I had hoped you wouldn’t hear that, he thought.
So…what? You thought that you would just rescue your brother and I would never find out the plan? We’re all in this together, Liliana shot back silently.
He took a deep breath and slowly released it. “You’re right.” He sat on the edge of the bed beside her. “It’s just that…I’ve been trying to consider the best plan of action, and I seem to keep coming back to the same idea.”
“And that is?”
“I think the only way to get Toby out, is to let them kidnap me, too.”
Liliana was silent for a moment, in an attempt to comprehend what he had just said. “Kidnap you?—We’re going to Mexico to try to rescue your kidnapped brother, and you want to get yourself kidnapped as well?—You…you understand that sounds a little crazy, right?”
“I do, but there is actually a rhyme and a reason to my scheme. I think it just might work.”
“Okay, well, before you go and do anything completely crazy, let’s make sure that we have a plan that will definitely work. I don’t want a plan that ‘just might work'.” She looked into his eyes. “I want to make sure that I get you back safely.”
“Say that again.”
“Say what again?”
“You said that you want me.”
“I did not!” She giggled and slapped his arm. “I said I want to make sure that I get you back safely!”
He shrugged and leaned in toward her. “Same thing.”
Just as Liliana thought that this was finally going to be their first kiss, they both looked up when they heard voices at the door. A few seconds later, Eddie and Grace entered the room. They were dressed in their Air Force Blues and sported beaming smiles.
Eddie grinned. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”
Tyler sighed. “Not at all.”
*****
From the edge of the gas station parking lot where pavement met sand, the desert presented itself to Liliana as a future of vast and uncertain possibilities. She watched a large collection of tumbleweed roll past and was surprised at the amount of greenery that dotted the terrain. A large jackrabbit darted back and forth between prickly trees and cacti while a hawk circled overhead. According to the map, the low lying mountains, in the distance were their final destination. Somewhere amongst the canyons and caves was the compound.
Liliana sighed as she thought about Tyler. He was ready to put himself in danger and literally hand himself over to the enemy. Grace had reassured her that everything would be okay, and Liliana knew that she spoke the truth, but she was also aware that Grace’s visions of the future could change as other events occurred. A vision of the future wasn’t set in stone.
She hadn’t heard his approach and was startled when he spoke, from close behind. “I’ll be fine.” She turned to find him directly behind her. She was surprised that she hadn’t sensed his presence.
“You must have been having a good daydream. I’m surprised that you didn’t hear me thinking about you.”
“You were thinking about me?”
“I was.” He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Turn around and tell me what you see out there.”
Liliana looked out, toward the mountains. It wasn’t Seattle; the mountains weren’t as lush and green, and there was no ocean, but it was beautiful in its own right. “I see a desert and some cactus.”
Tyler stepped in, close behind, and wrapped his arms around her. This was the first time he had physically reached out to her, and she felt a slight thrill at his touch. Wrapped tight in his embrace, she felt safe. She knew the sense of security was a façade to her peace of mind, but she savored the moment, knowing that this might be the last time they would be together.
“I see a desert, too. You know what else I see? I see the future. Out there, we have the opportunity to take back our lives. We have the opportunity to stand up to the IIA and let them know that they aren’t going to control us. I’m done running, and if putting myself in danger is what it’s going to take, to keep us all safe, then that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m going to be fine. And one day, hopefully soon, you can show me that beach of yours.” With his arms still around her, he gave her a gentle squeeze.
She turned in his embrace to face him. “I hope you’re right. I really do.” Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She glanced over and sighed. Eddie and Grace were headed their way. Her brief moment of peaceful reverie with Tyler was over.
“Well, the car’s all gassed up and ready to go,” Eddie announced. Tyler released her from his embrace but continued to stand close. If Eddie noticed the obvious fact that she and Tyler had become more than just friends, he didn’t say anything. “I guess we need to sit down and finalize our plan.”
Before he could say more, an old, green Chevy truck pulled in, beside them. When the swirling dirt cleared, Liliana noted two men in the front seat and two more in the bed of the truck. Their dirt-smeared faces gave the appearance that they had just come from working in the nearby fields.
The driver called out something, in Spanish, and Eddie took a step forward. He called something back, in Spanish, and all of the men in the truck laughed. Their exchange of dialogue went back and forth a few more times, and then the driver gave a final laugh and drove away.
“What was that all about?” Grace asked.
“They wanted to know how much they could pay to buy you girls.”
Grace looked astonished. “Buy us? You’re serious?”
“Yeah, two pretty girls like you…You’d go for a pretty penny.”
“And they were ready to pay you?”
“Sure. Unfortunately, a slave market does exist down here. Girls get kidnapped and sold. They probably would have paid for you and then turned around and sold you to someone else.”
Liliana watched the truck drive out of sight. “What did you say?”
Eddie smiled. “I told them that you belonged to me, of course.”
Grace raised her eyebrows. “Belong to you?”
“It was either that or I ask them how much they were willing to pay.”
Grace laughed. “Well, in that case, I’m happy to belong to you. I didn’t realize that you spoke fluent Spanish.”
“Yep. It’s funny. When I’m around Native Americans, they assume I’m one of them, and when I’m around Mexicans, they assume I’m Mexican, so sometimes it works in my favor to have both sides going for me. My dad’s side of the family is Mexican, so I grew up learning to speak English and Spanish.”
“I know the feeling,” Liliana said. “My grandparents only speak Chinese. I like it though. I’m glad that I can speak two languages.”
“Yeah, me too,” Eddie agreed.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Tyler said, “but I think I just figured out how to put our plan into action.”
“What are you thinking?” Eddie asked.
“Okay, so we know that the first problem is to figure out how to get into the compound. We know the entrance is camouflaged. It might take us all day to find it. And besides that, we know there are cameras on the premises. As soon as they see us wandering around, they’ll be all over us, and it won’t do any good if we all get captured.”
“So you have a plan that keeps us all from getting captured?”
“I do. I’ll wander in and let them take me. I’ll be able to see how to get in and then I can mentally communicate with Liliana and give her the directions. Once inside, Toby and I will work to get proof of their existence and find out what they’ve been up to.”
Tyler had told her about his crazy plan, but now that the plan was ready to be put into action, she didn’t like the sound of it. She turned to him with a frown. “Why do you need to get proof? Don’t you think that might be dangerous? Can’t you just try to find your brother and get out of there?”
“No, we need to do more than that. If we just get out of there and run, they’ll eventually track us, again. We need to make sure that they’re going to leave us alone, fo
r good.”
“How do you plan to do that?” Grace asked.
“I’m under no illusion that a couple of teenagers are going to stop them. I mean, they’re a government agency with a lot of power behind them. So, why not pit one agency against another? That’s where you come in, Eddie. When you said that you could speak Spanish, you gave me an idea.”
“Did I? Why do I get the feeling that this plan of yours is going to be completely crazy?”
Liliana groaned. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Tyler laughed. “It wouldn’t be a great plan if it wasn’t a little crazy.” He turned to Eddie. “I’m thinking that you can easily pass as a native Mexican. If you can lead the Federales to the compound, we can let them take over.”
“But, I thought that the IIA had an agreement with the Mexican government to be left alone,” Liliana said.
“Sure, but what if they thought the IIA was trying to get drug money past them, without forking over their fair share?”
“The Federales are the police though, right?” Grace asked. “Why would they want a share of drug money?”
“The Federales try to make a show at stopping drug runs across the border, but they’re also aware that they can’t stop everyone, so they agree to look a blind eye now and then for a certain fee. If they thought that the IIA was trying to get money past them without paying up, they would take it upon themselves to try to stop them.”
Liliana raised her eyebrows in question. “How do you know all of this?”
“One of my old roommates from my, uh…special school, used to be in a gang. He told me a lot of stories.”
“Hmm…I see. But what happens when they raid the place and find out that there’s no drug money?”
“It doesn’t matter. Once they’re in, they’ll find me and Toby and whoever else they’re holding captive, and the compound will be shut down. Before that happens, however, we’ll make sure the IIA knows we have enough proof of their existence, so they won’t come after us again. I know it won’t shut them down. It’ll just put a slight damper on their operations for a while. But hopefully it will keep them away from us for good. What do you think?”
“I like it,” Eddie said with a grin.
Liliana shook her head. “I don’t like it…but it is a smart plan. I’ll give you that.”
Eddie turned to Grace. “What do you think?” Her eyes were focused on the gas station and she didn’t comment. “Grace?”
Her eyes remained fixed on the building. “Someone’s here.”
Eddie followed her gaze. “Who? Who’s here?”
“I’m not sure, but I can feel him…I think it’s a tracker.”
Liliana turned toward the gas pumps and closed her eyes to listen to the thoughts of the nearby patrons. She noticed that Tyler did the same. Unfortunately, every thought was in Spanish and she couldn’t understand.
“I can’t understand a word that anyone is thinking,” Tyler grumbled.
“Me neither.” Liliana chuckled. “Anyway, I don’t see anything odd, but if Grace feels that a tracker is nearby, we should probably get out of here.”
“Agreed,” Eddie said. “I guess it’s time to hit the road and put this plan into action.”
*****
Eddie pulled off the road and into a grove of trees that provided cover from any passersby. Then he turned to Tyler. “So…now what?”
“Now we figure out which direction the compound is and I wander around until they find me.”
They stepped out of the car into the Mexican wilderness and Liliana took a deep breath of fresh, mountain air. The temperature was noticeably cooler than it had been at the gas station. She stood close to Tyler, who had spread the map out on the hood of the car. He looked back and forth from his surroundings to the map a few times, before he spoke. “All right, I think I’ll wander through the woods parallel to the road for about a half mile or so, and then I’ll make my way out to the road. It looks like the entrance to the compound should be near there. I’m sure I’ll be noticed on the security cameras fairly quickly. I’ll let you know when we’re ready for you to lead the Federales in. Until then, I guess just hang tight and watch my back.”
“You’ve got it,” Eddie said. “You take care of yourself.” They shook hands and then drew each other in, to what Liliana thought of as a man hug—a quick half hug with a fist pound on the back.
Grace stepped in to give him a hug and said, “We’ll be waiting for you. Be careful, okay?”
“I will,” Tyler assured her.
Then Eddie and Grace wandered away to look at a lizard on a nearby rock. Liliana assumed that their feigned interest in the reptile was supposed to give her a moment of privacy with Tyler.
“So…” she said, “this is it, huh?” She stood in front of him and looked up into his beautiful eyes.
“Yeah, there’s no turning back now.”
She sighed. “No, I suppose not.”
Then, without another word or warning, he swooped her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was everything she could have hoped for and more. In that moment, their thoughts and emotions seemed to be as one.
With obvious reluctance, Tyler set her back on the ground but continued to hold both of her hands in his. “I expect another one of those when I come back,” he told her.
She smiled. “Oh, I’ll give you more than one. You can count on it.”
They were silent for a moment as they stood beneath the trees and looked into each other’s eyes.
Finally, he broke the silence. “I’d better get going.”
“You be careful. You hear me?”
“I promise.” He squeezed her hands and then let go. “All right, guys, I guess this is it. With luck, I’ll see you soon.”
After one final round of goodbyes, Tyler wandered into the trees, with nothing but the access card hidden under the lining of his shoe. Liliana stood silently beside Grace and watched his departure until he had disappeared entirely.
CHAPTER 19: PROOF
From the protection of the treetops, a concealed chipmunk scolded Tyler. A slight breeze rustled the leaves, but otherwise the forest lay silent. Through the trees, he spied a section of dirt road about thirty feet below. Somewhere on the other side of the road, he would find the entrance to the tunnel. With luck, the guards would find him first.
Can you hear me, Liliana? he asked silently.
I’m right with you, Liliana thought back. Are you doing okay?
Yeah, I’m good. I think I should be pretty close to the entrance.
Okay. Be careful. Keep me posted.
The rocky terrain down the hill was slippery and slow going, but he eventually made it to the road without breaking a leg. Ian had warned that security cameras were located discreetly throughout the surrounding premises and along the road that led to the entrance. If he was in the right location, security should already be alerted to his presence.
He didn’t have to wait long. He had wandered along the road for about two minutes when an ATV zoomed up at breakneck speed and came to a sudden stop, two feet away. Ten seconds later, he was surrounded by three men, who had appeared from behind nearby trees with handguns. If he had wanted to run, he wouldn’t have had a chance.
“Hey, it’s that kid,” one of the guards announced to the rest of the security team. “He’s not an intruder. He’s one of them.” He then turned to Tyler. “What are you doing out here, kid? Henry’s not going to be happy when he discovers you’re out.”
They obviously mistook him for Toby, a misconception that could play to his benefit. “I, uh, just wanted to get some fresh air. Sorry. I wasn’t planning on staying out long. Actually, I think I’m a little lost.”
“Well, come on. I’m going to have to take you back. Hop up and you can ride with me.” He patted the seat behind him.
Tyler did as requested and climbed onto the rear of the ATV. The guard called into his walkie-talkie, to announce they were headed back to the tunnel, and then cranked his neck
around to make sure his passenger was seated. “You holding on, kid?”
He grabbed ahold of the rear bars. “Yep, I’m good.”
They flew down the road for about a quarter of a mile. The guard parked the ATV about ten yards from the base of a rock outcropping. From there, they made their way across uneven ground, strewn with lava rocks until they came to what looked like a dead end. They were surrounded on three sides by tall boulders. Just when Tyler thought there was nowhere to go, he followed the guard around the tallest boulder, on the left, and saw that they were standing atop a rock stairway.
“Prepare yourself, kid. Henry’s going to want an explanation. Next time you decide to take a walk, you need to let someone know. Take someone with you who knows his way around so you don’t get lost.”
“Yeah, I know. That probably wasn’t the smartest move on my part.”
“Well, hopefully the boss is in a good mood. Follow me.”
Tyler nodded and followed the guard down the stone steps.
When they reached the bottom, they came to a metal door. The guard entered a code into a security panel and was answered by a soft buzz. He pressed the handle on the door and Tyler found himself in the middle of a long, carpeted corridor. If he hadn’t known that he was under a mountain, he would have thought that he was in a hotel. He couldn’t help but wonder if Toby was behind one of the many doors they passed along the way.
They stopped at the last door on the right. Opposite the door was another flight of stairs, which led down. The guard knocked and waited. In a moment, the door slid open, sideways, and they were greeted by a tall distinguished-looking man. He was clean-shaven, had salt and peppered silver hair, and wore an expensive suit.
“What is this I hear about you wandering about in the woods, Toby?”
Tyler couldn’t sense if the man was angry or simply curious. He tried to read his thoughts, but they seemed oddly blank, as though he was intentionally blocking them from Tyler.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted some fresh air.”
“Well, next time you want fresh air, you need to go through the proper channels. You can’t just wander about unescorted. I would ask how you got out in the first place, but I don’t think that’s necessary. I’ve been hearing about some of your many talents, including your little outing to the game room the other night.”
Indigo Incite (The Indigo Trilogy) Page 22
