Marked in Mexico (22 page)

By late afternoon, they reached the banks of a river, which Jack assumed was still the
Usumacinta
. They didn’t see any people around, but the ground was trampled and the area heavily used. As they sat in the shade within sight of the water, they could hear the occasional hum of vehicles, so they knew they had to be near a road.

“If that’s Highway 203, we could probably hitch a ride to Villahermosa, but I’m hesitant to trust anyone,” Jack said. “And, we’re probably more likely to run into
Las Culebras
on the road, driving around in their shiny SUVs.”

Jessica thought the same thing. They covered many miles the day they had hitched, but it had also put them in contact with the very people they were trying to avoid. She wished she knew how wide the net had been cast for her. She couldn’t imagine they would put this much effort into finding her, but then again, they probably thought a U.S. Senator’s daughter was the biggest bargaining chip they would ever have a chance to nab. Plus, her father wasn’t just any senator—he was the senator from Texas, so if they were aware of that fact as well, they might believe he had additional sway over the state officials imprisoning their colleague and brother.

“So far I haven’t made the best decisions or we’d be home. Let’s vote. Do we hitch or do we keep walking?” Jack asked.

Jessica and Megan looked at each other and were in instant agreement.

“Let’s try to hitch a ride. Some of the locals have been friendly and helpful. We’ve got to trust in the goodness of human nature a little. And Jack, you have made good decisions. Without you we’d be dead or worse.”

Megan agreed with Jessica and both women put their arms around him and sandwiched him between them.

“Okay, okay. Back up. Save that for when we’re truly out of this mess.”

Jessica and Megan released him and gave each other a smug look. Jack had tried to be so cool from the moment she’d met him that Jessica enjoyed flustering him. It wasn’t easy, but always worth the effort.

After a quick lunch of biscuits and water, they headed in the direction of the sounds of vehicles. The highway wasn’t very busy, which made it difficult to follow the noise, but after several hours they located the road. It was paved and striped, a significant roadway for Mexico, so they hoped it was indeed Highway 203, which would take them to Highway 186, and on to Villahermosa.

They began walking northwest alongside the highway. The vehicles would be moving much faster on this paved road than they had on the dirt road, so the gamble was even greater. They’d have to commit to flagging a vehicle down long before they could verify if it was someone they were avoiding, law enforcement or a helpful local.

Normally they would have tried to flag down the police, but after their experience at the last village, they decided it would be best to take their chances with the locals. Manny and Isabel had been treasures and renewed their faith that goodness still existed in the world, but so far those two had been the exception rather than the rule.

After half an hour of walking in the hot sun, a truck approached heading in the right direction. The vehicle slowed to a stop. They could see the back was already overflowing with people and it didn’t appear like there was room for three more, but the driver indicated they could squeeze in, but he wanted money first.

Jack pulled out the rest of the
pesos
. He hoped it was enough, but it was all they had left. The driver eyed it with disappointment, but finally nodded consent. The people in the back shifted to make room, but looked uncomfortable letting three Americans on board. Jack, Jessica and Megan huddled near the tailgate and the truck pulled back onto the highway and sped north.

Jessica watched as the scenery passed by in rapid motion. The trees near the road had been cleared, but a short distance away, the jungle formed a dark curtain of green. They saw few people or animals along the road, verifying their belief they were in a very rural part of Mexico.

The draft provided a pleasant breeze that dried the sweat on Jessica’s sticky skin, but she had to squint her eyes in order to keep the dust and bugs from becoming embedded. Enjoying the cooler temperatures, she rested her head on Jack’s shoulder and had almost fallen asleep when she felt the truck begin to slow.

Jessica jerked her head up with the hopeful expectation they had already reached Highway 186 and would be on the last leg of the journey toward their destination. She looked to her right and then to her left, but saw no road intersecting the one they were currently on. As the truck continued to slow, she was finally able to see the reason and the sight sent panic racing through her in painful waves.

Two police vehicles and four men-in-uniform had set up a roadblock. Just past the officers were two expensive SUVs with dark tinted windows. A half a dozen men dressed in black military uniforms leaned against the vehicles, Ak-47s draped over their shoulders, watching the officers, but not intervening.

The driver of the truck pulled over and showed the officer his identification. A woman in the back of the truck began to pray and pulled her children to her breast and embraced them in a fierce hug. Other children whimpered and all the men kept their eyes focused down at their feet. The fear was so tangible it sent bile creeping up Jessica’s throat.

The officers split up and slowly walked down both sides of the truck, eyeing each passenger. No one looked up and the woman’s prayers got louder. When the officers reached Jack, Jessica and Megan, they stopped and motioned for them to exit the truck.

“What do we do?” Jessica whispered.

“We get out of the truck. Don’t see as we have much choice at the moment,” Jack replied.

Jack stood and crawled over the tailgate and Jessica and Megan slowly followed. Once they were standing on the side of the road, an officer motioned the driver on. As the truck pulled away, all eyes were on them. Jessica was sure she could see pity and fear in her fellow passengers’ eyes, but the looks soon faded and they were alone.

Jack quickly assessed the situation. There were four officers, only two had weapons drawn, but he was certain they all possessed one. The barrel of a nine-millimeter semiautomatic was shoved into his back as they were herded off the road and into the trees. Four men and two weapons at the ready
¾
he had to act quickly. If they were searched, the officers would find the gun and the grenades. They would shoot him on the spot, hand Jessica over to the men who had put a price on her head and Megan likely faced abuse, torture and eventually death like Ashley.

Jack was quick and a good shot, but he wasn’t sure if he could go for his gun and pick off four men before one of them could return fire, but that seemed like the only option at the moment. They also had grenades, but at such close range and with the time needed to get the weapons out and set them off, those would be of no use in their immediate situation.

After they had walked several hundred yards away from the road, one of the officers demanded they sit. They sat with their backs against a large tree while the officers paced nervously. Jack took their clear case of nerves as a good sign. He doubted the officers were worried about the three of them, but were terrified of the small group of
Las Culebras
back at the road.

As they sat, they heard another vehicle approach. The engine silenced and four doors slammed. Several minutes later, another vehicle stopped and more doors echoed in the eerie silence. The odds were getting worse with every minute they sat idle. They’d have to make a move before the others arrived.

Jack wasn’t confident. He didn’t know the abilities of the enemy and he hadn’t been in a situation like this in so long he feared he might be rusty, but this was the best opportunity they would have. Once
Las Culebras
reached them it would be all over.

He leaned over and kissed Jessica’s cheek to cover his true intent. “Be ready to dive behind the tree,” he whispered.

Jessica grabbed Megan’s arm and gave it a pinch. They had been through so much together that the small gesture was all Megan needed to be ready. Jessica could feel Jack tense and could see his outside arm sliding closer toward his back. The four men continued to pace and seemed oblivious to Jack’s subtle actions.

With more speed than Jessica had expected, Jack’s gun was out. A shot rang through the forest and one officer fell. Before she could see what happened next, she and Megan dove behind the tree. They crouched low and began to run, keeping the tree between them and the officers. They heard eight more shots and Jessica knew they weren’t all Jack’s, because he only had a total of six bullets in the clip. She prayed he was okay, but knew he would want them to keep running.

Megan’s stride was long and Jessica pushed as hard as she could to keep up. It was clear Megan’s strength had returned and her spirit had never been a question. She could hear footfalls behind her. She was torn between looking back for Jack and continuing to run as hard as she could. Concern for him won over and she cast a glance over her shoulder. She let out a sigh of relief as she slowed for Jack to catch up.

“Keep going. They’re all coming now,” he yelled.

Jack caught up, but didn’t run by her even though she knew he could. It was all she could do to keep Megan in sight as they ran. Jessica was running so hard that her vision was beginning to blur as sweat streamed down her forehead and into her eyes. She stumbled, but Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her on. She quickly regained her balance and nearly slammed into Megan’s back.

They had reached the river. This stretch was just as bad as the one they had attempted to cross. They didn’t have time to contemplate what to do. They could hear men running through the trees, shouting.

“This way,” Jack demanded as they hugged the river and headed north.

Jessica’s heart felt as if it were going to explode. She had never run so fast or for so long in her life. Despite the pain and exhaustion, the thought of stopping never entered her mind. The noises of the jungle seemed to be closing in. It sounded as if people were running behind her and to the side, hemming in from three directions.

They passed by an open area next to the river. The spot looked like a large plot that had been cleared at one time and burned for crops. As large as it was, they doubted it had been a simple family garden, but more likely used to grow marijuana. The thought of drugs being grown this close to the road was not a good sign as to the local law enforcements’ intentions.

“Hold up a minute. This might be our opportunity to do some damage. Jessica, give me your grenade,” Jack said.

They crouched behind a tree. Jessica was gasping, trying to catch her breath as she dug the grenade out of her pocket and handed it to Jack. She glanced over at Megan and was surprised to see the young woman didn’t look nearly as spent, even after her fight with malaria for the past couple of days.

Jack’s instincts had been correct. Men came into view from behind them while more entered the clearing from the side. The men clustered in the center of the clearing, positioned with their backs together, so they could search the surrounding area without exposing their flanks. Normally, it would have been a valid maneuver, but in this case, it positioned them perfectly for Jack’s plan to do the most damage.

Jessica watched with wide-eyes as Jack pulled the pin and held it for several seconds before he hurled it at the six men who had emerged into the clearing and formed a tight cluster.

“Get down!” he shouted.

She and Megan hit the ground behind a cluster of trees and covered their heads as a loud explosion shook the earth beneath them. A few loud screams could be heard, but soon all human sounds ceased.

Debris showered down on them. Chunks of wood pelted Jessica’s bare arms and she could feel blood trickling down to her wrist. Her small body partially shielded Megan and took the brunt of the fallout. Her ears rang as she lay on the ground unable to hear what Jack was saying to her. For a moment, Jessica had a hard time focusing on Megan or Jack as her head continued to buzz.

Megan wiggled to free herself of Jessica’s slight weight. As soon as she was able to free herself, she quickly moved away from the blast zone. Knowing what she would find without looking back, she kept her eyes focused straight ahead.

“Let’s go!” Jack pulled Jessica to her feet.

She stood frozen by the sight in front of her. Bodies were strewn about the clearing and she detected no movement. Some of the fallen were missing limbs and the ground seemed to be stained black from blood. Her head began to swim as she stared at the carnage. She couldn’t look away and dry heaves wrenched at her gut. She wasn’t sure she could breathe or move until Jack yanked her around and tugged her along.

Megan had already left the scene. Jessica hoped she hadn’t seen the devastation. The sight before her would be burned into her brain forever and she would never be able to erase the gruesome images. Jessica hoped somehow she would be able to live with everything she had seen and done since their kidnapping, assuming they survived, which at the moment, didn’t seem very likely.

Jessica pulled Jack to a stop and held him for a moment. Her heart broke for him. She would be scarred for life and she was sick for the men and their families, even though some of them could have been responsible for their initial capture, Gilbert’s murder and Ashley’s torture and death, though at this point, she couldn’t be sure since their bodies were beyond recognition. What Jack had seen in Africa had to have been a hundred times worse, yet he had survived with a kind heart intact despite his attempts to keep a cool distance.