10. Emerson
Emerson
During the ride to the marina it was almost the same seating arrangement, only Thaddeus had opted to sit in the cargo area of the SUV, leaving Max and Kyle sitting on either side of me.
During the drive, the guys asked me a bunch of questions and I readily and completely answered all of them. This was the one and only time I’d trust them. I’d believe they’d get the girls to safety and in exchange I’d give them all the information they needed.
This was actually a much better plan. I hadn’t figured out how exactly I was going to get the girls to freedom since everything had gone to shit.
I just needed five minutes to question the girls, then I’d slip away and find a way to get into the villa to get my stuff.
I’d have to give my best performance of being kidnapped by one of Jefferson’s competitors.
There were enough in the area I could pin it on someone, and his guards would be out for revenge.
It might actually be easier than I thought to play the part as the grieving girlfriend and start a gang war.
That’s what I needed—everyone in chaos so I could grab my shit and exit stage left before I became someone’s unwilling prisoner. I’d never be able to come back to this part of Venezuela, but that was okay.
“Emerson?” Max knocked his shoulder against mine.
“Huh?”
“Woman, you need to pay attention. We’re here.”
You know what?
No.
I was done with Max’s shit.
I’d fucked over Thaddeus and he had reason to be mad at me so I’d give him a pass. A lifetime pass. However, the rest of the men were another story. Totally. I was done with being on the receiving end of their bullshit. Most especially Max.
“No. You know what? No more. I have a name, it’s Emerson—not ‘woman.’ Use it.”
“I beg your pardon?” His eyes narrowed and I only knew that because even in the dark his blond hair and blue eyes stuck out.
He looked like he was a surfer-boy, not…
whatever he was. I didn’t even know what they did.
I assumed because Thad was with them, they were in the military, though I could’ve been wrong. I didn’t ask and I wasn’t going to.
“I think you heard me, Max. I’m not your punching bag.
I get you don’t like me. None of you do, but guess what?
I don’t fucking care. I’m not being a bitch to you.
And in less than an hour you’ll never have to see me again.
However, until that happens, kindly keep your personal bullshit to yourself. ”
“Damn right, my bullshit is personal. You fucked over one of us, which means you fucked us all.”
Well, that wasn’t a pleasant thought—at all.
“Just pay attention and watch your ass out there. I don’t want to have to fill out a third report explaining why you’re dead, too. ”
Jeez. I didn’t think it possible for a grown man to be so dramatic, but there it was.
“Thanks for the advice.”
Declan had stopped the SUV and found a heavily brushed inlet to park the truck. Now all we had to do was walk back to the shack. But we were splitting up, so I had to give Thad, Brooks, and Max some directions.
“The dirt road is going to fork. When it does, follow it to the left. If you continue straight, you’ll hit the water. You can’t miss the house. There’s literally nothing else in there.”
The jungle was thick and the underbrush thicker.
It was almost sick to think, but the house was perfect.
The tree canopy made it impossible to see the jungle floor which meant the shack couldn’t be found by plane.
And you’d have to know exactly where the beach was to enter by water.
Jefferson had been a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.
Max, Thad, and Brooks had disappeared, and for the first time since Jefferson had been killed, I could breathe.
“You ready?” Declan asked.
“Yes.”
We made our way through the rainforest in silence.
It worked for me because I was a little out of breath trying to keep up with the men’s pace while trying to swat away insects so large it was against the laws of nature they could fly.
And snakes, I was definitely watching for snakes.
What I wasn’t watching for was bad guys.
I figured Declan and Kyle had that covered.
Neither of them had lowered their rifles since we’d started stalking through the trees.
How silently they could trudge through the swampy conditions amazed me.
And neither of them had complained or shown any outward signs of being uncomfortable.
And they had to have been. Even though it was the middle of the night and the sun was thankfully absent, it was still hot as balls.
Sweat was trickling down my forehead and rolling in mini rivers down between my boobs.
I couldn’t understand how they could be covered head to toe and not stop once to wipe their faces or to guzzle water. I would’ve given almost anything for a cold bottle of water and five-minute break, but I’d be damned if I showed any weakness.
Besides, the shack was almost in view and all of this would be over in a matter of minutes.
Declan stopped and held up his right arm at a ninety-degree angle with his hand in a fist. Kyle stopped, too, so I figured that was some sort of bad-ass hand signal to halt.
I did as the men did and stood completely still.
Suddenly and without warning, three men dressed in black appeared from the chaparral.
Before I could let out a scream and run, Declan pulled me close and whispered, “Quiet.”
Now that the surprise had worn off, it was clear Thad, Max, and Brooks had rejoined us.
Declan nodded his head and four men started forward. When I took a step to follow, a large hand grabbed my bicep and stopped me. He shook his head and didn’t let go of my arm but had loosened his grip.
It wasn’t Thad holding me, I knew that, but with the black mask covering his face I couldn’t make out who it was.
In the moonlight I watched as the front door of the house was kicked in. The sound splintered the silence of the night and seconds later muffled gunfire rang out. I was in awe of the flashes of light I could see through the windows. It looked like the Fourth of July inside the small shack.
Then just as suddenly as it’d started, everything stopped.
A beat later, the man holding my arm propelled me forward and we entered the house.
My breath caught in my throat at the stench. The smell of urine and feces was overwhelming, the humidity and stagnant air made them more so.
“Jesus,” I mumbled.
I was guided into the second room, which was smaller than the first room, maybe the size of a small bedroom, and illuminated only by a battery-operated lantern. Five girls huddled in the corner.
“Where are the rest?” I asked.
No words were spoken by my guide on this fucked-up tour. He only shrugged. I wondered why he wasn’t speaking, but then maybe none of them wanted the women to be able to recognize their voices. He let go of my arm and gestured for me to go to the girls.
I slowly moved across the room and knelt down in front of them. I wanted privacy for this talk, but I was out of time, so I didn’t bother to ask to be left alone.
“These men are here to save you,” I started, hoping one of them spoke English. “Do any of you understand?”
Two of the girls nodded. “Good. That’s good. No one’s going to hurt you. They’re going to take you somewhere safe and get you back to your families.”
Five blank faces stared back at me. My heart broke. None of them believed me. Shit. I hated this part. Hated the look of doubt and devastation.
I pulled a folded photograph from my bra and opened the paper to show the girls.
“Have any of you seen this woman?”
None of them looked down. None of them looked like they were paying any attention to the words I was speaking.
“Please help me,” I begged. “This is my sister. Just look at it. Please. Have you seen her?”
One of the girls—she looked to be the youngest of the group—glanced at the picture of my beautiful little sister, shook her head, and nudged the girl next to her to look .
She shook her head no as well.
My shoulders slumped forward and I stared at the dirty floor.
Another dead-end.
Always a dead-fucking-end.
But it wasn’t these girls’ fault and at least five more girls would be set free.
“Thank you for looking. You’re all safe now.”
I started to stand when the youngest of them grabbed my hand and squeezed.
Maybe she’d be one of the lucky ones who would survive mentally.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” I stood and motioned for them to do the same.
I turned and found the big man dressed in black from head to toe was looking at his boots.
He’d heard.
Damn it.
“Are you guys ready to get them out of here?” I asked.
His hooded eyes came to mine and his piercing blue ones held me in place.
Max.
And he’d heard.
Fuck.
Max nodded and exited the room.
I helped the girls up and ushered them into the other room. Four men stood near the doorway ready to leave. I didn’t bother looking around the filthy room, I just wanted to leave.
Three men exited and Max nudged me to follow.
“Come on, follow them,” I told the girls.
They huddled together and shuffled their way outside. I was a little surprised when none of them tried to run. But they didn’t, they followed three men they did not know like sheep being herded. The thought made me sick.
No one spoke. Not a single peep was uttered as we made our way down the dirt path. The fork in the road was just ahead and this was where I was going to make my exit.
I tapped Max on the shoulder, and in an extreme moment of weakness, I allowed all the pain to surface and whispered, “Please tell Thaddeus I’m sorry.”
Max’s gaze sliced from me to his friend who walked only a few yards in front of us.
I didn’t wait for him to look back at me or acknowledge my request. I peeled off and got lost in the maze of tree trunks.
Once again, I was alone.
I’d start over from scratch and make my next move.
I’d never give up searching for my sister. She was out there somewhere alive. I could feel it.