Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

W hen the first hint of dawn silvered the screens of the casita , Jake swung quietly from his hammock to retrieve the sat phone. No one else stirred. The little house was filled with the sound of sleeping people.

The night before, when the building’s interior had been darker than pitch, he had pushed the defunct phone into the open bag of rice. All night long, he had surface-slept, ready to pluck it out again before anyone awoke to measure the rice in advance of the morning meal. If their plan succeeded, all the moisture in the phone’s casing would be gone, and the new battery would turn it on.

Feeling around in the kernels, he retrieved the phone, then brushed off the grains of rice before stuffing it deep into his pocket as he stood. Glancing over at Lena, he was surprised to find her still asleep. Of the two of them, she was the lighter sleeper. Perhaps she’d been awake much of the night, the way she was at the outset of their assignment.

Leaving her to sleep, Jake slipped out of the casita , inadvertently rousing Chucho, who slept closest to the door. As Chucho lifted the flap of his tarp to blink up at him, Jake gestured that he was heading into the trees to relieve himself, and the youth disappeared under the flap again. David and the others never stirred.

Confident of getting reception down by the coca field, Jake followed a muddy furrow past the overgrown coca plants to the forest on the other side. Yesterday’s rain showers had finally subsided, leaving the earth smelling wet and clean. Droplets of moisture winked like diamonds on the ends of every coca leaf.

Serenaded by birdsong and the chatter of monkeys, Jake acknowledged the savage beauty of La Cordillera de los Cobardes. What a shame man had tainted this untouched wilderness with his greed and his warring nature.

Coming to the edge of the field, he tucked behind a bush, put his back to a tree, keeping a sharp eye out, and retrieved the new battery from his left boot. After inserting it into the newly dried phone, he murmured a prayer and powered it on.

When the phone gave a beep, he closed his eyes briefly. Thank You . As long as he could reach the JIC, everything would be okay. Holding down the number seven, he waited for his call to go through.

“Justice League, Hulk speaking.”

Harm’s deep voice was a welcome sound. “Hey, it’s Iron Man. I need to keep this short. I’m about five klicks away from Rebel Central, which means my coordinates should be close to one of those camps, probably Ki-kirr-zikis .”

“Roger that. You’re about four kilometers away as the crow flies.”

“Cool, so listen, the FARC have an ally in the form of the Venezuelan National Army. I would have told you that days ago if circumstances allowed. Also, we might not be on El Castillo much longer. We’re close to an agreement with our hosts. I’ll try to let you know if it pans out.”

“Hooyah. Roger that, we knew about the Venezuelans; just needed you to confirm it. And that’s great news about your progress. Saves us a lot of work if that pans out. Bet you’ll be glad to get out of there, huh?”

Honestly, Jake wasn’t looking forward to leaving. “Sure.”

“Sounds like we won’t need the coordinates of camp number three, either.”

“Hopefully not.” Arriba , perhaps on the trail beyond the waterfall, could remain in obscurity forever.

“We’ll wait to hear from you, then. If you can’t get through, no worries. We’ll know what’s happening by your trackers.”

“Roger that. Talk later. Over and out.” Jake powered down the phone and put it away, making certain as he did so that the hollow space inside his heel was dry. After lacing up his boot, he turned toward the bush to relieve his bladder.

He was watering the leaves at the bottom, peering up at the casita through the branches, when the soft pad of a footfall made him turn his head. His stare collided with a set of large green eyes staring out of a round, spotted head with pointy ears.

God have mercy, he was being stared at by a jaguar!

But, as suddenly as he’d seen it, the creature wheeled and fled, scarcely making a sound as it leaped away. Jake kept stock still, rocked by the beating of his heart. He took one cautious step backward, then another, while zipping up his pants.

Keeping his eyes peeled for the giant cat to flank him, Jake hurried out into the field and up the muddy furrow, casting wary glances behind him all the way to the casita . What a surreal experience, coming face-to-face with an endangered jaguar!

With his blood still flowing, he ran into David and his squad, who were all awake by then and carrying wood into the casita for a fire. Glancing his way, they stopped and stared.

He explained his evident pallor. “?Vi un jaguar!”

Their faces lit up, and they broke into grins.

“That’s good luck, se?or,” David assured him. “No se asuste.” Don’t be afraid . “The jaguar protects men from evil spirits.”

Pretending not to understand the second part of David’s message, Jake followed them only to step back as Boris and Bellini emerged to do their business. “Don’t go that way.” He pointed downhill. “I just saw a jaguar.”

As the two men marched warily into the woods, avoiding the field, Jake wiped his boots on the mat and reentered the casita . His alarm spiked to find Lena and Arias, the only two people still sleeping. Hurrying to her side, he placed his palm on her forehead and found it warm to the touch.

She awoke with a gasp, recognized him, and went to wipe a grain of sleep from one eye. “Hi.”

“Comment vas tu?” He searched her expression.

“Bien, et toi?” She glanced toward the rice bag, clearly asking if he’d retrieved the phone yet.

“Parfait.” At his optimistic tone, she gave a small smile of relief that the phone was working again.

Her attention went to Esme, who was standing over Arias. Switching to Spanish, Maggie asked her, “How’s the patient this morning?”

From where Jake stood, the Argentine’s coloring looked better already.

The Turkish woman nodded. “His fever is broken. That tea David made for him certainly helped. Perhaps he can make more. I’ll go ask.”

As Esme left the casita , Jake watched Lena swing her feet out of the hammock and sit up stiffly. She’d lied yesterday about her hip being fine. Remorse for not checking her incision daily needled him, but it had looked good back at Cecaot-Jicobo .

Lena waited for Esme to disappear before asking him in French, “Did you call yet?”

Charles and Arias were the only people present, making it safe for Jake to answer.

“ Oui. I got through.” A glance toward Arias showed the man still sleeping.

“Bon.” Looking relieved, Lena started toward the door. “I need to use the facilities.”

Of course, there were no facilities. With a wry smile, Jake followed in order to protect her. He decided not to mention the jaguar. Lena didn’t need yet another reason to be anxious. Pressing into the forest, they ran into Bellini and Boris on their way back. Once out of earshot, Jake inquired, “How long have you been keeping your secret?”

She didn’t even glance in his direction. “Quel secret?”

“You know which one. Show me the incision.”

With a firming of her lips and a quick look around, she lifted her jacket and showed him. Her slacks hung so low on her skinny hips that she didn’t need to pull them down anymore. They’d both lost weight on this mission.

As Jake stared at the angry red infection, premonition pulled his scalp tight. “Do your business and walk straight back to the casita . I’m going to look for another c ordoncillo tree.” And hopefully not run into the jaguar.

“Jake, don’t bother. We’ll only be out here a couple of days. I’ll be fine until then.”

David’s voice calling for them kept Jake from going anywhere. He waited for Lena to tend to mother nature before they retraced their footsteps together. Maybe David would help him locate what he had called matico . Then again, no. David would want to know why Jake needed the medicinal leaves, and they’d roused his suspicions enough as it was.

Discovering why David was calling them, Maggie braced herself. Marquez and Gallo were back from their visit with Rojas. Nor were they alone. A squad of eight guerillas accompanied them, all of them hardened soldiers armed with brand new AK-74s, no doubt provided to them by the Venezuelans.

Leaving his men outside, Commander Marquez wiped his boots and squeezed into the little casita to speak privately with the UN team. Maggie watched him fold his arms across his chest in a stance of resistance that didn’t jibe with the words coming out of his mouth.

“General Rojas has agreed to your latest offer.”

The team members gave a unified gasp and shared eye contact.

“My men and I will escort Se?or Mayer and Se?or Arias to a pueblo, just down the mountain. Arias may be seen by a doctor there, and Se?or Mayer will have access to a computer, the Internet, and a phone to make his arrangements. The rest of you will remain here with David and his soldiers.”

So Gallo was leaving, as well? Maggie shared a hopeful look with Jake. Then again, was that a good thing?

“Once the arrangements are finalized, we will return for you. I cannot vouch for your safety if you venture beyond this casita , so stay put. This should not take long?—a day or two at most.” He swept one more look at the lot of them while avoiding eye contact with Maggie.

Her instincts niggled. Why won’t Marquez look at me?

When the commander took his leave, everyone shook Boris’s hand, wishing him luck. A short while later, the same stretcher Arias had used the day before was brought into the casita . The Argentine’s expression of hope sent an arrow through Maggie’s heart. She hoped he would make it home to his family alive.

The team trailed the stretcher outside to bid farewell to those leaving.

“Godspeed, Boris!” Rushing up to the German, Esme embraced him.

Watching the couple, Maggie realized a romance had bloomed between them. How more likely were they than she and Jake to share a future together? The question depressed her.

“?Vamos!” Marquez bellowed, and the group set off, headed in the direction of Ki-Kirr-zikis .

Watching Gallo go with them, Maggie waited for hope and relief to wash over her. Instead, she was all too conscious that her time with Jake was dwindling.

Following their midday meal, the remainder of the team lolled in their hammocks. What else was there to do? Going outside became impossible, as a swarm of blood-seeking mosquitos surrounded the casita, driving David’s squad indoors with them while David alone suffered the mosquitos to keep watch. Julian, Chucho, and Estéban hovered by the cold hearth, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Jake, lying in the hammock next to Maggie’s, had turned himself around so they faced each other. Over the woven hamak fibers, Maggie met his steady blue gaze. What was he thinking? Did he wonder, like she did, how he was going to feel when they went their separate ways? Did that put a weight on his chest, as it did hers?

In the strained, dull silence, Charles tossed out a general question. “What’s the first thing you intend to do when you return to civilization?”

Maggie, whose hip was aching, had a ready answer. “Sit in a jacuzzi.”

“Hah.” Bellini, who owned a vineyard, offered, “Open my best bottle of pinot grigio.”

Esme held up a stockinged foot. “Get a pedicure.”

Jake finally chimed in, “Take my wife on a?—how do you say??—a honeymoon.”

The unexpected comment startled Maggie into staring at him. She received, in return, a loving smile, which flooded her with tingly feelings, until she remembered he was role-playing.

“You never had a honeymoon?” Bellini sounded confused. “But you were off celebrating your ninth anniversary when I visited the Secretariat just a few weeks ago. Why wouldn’t you call that a honeymoon?”

Uh-oh. Maggie offered a quick excuse. “Jacques is being facetious. Every anniversary, he takes me on vacation and calls it a honeymoon. He wants another one, is all.”

Charles backed her up. “Yes, every year, they take an elaborate vacation. Where will you take her next, Jacques?”

Jake looked back at Maggie. “Well, I was picturing something memorable with a white?—er, a white, sandy beach?—and clear water.”

He was so good at pretending not to speak Spanish well.

“I know.” Esme shot them a bright smile. “You could take her to Istanbul. We have some beautiful beaches in Turkey.”

Too close to Morocco. Visions panned through Maggie’s head, but they weren’t as crisp and debilitating as they used to be.

“Mmm.” Jake tipped his head. “I was thinking maybe Phuket, in Thailand.” He raised his eyebrows, looking for her reaction.

Knowing it was expected of her to play the loving wife, Maggie raised the bar by rolling out of her hammock and bending over Jake to reward him with a kiss. Lingering purposefully, she hoped to rattle his cage. But when he slipped his fingers through her hair, keeping her mouth trapped against his and deepening the kiss, it was she whose head was spinning by the time he released her. A honeymoon in Phuket looked mighty appealing in that moment.

Fighting to keep a smile on her face, she eased back down in her own hammock before narrowing her eyes at Jake. That was a low blow?—tempting her with visions of what could never be.

And yet, once envisioned, Maggie couldn’t stop imagining Jake and her sprawled on lounge chairs, sipping mai tais, while staring out at the aqua-blue Indian Ocean.

Marquez had told them to stay near the casita , but once the swarm of mosquitos abated, Jake approached David for permission to take Lena for a little walk. His excuse to the squad leader was the need to exorcise their restlessness as they waited for Boris to get back. The truth was, he had something important to ask Lena before they went their separate ways.

David’s frown betrayed less suspicion than before.

“Por favor.” Jake used his most persuasive voice. “We will walk on the sendero for five minutes and come right back.” Pitching his voice lower so Lena wouldn’t overhear, he added, “You know, my wife is a little crazy. She needs to get away from people.”

“Bueno.” David finally relented, but his eyes were full of thoughts as he gestured toward the path. “Pero cuidado por el jaguar.”

Jake didn’t wait for him to change his mind. Grabbing Maggie’s hand, he pulled her uphill in the direction of their old camp. It hadn’t rained since their march down to the casita . The forest was cool and perfumed by the many-colored orchids growing in crevices and the forks of the trees?—a virtual paradise.

“Quel jaguar?” Lena demanded once they were out of David’s hearing.

Jake gave his classic French hug. “David heard some snarling last night. He thinks there’s a jaguar around here somewhere.”

A tiny vertical line appeared between Lena’s eyebrows as she peered around them.

“But I’ve heard it’s good luck to run into a jaguar. How’s the hip?” She seemed to be limping a little.

“It’s fine.”

He put her answer to the test. “So, you want to run some uphill?” The mud on the trail had dried, making it feasible.

“No, that’s okay.”

“So, it’s worse.”

Her head swiveled in his direction. “Drop it. We’ll be back in civilization soon. I’ll get on some antibiotics, and I’ll be fine.”

Jake heaved a sigh and swallowed the obvious retort. What would happen if they couldn’t leave this wilderness any time soon? Peering into the lush vegetation, he hoped to spot the golden-orange berries of a cordoncillo tree. As he searched, he scrounged up the courage to talk about the future?—their future.

“Listen, Lena, I was thinking…” He wished he could ask her this in English, but David could be following for all he knew. “When all of this is behind us, maybe we could see each other from time to time.”

Lena, clearly startled, stared hard at him. “What are you suggesting?”

“Just, you know, to see each other again.”

When she looked away, falling silent, Jake’s heart sank. Still, he persevered. “I’m up in Northern Virginia at least once a month. We could meet for dinner or something.” The thought of not seeing her every day, holding hands like they were right then, eroded his happiness. Even so, certain she would balk at the idea of dating him, he painted a deliberately casual picture.

Her step slowed and she faced him, causing Jake to hold his breath. He was conscious of the greenery surrounding them, the birdsong, the rustling of leaves that he hoped wasn’t a jaguar about to pounce.

“Jake,” she whispered in English, “please, don’t do this. People like us don’t do relationships. We’ve been over this before.”

Disappointment gutted him, and his thoughts flashed to Café du Jour , right before the bomb detonated. “Right.” But her eyes hadn’t been filled with tears of remorse like they were now, shimmering like the precious emeralds for which Colombia was famous. “But there’s got to be a way, Lena. I like being with you.” Understatement of the year.

She blinked furiously, clearly battling her emotions. “I like being with you, too.” Her words sounded strangled. “But, Jake, we would never get to see each other.”

He forced a smile. “Look, I’m not asking for anything permanent. I just want to see you again.”

She dragged her lower lip between her teeth. “I’ll think about it.”

Relief buoyed his spirits. Not that she’d said “yes,” but “I’ll think about it” was a heck of a lot better than “no.”

Lifting his hands to her face, he ducked his head and lowered his lips to hers. Kissing her with all the pent-up hunger swirling through his body, he showed her exactly what she’d be missing if she didn’t at least try. He knew he was succeeding when she matched his kiss with equal ardor, fisting the material of his jacket and pressing the length of her body against him. Desire stormed his bloodstream, making his thoughts reckless.

Danger.

Jake tore himself away, breathing heavily as he surveyed their environment, half expecting to see the jaguar about to leap on them. Alarm shafted him as he spotted a man standing twenty feet away draped in shadows?—but then he stepped forward with an awkward smile on his face.

“You must come back now,” David urged. “Padre Josué is here. He wants to pray for your team.”

David hovered outside the door of the casita in turmoil. On the one hand, he had just caught Madeleine and Jacques speaking in American English?— again . On the other, they had then kissed so passionately that it was clear they loved each other. And now Padre Josué was praying for the team leader’s success as he was away securing the ransom money and facilitating the release of their compadres . As the priest prayed, guilt consumed David.

Because of him, Gallo was set on tearing Jacques and Madeleine apart. He might even kill them, making David party to their murder!

Hearing the priest bestow a final blessing on the peacekeepers, David quickly distanced himself from the casita door. As the priest emerged, he caught David’s anxious regard and paused.

“Will you walk a short distance with me, David?” He gestured toward the ascending path.

“Where are you headed?”

“All the way to the top of the mountain. Just walk with me for a while. I enjoy your company.”

David nodded, sending word to his underlings to keep an eye on their guests.

As he fell into step beside the priest, David waited for the older man to say something, but the missionary kept quiet. Perhaps climbing uphill required all of his energy. His breath flowed in and out as he plodded one step at a time. His walking stick thumped on the damp earth.

Unable to stand the silence anymore, David blurted, “Father, I have made a terrible mistake.”

“Oh?” Padre Josué halted and faced him. The humid heat had summoned droplets of sweat along his thick brown hairline. “What mistake was that?”

David glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the casita . “The French couple. I consider them my friends. But they are more than they seem.”

The priest blinked but said nothing.

“I saw the woman, Madeleine, coming out of Mondo Gallo’s quarters one morning when he wasn’t there. I saw her out of her bungalow the other night when someone set off explosives in the forest.” David scuffed the ground with his toe. “I…I mentioned my suspicions to Gallo, and now I wish I had not. Later, Gallo ordered me to put a toxin in Madeleine’s drink so he could question her while I distracted her husband. I’m afraid he will tear them apart…or even kill them.”

The priest’s eyebrows, resembling long-legged caterpillars for how bushy they were, had lifted with alarm. “Son, you must listen to your conscience. I suggest you warn the couple while asking for their forgiveness. Once that is done, you are blameless, and it will be up to them to respond.”

David nodded, but dismay dragged his gaze back to his boot. The couple, who had always treated him well, would think badly of him. He would have to swallow his pride first.

A heavy hand settled on his shoulder. “If you find yourself needing help, I will be up at the summit through Sunday, perhaps even Monday if the weather is bad. You can find me there.”

“Gracias, Padre.”

“You’re welcome, David. Now, you’ve escorted me far enough. Go back and do what your heart tells you to.”

David nodded, tried to smile, and turned away. Rather than relieve him, the priest’s advice filled him with more turmoil than ever. He didn’t want Jacques and his wife to think badly of him. They would know at once that he had plotted with Gallo the other day to sicken Madeleine. It was lucky Jacques had rescued her from Gallo’s clutches before anything nasty happened.

Perhaps David was overreacting. After all, Gallo hadn’t shared any more plans to cause the couple physical harm. And Marquez would have to approve of Gallo’s actions anyway, and Marquez held no animosity for any of the peacekeepers. David might be fretting over nothing.

“Todo estará bien,” he murmured to himself as he hiked back to the casita . Everything will be okay.

Lying in her hammock in the pitch-black casita, with rain drumming the tin roof and a cool, wet breeze blowing through the screened windows, Maggie replayed Jake’s words to her that afternoon. He’d asked to see her again?—nothing serious. But his kiss belied his words, as it conveyed a desire for her that went way beyond a casual friendship. Would he have stopped if David hadn’t walked up on them?

Had the squad leader heard them speaking English, or had he only seen them kissing? For the rest of the day, she’d sensed his brooding gaze resting on her. What did it mean for Jake and her?

Surely, if Boris succeeded in arranging the agreed-upon terms, it wouldn’t matter what David thought. They might all be leaving El Castillo any day now, which meant this mission with Jake would end shortly thereafter.

Loss rent her heart at the thought. Must it be the end, though? She dared to imagine what it would be like to see Jake again, as he’d suggested. Their meetings would be sporadic, at best. And once she was assigned overseas, next to impossible. She was crazy to even consider it.

Yet snuffing out the promise of that kiss felt wrong . If she never saw him again, she would be cheating herself of something truly splendid.

Wriggling onto her side, Maggie sought Jake’s silhouette in the hammock next to hers. She ached for him, sleeping this way, so close yet so far apart. How she missed the warmth of his body touching hers, the comforting feel of his chest beneath her cheek, the steady beat of his heart. Yearning filled her eyes with tears.

I love him. I’ll miss him.

It had taken her years to even look at another man. Yet if she kept Jake in her life, no matter how intermittently, she would only be happy when they were together and starkly lonely when they were apart.

I don’t know if I can live that way.

Just go to sleep, Maggie.

She squeezed her eyes shut, undecided. It didn’t help to know that she would be slumbering peacefully at that moment if only Jake were holding her. Memories of all those sleepless nights back in Arlington, turning in her bed, filled her with dread. She would have to take those antianxiety meds all over again.

Oh, help. She would be a mess without Jake.