“Why weren’t the police called long before this happened?” Dilara asked.
Lia looked up at her. “Because everyone is deathly afraid of Medina, Dilara. You don’t know how dangerous he is. He’s killed before, and he won’t hesitate to get his revenge if someone crosses him. People live in absolute fear of him.”
The Major at the laptop flashed a photo onscreen of the destroyed, charred remains of their school. Gesturing toward it, Lia said, “Now you know why.”
“But our school has been there for thirty years,” protested Dilara, “and with the approval of the Costa Rican government.” Her eyes showed confusion. What had changed?
Lia had known this was going to be a brutal session, but it couldn’t be helped. Robert and Dilara couldn’t make wise decisions without good Intel, and she was the only one alive who could provide it. For a split second, her gaze met Jordan’s, and the protective feeling she received from him caught her completely off guard. She desperately needed to feel as if someone were keeping her safe right now.
Focusing on Dilara, she said, “It was common knowledge in the village that no one was to help his mistresses or to create any trouble for them.”
“And because our teachers gave Lupe sanctuary,” Robert growled, “Medina attacked our charity?”
“Yes,” Lia said wearily. “Look, he considers those women his property. He’s a monster, Robert. We’ve always known it. We were careful to keep everything the charity did away from him, his villa, and his mistresses.”
“Until Lupe came to you for help,” Dilara said softly.
“I saw her an hour after she asked for help,” Lia said. “Her face was a mess. Medina had used his fists on her, possibly broken her nose. And he’d also whipped her. Medina didn’t like something she did or said, so he strung her up, stripped her to the waist and whipped her ten times with something…I’m not sure what…but her shoulders and upper back were bloody. I immediately drove over to the Tabacon Resort and got their doctor.”
“I wonder if Medina will go after the doctor, too?” Robert murmured.
“Oh, the doctor knows how vengeful Medina is,” Lia said, “but the owners of that particular resort are very, very powerful, with strong political ties to the capitol. I seriously doubt Medina will attack the doctor or do his family any harm. You see, the reason Medina has free rein up at La Fortuna is because there are no Costa Rican police force up there. All the major resorts have their own security forces. And La Fortuna is only a mile or two from most of the other forty resorts in the area.”
Grimly Robert looked to his wife. “This is a typical situation that can develop here. The resorts probably loan a security officer to the village whenever one is needed.”
“Yes,” Lia confirmed, “That’s exactly what they do. All the children of the workers at these resorts come to our school in La Fortuna. Up until very recently, we had a great working relationship between the resorts, the village and our charity.”
“Any indication that Medina has already targeted you?” Robert asked Lia.
Shrugging, Lia said, “I don’t know. Probably. Even though I wasn’t there when Maria and Sophia took Lupe in, I’ve worked at this school for years. And Medina and his soldiers know everyone in the area.”
Robert swung his gaze to Cav. “You’re to be with her at all times.”
“Yes, sir,” he murmured, registering the distress in Lia’s eyes.
“But, sir?” broke in Lia, “If this man comes in with a gun and everyone in the village knows it, Medina will consider him a threat.”
“Cav is going undercover as a replacement teacher,” Robert told her. “He can play the part. He’s going to be a bilingual educator, supposedly teaching English to the children.”
Lia stared across the table at Cav, and again felt something comforting emanating from him.
“Do you speak Spanish?” She asked him directly. She had yet to hear him say much of anything. Clearly, he was a big, bad guard dog, and Lia admitted she felt relief flowing through her. She knew how much a security contractor cost and she was sorry that the Culvers had to spend large sums to keep her safe. That money should be going for books, pencils, notebooks, instead.
“I’m passable in Spanish,” Cav assured her quietly, noting her concern. He wanted to reassure her, but under the present circumstances, with his two bosses present, he needed to stick to terse responses.
Lia felt a sliver of calm enter her, and realized that with this man she felt safe, in a way. She knew he had to be disgusted by her scars because men always were. Except for Robert, who treated her as whole and worthy.