and Logan both lowered their binoculars, Sal explained, “It’s an old fishing boat.”
“And?”
Logan finished Sal’s explanation. “We need to get these women to medical help, right? But we don’t want to leave them to fend for themselves. So, we pay the skipper of the boat to let us board and keep it out here until nightfall.”
“That way,” Sal continued, “Logan can take this boat in and get these people help, while the rest of us lay low until nightfall, when we go in and get Josh and Carducci. We’ll just be giving up one boat for another.” Sal lifted the binoculars up when she finished.
Megan glanced at the shore before stepping closer to Logan. “Surely, we can’t afford to sit around in an old fishing boat all day. What about Josh and Tony?”
Logan shook his head. “If those choppers scare the Colombians back into the jungle, Josh and Tony oughtta be safe until we can swing around to get ’em. But going in before dark would be suicide.”
Megan sighed and reached for Gina’s hand. “So that’s it? We get these people out of here and spend the rest of the day in a smelly fishing boat, hoping that the Panamanians and whoever else are threatening enough to keep Zahn at bay?”
Gina took Megan’s hand and squeezed it. “It’s better than leaving them.”
Megan looked at the beach and sighed. “Okay. But the moment it’s dark, we’re getting those guys off that beach.”
“At least those choppers kept those bastards from coming on the beach,” Carducci said, spitting sand out of his mouth.
When the firing stopped and the helicopter’s rotors faded in the distance, Josh lifted his head from the sand and looked over at Carducci. “Yeah. For the moment. You okay?”
Carducci nodded. “What in the hell was that all about?”
“Logan musta seen we were pinned and called in the forces. If it had been theirs, they woulda pressed forward instead of returning like they did. That chopper belonged to someone our nasty Colombian buddies want no part of.”
Storm Surge (Delta Stevens Crime Logs Book 6) Page 21
