“You’re crazy!” Tomas said, hefting his rifle to both hands. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Ana started to rise, but a noise drew all their eyes to the door. Rafael came in, gasping for breath. He was dirty, his shirt soaked with sweat, his right shoulder bloody.
“She’s gone,” he panted. “Angel’s gone!”
“What about the baby?” Tomas asked.
“The baby’s gone, too. They’ve taken them.”
Tomas looked back at Edmundo. “That’s it. They won’t leave us alone now. Angel will tell them everything.”
“He’s right,” Carlos said.
Pedro nodded. “We need to find them now before they get back to the dock.”
Ana’s eyes went to Orlando, but it was clear that he would side with his son. Edmundo was just sitting there, shaking his head.
Ana pushed herself out of the chair with her thin arms. “God forgive me,” she whispered.
“No, Mama,” Frank said.
She looked back at the men. “All right. Go, and be quick with it.”
The five younger men hurried out. Edmundo didn’t move from the table. Ana sank back down in the chair and Frank knelt in front of her, taking her hands.
“This is wrong,” he said.
“There’s no other way,” she said.
Frank looked toward Edmundo. His brother looked back at him with welling eyes. “You’ve been gone too long, Francisco,” he said. “If you want to stay now, you must do what is necessary, not what is right.”
Frank rose slowly. He looked around the room and then walked to an old wooden cabinet near the fireplace. He opened the doors, stared at the rifles, then took one down. From a drawer, he pulled out a handful of bullets. He cracked open the rifle and loaded it. He snapped it shut and with a final look at Edmundo, he left the room.
CHAPTER 43
Louis stayed crouched beneath the window and watched as five of the del Bosque men came out the front door. They stood in a knot, talking for a moment then dispersed. A moment later, Frank emerged from the house.
Christ...he was carrying a rifle.
Frank paused for a moment, looking around the compound, then disappeared down a path. Louis crept back to the place where he had left Landeta. He heard the small cries of the baby before he saw Landeta.
“Can’t you keep it quiet?” he hissed.
“What the fuck you want me to do?” Landeta said.
Louis inhaled deeply. “They aren’t going to let us leave here alive. They’re going to hunt us down and kill us.”
He could hear Landeta breathing hard. The baby let out a cry.
“Louis —-”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m thinking.” Louis looked back at the compound. No one else had come out of the house.
“All right,” Louis said. “I think the old guy is staying in there with the old lady. Everyone else is out looking for us, including Frank. I say we find a place here to hide. Stay here, and keep that baby quiet.”
Louis crept toward the back of the nearest cabin. Its screened windows were dark. There was no sound coming from inside. He pulled the pocket knife from his jeans, sliced the screen, and slipped inside.
He stood for a second, trying to get a sense of his surroundings in the dark. The room was small, furnished with a bed, a dresser, and something that looked like a desk in the corner. The room smelled of old cigar smoke and gunpowder. He moved to the short hall, pushing open a door with his hand. He peered into the dark and saw the outline of a smaller bed and dresser. He moved on.
On his right was a living area with just enough room for a sofa, a wooden chair, and a coral fireplace. A lantern was on the table, but there was no phone or television, no sign that there was even electricity.
He heard a faint humming sound and turned. A dark, narrow kitchen with a wood table, a sink, and an ancient refrigerator.
Milk for the baby? Something, anything to keep it quiet?
He retraced his steps and slid back outside. As he neared the brush, he could hear a muffled cry. When he reached Landeta, he saw Landeta’s hand over the baby’s mouth.
“Jesus, don’t smother it,” Louis whispered.
“I had to do something,” Landeta said. “You think you can do better then you take it, damn it.”
“Never mind. Follow me,” Louis said.
Louis took them back to the cabin, taking the baby while Landeta crawled in through the sliced screen. Once they were all inside, Louis left Landeta and the baby in the larger bedroom and went to the kitchen.
He hesitated in front of the refrigerator. Damn, there was no way around it. He opened it a crack and light split the darkness. He spotted the button and held it down. In the dark again, he scanned the shelves.