Chapter 39
39
Lenore blinked her eyes open, wondering why she felt groggy. Her mouth was dry, and her head ached. The hangover feeling lingered, but she hadn’t drunk to excess since college many years ago.
She lay on her side, but as she tried to move, her hands wouldn't separate. Clarity hit, and she gasped, still blinking in the darkened room. As she looked around, her heart sank as more reality crept in, pushing out the confusion. Freddy. I was taken… again. But how? Someone was supposed to be guarding the schools.
Lenore didn’t recognize her surroundings but knew she wasn’t in the same hiding place as before. While that location was an outcropping of overhead, sheltering them, this space appeared to be a shallow cave. The sides, the ceiling, and the floor below were all rock. Her body ached, and she had no idea how long she'd been lying on the floor.
As memories came back, she could clearly remember Freddy dragging her into the van after he stopped her with his vehicle.
She then thought of the man in the blue car. Instead of helping, he'd mouthed, I'm sorry, meaning he must have been in on the kidnapping. She grimaced—his apology meant nothing to her. To not only sit by and watch a crime but to be a part of it was unconscionable.
No other people were in the cave, but boxes were stacked against one side. A small lantern sat on the floor toward the back, offering little illumination. She managed to push herself to a seated position. From this vantage point, she could see that the boxes were wooden crates, and she felt sure the contents were illegal. From what she'd gathered from the Keepers, they were probably filled with drugs waiting to be hauled between the United States and Canada.
She thought of her situation but couldn't fathom why they'd taken her again. If they wanted me to be quiet, why didn't they just kill me? She didn't have an answer but returned to the space. She thought about Evie and assumed someone would call Sisco. She had put him on the school emergency contact list and signed the papers with her doctor. I wonder if anyone witnessed me being taken?
Sisco had mentioned the security cameras at the school, and she was grateful for their presence. Someone from LSIMT must be looking for me. She suddenly remembered her pendant necklace and wanted to weep for joy. While she didn't understand how the technology worked, she was reminded that Sisco and the others could find her location. If I can just hang on, Sisco can get to me.
Looking down, she saw her hands were zip-tied in front of her, and her ankles were also secured. That was going to make it much harder this time around. But she had no doubt she could escape. Looking out the mouth of the cave, she saw that it was already dark. With no shadows to indicate east or west, it would make escaping so much harder. But she was determined to get away and then deal with getting somewhere the Keepers could find her.
A scuffling noise sounded near the mouth of the cave, drawing her attention. Freddy and another man entered. Raul… wait, not Raul. She remembered the man driving the white van. He had looked so much like Raul.
Freddy's gaze landed on her, and he tossed out a maniacal grin. “Lookie, lookie, who's awake.” He cackled, rubbing his hands together.
The other man walked over, pushing Freddy to the side. He kneeled, his left forearm resting on his knee and his right hand stroking his chin. His gaze held on her face for a long moment. He said nothing, and Lenore decided her own silence was for the best.
“You're very pretty.”
She felt as though the air was stuck in her lungs. She was afraid to breathe, terrified to make any movement that he might notice. She was glad his gaze had remained on her face, hopeful that his intentions might be more honorable than Freddy's. Is there honor among thieves? Is there honor among drug smugglers? She had her doubts.
There was intelligence in this man's eyes. Perhaps there had been the same in Raul's as well, but it would have been masked by the pain he was in from the knife wound. But this man had no such pain, and she could see the wheels turning inside his head. Whatever he was thinking, she had no doubt it did not bode well for her.
“Your brother would let me have her,” Freddy whined. “Come on, Enzo. We can have some fun.”
She battled the whimper that threatened to escape, not wanting to show fear. She now knew who this man was—Raul's brother.
“Shut up,” he said. “We've got to be smart, and we've got to be ready. I'm not hurt like Raul was, but I'm still saddled with you, and let's face it, Freddy—you're just here as a mule.”
Freddy muttered under his breath, and as much as Lenore didn't want to let her gaze shift from the man in front of her, her eyes darted to see the look on Freddy's face. He was angry, barely able to hide it. Her gaze darted back to Enzo, who was now standing.
“We're heading out with the first product in an hour. Once it's passed off safely, we'll make a second trip, and then I'll figure out what to do with her.”
“You can't leave her here while we're out! She got away last time!”
“Yeah, 'cause she's smart, and you're a dumbass,” Enzo said, looking down at her. “She'll go with us.”
“There's no reason we can't have fun with her, especially since we know what'll happen when we get over the border.”
Enzo continued holding her gaze, but her mind raced to figure out what Freddy was implying.
“I'm going to keep my eye on you,” Enzo said. “You are smart, and I think you're a fighter on the inside. Good. You're gonna need that to survive.”
He stood and walked away, and she felt like she could freely draw air into her lungs. Because Raul had been injured and not functioning at his best, he was easier to get away from. But Enzo, unencumbered by an injury, was a man to watch out for.
Her gaze was no longer locked on Enzo, and she took the opportunity to glance around to see if there was a way to get the ties off her hands and feet. She remembered seeing a YouTube video about how to bust out of handcuffs, tape, zip ties, and rope. She had watched it but hadn't paid much attention. Now, she cursed at her situation and had no clue how to help herself. It may all be up to you, Sisco. Please, find me.
Enzo's phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. As he listened, his face morphed from alert to angry. Lenore found her breathing slow as she watched the transformation. Whatever he was learning was not making him happy, and that only terrified her.
Freddy's attention finally swung over to Enzo, and he cocked his head to the side but didn't say anything.
Enzo growled, “You are kidding? No? Then as soon as you have it ready, call me. We will start, and I'll give you the new coordinates.” Disconnecting, he shoved his phone into his cargo pants, then stomped to the cave's entrance, staring into the distance, remaining quiet. Whirling around, he pinned Freddy with a hard stare.
“Load up what you can carry. We have to make a drop now, and our transportation is unavailable.”
“What? Carry this shit? I didn't plan on?—”
“Shut the fuck up. You always want the easy way out. You do what I say, or you don't leave here alive. Comprende?”
Freddy jammed his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Then his eyes narrowed on Lenore. “What about her? She gonna stay here, or we load her up, too?”
“She'll make a good mule. She can carry, too.”
Freddy laughed, once more rubbing his hands together. “Good. Uppity bitch will have to work.”
Lenore strained to understand their conversation, eventually realizing they planned to carry drugs over the border on foot. As much as she despised the idea, at least they would have to untie her feet and hands. Keeping silent, she fervently prayed that Sisco would find her once they were on the move. All she needed was to stay alive until then.
Enzo prowled over to the crates on the other side of the cave. Picking up a crowbar from the floor, he cracked open the one on top. “Grab those backpacks,” he ordered. Freddy complied, bending to pick up two canvas packs. “We can carry more if we take the bricks out of their larger bags.”
Lenore watched with keen interest as Enzo placed the crowbar on the ground, mentally noting its location in case she needed it later. She kept her eyes on their actions, her heart pounding in her chest. Enzo peeled back layers of plastic wrap to reveal a white brick. She’d watched enough news to know it was some kind of drug. Cocaine? Heroin? She couldn’t be sure what they were smuggling, but with the number of crates, the dollar amount must be substantial.
Enzo placed the bricks into one of Freddy's backpacks, then grabbed the handles and hefted it several times as though to test the weight. He added two more bricks and then struggled to close the ties at the top, eventually securing the pack. Repeating the action, he filled another one. “You'll carry these.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to carry both?” Freddy asked, his face scrunched in confusion.
“One on your back and one on your front or in your hands.”
“That's fucking heavy, Enzo,” Freddy complained.
Enzo moved so fast that Lenore barely had time to blink before he held a gun to the side of Freddy's head. “Would this make your life easier?”
“Chill, man, chill,” Freddy said, his voice shaky. “I got it.”
Cold seeped into Lenore’s bones as she watched Enzo, certain he would have blown Freddy's head off without hesitation, even if it meant one less person to haul the drugs. Silently vowing to do whatever it took to stay alive until Sisco could reach her, she abandoned all thoughts of attempting to grab the crowbar.
Enzo’s attention shifted to her, his gaze piercing and inscrutable. As he stalked closer, her heart raced. He bent down, grabbed her bound hands, and jerked her to her feet. She was oddly grateful for his grip since her ankles were still tied together, and she would have toppled over without his hold.
His gun was shoved into the back of his pants, but he reached to his side and pulled out a knife. With a flip of his wrist, the blade extended, and her eyes widened in fear. Enzo nodded slowly, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “I can see fear in your eyes. Good. Like Freddy, you will have your uses. Continue to do what I say, and don't try to escape, and you will live.”
Strangely, it struck her that if he killed both Freddy and her, he'd have no one else to carry the drugs to their destination. She was sure he knew that and wasn't about to point out the obvious. Simply nodding, she showed her acquiescence.
With another flick of his wrist, he sliced through the zip tie binding her wrists, allowing the blood to flow into her fingers again. He bent and released her feet with another quick cut. She battled the desire to knee him in the face. With Freddy burdened by the backpacks already strapped on, she thought of the temptation, fantasizing she could outrun them when she got out of the cave. But Freddy watched her like a hawk, and Enzo stood quickly, ending her thoughts of immediate escape.
“I can see how much you want to get away,” Enzo said. “You would be wise to do as I say. You would not last long out there.”
He filled another backpack, leaving out a few of the bricks that he had placed in the others. Jerking her around, he ordered, “Put your arms through the straps.”
She complied, but she staggered backward with the weight. He pulled out another brick and tossed it to Freddy, saying, “Fill two more.” Jerking her back around to face him, he said, “This will be what you carry. If I try to load you up with more, you'll be worthless to me.”
Her heart beat rapidly, and she continued her silence. Glancing down at the straps, she realized she could slip her arms free once they were outside the cave, thus allowing her to dart away. She'd be faster than they would be since they'd have heavy loads to carry. But before she could celebrate that plan, Enzo pulled out another zip tie and fastened the straps across her chest, rendering her unable to let go of the pack easily. Frustration welled up as he closed off every avenue of escape. She wondered how close Sisco or any other Keepers were. Having no clue when or if they might arrive, she blinked away the tears threatening to fall. Staying alive for Evie filled her mind.
Several minutes later, all three were loaded up with the contents of two of the crates. And with Freddy leading the procession, Enzo placed a hand on her shoulders and gave her a shove forward. She was sandwiched between the two and, knowing that Freddy was a wildcard and Enzo had a gun, she was stuck. For now.
Enzo slipped goggles onto his face and handed a pair to Freddy. She waited to see if he had a pair for her since they appeared to be night vision goggles, but he just turned and pointed at the cave entrance.
They left the cave, and she was immediately plunged into a dim world where each footstep was perilous. Freddy held a low-illuminating light in front of him, and with Enzo's light behind, she could see just well enough not to trip over large objects, but her footing on the mountain pathway was treacherous. The weight of her backpack kept her leaning forward to counterbalance the load. It worked for keeping her gaze on where her feet were landing on the rocky terrain but made it more difficult for her to try to see anything of her surroundings.
“I can't see where to go,” she whispered, her chest already heaving with the mental fatigue that threatened to drop her to the ground.
“Then stay between us,” Enzo ordered.
Freddy chuckled, although it came out as more of a strangled scoff under his own weighted packs. “If not, you might just go right over one of the cliffs.”
Fear now gripped her, and as much as she wanted to get away, not being able to see made this nightmare much more dangerous than the last.
As the pale illumination led to simply staying behind Freddy, she prayed that the tracker in her necklace would guide Sisco to her.