Marked in Mexico (21 page)

“No, it’s just that every time you leave us I’m afraid you won’t come back. I panicked when Isabel tried to drag Megan off and you hadn’t returned yet. Don’t forget there are people out there trying to kill us. I watch lots of movies and one thing I’ve learned is that the group should always stay together.”

“Actually, they probably only want to kill me. You’re more valuable alive than dead.”

That was exactly what Jessica was afraid of and she couldn’t bear the thought. She whipped around to stalk off, afraid if she looked at him she would burst out crying, but Jack snagged her arm and pulled her to him.

“I’ll be back in few hours. Don’t worry. I think you watch too much TV. We’ll have to find you a new hobby when we get out of this mess.” He brushed his lips gently over hers and released her.

Jessica stood and watched Jack walk away until he was out of sight. She didn’t know why she felt so uneasy. He had always returned before and this time he wasn’t going back into the heart of danger as he had at other times. She wished she could be more like Megan. If Megan worried about Jack, she didn’t show it as much.

For the next several hours, Megan and Jessica washed and repaired their clothes and shoes in order to be ready to leave in the morning. Isabel had some old men’s clothing Jessica assumed had been her husband’s. She had already given Jack a t-shirt, but little else worked. Her husband must have been about Jack’s height but stockier. Even with a belt, the pants were too big for Jessica to move in comfortably. Megan was able to wear a pair cinched with a belt and at Capri length, which would at least provide her with a little more protection from biting insects and they were considerably less torn up than the shorts she had been wearing ever since they were kidnapped.

They stood in the small bedroom and crammed the few additional items they had acquired into the pillowcase-cum-backpack. Neither woman spoke. They were scared to leave, but knew they had to. Finding Isabel had been a godsend, but it was time to move on. They would never find their way back to America hiding at Isabel’s home and they feared they might bring danger to the kind woman.

As they discussed what they could do for their host, Isabel burst through their door with all their clothes that had been hanging on the line. She tossed the bundle at Jessica and snatched the rug from the floor. She dug her stubby fingers into a wide crack between two boards and pulled a plank free. She frantically pulled two more up, leaving a narrow gap leading to an empty space below the house.

“
Las Culebras
,” she hissed while pointing and tossing items into the space.

Jessica and Megan needed no further explanation. They grabbed everything that might indicate their presence and leapt into the hole. They crouched down and the light instantly waned as Isabel quickly replaced the boards and scooted the rug over the hidden exit. Megan fumbled through the pack. Her fingers located the cool handle of the pistol and she slipped it out and brushed the weapon over Jessica’s arm to alert her to the find.

Jessica was relieved they had something to defend themselves with, but then her thoughts quickly left the darkness and raced to Isabel and Jack. Surely Isabel had known what she was doing when she forced them into hiding, but what if she was in danger? They couldn’t sit in hiding and not help. And Jack, was he close by?

The door opened and shut with a thud. Footsteps. Jessica couldn’t tell how many people had entered the house, but it sounded like a herd of elephants overhead. As the footfalls shook the wobbly floor she could hear Isabel’s voice mixed in with a jumble of male voices. The old woman didn’t sound frightened, but Jessica had no idea what was being said.

She and Megan huddled together, trying not to breathe as the footsteps continued to roam the house. The door opened and shut again and the house fell silent. Through the slats, Jessica could see the broken silhouettes of the men’s legs, so at least they now knew there were only two.

* * * *

The dogs were barking as Jack neared Isabel’s home. He hadn’t heard a peep from the old dogs since they’d been there, so the sound made him nervous. Picking up his pace, he moved silently toward the pig shed. Once hidden behind the small structure, he crouched down and watched as two men dressed in black military uniforms stood in front of the house with Isabel. He saw no sign of Jessica or Megan, so figured they were in hiding and not already dead, believing what he had told Jessica earlier
¾
she was more valuable alive.

Jack watched as Isabel talked to the two men. She didn’t appear to be afraid of the men as most people seemed to be. The volume of the voices grew and one of the men grabbed Isabel by the arm and the three of them began marching toward the trees. Jack was torn between trying to find Jessica and Megan and following Isabel.

His indecision was short lived. He stalked after Isabel, following close enough to keep her in sight, but far enough away not to be detected. After fifteen minutes, they emerged at a garden plot. Jack squinted through the shadowy light and soon the plants’ identity became clear. It wasn’t the first patch of marijuana he’d stumbled across that day, but it was a big clue as to how Isabel survived out here alone. He suspected she was the gardener and the harvest bought her protection.

The two men inspected the plants while Isabel looked on with her arms crossed and a defiant look on her face. At the edge of the plot, a section of the crop had been cut and harvested. One man pointed and yelled at Isabel. She shrugged her shoulders, shook her head and said something Jack couldn’t hear.

One of the men grabbed her arm and dragged her to the missing plants and continued to scream at her. Isabel spit at him and the man’s face contorted with rage. He slapped Isabel so hard that she flew to the ground. He walked to her and kicked her in the ribs.

Each man had an AK-47 slung across his shoulder and a pistol holstered at his side. Jack cursed himself for leaving the house without his gun, but at the time, he thought it would be better left with the women. Since neither man had a drawn weapon, he was certain he could drop both of them if he were armed before either could react. Jack still held the machete in his hand, but the large knife did little good against automatic rifles.

Jack eased his way around the small clearing to get closer to the men. If he was going to have to face their guns with his machete, he needed to be as close as possible. The only advantage he had was surprise. He’d have to take them out quickly and he wasn’t sure if he could do it. It had been many years since he’d been in a situation such as this and he hoped he hadn’t lost his touch.

The man kicked Isabel again, but Jack was still too far away to do anything. He tried to reel in his rage. He had to focus and not let his emotions guide his actions. Jack moved faster, but worried he would be too late,
again
. The man reached down and yanked Isabel to her feet. He raised his hand to strike her, but the motion was stopped by the other man.

The second man looked at his watch and said something about
Americanos
. He then turned to Isabel, pointed to the missing plants and continued to yell at her. She nodded her head and focused on the ground submissively and after several moments, the men walked away in the opposite direction as her house.

Jack exhaled, but kept still. He waited until the men were out of sight and had time to put some distance between them. He hated that he hadn’t been able to stop her beating, but she didn’t appear as if she had been hurt too badly.

Isabel brushed the debris from her skirt, tucked her wavy black hair back into its bun and placed a hand to her ribs. She winced, which made her leathery wrinkles more pronounced, then walked toward where the path led to her house.

Jack stepped from of the trees and moved toward Isabel. A sound to his right caught his attention, and he whirled around ready to fight, but stopped short as Megan and Jessica emerged into the clearing.

“I had a clear shot at one, but I didn’t think I could hit both before they got their guns out. I used to be a good shot, but I never practiced speed in getting off multiple rounds.” The pistol hung limply in Megan’s hand. “I would have tried if they touched her again.”

“It was difficult to watch them hurt her, but probably best neither of us acted. If we had injured or killed those men, not only would
we
be in big trouble, but I’m sure their colleagues would have made Isabel pay with her life.” Jack took the gun from Megan’s hand and stowed it in his waistband.

Isabel’s eyes were filled with tears as she brought the three young Americans to her breast and hugged them.

“Wish we would have known you were here, Jack. Then maybe we could have stopped them from hurting her. She hid us and probably saved our lives.” Jessica touched a hand gently to Isabel’s ribs.

Isabel flinched, but smiled. She took Jessica’s hand and walked slowly back toward the house.

“Or, if you would have only thought to bring a bean pot,” Jack added.

Jessica shot him a wicked look over her shoulder. “If you don’t stop teasing me about that, you might find out how it feels.”

Megan draped an arm over Jack’s shoulders and they all walked back to the house without further discussion over what had happened. Jack felt a little ridiculous marching beside Megan, who towered over him with her arm protectively around him, but he didn’t care. He was just thrilled they were all still alive and Isabel had fared as well as she had.

Once at the house, Jack went to the back of the shed where he had left his prize. He enjoyed the look on the women’s faces as he emerged holding the spotted giant jungle rat by its back legs. Megan looked impressed, Isabel looked thrilled and Jessica looked like she might get sick as she darted off toward the new outhouse.

After a nice dinner of vegetables and jungle rat, they finished packing and getting ready to leave first thing in the morning. Jessica would never give Jack the satisfaction of admitting it, but the rat was actually pretty tasty. She did convey her pleasure to Isabel and her host seemed pleased.

Jessica hated to see the daylight wane, because it meant their brief respite was nearly over. Tomorrow they had to move on. They had already stayed too long. She lay in bed next to Megan, but knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Too many thoughts raced through her head. The minute they left Isabel’s house, she would once again feel like prey. Jessica hated feeling as if she was being hunted and anxiety welled inside her. She would now also worry about Isabel. Jack explained what he believed to be the relationship Isabel shared with
Las Culebras
and they both knew it was an arrangement that would not keep her safe forever and the thought made Jessica feel helpless and sad.

“Jack, are you awake?” she whispered.

“Sure, what do you need?”

Jessica slipped out of bed and crawled to the floor. She put her head on Jack’s chest and he wrapped his arms around her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek and Jessica was out in a matter of minutes.

Isabel filled their water bottles and gifted them the canteen she had allowed Jack to use the day before. After fixing them a hearty breakfast, she wrapped up a dozen biscuits. The mood was solemn. Jessica sensed Isabel was as hesitant for them leave as they were to go.

The past couple days had worked miracles on Megan’s health and all their spirits and Isabel seemed to enjoy their company. It must be lonely for her living alone in the jungle and she was vulnerable, as they had seen the day before. Jessica feared for Isabel’s safety, but the woman had survived prior to their arrival and would continue to survive once they departed.

The old woman didn’t seem to know which direction led to Villahermosa, so she escorted led them back to the spot where she had found them. They hugged each other, waved a tearful goodbye, and the small group re-entered the jungle to search for a city they hoped would be their gateway home.

Megan had made a remarkable recovery. Her long stride and strong pace had returned, and Jessica was once again the one struggling to keep up as they picked their way through the tangled mass of vines, short leafy trees and bushes.

The day was as hot as usual, but with ample water and food they were able to make good progress in a direction they hoped headed toward Villahermosa. Jack’s observation about the jungle becoming denser and more humid as they traveled north appeared to hold true. The leafy canopy was so thick that only dim, scattered light showed through, yet the heat didn’t seem to diminish and sweat continued to drench their freshly washed clothes.

As they pressed on, Jack once again thought about how much easier the trek would be if he had a bush knife to clear a path, but since they were still being tracked, it would be an unwise tactic. Cut limbs were a sure sign of human passage and even a marginal tracker would be able to follow a trail cut through the jungle.

For lack of a better alternative, Jack continued to look for the path of least resistance, which he doubted was the shortest route or even the smartest idea. Megan seemed healthy, but after what she had been through, he couldn’t count on her strength holding out indefinitely in these demanding conditions. Jessica had already shown more strength and endurance than he would have ever imagined she possessed, but he knew there had to be limits to such a petite body.